UC athletes bring home 39 medals from a memorable Paris Summer Games

UC’s medal count includes 11 gold, 14 silver and 14 bronze
August 14, 2024
Article by:  Robyn Schelenz robyn.schelenz@ucop.edu

If your endorphins have ticked up in the past three weeks, you were probably watching the 2024 Paris Olympics along with record-shattering audiences around the globe. In showcasing the athletic excellence of more than 10,000 athletes from 206 nations, the Games birthed legends, conjured shocking upsets and provided countless examples of overjoyed team spirit on one of the world’s biggest stages.

UC athletes were right in the thick of it all — from triumph to heartbreak, exemplifying resilience and setting the tone for a memorable Games. And they brought home the hardware to prove it: Across 12 sports, 32 UC athletes won 11 gold, 14 silver and 14 bronze medals. Put another way, if UC were a nation, it would have racked up the 11th-most medals in the world.

In all, 103 UC athletes, supported by 13 UC-affiliated coaches and staff, left it all on the playing fields of Paris, competing in 27 sports for 31 different nations and representing five UC campuses. UC Berkeley tied their all-time campus record haul with 23 medals while UCLA snagged 14 and UC Irvine two, bringing the UC systemwide medal count across all Games since 1920 to more than 670 medals. Medal or not, all of UC’s 2024 Olympians now etch themselves into a storied University of California tradition that goes back over 100 years and features legends like Greg Louganis, Michelle Kwan and Jackie Joyner-Kersee.

Here’s a look at our medalists and their impressive accomplishments, with a hearty congratulations to all the UC athletes, coaches and staff whose dedication made Olympic dreams come true not only for themselves but for a world kept on the edge of its seat, day by day, sport after sport.

Swimming

The Olympics started off with a bang for UC Berkeley swimmers, who began to rack up medals during the opening weekend of the Games. Hunter Armstrong and Jack Alexy won the first gold for Team USA alongside Caeleb Dressel in the 4x100m freestyle relay, beating out second place Australia by just over a second in a highly anticipated race. Ryan Murphy continued a storied career in American swimming, adding a gold and setting a world record in the 4x100 mixed medley relay; earning a silver in the 4x100 men’s medley relay, along with Armstrong and Alexy; and finishing with a bronze in the men’s 100-meter backstroke, his signature event. Brooks Curry earned a silver for his role in qualifying for the 4x200m men’s freestyle relay. Abbey Weitzeil added a gold and silver to her trophy case, swimming in the qualifying heats for the 4x100 mixed medley relay and 4x100m women’s freestyle relay.

Elsewhere in Paris, UC athletes made their marks on social media as well as the podium.

Few athletes symbolize the triumph of having fans in the stands after the COVID-restrained 2020 Games in Tokyo more than UCLA diving coach and British diver Tom Daley, who retired after winning gold in synchronized diving in Tokyo after a long career that saw him debut in Beijing at the age of 14. His son was the impetus for his return, and the Games provided an opportunity to make memories with his family in the stands. Daley said he already won by being there, but that was before he actually won silver, with new diving partner Noah Williams. Daley’s silver was almost as well-received on social media as his handmade medal pouches, the product of a hobby he picked up during the pandemic that has now carried through two Olympics, in style.

Meanwhile, Team USA picked up their first artistic, or synchronized, swimming medal since 2004 with a routine that featured underwater moonwalking to Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” that was just as mind-boggling as it sounds. UCLA’s Daniella Ramirez, an art major as an undergrad and a third-generation artistic swimmer, was part of the triumphant team.

“There’s nothing more magical than this team,” Ramirez told NBC News. Her family concurred.

“For her to get that flag and represent the United States … bring back the United States to where it belongs [in the sport] and win a medal — I couldn’t be more thankful and proud,” her father Fernando said.

Water polo

A group shot of the U.S. men's water polo team and staff, holding an American flag in front, celebrating their bronze medal in the aquatics center
The U.S. men won bronze in water polo — just like their predecessors did in Paris in 1924. Credit: Jeff Cable/Team USA Water Polo

UC water polo players had a distinguished Olympic games, racking up medals for a handful of nations in the pool — despite one big surprise.

In men’s water polo, Team USA claimed their first medal in 16 years with dominant performances by the likes of goalie and UC Berkeley three-time national champion Adrian Weinberg. Weinberg was a brick wall in several shootouts the U.S. faced during the Olympics but saved his best for last, making 16 saves total in the bronze medal match and steering the team through their tense last shootout against Hungary. UCLA’s Max Irving had a crucial make to send the U.S. to the podium. All UC’s water polo players for Team USA — brothers Chase and Ryder Dodd, Johnny Hooper and Luca Cupido — scored goals throughout the Olympics to propel the team, under the tutelage of UC San Diego men’s head coach Matt Ustaszewski and UC Berkeley coach Gavin Arroyo. Yet even when it comes to scoring, Weinberg steals the show — check out his outlandish goal in the closing seconds of a match against UC Berkeley alum Nikolaos Papanikolaou’s Greece — an end-to-end wonderthrow.

For the women of Team USA, the journey to Paris for water polo was a rollercoaster. A heartbreaking sudden death loss to silver medalists Australia (featuring UCLA’s Bronte Halligan and Sienna Green) kept them out of the title game for the first time since 2008, ending their quest for an unprecedented fourth gold in a row. The Netherlands, featuring UC Berkeley water polo player Kitty Lynn Joustra, then pipped the bronze medal in their final game with a last-second goal. For the tight-knit Team USA, it had been an emotional leadup to the Games, with UCLA alum Maddie Musselman supporting her husband, Patrick Woepse, through a rare lung cancer diagnosis while leading the team in goals, and veteran leader Maggie Steffens suddenly losing her sister-in-law to a medical emergency in Paris just before the Games began. The group’s resilience under coach Adam Krikorian, a storied UCLA coach and player, was commendable, and the newfound devotion of rapper Flavor Flav, who sponsored the team and drew attention to them throughout the Games, leaves the team and its players — many of whom had to work at least two jobs to support their Olympic dream — feeling proud and happy about all they accomplished.

“It was so special and it was super fun. I have no regrets just because we didn’t get it done. This is by far the most enjoyable team I’ve ever been a part of,” Musselman said to NBC. “Personally, with Pat and everything he’s gone through, I’m just super proud of the ability for me to be here. To play for him was super fun. No regrets there.”

Gymnastics

All eyes were on Team USA in women’s gymnastics as Paris opened, with the team returned almost fully intact from Tokyo and their silver medal win following Simone Biles withdrawal from competition after experiencing the “twisties.” Would the team, including UCLA gymnast and Tokyo star Jordan Chiles, meet the weight of the world’s expectation and deliver gold?

Not only did they deliver some premium hardware — they delivered the kind of joy that is the hallmark of UCLA gymnastics around the world. The gym was filled with raucous crowds, celebrities, and doting parents, including those of Chiles, responding to the thrilling feats on events across the gym with a long-restrained gusto. Mother and daughter both burst into tears after Chiles nailed the final routine for Team USA, set to a Beyonce medley.

Fellow gold medalist Simone Biles and Chiles also provided one of the most talked about moments of the Olympics during the medal ceremony for the floor exercise, when they spontaneously bowed down to Brazilian competitor Rebeca Andrade, who took the gold. It was the first all-Black podium in gymnastics history, and a perfect demonstration of the spirit of fellowship and respect across international boundaries that flowed throughout the Games. (Chiles’ bronze medal for that event still hangs in the balance, as Team USA appeals a ruling by The International Olympic Committee that their objection to the scoring of her routine happened four seconds after a minute deadline).

Chiles had some intriguing news to share after the Games, too.

Track and field

Camryn Rogers, a young Black woman in a Canadian tracksuit wearing a gold medal, hands in the air, overcome with emotion © Andrew Nelles-USA TODAY Sports
Camryn Rogers won Canadian women’s first track and field medal in nearly 100 years at Stade de France in Paris. Credit: Andrew Nelles-USA TODAY Sports

Dedicated UC Berkeley throwing coach Mohamad "Mo" Saatara was in the front row in Paris, cheering for his longtime Cal athlete Camryn Rogers, a Canadian hammer thrower, as she launched the 8.8 lb hammer (actually a metal ball attached to a steel wire) for gold. Rogers claimed victory only in the fifth of six rounds, collapsing into tears after her last throw, embracing the other throwers and running to the sidelines to hug Saatara, there to support her as a personal coach. Rogers’ gold is the first for a Canadian woman in track and field in nearly 100 years, and tops a fifth place finish in the Tokyo Games. It also helped Canada sweep the hammer throw, as Ethan Katzberg won gold as well.

UC Berkeley discus thrower and world record holder Mykolas Alekna came to the Games with the pressure and opportunity to break a 20-year-old Olympic record — held by none other than his father, Virgilijus Alekna. The young Alekna managed to do it, then had the record, and the gold medal, snatched from under his nose by Jamaica’s Roke Stona, who bested him by three centimeters in a moment of classic Olympic drama that exemplified the idea of sport as a game of inches (or in this case, barely more than an inch).

The United Kingdom’s Georgia Bell shattered records for herself, for her country and her alma mater, UC Berkeley, in the women’s 1500 meters in Paris. Having dealt with numerous injuries, Bell decided to retire from running the event after her 2017 graduation, though she competed at a high level in the duathlon, a running and cycling event. In 2024, she returned to the 1500 meters and finally hit her stride at the best time, with a burst down the stretch in Paris marking a new personal best (by four seconds!) and the fastest British women’s time in history while guaranteeing a bronze medal and the title of the first Cal Bear to ever medal in the Olympics in the 1500 meters. Her achievement combined with the throwers gave the UC Berkeley track program its most podium finishes since the 1920 Games.

Rai Benjamin in USA uniform grinning in full stride after crossing the finish line in the 400 meter hurdles © James Lang-USA TODAY Sports
Rai Benjamin celebrates after winning the men's 400m hurdles for Team USA during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at Stade de France. Credit: James Lang-USA TODAY Sports

Former UCLA athlete Rai Benjamin, meanwhile, had been set on the gold in the 400-meter hurdles with unparalleled focus for years, having been just denied in Tokyo by his longtime rival, Norway’s Karsten Warholm. Benjamin bested the field with near ease, getting the chance to ring the ceremonial stadium bell in addition to finally getting a gold medal in his chosen event. He added another gold in the 4x400 meter relay.

Elsewhere in track and field, UC San Diego alum Dan Golubovic announced his retirement after competing in the decathlon for Australia, finishing 19th.

“This was the most incredible experience of my career. The crowd, the environment, the combination of being in the Village and being around just so much talent it is truly infectious,” Golubovic told Olympics.com.

Rowing

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Sydney Payne (@sydneyrpayne)

Six UC Berkeley rowers made it to the podium in Paris almost as quickly as they did down the Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium, a remarkable showing for a program that sent 15 athletes representing 11 countries into competition. The medalists shone for five different countries — Caileigh Filmer and Sydney Payne won silver for Canada, rowing together in the Women’s Eight, with Team Great Britian and Rowan McKellar right behind them for bronze; Olav Molenaar took silver for the Netherlands in the Men’s Eight while Christian Tabash helped row the U.S. team to bronze; and Ollie Maclean won silver in the Men’s Coxless Four for New Zealand.

Volleyball

Two UC Irvine alums made the podium in Paris — one in front of a home crowd. UC Irvine alum Kévin Tillie’s France were only ranked No. 6 in the world coming in, but roaring crowds decked in red, white and blue boosted them to the final, where they claimed their second gold medal in a row.

The U.S. men had an impressive run as well, earning a bronze after finishing 10th in Tokyo. The squad, a dozen strong, including UCLA’s Micah Ma'a and Garrett Muagututia, and UC Irvine’s David Smith, impressed under coach John Speraw, who leads UCLA’s national championship-winning volleyball program when he’s not in red, white and blue.

The U.S. women, looking to follow-up a surprise gold medal performance in Tokyo, earned a silver medal in Paris, falling to Italy in the gold medal match. A trio of UCLA coaches helped the team to their podium finish, including Alfee Reft, Karch Kiraly and Sue Enquist.

Basketball and soccer

Fans of women’s soccer watched just one year ago as the U.S., traditionally a dominant force, bowed out in the round of 16 in the Women’s World Cup, their worst-ever finish on the international stage. No shortage of head-scratching and gloom and doom ensued. Under new coach Emma Hayes, the U.S. Women’s National Team leapt back to the top of the podium, powered by former UCLA player Mallory Swanson, who scored four goals in the tournament, none more important than the game-winning goal in the final.

For the U.S. Men’s basketball team, hand-wringing began in the leadup to the Games, with a few lackluster showings, including a near loss to South Sudan. Despite the valiant efforts of Serbia and France, UCLA’s Jrue Holiday and the stars of Team USA brought home a hard-fought fifth gold medal in a row back to the States.

After such a whirlwind of competition — more than 10,000 athletes, representing more than 206 countries! — you could be forgiven for needing a break. But as the Closing Ceremonies reminded us, for California, the Olympics are just beginning, as Los Angeles gears up to host the 2028 Summer Games. UCLA will be home to the Olympic Village and several other campus venues, including Pauley Pavilion, will feature events.

Now the flame passes to the Paralympics, where four UC athletes from three campuses will be competing in cycling, track and field, and swimming from Aug 28, 2024 to Sep 8, 2024. Get ready for the Paralympics by reading their stories here.

Special thanks to our campus athletic department colleagues for their efforts in identifying athletes and telling their stories. For more coverage, visit their sites:

UC Berkeley Olympics
UCLA Olympics
UC Irvine Olympics
UC San Diego Olympics
UC Santa Barbara Olympics
 

Credit: James Lang-USA TODAY Sports

Team USA, featuring UCLA gymnast Jordan Chiles, left, celebrates winning gold in the women’s team final at the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at Bercy Arena.