Getty Images/Alex Alonzo/E! IllustrationTeam USA can't stop and won't stop going for gold.
It's hard to believe that the Opening Ceremonies for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo were set for tonight. But given the Coronavirus pandemic affecting countries around the world, event organizers previously postponed the events for one whole year.
While many Olympic hopefuls are still working hard to earn an opportunity to compete next summer, others like Team USA surfer Caroline Marks have already secured a spot in Tokyo. Just because you have a spot, however, doesn't mean it's time to slack off.
"My goal is to better my surfing every day and be the most prepared for any conditions that get thrown at me so I can be my best on competition day," Caroline shared with E! News exclusively when discussing her training.
Besides, there is so much to look forward to as surfing officially becomes an Olympic sport in Tokyo.
"The opening ceremony is something I've always dreamed of being a part of," she explained. "Competing and representing my country is going to be incredible! Surfing is really an individual sport so to have a team behind me is going to be a really fun experience. I'm excited for it all."
As Caroline prepares to experience her very first Olympics, others are working harder than ever to feel the magic all over again.
E! News decided to compile some of America's favorite athletes to see where they stand ahead of the upcoming games in Tokyo. In addition, we're introducing you to a few new faces who have already qualified in their respective sports.
Keep scrolling for a status check and make sure to mark your calendars for the 2021 Summer Games set to open on July 23, 2021 and air on NBC networks.
Sport: Skateboarding
Status: Qualified for 2021 Summer Olympics! "I hope that skateboarding gets a lot of new fans out there and that people start to fall in love with it and get to realize that it's a really fun thing to do and a really fun thing to watch, especially as far as the competition goes," Nyjah explained to E! News. "I'm stoked that the Olympics finally put skateboarding in there."
Sport: Swimming
Status: TBD! All eyes are on the Olympic hopeful who is already being compared to Michael Phelps after he beat the swimmer's time in the 100m butterfly.
Sport: Surfing
Status: Qualified for 2021 Summer Olympics
Sport: Gymnastics
Status: TBD. "Hopefully the Olympics can still be put on, even if it means we're in a bubble. I'll basically do anything at this moment…It just is a matter of time until we hear what the Olympic Committee has to say and what their precautions are going to be going forward," she said on NBC's Today show in January 2021. "But whatever they say they want us to do, I'm in 100 percent."
Sport: Distance Running
Status: Qualified for 2021 Summer Olympics
Sport: Swimming
Status: TBD! "I'm just focused on my same goals," the Olympian shared on Today this summer. "We know we have another year to prepare and I'm going to try to use this year to improve and use it as an opportunity."
Sport: Surfing
Status: Qualified for 2021 Summer Olympics
Sport: Swimming
Status: Retired! After making history with his gold medal wins, Michael is a proud husband and father of three focused on expanding his foundation. He is also set to appear in HBO Sports' upcoming documentary The Weight of Gold.
Sport: Swimming
Status: Qualified for 2021 Summer Olympics
Sport: Marathon Running
Status: Qualified for 2021 Summer Olympics
Sport: Swimming
Status: Does not qualify for the Tokyo Olympics. In June 2021, he placed seventh in the 200-meter individual medley at the U.S. Olympic swimming trials in Omaha, Nebraska. To be eligible to compete in the Olympics, he would have needed to come in first or second.
"I still want to race, but as far as another Olympic trials, I don't know about that," he told reporters. "I'll be 40. That's pushing it. But we'll see. I mean, anything can happen. I can take years off and come back and be stronger than ever, who knows."
Sport: Surfing
Status: Qualified for 2021 Summer Olympics
Sport: Swimming
Status: Retired! Back in Dec. 2018, the five-time Olympic gold medalist announced she was finished with competitive swimming. "It took me a long time to say the words, 'I am retiring,'" she wrote to ESPN. "A long, long time. But now I'm ready. I'm ready to not be in pain every day. I'm ready to become a wife, one day a mother. I'm ready to continue growing each and every day to be the best person and role model I can be. I'm ready for the rest of my life."
Sport: Swimming
Status: Qualified for 2021 Summer Olympics
Sport: Track & Field
Status: TBD! The four-time Olympian previously told ESPN that she is training on city streets or whatever green spaces haven't been closed because of Coronavirus restrictions in California. "I'm used to fighting," she shared. "That's what we've been doing. Now we just continue on. You get your focus and do what you have to do."
Sport: Gymnastics
Status: Qualified for 2021 Summer Olympics
Sport: Swimming
Status: Retired! Back in Oct. 2019, Conor announced he was done with competing. "It has been an incredible ride and I have accomplished more than my wildest dreams," he wrote on Instagram. "It was an honor to represent my country alongside my teammates."
Sport: Swimming
Status: TBD! The Olympian is hoping to earn more medals in 2021. "Trainings actually been going really well all things considered," he shared on Today. "Right when we got into shelter in place, I ordered some weights and got that for my garage. Our Olympic sized pools are still closed so we're training in some smaller pools but we're grateful to be in the water."