As the eyes of the sporting world turn to France for the 2024 Summer Olympics—with its events now including, wait for it… breaking (breakdancing)!—viewers can also watch for a good number of participants with University of Minnesota connections. They'll be competing for Team USA along with five other countries.
The 2024 Olympics run from July 26 to Aug. 11, and we’ll have a separate preview for participants in the Paralympic Games, which begin Aug. 28. Here are brief snapshots of the Olympians we know of with University of Minnesota ties.
Sarah Bacon (diving)
Former Gopher diver Sarah Bacon will participate in two events in Paris. She finished first in the women’s 3-meter springboard at the U.S. Olympic trials in Knoxville to qualify in that event. And earlier at the trials Bacon earned a spot in the synchronized 3-meter event with her partner Kassidy Cook, a Stanford alum.
Bacon is the most decorated female champion in Minnesota history with five NCAA titles—three on the 1-meter (2018, '19, '21) and two on the 3-meter (2021, '22). No other female athlete in school history has more than two NCAA titles.
Wenbo Chen (coach – diving)
Wenbo Chen, the Gophers’ current head men’s and women’s diving coach, has been named an assistant coach for the U.S. Olympic team for the third time in his career. He served as an assistant at the 2008 games in Beijing and the 2012 games in London, where he coached Gopher great Kelci Bryant to a silver medal in the 3-meter synchro.
At the U, Chen has been named Big Ten Women's Diving Coach of the Year nine times, and Men's Diving Coach of the Year in 2016.
Matt Wilkinson (steeplechase)
Gopher alum Matt Wilkinson earned his first-ever Olympic berth for Team USA in the 3,000-meter steeplechase.
Wilkinson transferred from Carleton College to the University of Minnesota, where he went on to become a two-time Big Ten champion. Wilkinson was the Big Ten's Track Athlete of the Championships in 2023 after winning both the 3,000-meter steeplechase and the 5,000 meters for the Gophers.
Shane Wiskus (gymnastics)
Former Gopher gymnast Shane Wiskus will be traveling to his second straight Olympics after being named an alternate for the U.S. men’s gymnastics team. Wiskus finished third in the all-around at the U.S. Olympic trials at Target Center in Minneapolis.
In his senior season for the Gophers in 2021, Wiskus was the national champion on the still rings and parallel bars and finished second in the NCAA all-around competition. He then competed for the U.S. Olympic team at the Tokyo Summer Olympics in 2021.
Devin Augustine (track – Trinidad and Tobago)
University of Minnesota junior track star Devin Augustine will represent his home country of Trinidad and Tobego in Paris in the 100 meters.
Augustine was the Big Ten champion this spring and is the Trinidad and Tobago 100-meter national champion. He’s the first Gopher men’s track athlete to represent the Gophers individually at the Olympics since Ben Blankenship in 2016.
Airi Miyabe (volleyball – Japan)
Former Gopher Airi Miyabe earned her first Olympic team appearance for Japan after a standout performance in the Volleyball Nations League.
Miyabe, an outside hitter at Minnesota (2019-21), plays middle blocker for Japan. As a Gopher, she was a three-time Academic All-Big Ten selection, and during her time at the U the Gophers advanced to a Final Four, an Elite Eight, and a Sweet 16.
Bar Soloveychik (swimming – Israel)
University of Minnesota swimmer Bar Soloveychik was chosen to compete for his home country of Israel at the Paris Olympics as part of the 4x200-meter freestyle relay.
His selection marks the third straight Olympics to feature a male Gopher swimmer. David Plummer earned gold and bronze medals for the United States in 2016, and Bowe Becker also won a gold for the U.S. in 2020. Also, James Freeman represented Botswana in 2020.
Ava Stewart (gymnastics – Canada)
Incoming freshman Ava Stewart will be competing for Team Canada in the 2024 Summer Olympics.
She competed for Elite Canada, where in February she won gold on balance beam and bronze in the all-around. In March she competed at the Stuttgart World Cup, placing fourth with her team, fifth on balance beam, and seventh in the all-around.
Erik van Rooyen (golf – South Africa)
Former Gopher men's golfer Erik van Rooyen was selected to represent his home country of South Africa in Paris. He becomes the first Gopher golfer to ever participate in the Olympics.
A 2013 graduate, Van Rooyen is just a few months removed from his second win on the PGA Tour. He was a three-time NCAA regional qualifier during his time as a Gopher and thrice finished among the top-10 at the Big Ten Championships.
Dakotah Lindwurm and Coach Christopher Lundstrom (marathon)
Although she didn’t attend the U of M, Minnesota native and marathoner Dakotah Lindwurm took the running world by surprise by finishing third in the U.S. Olympic trials to qualify for the marathon in Paris.
She has been coached by Christopher Lundstrom, a lecturer at the School of Kinesiology at the University of Minnesota. Lundstrom’s Marathon Training class has guided hundreds of students to complete their first marathon, and he’s the head coach of Minnesota Distance Elite—a development program for professional distance runners.
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