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91º | 16% chance of precipitation
Sunrise 6:17 a.m. | Sunset 8:13 p.m.
 

🇺🇸 A century of Richmond Olympians

7 Richmond Olympians from across history
Five men in USA garb stand in a line in an old black-and-white photo.
William Agee (far left, in the USA sweater) finished the 1928 Olympic marathon in 2:58. | Photo via Wikimedia Commons
If you’re like us, you were cheering on Charlie Swanson last week in the 100-meter breaststroke. Swanson’s solid 14th-place finish is part of a century-long lineage of Richmond Olympians. Here are a few other notable River City athletes who vied for medals on the world’s biggest stage.

Bill Agee

William Agee was born in Richmond on Christmas Day, 1905. In 1928, at the age of 22, Agee won the US Marathon trials in Baltimore and finished No. 44 in the Amsterdam games later that year.

Kellie Wells Brinkley

A star sprinter at both James River High School and Hampton University, Kellie Wells Brinkley took home a bronze medal in the 100-meter hurdles at the 2012 London Olympics.

Three women at the end of a 400m hurdles track race

Hermitage HS grad and two-time Olympian Queen (Harrison) Claye still competes at an international level.

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Photo by jenaragon94

Queen Claye

Claye, a Hermitage High School grad — City Editor David here: Go Panthers — was the youngest member of USA Track and Field’s team at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Then a sophomore at Virginia Tech, Claye competed in the 400-meter hurdles, making her the first female VT athlete to make the Olympics.

Claye also competed in the 2012 games, making her this list’s most recurring Olympian. Despite narrowly missing a spot on the Rio Olympic team, she still made headlines in 2016 when her then-boyfriend Will Claye proposed in the stands of the Olympic Stadium in Rio mere moments after winning a silver medal in the triple jump.

Both Clayes competed in the 2024 Olympic trials in June, and Queen now returns to Hermitage every year to host the “Queen Track Classic.”

Townley Haas

Henrico native and former Benedictine College Prep standout Townley Haas has the honor of being the only gold medalist on this list. A 19-year-old Haas swam the second leg for the USA’s 2016 4×200-meter team, splitting 1:44.14 (then the sixth-fastest in history) and helping propel the team to victory.
🏅 More local legends
 
Events
Monday, Aug. 5
  • Skywatch | Monday, Aug. 5 | 9-10 p.m. | RPL Belmont Branch | Free | Join the Richmond Astronomical Society and spot celestial objects in the sky — RSVP online.
Tuesday, Aug. 6
  • Flying Squirrels vs. Hartford Yard Goats | Tuesday, Aug. 6 | 6:35 p.m. | The Diamond | $10-$25 | The Squirrels salute the mighty peanut with a koozie giveaway.
  • Trivia in the Park | Tuesday, Aug. 6 | 7-8 p.m. | Brambly Park | Cost of purchase | Bring your crew and compete for prizes at this weekly trivia throwdown.
Wednesday, Aug. 7
  • Making History with LVA | Wednesday, Aug. 7 | 5:30-7:30 p.m. | Virtual | Free | Join a virtual volunteer session to learn how you can help make historical documents more accessible for researchers.
  • PJ Morton | Wednesday, Aug. 7 | 8 p.m. | Carpenter Theatre at Dominion Energy Center | $40-$116 | The Grammy winner will swing through Richmond on the “Cape Town to Cairo Tour.”
Thursday, Aug. 8
Events calendar here
Click here to have your event featured.
 
News Notes
History
  • The Black History Museum and Cultural Center of Virginia has received a new designation from the National Parks Service. The West Leigh Street museum is now part of the African American Civil Rights Network, a collection of places telling the story of the Civil Rights movement. (Richmond Times-Dispatch)
Biz
  • Local video production company Tilt has acquired RainMaker Studios, a sibling-owned studio with 27 years of history in Richmond. The two Shockoe-based companies have been working on this deal for about a year. (Richmond BizSense)
Eat
  • Scoop has a new sign over its Strawberry Street ice cream parlor. If you’re trying to beat the heat, you can go grab a cone and see it for yourself or consult our guide to find a creamery near you.
Job
  • The James River Association is hiring a new Director of Education to lead a team of educators and further develop its environmental science curricula. Check the JRA website to see the full list of qualifications before you apply.
State
  • New data shows that school bus driver vacancy is improving across Virginia. According to the Department of Education, the statewide vacancy rate has dropped 5% over the past three school years and now sits at just over 10%. (Virginia Mercury)
Family
  • Help your kid build confidence + discipline with Master Ribeiro’s junior martial arts classes. Held on the first Tuesday of each month at the Children’s Museum of Richmond’s Chesterfield location, these classes pack a punch. The next session is tomorrow from 11 to 11:30 a.m. Learn more.*
 
Outdoors

The James cleans up its act

VDH lifts advisory over sewage in the James
RICtoday_JamesRiver_CityView
The James has made improvements in several areas in the past two years. | Photo by RICtoday
On Thursday, Aug. 1 — just over two weeks after issuing a recreational advisory for several miles of the James River — the Virginia Department of Health announced that the advisory has been lifted. It cited data from earlier that week indicating that bacteria concentrations had returned to acceptable levels for river recreation.

However, it still advises that children under five, older adults, and those with weakened immune systems continue to exercise extra caution. Swimming in the James always poses some level of risk, since river water is not disinfected.

VDH says they were alerted to a sewage leak on Tuesday, July 16, at which time both VDH and the Department of Environmental Quality began actively monitoring bacteria in the river.

Bacteria levels generally tend to increase after rainfall due to Richmond’s combined sewer system. You can monitor river conditions day-to-day using James River Association’s River Watch tool.
The Buy

The Buy 8.05.24 (Affiliate)
Bedsheets you won’t sweat through. We got you a deal on a sheet set that’s crisp, cool, and made with overheated sleepers in mind. Bonus: They’re also wrinkle-resistant and hypo-allergenic. Enjoy cooler nights, sleepers.
More worth The Buy
 
The Wrap
 
David Lefkowitz.png

Today’s edition by:
David
From the editor
While my athletic career at Hermitage HS may not have resulted in two Olympic appearances, four consecutive Olympic trials, and a track meet named after me, I did earn “most improved” on the Panthers’ 2014 JV Boys Volleyball team — and hey, that’s something, right?
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