SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, July 25, 2024 (Gephardt Daily) — Utah is well-represented at the 2024 Paris Olympics, as 34 athletes with ties to the Beehive State are expected to compete in the Summer Games.
Twenty-three Olympians with Utah ties will be wearing the red, white and blue of Team USA when the Paris Games officially get underway Friday.
Another 11 athletes who’ve either lived or competed as professionals or collegians in Utah will be representing seven other countries, including five from Canada and one each from France, Japan, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway and Sweden.
Utah Sports Commission President and CEO Jeff Robbins says the local representation highlights Utah’s dual identity as a winter sports hub following the 2002 Olympics and an emerging destination for summer sports.
“The same mountains renowned for the Greatest Snow on Earth also offer vast trail systems for running and mountain biking, and technical routes for climbing,” Robbins said. “Utah is a year-round sports destination.”
Eight sports climbers who live and train in Utah are headed to the Paris Olympics, largely due to USA Climbing’s decision to relocate its headquarters and training facilities to Salt Lake City in 2018.
“Since 2002, our state has been a proud host and home to the world’s greatest athletes and events,” Robbins said. “Sports are ingrained in our DNA.”
Nine current or former BYU athletes are headed to Paris, while the University of Utah will be represented by seven Olympians, and Utah State will send one alumnus to the Games.
The Paris Olympics run through Aug. 11 and will be televised on the NBC family of networks.
3×3 Basketball
Paige Crozon
Crozon is one of three former Utes representing Canada in 3×3 basketball in Paris. The Humboldt, Saskatchewan, native is considered one of the top women’s 3×3 players in the world and helped Canada earn its first ever Olympic berth in the event with a third-place finish at the FIBA 3×3 Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Hungary in May.
Crozon, 30, played at Utah from 2012 to 2016 and served as team captain in her junior and senior seasons.
Jimmer Fredette
Fredette, the former BYU star and 2011 National Player of the Year, will represent Team USA alongside Canyon Barry, the son of NBA legend Rick Barry, as well as Kareem Maddox and Dylan Travis. The Glens Falls, New York, native is considered one of the top 3×3 players in the world after helping the U.S. to the 2022 AmeriCup and 2023 Pan American Games titles and a second-place finish at the 2023 FIBA World Cup.
Fredette, 35, played four seasons at BYU (2007-11), setting multiple school and Mountain West Conference records — including most points scored in a game (52 vs. New Mexico on March 11, 2011) and in a single season (1,068 in 2010-11). He also led the NCAA in scoring as a senior in 2010-11, averaging 28.9 points per game.
Kim Smith Gaucher
Gaucher, 40, is headed to her third Olympics, this time as coach of the Canadian 3×3 squad that features fellow former Utes Paige Crozon and Michelle Plouffe. The Mission, British Columbia, native was a member of the Canadian women’s basketball team in London in 2012 and Rio in 2016. She also played for Team Canada in the 2014 FIBA World Championships.
While at Utah (2002-06), Gaucher led Utah to three Mountain West regular-season and tournament titles. She is a four-time WBCA All-American, as well as a four-time Mountain West Player of the Year. Gaucher ranks as the Utes’ all-time leading scorer with 2,281 points.
Michelle Plouffe
Plouffe helped Canada win back-to-back FIBA 3×3 Women’s Series titles in 2022 and 2023, earn a silver medal at the 2022 FIBA 3×3 World Cup, and qualify for the Paris Olympics. She previously played for the Canadian women’s basketball team at the London (2012) and Rio (2016) Games. Plouffe, 33, is joined on Canada’s 3×3 squad by her twin sister, Katherine.
During her time at Utah (2010-2014), Plouffe was a three-time Associated Press All-American and all-conference selection in both the Mountain West and Pac-12. She also was named Mountain West Freshman of the Year and currently holds the school record for most career rebounds at 1,171.
Cycling
Haley Batten
Batten, 25, is making her second trip to the Olympics to compete for Team USA in women’s mountain biking. The Park City native has been cycling since age 9, won her first national title at 14 and turned professional at 17. She’s been an elite on the World Cup circuit since 2021 and earned her first elite World Cup win earlier this year. Batten previously competed at the Tokyo Olympics in 2020.
Diving
Emilia Nilsson Garip
The University of Utah diver was selected to represent Sweden in the 3-meter springboard. Nilsson Garip, a freshman from Malmoe, Sweden, represented her home country at the World Championships in Qatar in February. She posted a 10th-place finish in the women’s 1-meter springboard and teamed up with fellow Ute Elias Petersen to take sixth in the 3-meter synchronized diving competition.
Nilsson Garip, 21, is the first Ute to capture two Pac-12 championships, winning both the 1-meter and 3-meter springborard titles in March. She followed that up with a ninth-place finish in the 1-meter springboard at the 2024 NCAA Championships — the highest ever for a Utah diver — to earn All-American honors.
Rugby
Stephanie Rovetti
Rovetti, 32, who played both basketball and rugby at BYU (2010-14), will compete for Team USA in women’s rugby sevens. The Reno, Nevada, native will be BYU’s first former athlete to compete in women’s rugby sevens, as well as first former BYU women’s basketball player to reach the Olympics.
Alex “Spiff” Sedrick
Sedrick, 26, will join Rovetti on the Team USA women’s rugby sevens team. She was born in Salt Lake City and competed in rugby, gymnastics and volleyball at Herriman High School. The first-time Olympian also played rugby at Life University in Marietta, Georgia.
Make Unufe
Unufe, 22, is a Provo native and two-time Olympian who previously represented Team USA at the 2016 Rio Games. He played football at Provo High School before making the switch to rugby. Unufe has played for the U.S. rugby sevens team for more than a decade and starred for the Utah Warriors at the Club 7s Nationals in 2011, earning a spot on the all-tournament team.
Soccer
Taylor Booth
Booth, 23, was part of the Real Salt Lake youth academy (2016-18) before making his professional debut in 2019 in Germany with the Bayern Munich youth team. The Eden native currently plays for FC Utrecht in the Netherlands and is making his Olympic debut with the U.S. National Team.
Macey Fraser
Fraser, who signed with the Utah Royals in April, will make her Olympic debut for the New Zealand Women’s National Team. The 21-year-old midfielder has made five appearances for New Zealand since making her debut earlier this year. She’s one of four Utah Royals competing at the Paris Olympics.
Amandine Henry
Henry, a native of Lille, France, is returning to the Olympics for a second time as a member of the French Women’s National Team. The Utah Royals defensive midfielder previously played for France in the 2016 Rio Games. Henry, 34, has been playing professionally since age 15 and made her senior international debut for France in 2009.
Ifeoma Onumonu
Onumonu, 30, is making her Olympic debut in Paris with the Nigeria Women’s National Team. The Utah Royals midfielder was born in Rancho Cucamonga, California, and was first selected to play for Nigeria in 2021. She was part of the Nigerian squad in the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
Mina Tanaka
Tanaka, 30, will make her second Olympic appearance as a member of the Japan Women’s National Team. The forward previously played for Japan in the 2020 Tokyo Games and signed with the Utah Royals as a free agent earlier this month.
Shooting
Alexis “Lexi” Lagan
Lagan, 31, attended Utah from 2014 to 2017 and is the university’s first Olympic marksman. The Boulder City, Nevada, native earned her second Olympic selection in women’s air pistol at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in January. She previously competed at the 2020 Tokyo Games.
Sport Climbing
Colin Duffy
Duffy, 20, is one of eight Team USA climbers who live and train in Salt Lake City. The Broomfield, Colorado, native was the youngest member of the USA Climbing team at the 2020 Tokyo Games, where he finished seventh in men’s combined at age 17.
Natalia Grossman
Grossman, 23, lives and trains in Salt Lake City and will be making her Olympic debut in Paris. The Santa Cruz, California, native qualified for the 2024 Summer Games by winning gold in the boulder and lead combined competition at the 2023 Pan American Games.
Jesse Grupper
Grupper, 27, lives and trains in Salt Lake City and is headed to his first Olympics. The Upper Montclair, New Jersey, native qualified for the Paris Olympics by winning gold in the boulder and lead combined competition at the 2023 Pan American Games.
Zach Hammer
Hammer, 18, is another Team USA climber who lives and trains in Salt Lake City. The Ann Arbor, Michigan, native will be making his Olympic debut in Paris. He qualified for the Games at the Olympic Qualifier Series in Budapest, Hungary.
Emma Hunt
Hunt, 21, also lives and trains in Salt Lake City and will be making her Olympic debut. The Woodstock, Georgia, native specializes in speed climbing and holds the U.S. women’s speed record of 6.301 seconds set at the USA Climbing North American Cup in Salt Lake City in April.
Piper Kelly
Kelly, 24, lives and trains in Salt Lake City and will be making her Olympic debut in Paris. The Indianapolis native specializes in speed climbing and earned a spot on Team USA at the 2023 Pan American Games.
Brooke Raboutou
Raboutou, 23, is a Boulder, Colorado, native who now lives and trains in Salt Lake City. She previously competed at the 2020 Tokyo Games, finishing fifth in women’s combined. Raboutou is the daughter of former World Cup champions Robyn Erbesfield-Raboutou and Didier Raboutou. Her older brother, Shawn, also is a professional rock climber.
Sam Watson
Watson, 18, is speed climber who lives and trains in Salt Lake City. The Southlake, Texas, native qualified for the Paris Olympics by winning gold at the 2023 Pan American Games, setting USA Climbing and Pan American Games records with a time of 5.02 seconds.
Track and Field
James Corrigan
Corrigan is the lone current BYU athlete competing at the Paris Olympics. The 22-year-old Los Angeles native will represent Team USA in the 3,000-meter steeplechase alongside former BYU runner Kenneth Rooks. Corrigan, a sophomore at BYU, is the first current track and field athlete to qualify for Team USA at an Olympics since Henry Marsh competed in the 1976 Montreal Games.
Corrigan took third overall at the USA Track and Field Olympic Team Trials in June but did not get an auto-qualifying spot on Team USA because he didn’t have a time under the Olympic Standard of 8:15.00 or a high enough world ranking. He followed that up with a strong performance at the Penn Relays Summer Showcase, where he turned in a time of 8:13.87 and secured an automatic spot on Team USA.
Grant Fisher
Fisher, 27, who lives and trains in Park City as part of the Run Elite Program, will represent Team USA in the 5,000 meters and 10,000 meters at the Paris Olympics. It will be the second Olympic appearance for the Grand Blanc, Michigan, native and former Stanford star, who placed fifth in the 10,000 meters and ninth in the 5,000 meters at the 2020 Tokyo Games.
Josefine Eriksen
Eriksen, a 2024 Utah graduate, will compete as a member of Norway’s 4x400m relay team at the Paris Olympics following stellar performances at the World Athletic Relays and European Championships. The Stavern, Norway, native owns five indoor records and six outdoor records at Utah, along with top-10 marks in five other events in just two seasons.
Eriksen, 23, also broke the Norwegian indoor record in the 600 meters in February 2022 with an altitude-adjusted time of 1:28.27 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. She was part of the 4x400m relay team that broke the national record twice this season, as well as the 4x400m mixed relay team that broke the national record in June 2023.
Chari Hawkins
Hawkins is the lone athlete representing Utah State and will compete in the women’s heptathlon at the Paris Olympics. The Rexburg, Idaho, native posted a personal-best 6,456 points to finish second at the U.S. Track and Field Olympic Trials in Eugene, Oregon, in June to earn a spot on Team USA. She’s the first USU athlete to qualify for the Olympics since hammer thrower James Parker at the 2004 Athens Olympics.
Hawkins, 33, set personal bests in the shot put with a mark of 14.67 meters (48-1.75) and javelin with a throw of 49.28 meters (161-8) for second-place finishes in each event at the Olympic trials. She also took second in the high jump with a season-best mark of 1.79 meters (5-10.5) and third in the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 13.11.
Rory Linkletter
Linkletter, 27, will run for Canada in the men’s marathon alongside fellow BYU runners Conner Mantz and Clayton Young. The Calgary, Alberta, native ran under the Olympic Standard at the Seville Marathon in Spain earlier this year, finishing in 2:08:01. Linkletter was a six-time All-American at BYU and placed second at the 10,000-meters as a sophomore at the 2017 NCAA Outdoor Championships.
Conner Mantz
Mantz will represent Team USA in the men’s marathon along with former BYU teammate Clayton Young. The Logan native and former Sky View High School star ran under the Olympic Standard of 2:08:10 at the Chicago Marathon in 2023, crossing the finish line in 2:07.47.
Mantz placed first overall at the USATF Marathon Olympic Team Trials in Orlando in February to secure a spot on Team USA. While at BYU, Mantz earned back-to-back individual NCAA Cross Country Championships in 2020 and 2021.
Whittni Orton Morgan
Morgan, 26, ran a season-best 15:05.53 to finish fifth in the 5,000 meters at the USATF Olympic Trials on June 24. The Panguitch native and former BYU distance runner claimed the final spot in the event for Team USA after Elle St. Pierre and Parker Valby opted to scratch from the race in favor of the 1,500 meters and 10,000 meters, respectively.
In her time at BYU, Morgan won the 2021 NCAA Cross Country individual title.
Simone Plourde
Plourde, who spent two seasons at Utah (2021-23), will represent Canada in the 1,500 meters in Paris. The 24-year-old Montreal native finished her collegiate career as a three-time All-American, a Pac-12 outdoor champion, a USTFCCCA All-Region recipient in cross country, and a two-time All-Pac-12 honoree in cross country.
Plourde, 24, still holds Utah records in the indoor 3,000 meters (8:43.95) and distance medley relay, while holding top marks in the outdoor 1,500 meters (4:06.47), 5,000 meters (15:21.19) and 4×1,600-meter relay. She currently owns the second-fastest marks this outdoor season by any Canadian, running lifetime best marks in the 1,500 meters (4:05.92) and 5,000 meters (15:13.57).
Kenneth Rooks
Rooks, 24, will represent BYU and compete for Team USA in the men’s 3,000-meter steeplechase alongside current Cougars runner James Corrigan. Rooks placed first overall at the USATF Olympic Team Trials in June, posting a time of 8:21.92.
At BYU, Rooks won the event at the 2023 NCAA Championships and followed that up with a historic victory at the USATF Championships after falling over a barrier and coming back to take the title. The College Place, Washington, native took 10th at the 2023 World Championships in Budapest in August 2023 before returning for a final cross country season at BYU.
Courtney Wayment-Smith
Wayment-Smith, a former BYU athlete, will represent Team USA in the women’s 3,000-meter steeplechase. The Layton native took second overall at the USATF Olympic Team Trials in June, crossing the finish line in 9:06.50.
Wayment-Smith, 25, was a four-time national champion during her collegiate career at BYU, winning national titles in the 3,000-meter steeplechase and indoor 5,000 meters in 2022, along with the indoor 3,000 meters and distance medley relay in 2021. She holds BYU records in both 3,000-meter steeplechase and indoor 5,000 meters.
Clayton Young
Young, 30, will compete for Team USA alongside fellow BYU alumnus Conner Mantz in the men’s marathon. The American Fork native ran under the Olympic Standard at the Chicago Marathon, where he finished in 2:08:00. At the USATF Marathon Olympic Team Trials, Young finished in stride with Mantz and finished second overall to earn a spot in the Paris Olympics.
At BYU, he placed first in the 10,000 meters at the 2019 NCAA Track and Field Outdoor Championships.
