Tag: Luke Whitlock

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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Bobby Finke advances, Alfonso Mestre and Luke Whitlock end Paris Olympics in heats

A trio of Florida Gators competed in the 800-meter freestyle at the Paris Olympics Monday, but only Bobby Finke advances to the final.

Three Florida Gators competed in the 800-meter freestyle at the Paris Olympics early Monday morning, but only American [autotag]Bobby Finke[/autotag] will continue on to the finals on Tuesday.

Finke placed fifth overall, finishing third in his heat with a 7:43 finish.

Incoming freshman [autotag]Luke Whitlock[/autotag] (USA) placed 15th with a time of 7:49.26, and 2023 graduate [autotag]Alfonso Mestre[/autotag] (Venezuela) placed 29th with an 8:12.03 finish, both missing the eight-man cut for the final.

Mestre finished last in the second heat by nearly 11 seconds. He reached the first turn in fifth place but spent the rest of the swim in eighth. Whitlock placed fifth in his heat, finishing just two splits in fourth place.

Whitlock is the youngest male to make the U.S. Olympic Swimming roster since Michael Phelps in 2000. He’ll train for the 2028 Los Angeles Games while swimming for Florida. His Olympic Trials time of 7:45.19 would have just missed the final cut in Paris, so he’s a future superstar in the making.

Mestre also competed in the 400-meter freestyle two days ago, placing 19th with a 3:48.20.

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