Duke at the 2024 Olympic Games: Live tracking the Blue Devils ...
![Olympic Games 2024](/_w750/uploads/news/112/11256/3/11256306-duke-at-the-2024-olympic-games-live-tracking-the-blue-devils.jpg.webp)
The 2024 Olympics are in Paris from July 26 to Aug. 11, and multiple former and current Duke athletes will compete with the best in the world. The Chronicle is here with information on each Blue Devil and daily updates on their progress.
Men’s basketballJayson Tatum, United States
Former Duke men’s basketball star Jayson Tatum — who most recently won an NBA Championship with the Boston Celtics — will be suiting up with Team USA for his second consecutive Olympics. The St. Louis native shined in his lone year with the Blue Devils, earning a spot on the All-ACC freshman team and being selected with the No. 3 pick in the 2017 NBA Draft. The 6-foot-8 forward will look to help lead the U.S. to its fifth straight gold medal, dating back to the Redeem Team coached by Duke legend Mike Krzyzewski.
Khaman Maluach, South Sudan
Future Blue Devil Khaman Maluach will be competing against Tatum and the rest of the world for his native South Sudan. The rising freshman phenom is one of the youngest players in the competition; he will not turn 18 until Sept. 14. Maluach showed his power in competition on the international stage when he scored seven points against Team USA in an exhibition game July 21.
RJ Barrett, Canada
Barrett projects as a significant contributor for what is arguably Canada’s most talented Olympic roster ever. The former Duke one-and-done was traded from the New York Knicks back home to the Toronto Raptors in December, where he put up an impressive 20.2 points per game on a staggering 49.5% shooting in the regular season. The dynamic guard will hope to continue making Canada proud, starting with his team’s encounter against Greece July 27.
Jack White, Australia
Once Barrett’s teammate during the Blue Devils’ 2018-19 season and now an NBA champion heading home to play for Melbourne United, White has had quite a journey since leaving Duke four years ago. While Australia may not boast the most talented roster, it does have claim on several experienced NBA veterans, which may propel this scrappy group of underdogs to unexpected success. White will hope to play his part in helping the Aussies shock the world in Paris.
Women’s basketballHead coach Kara Lawson is an assistant for the USA Women’s National Team this summer.
Elizabeth Balogun, Nigeria
Balogun, a former standout forward for the Blue Devils who graduated in 2023, has continued to build a basketball career overseas. Since graduating from Duke, the Nigerian forward has played for CB Bembibre, a team in the Spanish Liga Femenina. With her combination of size and shooting, Balogun will look to help make a name for the only African nation competing on the biggest stage.
Chelsea Gray, United States
The former Duke standout has been thriving in the WNBA since graduating in 2014, making a name for herself as a star for the Las Vegas Aces. Now, she will look to do the same on a stacked American team that is heavily favored to leave Paris with the gold. While Gray will be playing with a number of the best guards in the game, she is more than capable of leaving a mark.
Sofia Roma, Puerto Rico
The 6-foot-2 center was a consistent bench player in her time with the Blue Devils, but her career has continued since her graduation in 2019. Roma now plays for the Montaneras de Morovis, a team in the Puerto Rican Baloncesto Superior Nacional Femenino. The Richmond Hill, N.Y., product has averaged 6.6 points and 3.2 rebounds per game off the bench in her time with the Montaneras. She will look for minutes on the court to help a Puerto Rican team to its first Olympic win in its second-ever appearance.
Track and fieldSimen Guttormsen, Norway
This year’s pole vault star put Duke in the throes of national competition with his NCAA Championships performance. The Ski, Norway, native vaulted his way to a third-place finish on the national stage in June. As a graduate transfer to Duke from Princeton, Guttormsen made quick work of the Blue Devil record books by replacing the standing record from 2022 with his own personal best of 5.65m.
Lauren Hoffman, Philippines
Hoffman bleeds blue through and through. She ran track for five years at Duke between 2017-22, leading the women’s team with outstanding performances in the 400m hurdles. The Haymarket, Va., native peaked in her final year with the program when she finished in third place at the NCAA Outdoor Championships and garnered All-America first-team honors along the way. Her personal best, 55.47 seconds, shattered the school records that she had already broken three times in her tenure.
Maddy Price, Canada
In the six years since Price graduated from Duke — which she managed to do in six semesters — the sprinter has already become a tried and true Olympian. She earned a fourth-place finish on the Canadian women’s 4x400m relay team at the 2020 Tokyo Games, even after sustaining an injury that limited her training time prior to the competition. With the Blue Devils, Price stood at the helm of the track and field program as the women’s captain two years in a row while she worked on speed — her college personal best was as low as 53.27 seconds. Price’s Duke journey began in high school when she ran with soon-to-be assistant coach Mark Mueller at Menlo High School in Hillsborough, Calif.
Brynn King, United States
After four years with the Blue Devils, King moved to Roberts Wesleyan University for her graduate year, where her vaulting talents really shone: In the spring, she won the pole vault at the Division II NCAA Outdoor Championships. At Duke, King boldly led the women’s pole vault team; as a junior, she was tabbed to the All-ACC second team and as a senior she jumped to fourth place at the ACC Indoor Championships before her final season in blue was cut short by injury.
Daniel Golubovic, Australia
Golubovic, who will represent Australia in the decathlon, spent the 2017-18 academic year as a graduate student at Duke, where he earned second-team All-America honors in the NCAA Outdoor Championships.
Women’s golfAna Belac, Slovenia
During Belac’s career at Duke from 2016-20, she achieved what was then the seventh-lowest stroke average in program history. Fittingly, the WGCA and Golfweek first-team All-America designee also helped guide the Blue Devils to their seventh NCAA Championship title in 2019. Belac has recently been finding success on the Epson Tour and ranks 52nd amongst the Olympic field.
Celine Boutier, France
Boutier will be making her Olympics return in Paris after her first go-around in Tokyo. Before graduating from Duke in 2016, she received All-ACC honors and held what was the program’s fifth-lowest career stroke average in history. Like Belac, she led the Blue Devils to the school's sixth NCAA Championship in 2014. The 2014 WGCA National and ACC Player of the Year has been playing on the LPGA Tour and will represent France, ranking sixth out of 60 competitors.
Leona Maguire, Ireland
At Duke, Maguire was a dominant force — she held the all-time WAGR record for most weeks ranked No. 1, was a four-time WGCA first-team All-America designee and achieved the lowest career stroke average in program history. As one of only 15 athletes in Paris making her third consecutive women’s golf Olympics appearance, the 2018 graduate and recent champion on the Ladies European Tour will be looking to improve on past showings in Tokyo (T-23) and Rio de Janiero (T-21). Maguire is ranked No. 22 in the field and will be representing Ireland alongside Stephanie Meadow.
Women’s soccerQuinn, Canada
Quinn played for the Blue Devils as a midfielder from 2013-17, earning ACC Midfielder of the Year and United Soccer Coaches first-team All-America honors in her final year at Duke. They are now in the NWSL competing for Seattle Reign FC. Quinn has extensive experience with the Canadian national team, nabbing a bronze medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio before achieving gold at the 2020 games in Tokyo. They will begin their journey in Paris July 25 against New Zealand in Group A of the women’s tournament.
Toni Payne, Nigeria
Payne competed for Blue Devil head coach Robbie Church from 2013-16, totaling 23 goals, 21 assists and 67 points during her time at Duke. She now plays professionally for Everton in the FA Women's Super League while competing for Nigeria on the international stage. Payne will open Olympic play July 25 against Brazil in Group C before taking on Japan and Spain later in the tournament.
FencingPascual Di Tella, Argentina
Di Tella was a four-year member of Duke’s fencing team with a decorated career from 2015-18. He was a three-time ACC Fencer of the Year and two-time All-American, and led the Blue Devil men to their first ACC Championship in 2018. The Buenos Aires native will take part in the individual men’s saber for Argentina July 27.
Field hockeyLeah Crouse, United States
Crouse was a Blue Devil between 2018-21 and earned All-ACC Second Team honors in 2019. She ranks No. 33 on Duke’s all-time points list. Throughout her career, Crouse has played on Team USA’s U21, U19 and U17 field hockey teams, making her a seasoned asset for this year’s competition; she will represent Team USA in its first game July 27 against Argentina.
TriathlonMorgan Pearson, United States
Pearson competed on Duke's cross country team for one season before transferring to Colorado, where he was an indoor All-American for three seasons. He earned a silver medal at the 2020 Tokyo Games in the mixed relay triathlon.
WrestlingEthan Ramos, Puerto Rico
Ramos has been an assistant coach at Duke for three years, putting him behind enemy lines as a former Tar Heel wrestler. At North Carolina, he garnered All-American honors in 2015 and won at the ACC Championships twice. Ramos qualified for the Paris Olympics at the 2024 Pan-American Wrestling Championship, and will participate in the 86kg Freestyle beginning Aug. 8 for Puerto Rico.
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.