With over 200 nations competing in the Olympic Games, the world’s biggest sporting event always has rising athletes. For the 2016 Olympics, the Lone Star State has a fair share of athletes representing the state’s biggest university, University of Texas at Austin. In all, 25 current and former UT athletes and coaches are currently in Rio de Janeiro competing for medals.
Jimmy Feigen, a former UT student and San Antonio resident, is a competitive swimmer who specializes in freestyle events. After competing in various Olympic events over the past few years, he qualified for a spot to swim in the 2016 Olympic Games. So far at this year’s Olympics, he has won gold in the 4x100m freestyle relay, while current UT sophomore Townley Haas advanced to the 200m freestyle finals Sunday evening.
Feigen has also competed in the 4×100 swim which helped the American team qualify for second place in 3:12.48 with a 48.55 leadoff leg. Swimmers such as Michael Phelps, Caeleb Dressel, Ryan Held, and Nathan Adrian also swam in the finals and brought home a gold medal in 3:09.92.
This year’s Olympic Games will also be a victory for Feigen, as this is the first year he has won a gold medal after winning a silver medal during the same event during the London Olympics four years ago. Haas, a native of Richmond, Virginia also became the first UT student to swim the 200m freestyle since the Olympics in 2000, when swimmer Josh Davis competed at the games in Sydney. Haas earned his spot on the US Olympics swim team after he beat Conor Dwyer in the 200m freestyle final.
Other members of that 25 athlete contingent include Kate Bertko (rowing), Joseph Schooling (swimming), Rachael Adams (women’s indoor volleyball), and Kevin Durant (men’s basketball). The official website of UT Athletics has excellent coverage of these athletes including a current medal count and schedule of when each athlete is competing. Follow along there and on social media with the hashtag #BevoInRio.
While UT Austin is making college sports history by bringing their students to the Olympics, they are also bringing another set of deserving students to the event, those from the Moody College of Communication, the university’s journalism school. These students will be reporting about the Olympics on the event’s official site as well as working alongside top journalists. The four students who were selected will live and work in Brazil for one month to cover the Olympics, while also completing assignments for the Austin-American Statesman, Orlando Sentinel, Houston Chronicle, and Philadelphia Inquirer, among other publications.
Below you can find a list with current and former UT students who are participating in this years Olympic Games.
Rachael Adams – Women’s Volleyball/Indoor Volleyball
Morolake Akinosun – Women’s Track & Field 4x100m relay; 100m alternate
Kate Bertko – Women’s Rowing LW2X
Michelle Carter – Women’s Track & Field/Shot Put
Jack Conger – Men’s Swimming 4x200m freestyle relay
Ryan Crouser – Men’s Track & Field/ Shot Put
Kevin Durant – Men’s Basketball/Team Basketball
Joanna Evans – Women’s Swimming 200m freestyle, 400m freestyle, 800m freestyle
Jimmy Feigen – Men’s Swimming 4x100m freestyle relay
Chrisann Gordan – Women’s Track & Field 4x400m relay
Townley Haas – Men’s Swimming 200m freestyle; 4x200m freestyle relay
Marielle Hall – Women’s Track & Field 10,000 meters
Courtney Okolo – Women’s Track & Field 4x400m relay
Miguel Reyes Varela – Men’s Tennis
Byron Robinson – Men’s Track & Field 400 meter hurdles
Joseph Schooling – Men’s Swimming 100m freestyle, 100m butterfly
Clark Smith – Men’s Swimming 4x200m freestyle relay
Ashley Spencer – Women’s Track & Field 400 meter hurdles
Brandon Stone – Men’s Golf Individual Stroke Play
Jhonatten Vegas – Men’s Golf Individual Stroke Play
Jamal Wilson – Men’s Track & Field High Jump
Featured photo from Jimmy Feigen‘s Facebook page
