LOUISVILLE, Ky. —
A University of Louisville (UofL) Track & Field athlete has been named to the 2024 Paris Olympics, USA Track & Field announced Tuesday.
Jayden Ulrich will compete in the discus throw, becoming the first UofL athlete to represent the U.S. Olympic team in the sport according to UofL Athletics. She is also the second female Olympian in the history of the program, as Chinwe Okoro competed for Nigeria at the 2016 Rio Games.
At the Olympic Trials this year, Ulrich finished second with a throw of 62.63 UofL Athletics said. She’ll be joined in Paris by reigning Olympic gold medalist Valarie Allman and 2024 NCAA champion Veronica Fraley.
RELATED: US Olympic track and field roster revealed: One of the biggest names in track left off list
Ulrich, a native of East Alton, Illinois, transferred to UofL from Indiana, where she spent her first two collegiate seasons. In her one season at Louisville so far, the rising senior was the runner-up at the 2024 NCAA Championships for discus throwing.
Among other accolades, Ulrich was recognized as the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Southeast Regional Women’s Field Performer of the Year and ACC Women’s Field Performer of the Year.
“I couldn’t be more excited to represent Team USA at the upcoming Olympic Games,” Ulrich said. “It means so much that all the work I’ve put in is finally paying off!”
Ulrich will be joined on the USA Track & Field team by another person with a Louisville connection. This time, by way of a middle-distance runner.
Yared Nuguse, a 2017 graduate of duPont Manual High School, qualified for the Paris Games after a second-place finish in the men’s 1,500 meter final at the U.S. Olympic Trials in late June.
Nuguse is a graduate of Notre Dame, where he set the ACC, ACC Championship, facility and university records in the 1,500 meters with 3:34.68 his senior year.
He qualified for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in the 1,500 meters by placing third in the Olympic Trials his senior year of college.
The women’s discus qualification rounds open on Friday, Aug. 2 at 12:55 p.m. and 2:20 p.m. (both times ET). Round one of the men’s 1500 is Aug. 2 at 5:05 a.m. ET.
The entire 2024 Paris Olympics schedule can be found here.
Make it easy to keep up-to-date with more stories like this. Download the WHAS11 News app now. For Apple or Android users.
Have a news tip? Email assign@whas11.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter feed.
