As 2024 comes to a close, The Chronicle’s sports department is reviewing the biggest moments from this year in Duke athletics.
At No. 8: This year, Paris hosted the 2024 Olympic Games, and the Blue Devils were well represented. Additionally, some Blue Devil swimmers and divers competed against the best in the country at the U.S. Olympic Trials.
This summer, the City of Light was filled with Blue Devils of the past and present as Duke athletes represented 12 different countries across nine different sports in the 2024 Olympics. Twenty-one Blue Devils were in Paris this past August, and perhaps even more impressive, Duke athletes clinched three medals on the international stage — two golds and a silver. Throughout the tournament, The Chronicle kept a live tracker of every Blue Devil performance.
Since the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, at least one Blue Devil has competed on or coached for a men’s basketball squad. This year was no exception. From two-time Olympian and current Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum donning the American jersey to freshman center Khaman Maluach representing his home country of South Sudan to Canadian player RJ Barrett, Paris saw a diverse selection of Duke players.
South Sudan does not have a single indoor basketball court, but that didn’t stop the team from putting on an impressive performance. Just prior to the game’s start, South Sudan faced Team USA in an exhibition match as heavy underdogs. In a shocking outcome, the U.S. barely held out against the South Sudanese squad, winning 101-100, with Maluach scoring seven points. At the time the 7-foot-2 incoming freshmen was only 17, yet he managed to score against an incredibly experienced and talented team of professional players — a true Cinderella story. Although Maluach saw only 13 minutes on the court during Olympic play, his squad notched their first-ever Olympics win — a 90-79 defeat of Puerto Rico. Paris witnessed a glimpse of the sheer determination and skill that has defined Maluach’s play this NCAA season.
While the Duke rookies shone during this summer, Tatum saw most of the game from the bench. Although Team USA took home gold, the Celtics player saw no playtime in the opening match or the semifinals, both against Serbia, whose roster contained the Denver Nuggets' star center Nikola Jokić. Tatum scored two points in the Americans’ 98-87 win against France in the finals.
On the women’s side, Team USA featured Las Vegas Aces point guard and former Blue Devil Chelsea Gray alongside Duke head coach Kara Lawson as assistant coach. Former Blue Devils Elizabeth Balogun and Sofia Roma also represented Nigeria and Puerto Rico, respectively. Gray and Team USA followed up their performance at the 2020 games with their second consecutive gold medal, also defeating France in a 67-66 thriller. Gray played a strong role as a starter and point guard, notching assist after assist, with plenty of steals and blocks scattered in between.
While the Blue Devils excelled abroad, a select group of current Duke swimmers and divers dominated the American stage just a few months prior at the Diving Olympic Team Trials in Knoxville, Tenn., and the Swimming Olympic Team Trials in Indianapolis. Junior Kaelyn Gridley, sophomore Ali Pfaff and junior Tatum Wall represented Blue Devil swimming at the trials with performances that would have been competitive for nearly any other country’s Olympic roster. In Knoxville, senior Margo O’Meara and 2023-24 graduate Ali Watson both qualified for finals in their respective events.
Gridley competed in both the 100-meter and 200-meter breaststroke events at the team trials. In a competition field littered with all-time greats including Lilly King and University of Virginia stars Kate Douglass and Alex Walsh, Gridley placed fifth overall in both her events, with personal bests in both the 100-meter and 200-meter semifinals, finishing at 1:06.67 and 2:25.82, respectively. These times would have earned Gridley 11th overall in the 100-meter semifinals and seventh overall in the 200-meter finals in Olympic competition.
Former Duke cross country athlete Morgan Pearson won the lone silver medal of the Blue Devils. Pearson competed for Duke his freshmen year before transferring to Colorado for the rest of his collegiate career. Pearson performed in both the individual and mixed relay triathlon events, medaling in the latter.
After a number of delays in the triathlon event due to concerns over the safety of swimming in the Seine, Pearson had a disappointing performance in the individual section, placing 31st overall. However, Pearson and Team USA made an impressive comeback in the mixed relay — an event recently added in the 2020 Olympics. The mixed relay consists of two male and two female athletes each competing in a super-sprint triathlon before tagging in their next teammate.
The relay team consisting of Pearson, Taylor Knibb, Seth Rider and Taylor Spivey had a photo-finish against Great Britain, who were initially declared to be the silver medalists. After review, however, the United States claimed second.
Alongside these standout athletes, here is the full list of Blue Devil athletes who competed in the 2024 Olympics.
Men’s basketball
- Jayson Tatum, United States
- Khaman Maluach, South Sudan
- RJ Barrett, Canada
Women’s basketball
- Elizabeth Balogun, Nigeria
- Chelsea Gray, United States
- Sofia Roma, Puerto Rico
Track and field
- Simen Guttormsen, Norway
- Lauren Hoffman, Philippines
- Maddy Price, Canada
- Brynn King, United States
- Daniel Golubovic, Australia
Women’s golf
- Ana Belac, Slovenia
- Celine Boutier, France
- Leone Maguire, Ireland
Women’s soccer
- Quinn, Canada
- Toni Payne, Nigeria
Fencing
- Pascual Di Tella, Argentina
Field hockey
- Leah Crouse, United States
Triathlon
- Morgan Pearson, United States
Wrestling
- Ethan Ramos, Puerto Rico
Read more
Duke at the 2024 Olympic Games: Live tracking the Blue Devils competing in Paris
Duke swimming and diving takes on 2024 Olympic Trials, Gridley secures two 5th-place finishes
Duke swimming and diving 2024-25 season preview
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