Pitt Panthers Represented at 2024 Paris Summer Olympics

The Pitt Panthers are represented at the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics in three sports.

Jun 10, 2021; Houston, Texas, USA; Nigeria head coach Randy Waldrum acknowledges the fans during halftime during a WNT Summer Series international friendly soccer match against Jamaica at BBVA Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Erik Williams-USA TODAY Sports / Erik Williams-USA TODAY Sports

PITTSBURGH -- The Pitt Panthers are represented in the 2024 Summer Paris Olympics, where they will hope to perform at the highest level and earn a gold medal.

The opening ceremony begins on Friday, but some sports have already started, with men's soccer and rugby sevens playing on Wednesday. The final events and closing ceremony take place on Sunday, Aug. 11.

Pitt women's soccer head coach Randy Waldrum will lead Nigeria in his second major tournament with them, after leading them to the 2023 World Cup in Australia & New Zealand last summer.

Sophomore midfielder Deborah Abiodun will join him again at a major tournament for Nigeria. She picked up a late red card in the first game of the World Cup against Canada, for violent conduct, resulting in a three-game suspension.

Waldrum helped Nigeria make it out of the group stage and into the Round of 16, where they would lose to eventual runners-up England on penalties.

Nigeria faces Brazil on Thursday at 1:00 p.m., World Cup winners Spain on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. and then Japan next Wednesday at 11:00 a.m.

They won't play any of these games in Paris, with the Brazil game at Nouveau Stade de Bordeaux in Bordeaux and both the Spain and Japan matches at Stade de la Beaujoire in Nantes.

The top two teams in the three groups of four, plus the top two third-placed teams will qualify for the Quarterfinals. The Quarterfinals take place on Saturday, Aug. 3, the Semifinals on Tuesday, Aug. 6, with the losers playing in the Broze medal match on Friday, Aug. 9 and the winners playing in the Gold medal match on Saturday, Aug. 10.

Former Pitt women's basketball player Marcedes Walker starred for the program from 2005-08, with four All-Big East honors, including First Team in both 2006 and 2007. Her 1,162 rebounds are the most in program history, while her .523 field goal percentage and her 1,870 points are fifth best and sixth most in Pitt history, respectively.

Walker will represent Azerbaijan at the Olympics in the 3x3 competition, which is akin more to street ball, rather than the tradition 5-on-5 that countries also play at the Olympics.

This is the first apperance for Azerbaijan in the event, with this just the second Olympics it featured in, with it last doing so for Tokyo 2020.

Walker will play seven games from July 30-Aug. 2, and if they continue to play well, they'll have a chance at the Semifinals and then either the Bronze Medal Match or Gold Medal Match, all on Aug. 5.

Junior Jayla Pena of Pitt swimming & diving will represent Cape Verde in the Women's 200 Intermediate Medley Relay (IM) on Aug. 2. This is her second apperance at the Olympics, doing so at Tokyo 2020 in the women's 100-meter breaststroke.

Pena's mother comes from Cape Verde and she has dual citizenship, as she was born in the United States, giving her a chance to compete for both countries, but choosing Cape Verde.

Randy Waldrum & Debroah Abiodun/Nigeria Women's Soccer Schedule

• July 25 - vs. Brazil (1 p.m. EST)
• July 28 - vs. Spain (1 p.m. EST)
• July 31 - vs. Japan (11 a.m. EST)

Marcedes Walker/Azerbaijan Women's 3x3 Schedule

• July 30 - vs. Spain (3 p.m. EST)
• July 31 - vs. United States (3:30 p.m. EST)
• August 1 - vs. France (6:30 a.m. EST)
• August 1 - vs. Germany (12:30 p.m. EST)
• August 2 - vs. Australia (3:30 a.m. EST)
• August 2 - vs. China (11:30 a.m. EST)
• August 3 - vs. Canada (11:30 a.m. EST)

Jadyn Pena/Cape Verde Swimming & Diving Schedule

• Aug. 2 - Intermediate Medley Relay

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