Gators in the Olympics
History

Olympiad-by-Olympiad Summary

2020 Summer Olympic Games Tokyo

More about Gators in 2020 Olympics

Gators Competing at the 2020 Olympic Games

2016 Summer Olympic Games Rio De Janeiro

2012 Summer Olympic Games London

On July 31, 1984, and on August 3, 1984, Gators also combined to win five Olympic medals, all coming in the sport of swimming:
On July 31, 1984, Mark Stockwell, Theresa Andrews, Mary Wayte, Frederic Delcourt and Dara Torres each won Olympic medals.
On Aug. 3, 1984, Tracy Caulkins won two gold medals, while Mark Stockwell, Theresa Andrews and Rafael Vidal each won medals in the pool.

Christian Taylor’s gold medal in the triple jump on Aug. 9, 2012, is the first individual gold medal in the history of Florida track & field on the men’s or women’s side, with Will Claye taking the silver medal. Taylor’s gold medal is the first for the U.S. since Kenny Harrison in 1996. This is the first time since 1992 (gold: Mike Conley, silver: Charles Simpkins) that Team USA has finished 1-2 in the men’s triple jump. Claye, who earned a bronze medal in the men’s long jump earlier in the London Games, is the first American man since 1904 to medal in both jumps at the same Olympics, and Thursday marks the first time since 1936 that any man has medaled in both.

On August 4, 2012, Will Claye (U.S.A.) turned in a clutch performance in the men’s long jump, winning a bronze medal with his leap of 8.12m/26-7.75. Claye won the first field event medal for the Gators in University of Florida history on the men’s or women’s side. Claye is the first American to turn in a podium finish since 2004 (Dwight Phillips-gold, John Moffitt-silver).

2012 Olympic Coverage

In May 2014, one member of the U.S.A. 4x100 meter silver-medal-winning relay team had his results disqualified and all members of the relay team – including Gator Jeff Demps – were forced to return their medal.

2010 Winter Olympic Games Vancouver

Three-time Olympian and former UF track and field athlete Steve Mesler competed in the 2010 Winter Olympic Games as a member of the United States four-man bobsled team. Mesler led the United States to its first gold medal in the four-man bobsled event since 1948, while presenting the Gator Nation with its first Winter Olympic Games medal.

2008 Summer Olympic Games Beijing

Dara Torres made her fifth Olympic appearance at age 41 in the 2008 Beijing Olympics making her the oldest athlete to ever compete in the Summer Olympic games. Since her first appearance in the 1984 Olympic Games, Torres has won four gold, four silver and four bronze medals in various swimming events. Ryan Lochte also made a impression during the 2008 games as he broke the record for the 200meter men’s back and men’s 4x200 Free Final.

A record 36 current and former UF athletes and five Gator coaches, 3 assistant and 2 head coaches, in 7 different sports represented 19 different countries at the 2008 Beijing Games.

If the Gator Nation was a nation recognized by the International Olympic Committee, it would have tied for 18th for total medals earned in the 2008 Games. Gator Olympians competing in the Beijing games represented 6 new countries represented, Curacao, Estonia, Georgia, Hungry, Iceland and The Cayman Islands.

2008 Olympic Coverage

2004 Summer Olympic Games Athens, Greece

2004 Olympics

2004 was another banner outing for athletes and coaches with University of Florida ties, as 25 athletes and two coaches combined for seven medals - four gold, two silver and a bronze. Abby Wambach scored the game-winning goal in overtime of the gold medal match to lead the United States to victory, while Ryan Lochte led the United States to a victory in the 4x200-meter freestyle. Darian Townsend helped the South African squad set a world record in the 4x100-meter freestyle, while Lochte added a silver in the 200-meter individual medley, while on the track Bernard Williams took home silver in the 200-meter dash.

2000 Summer Olympic Games Sydney

Twenty-one Florida athletes and coaches represented 12 different countries in the 2000 Games in Sydney.

Six former UF athletes accounted for 11 medals including seven Golds.

Brad Wilkerson helped the United States win its first ever baseball Gold Medal, while DeLisha Milton won gold with the USA women's basketball team. Carlos Jayme registered a bronze medal for his native Brazil. Bernard Williams and Ashley Tappin both struck gold in different 4x100-meter relays. Williams won his in track, Tappin hers in swimming, where she also struck gold in the 4x100-meter medley relay.

If the University of Florida were a country, the Gators would have tied for 24th, ahead of 56 other countries. Their seven Gold Medals tied them for 14th place.

1996 Summer Olympic Games Atlanta

Coming back to the United States in 1996, the Centennial Olympiad in Atlanta again provided an opportunity for current and former Gators to represent their countries in the Olympics.

UF swimmer and Gainesville resident Allison Wagner finished second in the 400-meter individual medley to join Dennis Mitchell (4x100m relay) as UF's top medal winners. Former women's track and field standout Michelle Freeman took home a bronze in the 4x100m relay for Jamaica.

In all, the contingent of 30 Gators won six medals in Atlanta, including one gold, four silvers and a bronze.

1992 Summer Olympic Games Barcelona

The 1992 Barcelona Summer Games became the second most successful Olympics (at that time) in Florida history. Twenty-seven athletes competed for seven countries in four sports. The 26 Gators won 15 medals, including nine golds.

Florida swimmer Nicole Haislett took home three medals, all gold. She won the 200-meter freestyle and participated in the 400-meter freestyle relay and the 400-meter medley relay. Haislett finished the 1992 Games with the most gold medals of any U.S. competitor and tied for the most gold medals of any female Olympic competitor with Krizstina Egerszegi, a swimmer from Hungary.

Former Gator Martin Zubero was the hero of the Games as he became the first Spanish swimming gold medalist, when he won the 200-meter backstroke. The Olympic record time was performed in front of the home crowd, which included the king and queen of Spain.

If Florida would have been a country, the Gators would have finished tied for 19th in the medal standings.

Three Gators finished the 1992 Games with a piece of a world record. Track star Dennis Mitchell ran the third leg of the 4x100 relay that set a world record. Haislett and Dara Torres both swam on the 400-meter freestyle relay that also set a world record.

1988 Summer Olympic Games Seoul

Golden Gator success continued in 1988. Twenty-three Gators represented six countries and brought home 15 medals, including five golds.

Anthony Nesty swam for his native Suriname and became the country’s first-ever Olympic medalist when he out-touched favorite Matt Biondi in the 100-meter butterfly. Nesty also became just the second black athlete to win an Olympic swimming medal. Suriname honored Nesty’s accomplishment by placing his likeness on a stamp and on gold and silver coins, as well as on a 25-Giulders bank note.

Troy Dalbey (2 gold), Dara Torres (1 silver, 1 bronze) and Mary Wayte (1 silver, 1 bronze) each represented the USA swim team and each collected a pair of Olympic medals in Seoul.

1984 Summer Olympic Games Los Angeles

In terms of medals, no Olympiad can compare to the success enjoyed by Florida swimmers at the 1984 Games in Los Angeles. Florida swimmers appeared on the award stand 21 times, picking up the gold on 14 occasions.

Twenty-eight Gators represented 10 different nations, compiling such an impressive total that if the University of Florida were a nation it would have finished second as a country to the USA in the swimming competition and 14th overall among the 140 competing countries.

One gymnast, one tennis player and three track stars also competed in Los Angeles. The 1984 Olympics was indeed the year of the Gator gold.

1980 Summer Olympic Games Moscow

Despite the Olympic boycott by several countries, a number of Gators still found their way to Moscow for the 1980 Olympics. David Zubero captured the lone Gator medal in the '80 Olympics as he swam his way to a bronze for Spain in the 100-meter butterfly.

1976 Summer Olympic Games Montreal

In 1976, Tim McKee and 10 other UF athletes traveled to Montreal and again McKee came away with another swimming silver medal.

1972 Summer Olympic Games Munich

The Olympic tradition for Gator letterwinners began in 1972 when track and field standout Ron Jourdan, swimmer Tim McKee and Harry Winkler (Track at UF, Team Handball at Olympics) exchanged the Orange and Blue of UF for the red, white and blue of the United States. Jourdan com­peted in the high jump, while McKee collected two silvers in Munich.

1968 Summer Olympic Games Mexico City

1968 was the first year an athlete with UF ties won an Olympic medal — only her medal came before those UF ties began. Catie Ball was 16 years old and about to start her junior year at Jacksonville Robert E. Lee High when she anchored the women’s 4x100 relay in Mexico City.

(from Wikipedia) After the Olympics, Ball received a special scholarship to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida but effectively dropped out of competition swimming because there were no women's college swim teams at the time and because of her desire to lead a more "normal" life. As an undergraduate senior at the University of Florida, she was hired by athletic director Ray Graves to be the first head coach of the newly organized women's Florida Gators swimming and diving team in Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) competition during the 1972–1973 school year. In their first year of intercollegiate competition, Ball's Lady Gators swimmers were undefeated in dual meets and placed second at the AIAW national championship during her single-season tenure. Ball graduated from the University of Florida with a bachelor's degree in education in 1973.