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This trip for Anika Apostalon has routed her through eastern Nebraska, the Czech Republic, Los Angeles, South Korea and Albuquerque.
The next stop is the best one of all: Japan.
“It’s been a long time coming,” she said. “A long process.”
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In Los Angeles, where she lives, the roster of Olympic athletes is extensive. In Albuquerque, where Apostalon was born and grew up, they’re somewhat rare.
The 2013 Albuquerque Academy graduate will be competing in the Tokyo Olympics, swimming on the 4×100-meter freestyle relay team for the Czech Republic. Since her mother, Radka, is from VlaÅ¡im, a city of about 11,000 people located roughly 45 miles south of Prague, Apostalon, 26, was eligible for dual citizenship.