The 2024 Paris Olympics is now complete, after 16 days of incredible competition involving 32 different sports, watched by millions of fans from all over the world and inspiring the next generation of athletes. The Olympics also provided the perfect stage for current, former and incoming student-athletes to shine across the sporting spectrum, with NCAA college stars combining to land 127 gold medals, 95 silver medals and 108 bronze.
More than 1,200 athletes with NCAA connections featured at the summer games across the spectacular Parisienne venues, representing no fewer than 251 different universities and colleges, and 125 countries.
One of the stars of the Games was most certainly Frenchman Léon Marchand, who became a national hero by securing four gold medals in the pool, winning the 200m individual breaststroke, 200m medley and 200m butterfly, as well as the 400m individual medley. Marchand is going into his senior year as student-athlete at Arizona State University and is already a 10-time NCAA Champion and 17-time Pac-12 champion. Such was his success, he was the athlete chosen to retrieve the Olympic flame in front of a passionate home crowd at an emotional closing ceremony.
Team USA topped the medal table for student-athletes with 184 medallists, with Canada and Great Britain the nearest challengers on 13 apiece, followed by Australian student-athletes on 10 medals.
The top performing school at the Olympics was Stanford University, as Cardinal athletes took home a combined 35 medals. Among them were three members of the gold medal winning US women’s soccer team, which featured alum Sophia Smith, Tierna Davidson and Jane Campbell. Discus thrower Valarie Allman was another of Stanford’s gold medallists, winning her second successive Olympic title in the Stade de France.
Top Performing Universities at the Olympics
1. Stanford University – 35
2. University of California – 17
3. University of Texas – 16
4. University of Virginia – 15
5. University of Southern California – 13
In track and field, Harvard graduate Gabby Thomas shone brightly, clinching gold in the 200m, and helping Team USA to gold in both the 4 x 100m and 4 x 400m relays. For Team GB, University of New Mexico alum Josh Kerr took the silver medal in a dramatic 1500m final, while current University of Houston sprinter Louis Hinchcliffe secured his first Olympic medal, taking bronze in the Men’s 4 x 100m relay.
Top Sports - Medals Won by College Athletes
1. Swimming: 79 medals won by 40 medalists — 31 gold, 33 silver and 15 bronze.
2. Track and Field: 76 medals won by 62 medalists — 34 gold, 22 silver and 20 bronze.
3. Basketball: 28 medalists — 23 gold, 1 silver and 4 bronze.
4. Volleyball: 27 medalists — 1 gold, 13 silver and 13 bronze.
5. Water polo: 23 medalists — 1 gold, 5 silver and 17 bronze.
Most Gold Medals by Conference
1. ACC – 36
2. SEC 33
3. Big Ten – 23
4. Big 12 – 11
5. Ivy League – 10
Bring on Los Angeles in 2028, where the athletes will eat, sleep and train at UCLA which will become the Olympic athlete village!
Source: NCAA.org
