Olympics.com
What’s better than winning Olympic gold? Winning Olympic gold in your own backyard.
Growing up amongst the legacy of two editions of the Olympic Games, many athletes from the Los Angeles metro area have learned to dream big from a young age. They set their sights high and aim for the stars, hoping to be celebrated like those on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
But getting to the Olympic Games is no small task; it requires years of dedication and an endless amount of personal sacrifice. It’s why the phrase, “it takes a village,” is repeated so often in mixed zone interviews during the Olympic Games.
Because athletes know that while the word “individual” contains three I’s, the journey to the Olympic Games is anything but a solo effort. It’s a trip that requires the full involvement of their family, friends, coaches, teammates and local community.
After all, Olympic dreams aren’t realised overnight. They’re forged in public swimming pools, planted at local athletics tracks, and maintained by grassroots organisations that nurture and support young talent within their communities.
So how better to reward these cherished investments in athletic excellence than by winning a gold medal on home soil at the Olympic Games LA28?
Nick Itkin – fencing
- Hometown: Los Angeles
- Olympic experience: Tokyo 2020 (bronze medal – team foil, 12th – individual foil), Paris 2024 (bronze medal – individual foil, 4th – team foil)
Coached by his father, Michael Itkin, who founded the Los Angeles International Fencing Center, Nick Itkin has become one of the top foilists in the United States. He began fencing at age seven, but didn’t really hit his stride until he was at the junior level.
He made a name for himself on the U.S. collegiate circuit, winning two individual NCAA titles in foil while attending the University of Notre Dame. He turned professional ahead of Tokyo 2020, where he won a bronze medal as part of Team USA’s men’s foil team.
Itkin matched that result at Paris 2024, winning a bronze medal in the individual foil. He has also won a medal at every edition of the Olympic Games and World Fencing Championships held in the last five years.
In the past, he has admitted to performing at his best under pressure. If that is truly the case, a gold medal might just be on the cards at LA28.
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