Folsom, El Dorado Hills locals ready to chase Olympic gold

Folsom and El Dorado Hills residents will have a special reason to tune into the Olympic Games, which begin Friday in Tokyo, Japan.Former Folsom resident and 2004 graduate of Folsom High, Michelle Sechser, 34, will compete in the women's lightweight double sculls rowing competition along with her teammate Molly Rechford; while Bryce Mefford, 22, and a 2017 graduate of Oak Ridge High, will compete on the US swim team, swimming in the 200-meter backstroke. Sechser's parents, Tom and Mary, live in Folsom, while Mefford's parents, Scott and Roxanne, live in El Dorado Hills.Sechser and Rechford qualified for the Games, first in February at the US trials, and then in May while competing against other pairs from around the world in Lucerne, Switzerland. Sechser and Rechford placed first in both events.Mefford qualified at the U.S. Swim Team Olympic Trials on June 18 in Omaha, Nebraska, by placing second in the 200-meter backstroke in 1 minutes, 54.79 seconds. He finished second to fellow Cal Berkeley graduate Ryan Murphy, who is the defending Olympic gold medalist in the event from the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. Mefford's time during trials would have placed him fourth in the 2016 Olympic Games.Both athletes will compete in the first week of the games. Preliminaries for the women's lightweight double in rowing will begin Friday with the finals, if she and Rechford make it that far, are slated for July 29. Mefford's event, the 200-meter backstroke, will be held from July 28-30.For the full broadcast schedule, go to nbcolympics.com. Read more about Olympic locals in today's sports section.