Florida Gators Well Represented in the Olympics: Your Guide

There are 40 Florida Gators in the Olympics, representing 20 countries. We have your preview and guide to all the participants.

Florida Gators star Parker Valby represents Team USA in the 2024 Olympics. / Craig Strobeck-USA TODAY Sports

On Friday, 40 current and former Florida Gators athletes representing 20 different countries will go for gold as part of the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. 

The 40 participants is a new record for the Gators, beating out the 39 UF-affiliated athletes that participated in the 2008 Beijing Games. It’s also the fourth-most among NCAA athletic programs. 

Gators fulfilling their dreams.

Good luck to our athletes representing their countries in Paris 🟠🔵#GoGators pic.twitter.com/ZiRLMbk0nJ

— Gators Olympics (@GatorsOlympics) July 25, 2024

Gators Illustrated has compiled a list of each athlete, the country they represent and the events they will compete in. 

The Opening Ceremony begins Friday at 1:30 p.m. EST. 

Basketball (5v5 and 3v3)

Canyon Barry, in his first appearance at the Olympics, will be the first Gator in program history to compete in the 3v3 basketball portion. Since 1972, they have competed in Olympic sports such as baseball, beach volleyball and soccer but never 3v3 basketball. Also, Nick Calathes will become the first Florida men’s basketball alum to appear in the Men’s Olympic Basketball Tournament after qualifying with Greece’s senior national team. 

• Canyon Barry (USA): 3v3
• Nick Calathes (Greece): 5v5
• Andrew Nembhard (Canada): 5v5

Golf

There were 36 total programs, including Florida, that had golfers on Olympic rosters this summer. Furthermore, Florida was one of only eight programs that had a participant in both the men’s and women’s Paris Summer golf tournaments. Additionally, this marks the third straight Olympic Games with a member of the golf team playing. 

• Sarah Schober (Austria)
• Alejandro Tosti (Argentina)
• Camilo Villegas (Colombia)

𝗢𝗹𝘆𝗺𝗽𝗶𝗰 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆 🐊🇦🇹

Congrats to former Gator Sarah Schober on qualifying for the Olympics!

The 3️⃣rd straight Olympic Games with a Gator playing!! 👏#GoGators | @GatorsOlympics pic.twitter.com/uFGmvrJQKF

— Gators Golf (@GatorsGolf) July 24, 2024

Gymnastics

In her second Olympics appearance, Leanne Wong (2022-present) is in Paris as an alternate for Team USA. Despite a Day One performance at the Olympic Trials that she said “wasn’t super strong,” Wong improved her scores in the vault (14.500), on the beam (13.650), floor (13.625) and her all-around score (55.675) for a seventh-place overall finish. Her strong finish in the vault earned her her highest-placed finish at third. 

Women’s gymnastics begins play on Sunday with the final on Tuesday/ 

• Leanne Wong (USA, Alternate)

Soccer

Two former Gators have already begun play in Paris. Adriana Leon (2012) and Deanne Rose (2017-2020) are representing Canada, which defeated New Zealand 2-1 to begin play. Leon previously won Gold in 2021 with Canada, while Rose is in her first as an alternate. Despite only one season at UF, Leon made a tremendous impact in the 2012 season. Four of her five goals were game-winners, which was third in the SEC that season. Canada will play host country France on Sunday.

• Adriana Leon (Canada)
• Deanne Rose (Canada, Alternate)

Swimming and Diving

When looking at the Gators participating in the swimming and diving portion of the Olympics, it is hard to pass over the USA roster without noticing Caleb Dressel. The former 2018 SEC Male Athlete of the Year is a three-time Olympian for the United States and has won a total of seven golds since 2016. Also, his seven gold medals makes him one of 25 Olympians all-time with seven golds.  

• Amro Al-Wir (Jordan): 200m breastroke
• Julie Brosseau (Canada): 4x200m freestyle relay
• Caeleb Dressel (USA): 50m freestyle, 100m butterfly, 4x100m freestyle relay, 4x100m medley relay
• Bobby Finke (USA): 800m freestyle, 1500m freestyle
• Josh Liendo (Canada): 50m freestyle, 100m freestyle, 100m butterfly, 4x100m freestyle relay, 4x100m medley relay
• Nicole Mayer (Germany): 4x200m freestyle relay
• Jonny Marshall (Great Britain): 100m backstroke
• Alberto Mestre (Venezuela): 50m freestyle, 100m freestyle
• Alfonso Mestre (Venezuela): 400m freestyle, 800m freestyle
• Aleksas Savickas (Lithuania): 200m breastroke
• Kieran Smith (USA): 400m freestyle
• Emma Weyent (USA): 400m individual medley
• Luke Whitlock (USA): 800m freestyle

Tennis

In what is her final tour as a pro, Danielle Collins (2012-2013) may have saved the best for last. With two WTA tournament wins, a round-of-16 finish at Wimbledon and a current No. 9 international ranking, she will represent The United States in her first Olympics. She spent her freshman season at UF before transferring to Virginia, where she won two NCAA Division I singles titles. Collins begins play on Saturday against Germany’s Laura Siegemund. 

• Danielle Collins (USA)

Track and Field/Marathon 

The Gators have an astounding seven representatives on U.S. Olympic Track & Field rosters for the Paris Olympics, putting them in the lead among the nation’s programs. An even more impressive feat is what history Jasmine Moore, one of these seven, set. By being named to the U.S. roster for the long and triple jump, she became the first U.S. woman to qualify for both the long and triple jump in a single Olympics. 

On top of Moore’s appearance at the Paris Olympics for the U.S., the Gators will also be sending Parker Valby. Valby had one of the best individual years an athlete could have after taking the title in Cross Country, 3000m, 5000m (in & out) and 10,000m and earning 2024 SEC Female Athlete of the Year. However, she will only be competing in the 10,000m for the U.S. 

• Lloydricia Cameron (Jamaica): shot put
• Malcolm Clemons (USA): long jump
• Joseph Fahnbulleh (Liberia): 200m dash, 4x100m relay
• Eddie Garcia (US Virgin Islands): marathon
• Anna Hall (USA): heptathlon 
• Raheem Hayles (Jamaica): 4x400m mixed relay
• Grant Holloway (USA): 110m hurdles
• Genevieve LaCaze Gregson (Australia): marathon
• Thomas Mardal (Norway): hammer throw
• Wanya McCoy (Bahamas): 100m dash, 200m dash
• Jasmine Moore (USA): long jump, triple jump
• Jevaughn Powell (Jamaica): 400m
• Hakim Sani Brown (Japan): 100m
• Grace Stark (USA): 100m hurdles
• Parker Valby (USA): 10,000m
• Alida van Daalen (Netherlands): shot put, discus