Given its athletic prowess and proximity to world-class coaching venues for sports activities all 12 months spherical, it’s no shock that the College of Utah has been referred to as residence by quite a few Olympic athletes. Throughout the 2024 Summer time Olympic Video games in Paris, the world watched six alumni, one present pupil and two future college students characterize the U of their respective sports activities. Here’s a nearer take a look at these athletes and the way they carried out this summer time.
Zachary Hammer & Sam Watson
Each simply 18 years previous, Zachary Hammer and Sam Watson made their Olympic debut this summer time in Males’s Pace Climbing. Previous to his look in Paris, Watson held the world report within the sport with a time of solely 4.79 seconds, which he claimed earlier this 12 months. Nevertheless, in his run in the course of the Video games, Watson broke his personal report in the course of the qualifying rounds at a time of 4.75 seconds, in the end incomes him the bronze medal.
Sadly, Watson set the brand new report throughout an elimination warmth, the place he discovered himself competing in opposition to Hammer. Setting the report meant eliminating his personal teammate, and because of this, Hammer’s Olympic debut was put to an finish earlier than having an opportunity at a medal. Nevertheless, the pair could have the chance to compete alongside each other once more, as they’re each incoming freshmen right here on the U.
Michelle Plouffe, Paige Crozon & Kim Gaucher
These three Utah alumni represented Canada within the ladies’s 3×3 Basketball competitors in Paris. Michelle Plouffe, who performed for Utah Girls’s Basketball from 2010–14, was joined by teammate Paige Crozon, who performed from 2012–16. The pair, joined by two different athletes to make up the four-person staff, was coached by the U’s personal Kim Gaucher, a star athlete who was named Honorable Point out All-American for all 4 years of her Utah profession from 2002 to 2006.
The staff had a good run in Paris, first claiming a monster 21-10 win over Australia to make it to the semifinals, the place the staff in the end fell to Germany. The staff simply missed the rostrum, inserting fourth general after succumbing to the US within the Bronze medal match.
Emilia Nilsson Garip
At present a sophomore on the U and a member of Utah Diving, Emilia Nilsson Garip competed within the ladies’s 3-meter diving occasion in Paris. Competing for Sweden, her residence nation, Garip entered the competitors with some spectacular stats beneath her belt. Final 12 months, in her first 12 months competing for Utah, Garip made ninth place on the NCAA 1-Meter Championships, the best ever end by a member of Utah Swim & Dive. She additionally claimed two particular person medals in the course of the Pac-12s, inserting first in each the 1-meter and 3-meter, serving to her staff declare the Pac-12 Championship for that 12 months. In Paris, Garip positioned ninth general within the 3-meter diving occasion for Workforce Sweden, incomes a complete rating of 279.40.
Simone Plourde & Josefine Eriksen
Within the Monitor and Discipline occasion, Utah noticed alumni Simone Plourde and Josefine Eriksen compete for his or her respective international locations, Canada and Norway. Throughout her time on the Monitor and Cross Nation groups on the U from 2021–23, Plourde set 5 college information and gained the Pac-12 particular person title within the 1500-meter race, the identical occasion she competed in on the Video games. In Paris, Plourde recorded a time of 4:08:49 in the course of the second warmth, placing her in sixth place and almost two seconds in need of the highest spot. Sadly, this was not sufficient to qualify her for the semifinals, as solely the highest three moved on.
Eriksen, who simply graduated this 12 months, set 11 college information cut up between relays and the 200-meter, 400-meter, 600-meter and 800-meter distances. The 2024 Video games was Norway’s debut within the 4×400 relay, which Eriksen helped the staff qualify for earlier this 12 months on the World Championships the place the staff set a Norwegian report with a time of three:26:89. On the Olympics, the staff completed sixth general of their warmth with a last time of three:28:61, simply barely leaving them out of qualifying for the ultimate.
No matter how they positioned this summer time, the U and the hundreds of followers who tuned in to the video games are proud to name every of those athletes their very own. Acting on the worldwide stage is a feat in itself and can proceed to encourage present and future Utes.
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