News release from Texas A&M Athletics:
PARIS – Texas A&M Athletics will be represented by 21 current or former student-athletes and coaches at the 2024 Summer Olympic Games, which will be contested July 26-Aug. 11 in Paris and other cities throughout France, as well as Tahiti, French Polynesia.
Countries represented by Aggies in Paris include the United States (9), Australia (2), Jamaica (2), Algeria, Canada, France, Grenada, Israel, Lebanon, Peru and Singapore.
The Aggies will compete in a variety of sports, including Track & Field (10), swimming (6), diving (2), tennis (2) and women’s basketball.
Daily updates and a schedule of events can be found at 12thMan.com’s Official “Aggies in Paris” page.
Aggies at the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad
|
Athlete/Coach |
Event |
Country |
Years at Texas A&M |
|
Aviv Barzelay |
Swimming |
Israel |
2021-Present |
|
Jaxon Bowshire |
Diving |
Australia |
Incoming Freshman |
|
Shaine Casas |
Swimming |
United States |
2018-21 |
|
Bryce Deadmon |
Track and Field |
United States |
2016-21 |
|
McKenna DeBever |
Swimming |
Peru |
2016-19 |
|
Lamara Distin |
Track and Field |
Jamaica |
2020-24 |
|
Béryl Gastaldello |
Swimming |
France |
2014-18 |
|
Hady Habib |
Tennis |
Lebanon |
2016-21 |
|
Fred Kerley |
Track and Field |
United States |
2016-17 |
|
Austin Krajicek |
Tennis |
United States |
2007-11 |
|
Shamier Little |
Track and Field |
United States |
2014-16 |
|
Maggie Malone-Hardin |
Track and Field |
United States |
2015-16 |
|
Kurtis Mathews |
Diving |
Australia |
2017-21 |
|
Brandon Miller |
Track and Field |
United States |
2021-22 |
|
Sydney Pickrem |
Swimming |
Canada |
2015-19 |
|
Tahar Triki |
Track and Field |
Algeria |
2018-19 |
|
Lindon Victor |
Track and Field |
Grenada |
2016-17 |
|
Jing Wen Quah |
Swimming |
Singapore |
2017-21 |
|
Jacob Wooten |
Track and Field |
United States |
2016-19 |
|
Charokee Young |
Track and Field |
Jamaica |
2020-22 |
|
Joni Taylor (coach) |
Women’s Basketball |
United States |
2022-Present |
Aggies at the Olympic Games* (By Year)
|
Year |
Site |
Aggies |
|
2024 |
Paris, France |
21 |
|
2020 |
Toyko, Japan |
26 |
|
2016 |
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil |
27 |
|
2012 |
London, England |
26 |
|
2008 |
Beijing, China |
17 |
|
2004 |
Athens, Greece |
5 |
|
2000 |
Sydney, Australia |
5 |
*Records incomplete before 2000
AGGIE OLYMPIC MEDAL WINNERS
GOLD
|
1948 London |
Art Harnden |
USA |
Track & Field (4×400 relay) |
|
1952 Helsinki |
Walt “Buddy” Davis |
USA |
Track & Field (high jump) |
|
1968 Mexico City |
Randy Matson |
USA |
Track & Field (shot put) |
|
1992 Barcelona |
Mike Stulce |
USA |
Track & Field (shot put) |
|
1996 Atlanta |
Randy Barnes |
USA |
Track & Field (shot put) |
|
2000 Sydney |
Jennifer McFalls |
USA |
Softball |
|
2012 London |
Jeneba Tarmoh |
USA |
Track & Field (4X100 relay) |
|
2012 London |
Demetrius Pinder |
USA |
Track & Field (4X400 relay) |
|
2012 London |
Breeja Larson |
USA |
Swimming (400 medley relay) |
|
2016 Rio |
DeAndre Jordan |
USA |
Basketball |
|
2020 Tokyo |
Athing Mu |
USA |
Track & Field (800, 4×400 relay) |
|
2020 Tokyo |
Khris Middleton |
USA |
Basketball |
|
2020 Tokyo |
Bryce Deadmon |
USA |
Track & Field (4×400 relay) |
SILVER
|
1952 Helsinki |
Darrow Hooper |
USA |
Track & Field (shot put) |
|
1968 Mexico City |
Randy Matson |
USA |
Track & Field (shot put) |
|
1988 Seoul |
Randy Barnes |
USA |
Track & Field (shot put) |
|
1988 Seoul |
Howard Davis |
Jamaica |
Track & Field (4X400 relay) |
|
2008 Beijing |
Stacy Sykora |
USA |
Volleyball |
|
2016 Rio |
Simone Facey |
Jamaica |
Track & Field (4×100 relay) |
|
2020 Tokyo |
Fred Kerley |
USA |
Track & Field (100) |
BRONZE
|
1952 Helsinki |
Tetsuo Okamato |
Brazil |
Swimming (1,500 free) |
|
2008 Beijing |
Christine Marshall |
USA |
Swimming (800 free relay) |
|
2012 London |
Deon Lendore |
Trinidad/Tobago |
Track & Field (4X400 relay) |
|
2020 Tokyo |
Sydney Pickrem |
Canada |
Swimming & diving (4×100 medley relay) |
|
2020 Tokyo |
Bryce Deadmon |
USA |
Track & Field (mixed 4×400) |
2024 Aggies in Paris Bio Capsules
Basketball
Texas A&M head women’s basketball coach Joni Taylor will serve as an assistant coach for USA Basketball Women’s National Team in Paris. Taylor has served USA Basketball on a variety of occasions. She started off as a court coach at the 2018 USA U18 National Team Trials and then won gold as an assistant with the 2021 U19 World Cup Team. Taylor won gold as an assistant coach for the USA Women’s National Team at the 2022 FIBA World Cup and as head coach for the 2022 USA Basketball Women’s U18 National Team in Buenos Aires, Argentina. In 2023, she added a fourth gold medal to her USA Basketball resume with a spotless 7-0 record as the head coach of the American U19 team at the 2023 FIBA World Cup.
Diving
Australian divers Kurtis Mathews and Jaxon Bowshire became first-time Olympians this summer. Mathews, a two-time NCAA Champion for the Aggies, claimed a national title on the 3-meter springboard at Australian National Championships to earn his spot on the Olympic team, and Bowshire posted a second-place finish on the 10-meter at the national championships to punch his ticket.
Swimming
Béryl Gastaldello and Sydney Pickrem head to their third Olympic Games. Representing the host country, Gastadello punched her ticket to Paris at French Elite Championships in June. She clocked in at 59.17 in the 100m back and 24.51 in the 50m free at the meet and added a third qualifying mark with a time of 53.60 in the 100m free from the Giant Open Final in 2023. Pickrem will compete individually in the 200m breast and 200m IM after securing a pair of top-two finishes at Bell Canadian Swimming Trials in May. Pickrem, who helped Canada’s 4x100m medley relay team bring home bronze in Tokyo, went a personal-best 2:07.68 in the 200m IM to place second and clocked a 2:23.79 in the 200m breast to finish first at Trials.
Rising senior Aviv Barzelay and pro McKenna DeBever will make their second appearance at the Olympic Games. After only competing in the 200m back in 2020, Barzelay qualified in both backstroke events in 2024, going 1:01.54 in the 100 and 2:09.63 in the 200 at Israel’s swimming trials this summer. DeBever is set to compete in the 200m IM for Peru, boasting a personal-best time of 2:14.70 from earlier this year at the GA SA Atlanta Classic.
Shaine Casas and Jing Wen Quah will make their Olympic debuts in Paris. Casas, a three-time NCAA Champion at Texas A&M, punched his ticket with second-place finish in the 200m IM at U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials, going 1:55.83. Wen Quah earned a spot to represent Singapore on its 4x100m medley relay team.
Tennis
Austin Krajicek will compete in men’s doubles for the second-straight Olympic games after coming in fourth at the 2020 Olympics. His partner is Rajeev Ram, who is ranked No. 5 in doubles this year. The Brandon, Florida, native is ranked No. 21 in doubles. The 2011 NCAA Doubles Champion finished last season as the No. 1 ranked doubles player in the world and won his first ever Grand Slam at the 2023 French Open in Paris.
Hady Habib will take part in men’s singles and doubles for the first Olympic action of his career. Habib is ranked No. 275 in singles and No. 303 in doubles. He will be playing with partner Benjamin Hassan who has a ranking of No. 391. The three-time ITA All-American was a late addition to the singles rotation for Lebanon, after replacing a teammate who is sidelined with injury.
Track & Field
Bryce Deadmon enters his second Olympics for the United States as the most decorated medalist in the group, as won a pair of medals in the 2020 Tokyo Games. He was a part of the gold-medal winning men’s 4x400m relay team and secured bronze in the mixed 4x400m relay. He placed fourth in the men’s 400m at U.S. Olympic Trials, securing him a spot in the relay pool.
Fred Kerley returns for his second Games representing the Red, White and Blue after claiming a silver medal at the 2020 Olympics in the 100m. He ensured his second-place finish at the last games, crossing the line in 9.84 seconds. He qualified third at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials with a time of 9.88.
Maggie Malone-Hardin continued to dominate the women’s U.S. javelin scene, qualifying for her third Olympics in outstanding fashion. She recorded a toss of 64.58m/211-10 on her opening throw of the event which secured the national title and her spot on the plane to Paris, as she now looks to build on her 10th-place finish at the last games.
Brandon Miller punched his first Olympic ticket following an outstanding showing at the U.S. Trials. He finished third in the final in 1:43.97 and was one of the two athletes to run sub 1:44 twice during the trials.
Jacob Wooten added another spot in the field for Team USA with a second-place finish at the qualifying event. He competed in a stacked field and after a seasons-best clearance of 5.87m/19-3 he secured his spot.
Shamier Little earned his first Olympic berth, as she travels to the Games as a part of the 400m relay pool. She finished ninth in the women’s 400m final in 50.96 to make the team.
Lamara Distin’s record-breaking final year for the Aggies culminated in her qualifying for the Jamaican team, as she soared over 1.89m/6-2.25 at trials to ensure her first Olympic berth. She concluded her collegiate career breaking the NCAA indoor high jump record, as she became the first woman to clear 2.00m/6-6.75 on her way to SEC gold.
Charokee Young qualified for her second Olympiad following a seventh-place finish in the women’s 400m final at Jamaican trials, crossing the line in 52.64. She is in the relay pools for the Black, Yellow and Green.
Lindon Victor qualified for his third Olympic Games representing Grenada in the men’s decathlon. He previously finished 16th and 7th at the Rio and Tokyo Games, respectively. Victor set his personal best and national record at the 2023 World Championships where he won the bronze medal with 8,756 points.
Tahar Triki reached his second Games representing Algeria in the triple jump. Earlier this year, Triki displayed his skills amongst the world’s best, placing second in the World Indoor Championships with a leap of 17.35m/56-11.25.