Florida Gators take home 11 medals at Paris Olympics

The Olympics have come to a close after 16 days of world class competition. Here’s how every Florida Gator performed at the 2024 Paris Games.

The University of Florida sent more than 40 current and former Gators to the Paris Olympics this summer, and the Orange and Blue claimed 11 medals in total — four gold, four silver and three bronze.

American swimming legend [autotag]Caeleb Dressel[/autotag] took home gold in two team events, the 4×100 free relay and 4×100 mixed medley relay. Dressel also claimed silver in the 4×100 medley relay; although, the Americans were favorites to take gold in the event.

Florida’s two other golds came from swimmer [autotag]Bobby Finke[/autotag] in the 1,500-meter freestyle and track star [autotag]Grant Holloway[/autotag] in the 110-meter hurdles. Finke set a world record with a time 14:30.67 while defending his 2020 gold from Tokyo and added a silver in the 800-meter free.

The other silver medals come from the pool as well. [autotag]Josh Liendo[/autotag] finished second in the 100-meter butterfly, swimming for Team Canada, and [autotag]Kieran Smith[/autotag] was a member of the 4×200 relay team that placed second.

[autotag]Emma Weyant[/autotag] earned bronze in the 400-meter individual medley, and [autotag]Jasmine Moore[/autotag] placed third in both the long jump and triple jump.

If the University of Florida were its own country, the Gators would have finished tied for 16th with Sweden, which also ended the Games with four gold, four silver and three bronze medals.

Other Gators Results at the Olympics

Swimming and Diving

  • Caeleb Dressel (USA) — 6th in 50-meter freestyle, 13th in 100-meter butterfly
  • [autotag]Luke Whitlock[/autotag] (USA) — 15th in 900-meter freestyle
  • Julie Brousseau (Canada) — 4th in 4×200-meter freestyle relay
  • Josh Liendo (Canada) — 4th in 50-meter freestyle, 6th in 4×100-meter freestyle relay, 11th in 100-meter freestyle
  • Maha Amer (Egypt) — 24th in women’s 3-meter springboard prelimnaries
  • Nicole Maier (Germany) — 5th in 4×200-meter freestyle relay
  • Amro Al-Wir (Jordan) — 23rd in 200-meter breaststroke
  • Aleksas Savickas (Lithuania) — 19th in 200-meter breaststroke
  • Jonny Marshall (UK) — 14th in 100-meter backstroke
  • Alberto Mestre(Venezuela) — 21st in 50-meter freestyle, 37th in 100-meter freestyle
  • Alfonso Mestre (Venezuela) — 19th in 400-meter freestyle, 29th in 800-meter freestyle

Track and Field

  • [autotag]Anna Hall[/autotag] (USA) — 5th in women’s heptathlon
  • [autotag]Grace Stark[/autotag] (USA) — 5th in women’s 100-meter hurdles
  • [autotag]Parker Valby[/autotag] — 5th in women’s 10,000 meters
  • Genevieve Gregson (Australia) — 24th in women’s marathon
  • Wanya McCoy (Bahamas) — 18th in 200-meter semifinals, 41st in 100-meter heats
  • Lloydricia Cameron (Jamaica) — 8th in Group A in women’s shot put
  • Reheem Hayles (Jamaica) — fifth in men’s 4×400-meter relay
  • Jevaughn Powell (Jamaica) — 13th in men’s 400-meter semifinals
  • Hakim Sani Brown (Japan) — 5th in men’s 4×100-meter relay, 10th in men’s 100 meter
  • [autotag]Joseph Fahbulleh[/autotag](Liberia) — 7th in men’s 200-meter, 7th in men’s 4×100-meter relay
  • Alida van Daalen (Netherlands) — 13th in Group B in women’s shot put
  • Thomas Mardal (Norway) — 11th in men’s hammer throw
  • Eddie Garcia (Virgin Islands) — did not finish marathon

Basketball

  • Canyon Barry (USA) — 7th in men’s 3v3
  • Andrew Nembhard (Canada) — lost in quarterfinals; top 8
  • Nick Calathes (Greece) — lost in quarterfinals; top 8
  • Andrea Vilano (Spain) — lost in quarterfinals; top 8

Golf

  • Alejandro Tosti (Argentina) — tied for 18th in men’s tournament
  • Camilo Villegas (Venezuela) — 57th in men’s tournament
  • Sarah Schober (Austria) — tied for 47th in women’s tournament

Gymnastics

  • [autotag]Leanne Wong[/autotag] (USA) — traveled as a reserve

Soccer

  • Adriana Leon (Canada) — lost in quarterfinals; top 8 in women’s bracket
  • DeAnne Rose (Canada) — lost in quarterfinals; top 8 in women’s bracket

Tennis

  • Danielle Collins (USA) — lost in quarterfinals; top 8 in women’s bracket

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Sixteen Gators headed to Paris Olympics for Track and Field

Florida’s track and field program is among the best and the country. It’s no surprise to see over a dozen current and former Gators in the Olympic field.

With rosters set for the 2024 Paris Olympics, 16 current and former Florida track and field athletes will participate in the Opening Ceremony.

Six Gators qualified for the United States roster, most notably Grant Holloway in the men’s 110-meter hurdle and Jasmine Moore in the women’s long jump and triple jump.

The other 10 are scattered across eight different international rosters. Sprinter Joseph Fahnbulleh is representing Liberia in the 100-meter, 200-meter and 4×100-meter relay. Lloydricia Cameron (women’s shot put), [autotag]Reheem Hayles[/autotag] (4x400m mixed relay) and [autotag]Jevaughn Powell[/autotag] (400m) are all on the Jamaican roster.

Distance runner [autotag]Parker Valby[/autotag] made the roster after a second-place finish in the 10,000-meter even at the U.S. Olympic Trials. She had to wait for official word because she didn’t have an Olympic Standard qualifying time, but her world ranking sufficed.

GATORS IN THE OLYMPICS– Track and Field/Athletics

WOMEN’S 2024 OLYMPICS ROSTER

Lloydricia Cameron; Shot Put; Jamaica; 2015-18
Genevieve Gregson; Marathon; Australia; 2009-12
Anna Hall; Heptathlon; United States; 2022
[autotag]Jasmine Moore[/autotag]; Long Jump, Triple Jump; United States; 2022-23
[autotag]Grace Stark[/autotag]; 100m H; United States; 2020-24
Parker Valby; 10,000m; United States; 2021-24
Alida van Daalen; Shot Put, Discus; Netherlands; 2023-present

MEN’S 2024 OLYMPICS ROSTER

Malcolm Clemons; Long Jump; United States; 2021-24
Joseph Fahnbulleh; 100m, 200m, 4x100m; Liberia; 2020-21
Eddie Garcia; Marathon; U.S. Virgin Islands; 2012-16
[autotag]Grant Holloway[/autotag]; 110m H; United States; 2017-19
Thomas Mardal; Hammer Throw; Norway; 2018-21
Wanya McCoy; 100m, 200m; Bahamas; 2024
Jevaughn Powell; 400m; Jamaica; 2023-24
Reheem Hayles; 4x400m mixed;  Jamaica; 2024
Hakim Sani Brown; 100m; Japan; 2018-19

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Gators hurdler Grace Stark punches ticket to Paris Olympics

Another Gator punched their ticket to Paris on Sunday. Florida track star Grace Stark will run the women’s 100-meter hurdle for the United States at the Olympics.

Former Florida Gators track and field star Grace Stark smashed her personal best with a 12.31-second finish in the 100-meter hurdle event Sunday at the US Olympic Trials, punching her ticket to the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Masai Russell set a Trials record in first place with 12.25 seconds, and Alaysha Johnson beat out Stark for second by seven one-thousandths of a second. All three will represent the United States at the upcoming Olympic Games.

In the first round, Stark placed second in her heat and fifth overall with a 12.52-second finish. She set a temporary personal best with a 12.45-second run in the semifinals. Of course, she crushed that record by .14 seconds in the finals.

Former Gator Brandee Johnson also participated in the event, finishing 20th in the semifinal.

Grace Stark as a Florida Gator

Stark is one of the best hurdlers Florida has ever seen. She holds the program record for outdoor 100-meter hurdles (12.47 seconds at 2024 NCAA Championships), indoor 60-meter hurdles (7.78 seconds at 2022 NCAA Championships) and the indoor 60-meter sprint (7.10 at 2022 NCAA Championships).

The Lakeland High graduate earned All-American honors in every season with Florida.

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Two Gators earn national titles as Florida finishes 2nd in NCAA Championships

The team was a runner-up for the third time under head coach Mike Holloway while Grace Stark and Parker Valby took home individual titles.

Florida’s women’s track and field program finished second in the NCAA Championships for the second-straight year this weekend, with a pair of Gators taking home individual national titles: [autotag]Grace Stark[/autotag] and [autotag]Parker Valby[/autotag].

The team was a runner-up for the third time under head coach [autotag]Mike Holloway[/autotag] — twice in outdoor competition and once in indoor — all of which have occurred in the past two seasons.

Stark had an outstanding 2024 outdoor season and clinched the campaign with a final race to remember. She captured her second NCAA Individual Championship and first outdoor individual title in the 100m H with a 12.47 time — tying her for the third fastest in NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships history

It was also the tenth-fastest time in collegiate history and a new University of Florida school record. Additionally, Stark became the first Gator to earn the 100m H championship crown since 1992.

Valby claimed her sixth NCAA Individual Championship in her signature event — the 5000m — for the fifth of the 2023-2024 academic year and the second of the 2024 NCAA Outdoor Championships.

The previous collegiate record stood at 15:03.12 before she wrapped up Saturday’s race at 14:52.18, making it Valby’s third collegiate record captured during the 2024 indoor and outdoor seasons (indoor 5000m, outdoor 5000m, outdoor 10,000m).

Possibly the most impressive feat is that Valby is the first female distance runner in NCAA history to win five NCAA Individual Titles in a single academic year.

Final Scoreboard

Place Team Points
1 Arkansas 63
2 Florida 59
3 Texas 41
4 Oregon 40.5
5 Ole Miss 38

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