Kentucky Wildcat Alumni Track and Field Athletes Heading to Paris Olympics

In just 25 days (July 26th), the 16 Days of Glory will begin at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. Do you have a favorite event you love to watch? I think mine are gymnastics, swimming, volleyball, and track & field. Little known fact, my Dad was on the WKU track team in the early '70s, and he competed in the javelin throw, even though I wasn't on the track team in school, it's some of the truest tests of athleticism.

Every time the Olympics are coming up, I look up which alumni from all Kentucky colleges will be going for the gold. The University of Kentucky has several, including a two-time gold medalist from the last Olympics in Tokyo.

2018 Wildcat alum Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone won gold and set a new world record and Olympic record in the 400-meter hurdles in Japan. She also won with the 4x400 women's relay team. Sydney will compete in both events in Paris, and she broke her own world record time at 50.65 during the finals this past weekend at the Olympic Trials in Oregon. 2014 alum Andrew Evans won the gold at the Olympic Trials in the discus throw, throwing a distance of 66.61m (218 ft 6 in). He finished 16th in the event at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

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2023 UK grad Masai Russell won gold in the 100-meter hurdles and fellow 2015 alumni Keni Harrison placed 6th at the trials. Other UK alumni who will be competing in Paris include, Jasmie Camacho-Quinn (2018;) she'll represent Puerto Rico at the games competing in the 100-meter hurdles. 2022 grad Alexis Holmes will be running in the 400-meter race. Daniel Roberts (2019) will be competing in the men's 110-meter hurdles, he placed third at the trial finals. And UK volunteer track coach Devynne Carlton will be representing her home country, Bahamas, in the women's 100-meter hurdles.

Track & Field events will run August 1-11 at the Paris Olympics.