Capsule Reports on All 57 Cal-Affiliated Athletes at 2024 Olympics

Summer Games in Paris begin Wednesday and Golden Bears will be represented in sports from badminton to rowing to swimming to track and field and more

Adrian Weinberg / Catharyn Hayne

Fifty-seven athletes affiliated with Cal will be competing in nine sports at the 2024 Summer Olympic Games, which begin this week in France.   That puts Cal among Stanford, USC, Michigan and Florida as the colleges with the most Olympic participants.

We provide capsules of every Cal-affiliated athlete competing in the Paris Olympics representing all countries. This does not include Cal swimming coach Dave Durden or Cal assistant rowing coach Adrienne Martelli, who are on the Olympic coaching staffs in their sports.

Olympic competition begins on Wednesday, July 24, although the opening ceremonies are not until Friday, July 26.  Paris is nine hours ahead of us on the West Coast, so some sports may be held at inconvenient times for people in California.

Here are the Cal Olympic athletes, categorized by sport and country and presented alphabetically:

Badminton

ANNIE XU and KERRY XU, USA (women’s doubles) – Identical twins Annie and Kerry Xu qualified for the Olympics in women’s doubles by winning a silver medal at the 2023 Pan American Games. They excelled as teenagers but did not play badminton for about four years, while at Cal (2020 graduates in Economics) and while beginning work as corporate accountants. But they returned to the sport, performed well at the PanAm Games in Chile and qualified for the Olympics in women’s doubles. Paris Debut: Women’s doubles group play begins July 27

Annie and Kerry Xu 🇺🇸 left their full-time jobs to pursue a career in #badminton.

The twins are now fully on their #RoadToParis to represent Team USA at the #Paris2024 #Olympics.

Catch the Xus in action this week at #USOpen2024. 💪#SuperSmashSquad pic.twitter.com/iptNKcEW4t

— BWF (@bwfmedia) June 24, 2024

JENNIE GAI, USA (mixed doubles): Gai won silver medals in the 2023 Pan American Games in both women’s singles and mixed doubles. Vincent Chiu, also a Cal graduate, was her partner in the Pan Am Games, and they will join forces in the Olympics.  This is the first Olympics appearance for the 23-year-old Gai, who graduated from Cal in December 2022. She won a gold medal at the 2018 Summer Youth Olympics. Paris debut: Mixed doubles group play begins July 26

VINCENT CHIU, USA (men’s double, mixed doubles): Chiu is a May 2022 graduate of Cal who is appearing in his first Olympics, and he has qualified in two events. He won a silver medal with partner and Cal alum Joshua Yuan in men’s doubles at the 2022 Pan American Games and a bronze in that event in this year’s Pan Am Championships. They are playing together in Paris. Chiu won a silver medal with Cal graduate Jennie Gai in mixed doubles in the 2023 Pan American Games and is partnering with Gai at the Olympics. Paris debut: Group play in men’s doubles and mixed doubles begins July 26

JOSHUA YUAN, USA (men’s doubles): A 20-year-old from Foster City, Calif., Yuan will team with Cal graduate Vinson Chiu, 25, of Newport Beach to compete in doubles. They are first-time Olympians who won a bronze medal in men’s doubles at the Pan Am Championships earlier this year. Paris debut: Group stage play begins on Friday, July 26

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Field hockey

MEGAN RODGERS VALZONIS, USA: Cal’s fourth Olympian in field hockey and its first American since 1988, Valzonis led the Bears in scoring all three of her seasons (2017-19) before making her USA national team debut in 2021. She has made 23 international appearances and scored three goals for the USA. Paris debut: USA begins pool play vs. Argentina on Saturday, July 27

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Golf

BYEONG HUN AN, South Korea (golf): The youngest-ever winner of the U.S. Amateur at age 17 in 2005, An played one year (2010-11) at Cal before turning pro. Now 32, he currently is ranked No. 32  the world. An represented South Korea at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, finishing 16th place. Paris debut: First round is Thursday, Aug. 1

Byeong Hun An / Andrew Dieb-USA TODAY Sports

COLLIN MORIKAWA, USA (golf): Ranked No. 6 in the current world rankings, the 27-year-old returns to the Olympics after losing in a playoff at the Tokyo Games in 2021. He is a six-time winner on the PGA Tour with a pair of victories in majors — the 2020 PGA Championship and the 2021 British Open. He hasn’t won a Tour event in 2024 but has seven top-10 finishes. Paris debut: First round is Thursday, Aug. 1

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Rowing 

FREDERIK BREUER, Germany (men’s eight): Breuer was a member of the Cal varsity eight crew that won national championships in 2022 and 2023, and he was part of the German men’s eight crew that won a silver medal at the 2024 World Rowing Cup III. This is Breuer’s first Olympics. Paris debut: Men’s eight heats begin July 29

ANGUS DAWSON, Australia (men’s eight): Dawson recently competed his senior season at Cal and was member of the Golden Bears varsity eight crew that won national championships in 2022 and 2023. This is his second Olympics after he finished sixth in the A Final in the men’s eight at the 2020 Games (held in 2021). No Australian boat has medaled at the Olympics since Kate Slatter and Rachel Taylor won a silver medal in the women’s coxless pair in the 2000 Summer Games in Sydney, Australia. Paris debut: Men’s eight heats begin July 29

GENNARO DI MAURO, Italy (men’s eight): The 6-foor-10 di Mauro will be entering his junior season at Cal in the fall and was a members of the Bears’ varsity eight crew that won national championships in 2022 and 2023.  This is the second Olympics for di Mauro, who finished sixth in single sculls in the 2020 Olympics (held in 2021), but will be part of Italy’s men’s eight boat this time. Paris debut: Men’s eight crew heats start July 29

CAILEIGH FILMER, Canada (women’s eight): The 27-year-old Filmer will be competing in her third Olympics.  She was at Cal from 2015 to 2017 and was a Cal student when she was a member of Canada’s women’s eight crew that placed fifth in the 2016 Olympics. Filmer then won a bronze medal in the women’s pairs in the 2020 Summer Games (held in 2021). She returns to Canada’s women’s eight crew this year, and another Cal alumnus, Sydney Payne, will be in that boat with her. Paris debut: Women’s eight heats begin July 29

INGER KAVLIE, Norway (women’s double sculls): Kavlie was at Cal from 2014 to 2017 and rowed in the Golden Bears’ varsity eight boat that helped Cal win the 2016 NCAA team championships. Kavlie teamed with Thea Helseth in the women’s double sculls at the 2024 European Rowing Championships and beat the reigning world and Olympic champions from Romania twice on their way to gold. It was Norway’s first-ever women’s medal in an Olympic boat class. This will be Kavlie’s first Olympics appearance and she will again be paired with Helseth. Paris debut: Women’s double sculls heats begin July 27

KARA KOHLER, USA (women’s single scull): A competitive swimmer in high school, the 33-year-old Kohler is making her third Olympic appearance in rowing. She won a bronze medal in the quadruple sculls at the 2012 Summer Olympics, but after not being selected for the 2016 Olympics, she nearly quit rowing. But she switched to single sculls, captured a bronze medal in the 2019 world championship and competed in the single sculls in the 2020 Olympics, placing ninth.  Kohler is a 2014 Cal graduate who led the Bears’ varsity eight to the 2013 NCAA championship. Paris debut: Women’s single sculls heat begin July 27

Kara Kohler during the 2020 Olympics / Michael Madrid-USA TODAY Sports

MARTIN MACKOVIC, Serbia (men’s double sculls): Mackovic rowed at Cal from 2016 to 2018 and was a member of the Bears’ varsity eight that won the 2016 national championship. This will be the second Olympics for the 6-foot-5, 29-year-old Mackovic, who finished fifth in the A Final in the 2020 Olympics as a member of Serbia’s men's pair boat. Mackovic will team with Nikolaj Pimenov in the double sculls in Paris, and they are two of the three Serbians competing in rowing at this Olympics. Paris debut: Heats in men’s double sculls begin July 27

OLLIE MACLEAN, New Zealand (men’s four): Maclean was a member of Cal’s varsity eight that won IRA national championships in 2022 and 2023, and he was the 2023 Pac-12 men’s rowing athlete of the year. He began his college career at Northeastern before transferring to Cal, and his last season at Cal was 2023 when he was a graduate student. Maclean earned a bronze medal in men’s four at the 2023 World Rowing Championships. This will be Maclean’s first Olympics after being a travelling reserve for the men’s sweep program in the 2020 Olympics. Paris debut: Heats for the men’s four begins July 28

ROWAN McKELLAR, Great Britain (women’s eight): This will be the second Olympics for McKellar, who placed fourth in the women’s four at the 2020 Summer Games, just one second behind the third-place finisher. She won a gold medal in the women’s four at the 2022 World Rowing Championships, but she is entered in the women’s eight in this Olympics. McKellar, who was born in Scotland, graduated from Cal in 2017 with a degree in Sociology focusing in gender inequality. Paris debut: Women’s eight heat begin July 29

OLAV MOLENAAR, Netherlands (men’s eight): Molenaar rowed at Cal from 2019 to 2022 and will be making his first appearance at the Olympics. He won a silver medal in the men’s eight at the 2023 World Rowing Championships, which qualified him for the 2024 Olympics. The Netherlands has won a gold medal in rowing in each of the past two Olympics. Paris debut: Men’s eight heats begin July 29

SYDNEY PAYNE, Canada (women’s eight): Payne is appearing in her second Olympics after winning the gold medal in the women's eight at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. This time, her former Cal teammate, Caileigh Filmer, will be the Canadian women’s eight boat with her.  Payne rowed for Cal from 2016 to 2019. She was ranked the 12th-best female rower in the word in 2022 by row2k. Paris debut: Women’s eight heats begin July 29

Sydney Payne and Canada's gold-medal-winning boat at the 2020 Olympics / Danielle Parhizkaran-USA TODAY Sports

JACK ROBERTSON, Australia (men’s four): This the first Olympics for Robertson, who graduated magna cum laude from Cal in 2021 and received a masters degree in Sociology at Oxford. He captured a bronze medal in the men’s eight at the 2023 World Rowing Championships. Australia has won six Olympic medals in the men’s eight but has never won a gold medal in that event. Paris debut: Men’s four heats begin July 28

TIM ROTH, Switzerland (men’s four): The 6-foot-8 Roth is a current Cal student who was a member of the Bears varsity eight crew that won IRA national championships in 2022 and 2023. He took the 2023-24 academic year off from Cal to prepare for the Olympics. He finished second in the men’s four at the 2024 World Rowing Final Olympic and Paralympic Qualification Regatta. Roth is from Berikon, Switzerland, and played ice hockey before getting involved in rowing. Paris debut: Men’s four heats begin July 28

CHRISTIAN TABASH, USA (men’s eight): The 25-year-old Tabash graduated from Harvard but came to Cal as a graduate transfer and was a member of the Cal varsity eight that won the IRA national title in 2023. The United States’ men’s eight finished fourth in the 2020 Olympics (held in 2021), but the Americans will feature a completely different lineup this time.  Roth began rowing at his father’s suggestion after he was cut from his high school’s freshman basketball team. Paris debut: men’s eight heats begin July 29

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Soccer

SYDNEY COLLINS, Canada: A two-time All-Pac-12 selection (2021 & ’22) for Cal, the 24-year-old defender plays professionally for the North Carolina Courage after being taken eighth overall in the 2023 NWSL draft. Paris debut: Canada begins group play July 25 vs. New Zealand

Canada defender Sydney Collins / Maria Lysaker-USA TODAY Sports

IFEOMA ONUNONU, Nigeria: An alternate on the Nigerian team, Onumonu played five seasons for Cal (2012-16) and is fifth in program history with 33 career goals. She played on Nigeria’s 2023 World Cup team and has 14 caps for the squad. Paris debut: Nigeria begins group play July 25 vs. Brazil

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Swimming

JACK ALEXY, USA (100 freestyle and relay):  Alexy is a current Cal athlete and is participating in his first Olympics.  He qualified with a runner-up finish in the 100m freestyle (47.47) and a fourth-place finish in the 50m freestyle at the U.S. Olympic Trials. Alexy won the 100m freestyle at the 2023 National Championships, and he won silver medals in both the 50m freestyle and 100m freestyle at the 2023 World Aquatics Championship. Paris debut: Heats for 100 freestyle start July 30

Jack Alexy / Grace Hollars/IndyStar / USA TODAY

HUNTER ARMSTRONG, USA (100 backstroke and freestyle relay): Armstrong did not attend Cal but is a member of Cal’s postgrad training group and will be competing in his second Olympics. Armstrong finished second I the 100-meter backstroke to earn a Olympic berth. In the 2020 Summer Olympics, held in 2021, he won a gold medal in the 4x100-meter medley relay event. He won a gold medal in the 50m backstroke at the 2023 World Championships and a gold medal I the 100m backstroke at the 2024 World Championships. Paris Debut: 100m backstroke heats start July 28

STEPHANIE AU, Hong Kong (freestyle and medley relays): The 32-year-old Au (also known as Stephanie Au Hoi-shun) is a 2014 graduate of Cal, and she will be participating in her fifth Olympics.  Au is the holder of 18 Hong Kong national records, and she is a former national record holder in eight other events.  Au carried Hong Kong's flag during the opening ceremonies of the 2016 Summer Olympics. She has never won an Olympic medal and will be competing in the women’s 4x100 freestyle relay and 4x100 medley relay at these Olympics. Paris debut: Heats for women’s 4x100 freestyle begin July 27

JEREMY BAGSHAW, Canada (4x200 freestyle relay): After failing to qualify for the last four Olympics, the 32-year-old Bagshaw finally made it this time by finishing fourth in the 200-meter freestyle at the Canadian Olympic trials. That earned a spot on the 4x200 relay team. Dr. Bradshaw is a 2014 graduate of Cal who is a medical school. He plans to relocate from Ireland to London to start a year-long medical internship soon after the Olympics. Paris debut: Heats for 4x200 freestyle relay start July 30

CAMILLE CHENG, Hong Kong (freestyle and medley relays): This will be the third Olympics for the 31-year-old Cheng, a 2015 Cal graduate who participated in four events in the 2016 Summer Games and swam relays in the 2020 Games, held in 2021.  Again she will compete in the 4x100 medley relay and the 4x100 freestyle relay. Paris debut: Heats for women’s 4x100 freestyle begin July 27

BROOKS CURRY, USA (4x200 freestyle relay): Curry attended LSU but is a member of Cal’s training group. This will be his second Olympics after earning a gold medal as part of the 4x100 freestyle relay team in the 2020 Summer Games. He finished fifth in the 200 freestyle at this year’s Olympic trials, earning him one of the six spots on the 4x200 freestyle replay team. Paris debut: men’s 4x200 relay heats begin July 30

HUGO GONZALEZ, Spain (100m backstroke, 200m backstroke, medley relay): A 2022 graduate of Cal, Gonzalez’s final year on Cal’s swimming team was 2023. He will be competing in his third Olympics, and his best finish was sixth place in the 100-meter backstroke at the 2020 Summer Games.  However, he won a gold medal in the 200-meter backstroke and a silver medal in the 100-meter backstroke at the World Aquatic Championships in February 2024. Paris debut: July 28, 100m backstroke heats begin

Hugo Gonzalez the during the 2020 Olympics / Grace Hollars-USA TODAY Sports

ROBIN HANSON, Sweden (men’s 4x100 freestyle relay): Hanson is a current Cal student who competed in the 100-meter freestyle (placing 27th) and 200-meter freestyle (placing 23rd) at the 2020 Olympics. He swam a leg of Cal’s 4x200 freestyle relay team that finished first at the 2024 NCAA championships. Paris debut: men’s 4x100 relay heats begin July 27

JAROD HATCH, Philippines (men’s 100 butterfly): Hatch is a Bay Area product from Morgan Hill, and he graduated from Cal in 2021.  He has Filipino heritage through his mother and holds the Philippines national record in the 100 butterfly. Hatch retired from swimming in May 2021, but came out of retirement in October 2022. Paris debut: men’s 100m buttlerfly heats begin August 2

LUCAS HENVEAUX, Belgium (men’s 400 freestyle): Henveaux was a Cal graduate student in 2023, his only year with the Golden Bears swimming team. He has an Olympic Qualifying Time in the 400-meter freestyle and Olympic Consideration Times in the 200 and 800 freestyle events. He finished fifth in the 400 freestyle at the 2024 World Aquatics Championships in February. Paris debut: men’s 400 freestyle heats start July 27

KEATON JONES, USA (200 backstroke): The 19-year-old Jones just completed his freshman year at Cal. He finished second in the 200-meter backstroke (behind Ryan Murphy) at the U.S. Olympic trials.  In 2018, Jones became the first American to break an ice swimming world record at the 5th Ice Swimming World Championships in Samoens, France, where water temperature must be below 41 degrees Fahrenheit and swimmers cannot wear wetsuits. Paris debut: men’s 200 backstroke heats begin July 31

MARY-AMBRE MOLUH, France (4x100 freestyle relay): The 18-year-old Moluh will be a freshman at Cal in the fall. She posted the best 100-meter backstroke time of her career earlier this season, clocking a 59.67. Moluh finished third at the French Olympic trials to earn a berth on the relay squad. Paris debut: women’s 4x100 relay heats begin July 27

ANDI MUREZ, Israel (4x100 mixed medley relay): Murez is making her third Olympic appearance and will be one of Israel’s two flag bearers at this year’s Olympic Opening Ceremonies.  She attended Stanford, but spent the past year training with Cal’s postgraduate group. She graduated from medical school in the spring of 2023 and will attend a residency program in psychiatry at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota later this summer. She will swim a freestyle leg in the mixed medley relay. Paris debut: Mixed medley relay heats begin August 2

RYAN MURPHY, USA (100 backstroke, 200 backstroke, 4x100 medley relay): The 29-year-old Murphy is a 2017 Cal graduate and is competing in his third Olympics, having won four gold medals. He won gold medals in the 100-meter backstroke, 200-meter backstroke and 4x100 medley relay in the 2016 Olympics, and he won gold in the 2020 Olympics (held in 2021) in the 4x100 medley relay while capturing a silver medal in the 200 backstroke and a bronze medal in the 100 backstroke. He is a former world-record-holder in the 100 backstroke.  In college, Murphy won NCAA championships in both the 100- and 200-yard backstroke events all four years he was at Cal.  Paris debut: men’s 100-meter backstroke heats begin July 28

Ryan Murphy / Robert Goddin-USA TODAY Sports

LEAH POLONSKY, Israel (200m freestyle, 200m individual medley, 4x200 freestyle relay): Polonsky came to America from Israel at the age of 19 and recently finished her junior year at Cal. Her brother, Ron, attends Stanford and is also on the Israel Olympic swimming team. The Polonskys were ballroom dancers as young children in Haifa, Israel, before switching to swimming. At the 2024 Europeans Championships, Leah Polonsky won a gold medal in the 4x200 freestyle relay and a silver medal in the 200-meter medley

LILOU RESSENCOURT, France (4x100 medley relay): Born in Hautes Pyrenees, France, Ressencourt will enroll at Cal after the Olympics. She is technically a transfer since she has been attending a French university studying business management. She finished second in both the 100-meter butterfly and the 200-meter butterfly at the French Olympic trials. Paris debut: women’s 4x100 medley relay heats begin August 3

ZIYAD SALEEM, Sudan (200-meter backstroke): Saleem, who was a junior this past year at Cal, grew up in Milwaukee, but his parents are from Sudan and he holds dual citizenship. He captured Sudan’s first swimming gold medal at an African Championships with a victory in the 200-meter backstroke earlier this year. He will make his first Olympic appearance and will compete in the 200m backstroke. Paris debut: men’s 200m backstroke heats begin July 31

BJORN SEELIGER, Sweden (50m freestyle, 4x100 freestyle relay): The 6-foot-8 Seelinger recently completed his senior season at Cal. This is the second Olympics for Seeliger, who competed at the 2020 Olympics in the 50-meter freestyle, but failed to reach the semifinals. He finished seventh in the 50 freestyle at the World Championships this past February. Paris debut: Heats in 4x100 freestyle relay begin July 27

AYLA SPITZ, Israel (women’s 4x200 freestyle relay): Spitz graduated from Cal in 2023 and attended Northwestern this past year as a graduate student. She is not related to nine-time Olympic swimming gold medalist Mark Spitz. Ayla Spitz was a member of the Israel 4x200 freestyle relay team that won a gold medal at the European Championships in June. Paris debut: women’s 4x200 freestyle heats begin August 1

ABBEY WEITZEIL, USA (4x100 freestyle relay): Weitzeil, who graduated from Cal in 2020, will be competing in her third Olympics. She has won four Olympic medals, all in relays. At the 2016 Olympics, Weitzeil won a goal medal in the 4x100 medley relay and a silver medal in the 4x100 free style relay.  In the 2020 Olympics (held in 2021), she captured a silver medal in the medley relay and a bronze in the freestyle relay. She finished third in the 50-meter freestyle at the Olympic trials, and only the top two finishers qualify for the Olympics in each individual event. As a senior at Cal, Weitzeil won the Honda Sports Award, given to the nation's top female collegiate competitor in swimming and diving. Paris debut: Heats for the women’s 4x100 freestyle relay start July 27

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Table tennis

LILY ZHANG, USA (women's singles): A 2018 graduate of Cal, Zahng is a six-time U.S. national champion women's singles champion and three-time Olympian (212, 2016, 2020). She placed 17th in women's singles in both the 2016 and 2020 Olympics, and she will compete in women's singles in Paris. She works as an investment banking analyst at J.P. Morgan. Paris debut: women's singles preliminary round begin July 27

Lily Zhang / Erik Williams-USA TODAY Sports

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Track & field

MYKOLAS ALEKNA, Lithuania (discus): Alekna repeatedly set the NCAA record for the discus in his first two seasons at Cal then redshirted this past spring in order to prepare for Paris. He broke the 39-year-old world record in the event with a throw of 243 feet, 11 inches (74.35 meters) at Oklahoma in April. A medalist at the World Championships each of the past two years, Alekna, still just 21, can become the youngest Olympic gold medalist in the men’s discus since Al Oerter in 1956. Paris debut: Qualifying is Monday, Aug. 5

GEORGIA BELL, Great Britain (1,500 meters): Bell completed her Cal career in 2017 and stepped away from the sport for several years. Now 30, Bell won the UK Trials, finished second at the European Championships and ran a huge personal-best time of 3:56.54 that landed her fifth place in a fast Diamond League race at Paris in early July and 13th on the 2024 world list. Paris debut: First round is Tuesday, Aug. 6

ROWAN HAMILTON, Canada (hammer throw): A 3-time NAIA national champion at the University of British Columbia, Hamilton transferred to Cal for his final season and captured the 2024 NCAA crown. Earlier this month he was named the U.S. track and cross country coaches’ national Outdoor Field Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Hamilton finished second to reigning world champion Ethan Katzberg at the Canadian Trials and has a lifetime-best mark of 253-2 (77.18 meters) that ranks 18th in the world this season. Paris debut: Qualifying is Friday, Aug. 2

Rowan Hamilton / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

CAISA-MARIE LINDFORS, Sweden (discus): A transfer from Florida, the 23-year-old managed just 15th in qualifying at the NCAA meet before finishing second at the Swedish Championships. Lindfors has a best of 205-0 (62.48 meters) that places her 30th on the seasonal world list. Paris debut: Qualifying is on Friday, Aug. 2

CAMRYN ROGERS, CANADA (hammer throw): A former 3-time NCAA champion and the collegiate record-holder at Cal, Rogers arrives at Paris as a second-time Olympian, the reigning world champ and one of the favorites to win gold. Fifth at the Tokyo Games in 2021, the 25-year-old threw a personal-best of 257-11 (78.62 meters) a year ago to rank No. 5 all-time and has a season best of 255-4 (77.84) that is best among all entries at the Games. Paris debut: Qualifying is Sunday, Aug. 4

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Water polo

LUCA CUPIDO, USA: A 28-year-old attacker, Cupido was a four-time All-American for the Bears (2014-17) and the 2017 recipient of the Peter J. Cutino Award as the nation’s top collegiate player after leading the MPSF with 58 goals as a senior. Born in Italy but an American citizen, Cupido is playing on his third USA Olympic team, having helped the squad to a sixth-place finish at Tokyo in 2021. He scored 11 goals in his first two Olympics and currently plays professionally for CC Ortigia in Italy. Paris debut: USA opens group play vs. Italy on Sunday, July 28

JOHNNY HOOPER, USA: A 27-year-old attacker, Hooper will play in his second Olympics after scoring 10 goals in Tokyo in 2021 and 10 at the 2024 World Championships in Doha. At Cal (2015-18), Hooper scored 245 career goals, including 75 in 2016, and was a three-time All-American. He currently played professionally at Telimar in Italy. Paris debut: USA opens group play vs. Italy on Sunday, July 28

Johnny Hooper / Photo by Catharyn Hayne

KITTY LYNN JOUSTRA, Netherlands: A second-time Olympian, Joustra played for Cal from 2018-21 and earned All-America honors three times while scoring 94 goals as a center. Now 26, she helped the Dutch win gold at the 2023 World Championships a year after they claimed bronze at the same event. Paris debut: Netherlands opens group play vs. Hungary on Saturday, July 27

NIKOLAOS PAPANIKOLAOU, Greece: One of the greatest players in Cal history, “Papa” was a three-time winner of the Peter J. Cutino Award as the nation’s top collegiate player. The offensive powerhouse of the Bears’ three NCAA championship teams, the 23-year-old scored 253 career goals and was a five-time All-American. He currently plays for Greek professional team Panathinaikos, but this is his first Olympics playing for his native country which, won the silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics. Paris debut: Greece opens group play vs. Romania on Sunday, July 28

KINDRED PAUL, Canada: A 28-year-old defender on the Canadian women’s national team, Paul is set to play in her second Olympics. A 2018 Cal grad, she played on Canada’s silver-medal winning team at the 2019 Pan American Games. Paris debut: Canada opens group play vs. Hungary on Monday, July 29

ADRIAN WEINBERG, USA: The starting goaltender for Cal’s national championship teams of 2021, ’22 and 23, Weinberg is playing on his first Olympic team. A four-year starter at Cal and a first-team All-American as a senior, Weinberg, 22, has played for the USA senior national team since 2022. Paris debut: USA opens group play vs. Italy on Sunday, July 28

EMMA WRIGHT, Canada: A 27-year-old attacker, Wright scored 154 goals in three seasons at Cal (2017-19). She has been a member of the Canadian national program since 2010, and in 2013 at the age of 16 competed for Canada at the FINA World Championships. Wright was captain of the Canadian team that played in the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. Paris debut: Canada opens group play vs. Hungary on Monday, July 29

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