Late Goal Ends Medal Run for U.S. Women’s Water Polo (posted Aug. 10)
Ashleigh Johnson ’17, Jovana Sekulic ’26, and the United States women’s water polo team lost a heartbreaker in the Olympic bronze-medal game, surrendering the winning goal to the Netherlands with one second remaining. The Netherlands outscored the Americans 5-1 in the final period. The U.S. had won three consecutive gold medals in the event, and this year’s medal round highlighted the narrow margins in a very competitive Olympic tournament. Both semifinals were decided by shootouts after being tied at the end of regulation. In the gold-medal game, Australia defeated Spain by two goals, 11-9.
Mo’Ath Alkhawaldeh, a Princeton staff member, represented Jordan in the Olympic men’s marathon, completing the course in 2:20:01 to place 65th. Alkhawaldeh is a financial and program manager for the Arab Barometer, a project co-founded by School of Public and International Affairs dean Amaney Jamal.
U.S. Water Polo Falls in Shootout (posted Aug. 8)
After tying 8-8 in regulation, the United States women’s water polo team lost to Australia in a shootout, 6-5, in the Olympic semifinals. Ashleigh Johnson ’17 saved 12 shots in goal for the U.S., and Jovana Sekulic ’26 scored a goal off a rebound in the second period. The U.S. team will play for bronze against the Netherlands on Aug. 10.
Looking ahead: Gold-medal winning rower Nick Mead ’17 (men’s four) and swimming superstar Katie Ledecky have been selected as flag bearers for the United States in the Olympic closing ceremony Aug. 11.
Iseman ’93 Showcases Golden Moments (posted Aug. 7)
Iseman has been on TV for more than two decades, since finishing med school at Columbia and opting for a career as an actor and comedian. His athletic background has served him well in his regular gig as co-host of the NBC sports-reality show American Ninja Warrior, and he is covering the Olympics for the third time.
“The thing that’s beautiful about the Olympics is anything can happen, and we see the thrill of victory, and we’ve seen the agony of defeat, but you just see that it matters,” Iseman told The Hollywood Reporter last week. “It matters to these people and I think that’s why it matters to us.”
In action Aug. 8: Ashleigh Johnson ’17 and Jovana Sekulic ’26 of the United States women’s water polo team face Australia in the semifinal round (1:30 p.m. ET).
Two Class of ’17 Grads Excel (posted Aug. 6)
Great Britain’s Lizzie Bird ’17 ran the Olympic 3,000-meter steeplechase final in a national-record time of 9:04.35, earning a seventh-place finish.
Goalie Ashleigh Johnson ’17 saved 17 shots and made a smothering steal on a key possession late in the game to help the United States women’s water polo team advance with a 5-4 quarterfinal win over Hungary. The U.S. will face Australia in the semifinal round Aug. 8.
In action Aug. 7: Ireland’s Sarah Lavin was only at Princeton briefly — she enrolled as a freshman with the Class of 2016 but never competed for the Tigers, returning home to finish her education at University College Dublin. She has since become a world-class hurdler and will compete in Paris in the women’s 100-meter hurdles.
Sondre Guttormsen ’23 Vaults to Eighth Place (posted Aug. 5)
Sondre Guttormsen ’23 of Norway made an impressive showing in the Olympic men’s pole vault final, clearing 5.8 meters — a season best — to place in eighth.
Guttormsen easily topped 5.5 meters on his first attempt, took three vaults to make it over 5.7 meters, and then cleared 5.8 meters on his first try at that height. After missing his attempt at 5.85 meters, he chose to pass and move to the next height. He grazed the bar with his thigh on the first attempt at 5.9 and again caught the bar with his thigh at 5.95 meters to bow out of the competition.
In action Aug. 6: women’s water polo players Ashleigh Johnson ’17 and Jovana Sekulic ’26 (United States); and track and field athlete Lizzie Bird ’17 (Great Britain, women’s 3,000-meter steeplechase).
Lizzie Bird ’17 Soars in Steeplechase (posted Aug. 4)
Track and field alum Lizzie Bird ’17 of Great Britain qualified for the finals in the women’s 3,000-meter steeplechase. Bird, who also reached the final at the 2021 Olympics in Tokyo, placed fourth in the second qualifying heat, finishing the race in 9:16.46. A recent law school grad at the University of Colorado, Bird plans to pursue a career in immigration law after the Olympics.
In men’s 3x3 basketball, the Netherlands made five of 10 2-point attempts to defeat the U.S. and former Tiger star Kareem Maddox ’11. The Americans did not qualify for the next round.
Fencer Mohamed Hamza ’23 and Egypt lost matches to the United States, Poland, and Canada in the men’s team foil competition to finish eighth.
In action Aug. 5: Sondre Guttormsen ’23 (Norway, men’s pole vault).
Sondre Guttormsen ’23 Advances in Pole Vault (posted Aug. 3)
Brothers Sondre Guttormsen ’23 and Simen Guttormsen ’23 of Norway were among 31 competitors in the men’s pole vault qualification today. Sondre cleared a season-best 5.75 meters to earn a place in the finals Aug. 5, while Simen cleared 5.6 meters but did not advance.
U.S. fencers Maia Chamberlain ’22 and Tatiana Nazlymov ’27 competed in the women’s team saber. After an opening loss to South Korea, the U.S. rebounded with wins over Algeria and Hungary to place fifth.
Rower Claire Collins ’19 and the United States placed fifth in the A final of the women’s eight, seven seconds behind the gold-medal pace set by Romania. She was the last of nine Princetonians to finish competition in rowing. Seven Tigers reached the A final in their respective events; two won gold and one won silver.
Beth Yeager ’26 and the United States women’s field hockey team finished its Olympic pool play with a 1-0 win over South Africa.
In action Aug. 4: track and field athlete Lizzie Bird ’17 (Great Britain, women’s 3,000-meter steeplechase); fencer Mohamed Hamza ’23 (Egypt, men’s team foil); and basketball player Kareem Maddox ’11 (United States, men’s 3x3).
George ’18 Wins Silver in Men’s Pair (posted Aug. 2)
Rower Tom George ’18 of Great Britain and partner Oliver Wynne-Griffith won silver in the men’s pair, finishing 0.45 seconds behind gold medalist Croatia in a tight finish. George and Wynne-Griffith had won bronze together in the men’s eight at the 2021 Olympics in Tokyo.
Also competing in rowing today, Kathleen Noble ’18 of Uganda placed second in the E final of the women’s single sculls (26th overall).
Kareem Maddox ’11 and the United States men’s 3x3 basketball team broke through with a 21-19 win over France, sparked in part by Maddox’s diving rebound to gain possession late in the game. The U.S. continued its run with a second win later in the day, beating China 21-17. Maddox had 10 rebounds against China.
Ashleigh Johnson ’17 and Jovana Sekulic ’26 of the United States women’s water polo team are moving on to the quarterfinals after a 17-5 win over France in their final game of the group stage. The U.S. team has a 3-1 record.
At the track and field competition, Obiageri Amaechi ’21 of Nigeria made her Olympic debut in the women’s discus but was not among the 12 athletes who advanced to the event finals.
In action Aug. 3: track and field athletes Sondre Guttormsen ’23 (Norway, men’s pole vault) and Simen Guttormsen ’23 (Norway, men’s pole vault); rower Claire Collins ’19 (United States, women’s eight); fencers Maia Chamberlain ’22 and Tatiana Nazlymov ’27 (United States, women’s team saber); and field hockey player Beth Yeager ’26 (United States).
Mead ’17, Weintraub ’25 Win Gold for U.S. (posted Aug. 1)
It’s a new day in Paris, and two more Princeton Olympians have captured gold, both for Team USA: rowing alumnus Nick Mead ’17 and current foil fencer Maia Weintraub ’25.
Mead rowed in the bow seat as the men’s four held off a challenge from New Zealand to win by 0.85 seconds. It was the first medal for the U.S. rowing team in the 2024 Olympics and America’s first gold in the event in 64 years.
“About a year ago, we got together as a crew and we kind of clicked,” Mead said in an NBC interview after the race. “And even then, when we were in the early stages of this campaign, I think we had the confidence that we could do this, even if no one [else] really believed in that — there wasn’t really precedent for us winning this event.”
Weintraub won both of her bouts in the gold medal match of the women’s team foil, 6-4 over Arianna Errigo and 5-1 over Francesca Palumbo, to help the U.S. take a 35-26 lead over Italy heading into the final two rounds. Teammates Lee Kiefer and Lauren Scruggs closed out the match, tallying five touches each as the U.S. won 45-39. It is the first Olympic gold for the U.S. in any team fencing event.
The team foil semifinals featured a meeting of two squads that included Princetonians — Weintraub and Sabrina Fang ’27 of Canada — though neither competed in that match. The U.S. won, 45-31. Canada narrowly lost to Japan, 33-32, in the bronze medal match.
Rowing’s busy schedule continued for the Tigers in Paris. Mead’s former teammate Tim Masters ’15 competed in the men’s four A final as well, with the Australian boat that finished sixth. Claire Collins ’19 and the United States women’s eight won the repechage, clinching a spot in the event’s A final. Emily Kallfelz ’19 and Kelsey Reelick ’14 rowed together for the United States in the women’s four A final, placing sixth.
In field hockey, Beth Yeager ’26 and the United States fell to Great Britain, 5-2. The Americans have one tie, three losses, and one game remaining in pool play.
In action Aug. 2: track and field athlete Obiageri Amaechi ’21 (Nigeria, women’s discus); rowers Tom George ’18 (Great Britain, men’s pair) and Kathleen Noble ’18 (Uganda, women’s single sculls); women’s water polo players Ashleigh Johnson ’17 and Jovana Sekulic ’26 (United States); and basketball player Kareem Maddox ’11 (United States, men’s 3x3).
Hannah Scott ’21 Strikes Gold for Britain (posted July 31)
Hannah Scott ’21 of Great Britain won an Olympic gold medal in the women’s quadruple sculls final at Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium. Scott’s boat overcame the Netherlands to move into first place near the finish of the 2,000 meter race and win by 0.15 seconds. Scott, who is from Coleraine, Northern Ireland, is a two-time Olympian — and Princeton’s first medalist in Paris.
In other rowing action today, Tom George ’18 of Great Britain advanced to the A final in the men’s pair by placing second in the second semifinal heat. Jonas Juel ’22 of Norway finished second in the men’s quadruple sculls B final, which put Norway in eighth place overall for the event.
In action August 1: rowers Claire Collins ’19 (United States, women’s eight), Emily Kallfelz ’19 (United States, women’s four), Kelsey Reelick ’14 (United States women’s four), Tim Masters ’15 (Australia, men’s four), and Nick Mead ’17 (United States, men’s four); fencers Maia Weintraub ’25 (United States, women’s team foil) and Sabrina Fang ’27 (Canada, women’s team foil); women’s field hockey player Beth Yeager ’26 (United States); and men’s basketball player Kareem Maddox ’11 (United States, men’s 3x3).
Tiger Rowers Power U.S. Women’s Four (posted July 30)
U.S. rowing teammates Emily Kallfelz ’19 and Kelsey Reelick ’14 helped their boat earn a spot in the A final of the women’s four, winning their repechage heat and adding to the list of Princetonians who remain in contention for Olympic medals.
Kareem Maddox ’11 and the United States men’s 3x3 basketball team made its Olympic debut July 30, facing a strong squad from Serbia. Late in the game, Maddox made a corner two-pointer to cut Serbia’s lead to four points, but the Americans could not complete the comeback bid, falling 22-14.
In fencing, Kat Holmes ’17 and Hadley Husisian ’27 of the United States competed in women’s team epee, dropping a close matchup to Poland, 31-29, in the round of eight and lost to South Korea in a placement bout.
Swimmer Adell Sabovic ’25 of Kosovo finished second in his men’s 100-meter freestyle heat but did not advance to the event semifinals.
In action July 31: Hannah Scott ’21 of Great Britain will race in the A final of the women’s quadruple sculls, vying for the first medal in Paris for a Princeton alum or student. Scott lost two seasons of collegiate rowing to the COVID pandemic, but she used that time to train for her national team, earning a spot in the Tokyo Olympics. “Princeton taught me about balance — not to be too much of any one thing — and I didn’t want to say no,” Scott explained in an interview with PAW earlier this year. “No pause on my Princeton life, no pause on my team life.”
Scott’s boat had the fastest time in the women’s four heats on Sunday.
Also competing: rowers Tom George ’18 (Great Britain, men’s pair) and Jonas Juel ’22 (Norway, men’s quadruple sculls); women’s field hockey player Beth Yeager ’26 (United States); women’s water polo players Ashleigh Johnson ’17 and Jovana Sekulic ’26 (United States); and basketball player Kareem Maddox ’11 (United States, men’s 3x3).
Hamza ’23 Reaches Foil Quarterfinals (posted July 29)
Mohamed Hamza ’23 posted the best result in Paris to date for Princeton’s alumni and student fencers, reaching the final eight in the men’s individual foil. Hamza defeated Jan Jurkiewicz of Poland 15-14 in the round of 32 and bested Spain’s Carlos Llavador 15-12 in the round of 16. Italy’s Filippo Macchi knocked Hamza out of the draw in the quarterfinals on his way to a spot in the gold-medal bout. In the women’s individual saber, Tatiana Nazlymov ’27 of the United States lost in the round of 32, 15-14 to South Korea’s Choi Se-bin.
Rower Claire Collins ’19 and the United States women’s eight made a strong debut at Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium, placing second in its heat, but will need to continue its form in the repechage (only the top finisher in each opening heat advances to the A final). U.S. field hockey player Beth Yeager ’26 had two shots in her team’s 1-1 draw with Spain. In women’s water polo, Ashleigh Johnson ’17 and Jovana Sekulic ’26 of the defending gold medalist U.S. team had a rare setback, losing to Spain 13-11.
In action July 30: Kat Holmes ’17, a med school student on the U.S. women’s epee team, was feeling ill when she returned from a fencing Grand Prix event in Colombia in May. Her symptoms matched a diagnosis of dengue fever; while the E.R. staff was initially skeptical, Holmes turned out to be correct. She was proud of her diagnostic skills, but she wishes she’d been wrong: “Dengue is horrible — zero out of 10, do not recommend.” Holmes recounted the story at USA Fencing’s media day in late May, when she was just about to return to full training. Two months later, she and U.S. teammate Hadley Husisian ’27 will be competing in the women’s team epee in Paris.
Also competing: rowers Emily Kallfelz ’19 (United States, women’s four) and Kelsey Reelick ’14 (United States women’s four); basketball player Kareem Maddox ’11 (United States, men’s 3x3); and swimmer Adell Sabovic ’25 (Kosovo, men’s 100-meter freestyle).
Three Princeton Rowers Advance (posted July 28)
In the second heat of the men’s four, two Princeton rowers — Nick Mead ’17 of the United States and Tim Masters ’15 of Australia — advanced to the event finals when their boats placed first and second, respectively. Fellow Tiger Tom George ’18 (Great Britain, men’s pair) also advanced with a win in his heat today.
U.S. women’s four teammates Emily Kallfelz ’19 and Kelsey Reelick ’14 placed fourth in their opening heat and will move on to the repechage. Uganda’s Kathleen Noble ’18 (women’s single sculls) raced in a repechage today and finished third, which sends her to the E/F semifinal in her event.
In action July 29: At age 23, Egyptian fencer Mohamed Hamza ’23 is the youngest three-time Olympian among the 25 Princetonians in Paris. Monday, he makes his 2024 debut in the men’s individual foil (he was a quarterfinalist in Tokyo in 2021). He also will compete with the Egyptian men’s foil team on Aug. 4.
Also competing: fencer Tatiana Nazlymov ’27 (United States, women’s individual saber); rowers Kathleen Noble ’18 (Uganda, women’s single sculls), Jonas Juel ’22 (Norway, men’s quadruple sculls), and Claire Collins ’19 (United States, women’s eight); women’s water polo players Ashleigh Johnson ’17 and Jovana Sekulic ’26 (United States); and women’s field hockey player Beth Yeager ’26 (United States).
U.S. Women’s Water Polo Wins Opener (posted July 27)
The U.S. women’s water polo team made a commanding Olympic debut July 27, thanks in part to two Princetonians. Jovana Sekulic ’26 scored two goals and Ashleigh Johnson ’17 made 10 saves in a 15-6 win over Greece.
In field hockey, the United States had a more difficult start, losing 4-1 to Argentina, the 2021 Olympic silver medalists. Tigers star Beth Yeager ’26 played 32 minutes in the loss.
Fencer Hadley Husisian ’26 of the United States reached the round of 16 in the women’s individual epee, where she lost to the eventual gold medalist, Man Wai Vivian Kong of Hong Kong. Husisian will return to action in the team event July 30.
Princeton’s rowing alumni had mixed results on July 27. Hannah Scott ’21 and Great Britain won their heat in the women’s quadruple sculls, qualifying for the event final, while Jonas Juel ’22 and Norway placed fourth in a men’s quadruple sculls heat, moving to the repechage. Uganda’s Kathleen Noble ’18 finished fifth in her opening heat and will continue in the repechage.
In action July 28: Three years ago, Nick Mead ’17 and the United States men’s eight finished one second shy of reaching the Olympic podium in Tokyo. Now, Mead begins his quest for a medal in a different event, the men’s coxless four. He helped the U.S. win silver in the four at the 2023 World Championships in Belgrade, Serbia.
Also competing: rowers Tim Masters ’15 (Australia, men’s four), Tom George ’18 (Great Britain, men’s pair), Emily Kallfelz ’19 (United States, women’s four), Kelsey Reelick ’14 (United States women’s four), and Kathleen Noble ’18 (Uganda, women’s single sculls).
Princeton Athletes Get Started in Paris (posted July 26)
PAW will be posting updated results for Princeton alumni and students and previews of upcoming events throughout the Paris Olympics. Follow along at paw.princeton.edu or on our social media feeds.
In action July 27: Nine Princeton rowers will represent their countries at the Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium, but only one, Uganda’s Kathleen Noble ’18, races as an individual. In fact, she’s the only Olympic rower in the history of her East African homeland. Noble also rowed at the 2021 Olympics in Tokyo, and her return to the single sculls begins today.
Also competing today: rowers Jonas Juel ’22 (Norway, men’s quadruple sculls) and Hannah Scott ’21 (Great Britain, women’s quadruple sculls); fencer Hadley Husisian ’26 (United States, women’s individual epee); women’s water polo players Ashleigh Johnson ’17 and Jovana Sekulic ’26 (United States); and women’s field hockey player Beth Yeager ’26 (United States).
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