GOING FOR GOLD
Twenty current and former University of Oregon student-athletes competed at the 2016 Olympics Games in Rio—12 from the United States, three from Canada, one from Australia, one from Belgium, one from Greece, one from Guatemala, and one from Nigeria. That's more Ducks than in 2012, 2008, and 2004 combined.
With six medals, including four gold, if the Ducks competed as a nation, they would have tied for 39th in the overall medal count with Greece, Belgium, and Thailand, and would have tied with Canada, New Zealand, and Uzbekistan for the 19th most gold medals.
4 Gold Medals, 2 Bronze Medals
Taking the lead at the start of the men’s 1,500-meter final on Saturday, August 20, former Duck Matthew Centrowitz led wire-to-wire and became the first American Olympic gold medalist in the 1,500 meters since 1908 and is the first American to win an Olympic track race longer than 400 meters since 1972.
Decathlete Ashton Eaton, BA ’10, once again captured the unofficial title of the “World’s Greatest Athlete” on Thursday, August 18. The Bend, Oregon, native won the Olympic decathlon, defending the title he won at the 2012 London Olympics and becoming just the third athlete to win two gold medals in the decathlon. Eaton won the grueling two-day, 10-event competition with a score of 8,893 points, tying the Olympic record.
A dominating performance in the first round on Friday set the stage as Phyllis Francis and her U.S. teammates Courtney Okolo, Natasha Hastings, and Allyson Felix pulled away from Jamaica to win the 4x400-meter relay final and capture the gold medal on Saturday, August 20.
After overcoming disaster with a successful appeal in the first round on Thursday, former Duck sprinter English Gardner combined with U.S. teammates Tianna Bartoletta, Allyson Felix, and Tori Bowie to win the 4x100-meter relay gold medal on Friday, August 19, running the second fastest time in history.
Running in just his second ever marathon, former Duck Galen Rupp posted a personal best to take home the bronze medal on the final day of the Olympics, winning the first men's marathon medal for the United States in 12 years.
Canadian heptathlete Brianne Theisen-Eaton, BA ’11, joined her husband as Oregon medal winners in the Rio Olympics. Theisen-Eaton won bronze in the heptathlon on Saturday, August 13, becoming only the second current or former Duck track and field woman to win a non-relay medal, and the first since 1988.
EVENT: Men’s 1,500 meters
STUDIED: Sociology*
HOMETOWN: Arnold, Maryland
HIGH SCHOOL: Broadneck High School
2011 IAAF World Championships Bronze Medalist
Four-Time USATF Champion
2012 Olympian
2011 NCAA Champion
2009 Pac-12 Newcomer of the Year
Three-Time Pac-10 Champion
Seven-Time All-American
* - Turned professional in 2011 before graduating
GOLD MEDALIST
CENTROWITZ'S OLYMPICS EVENT SCHEDULE
EVENT: Men’s Decathlon
DEGREE: BA '10 Psychology
HOMETOWN: Bend, Oregon
HIGH SCHOOL: Mountain View High School
2016, 2012 Olympic Champion—Decathlon
World Record Holder—Decathlon (Outdoors)
World Record Holder—Heptathlon (Indoors)
Three-Time World Champion (Indoors/Outdoors)
Five-Time USATF Champion—Decathlon
2010 Bowerman Award winner
Five-Time NCAA Champion (Indoors/Outdoors)
GOLD MEDALIST
EATON'S OLYMPICS EVENT SCHEDULE
EVENT: Women’s 400 meters, 4x400-meter relay
DEGREE: BS '14 General Social Science
HOMETOWN: Queens, New York
HIGH SCHOOL: Catherine McAuley High School
Two-Time NCAA Champion
Five-Time All-American
Three-Time Pac-12 Champion
GOLD MEDALIST
FRANCIS' OLYMPICS EVENT SCHEDULE
EVENT: Women’s 100 meters, 4x100-meter relay
STUDYING: General Social Science*
HOMETOWN: Voorhees, New Jersey
HIGH SCHOOL: Eastern Senior High School
Two-Time USATF Champion
Five-Time NCAA Champion
Six-Time Pac-12 Champion
Five-Time UO Record Holder
Eight-Time All-American
* - Current student
GOLD MEDALIST
GARDNER'S OLYMPICS EVENT SCHEDULE
EVENTS: Men’s Marathon, Men's 10,000 meters
STUDIED: Business Administration*
HOMETOWN: Portland, Oregon
HIGH SCHOOL: Central Catholic High School
2012 Olympic Games Silver Medal—10,000 meters
American Record Holder—10,000 meters (Outdoors)
American Record Holder—3,000 meters (Indoors)
Eight-Time USATF Champion—10,000 meters
Two-Time USATF Champion—5,000 meters
2009 Bowerman Award winner
Five-Time NCAA Champion
2008-2009 Academic All-American of the Year
* - Turned professional in 2009 before graduating
Bronze Medalist
RUPP'S OLYMPICS EVENT SCHEDULE
COUNTRY: Canada
EVENT: Women’s Heptathlon
DEGREE: BA '11 Business Administration
HOMETOWN: Humboldt, Saskatchewan
HIGH SCHOOL: Humboldt Collegiate Institute
2016 Olympic Bronze Medalist—Heptathlon
Canadian Record Holder—Heptathlon (Outdoors)
2016 World Indoor Champion (Pentathlon)
2015, 2013 World Championship Silver Medalist (Heptathlon)
Seven-Time NCAA Champion (Heptathlon, 4x400 Meter Relay, Pentathlon)
Two-time USTFCCCA Outdoor Field Athlete of the Year
Two-time USTFCCCA Indoor Field Athlete of the Year
Bronze Medalist
THEISEN-EATON'S OLYMPICS EVENT SCHEDULE
Devon Allen
EVENT: Men’s 110-meter hurdles
STUDYING: Business Administration*
HOMETOWN: Phoenix, Arizona
HIGH SCHOOL: Brophy Prep High School
2014, 2016 USATF 110 Hurdles Champion
Two-Time NCAA Champion
Two-Time All-American
2014 Perry Holloman Newcomer of the Year
2014 Pac-12 Newcomer of the Year
Three-Time Pac-12 All-Academic Honorable Mention
* - Current student
ALLEN'S OLYMPICS EVENT SCHEDULE
Sam Crouser
EVENT: Men’s Javelin
DEGREE: BS '15 Sociology
HOMETOWN: Gresham, Oregon
HIGH SCHOOL: Gresham High School
2016 USATF Champion
2014 NCAA Champion
Three-Time All-American
2012 US Olympic Trials Runner-Up
Three-Time Pac-12 Champion
CROUSER'S OLYMPICS EVENT SCHEDULE
Cyrus Hostetler
EVENT: Men's Javelin
DEGREE: BS '10 Art
HOMETOWN: Newberg, Oregon
HIGH SCHOOL: Newberg High School
2012 Olympian
Two-Time Pac-10 Champion
Two-Time All-American
Pac-10/UO Record Holder
HOSTETLER'S OLYMPICS EVENT SCHEDULE
Jenna Prandini
EVENT: Women’s 200 meters, 4x100-meter relay (Did not participate in relay)
DEGREE: BA '16 General Social Science
HOMETOWN: Clovis, California
HIGH SCHOOL: Clovis High School
2015 IAAF World Championships Silver Medal —4x100-meter relay
2015 USATF Champion—200 meters
Three-Time NCAA Champion
Eight-Time All-American
Five-Time Pac-12 Champion
PRANDINI'S 2016 OLYMPICS SCHEDULE
Deajah Stevens
EVENTS: Women’s 200 meters
STUDYING: Undeclared*
HOMETOWN: Bayside, New York
HIGH SCHOOL: Benjamin Cardozo High School
2016 Olympic Trials Runner Up
2016 NCAA Runner Up—200 meters
* - Current student
STEVENS' OLYMPICS EVENT SCHEDULE
Zack Test
EVENTS: Men’s Rugby Sevens
STUDYING: Undeclared*
HOMETOWN: Redwood City, California
HIGH SCHOOL: Woodside High School
2011 Best Men’s Sevens Player in the World
All-time leading try scorer in USA Sevens history
Second all-time points scorer in USA Sevens history
* - Transferred to Loughborough University in England to focus on rugby
TEST'S OLYMPICS EVENT SCHEDULE
Ariana Washington
EVENTS: Women’s 4x100-meter relay (Did not participate)
STUDYING: Pre-Journalism*
HOMETOWN: Signal Hill, California
HIGH SCHOOL: Poly High School
2016 NCAA Champion—100 meters
2016 NCAA Champion—200 meters
* - Current student
Zoe Buckman
COUNTRY: Australia
EVENT: Women’s 1,500 meters
DEGREE: BA '11 Humanities
HOMETOWN: Canberra, Australia
HIGH SCHOOL: Canberra Grammar School for Girls
BUCKMAN'S OLYMPICS EVENT SCHEDULE
Johnathan Cabral
COUNTRY: Canada
EVENT: Men's 110-meter hurdles
STUDYING: General Social Science*
HOMETOWN: Calabasas, California
HIGH SCHOOL: Agoura High School
* - Current student
CABRAL'S OLYMPICS EVENT SCHEDULE
Claire Michel
COUNTRY: Belgium
EVENT: Women's Triathlon
DEGREE: BA ’11 International Studies, Romance Languages
HOMETOWN: Clackamas, Oregon
HIGH SCHOOL: Clackamas High School
MICHEL'S OLYMPICS EVENT SCHEDULE
Chamberlain Oguchi
COUNTRY: Nigeria
EVENT: Men's Basketball
MAJOR: Political Science*
HOMETOWN: Houston, Texas
HIGH SCHOOL: George W. Bush High School
* - Transferred to Illinois State
OGUCHI'S OLYMPICS EVENT SCHEDULE
Alexi Pappas
COUNTRY: Greece
EVENT: Women's 10,000 meters
DEGREE: MA '13 Individualized Program
HOMETOWN: Alameda, California
HIGH SCHOOL: Bishop O'Dowd High School
PAPPAS' OLYMPICS EVENT SCHEDULE
Carlos Trujillo
COUNTRY: Guatemala
EVENT: Men’s Marathon
DEGREE: BA '08 Psychology
HOMETOWN: Middleton, Idaho
HIGH SCHOOL: Middleton High School
TRUJILLO'S OLYMPICS EVENT SCHEDULE
Chris Winter
COUNTRY: Canada
EVENT: Men's 3,000m Steeplechase
DEGREE: BA '09 Business Administration, History
HOMETOWN: North Vancouver, British Columbia
HIGH SCHOOL: Handsworth High School
WINTER'S OLYMPICS EVENT SCHEDULE
Medalists images of Matthew Centrowitz, Ashton Eaton, Phyllis Francis, English Gardner, Galen Rupp, and Brianne Theisen-Eaton are from Kirby Lee; lead image of Jenna Prandini and Deajah Stevens and image of Jenna Prandini are from the Associated Press; image of Devon Allen is from Eric Evans; and images of Sam Crouser, Cyrus Hostetler, and Deajah Stevens are from Nate Barrett.