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Aug 01, 2021

Clemson Olympics Tradition

Patricia Mamona won the Silver medal in the triple jump on Sunday. Below is a rundown of the medal history of athletes in the Olympics who competed for Clemson during their college careers:

•Former or current Clemson athletes have won 23 medals in the Olympics over the years. They have combined to win 10 Gold medals, five Silver and eight Bronze medals. Fifteen of the medals have been won for United States teams, four for Canadian teams, two for Jamaica, one for Great Britain and one for Portugal.

•Men’s track has been the most productive sport for former or current Tigers in the Olympics as nine medals have been won in that sport. Four Tigers or former Tigers have earned medals competing for the United States Olympic baseball team, four more have been earned in women’s track, two in wrestling, two in women’s swimming and two in women’s tennis.

•All of Clemson’s medals have been won since 1984. In Los Angeles that year, four former Tigers earned medals. Noel Loban, Clemson’s first NCAA Champion in any sport (1980 in wrestling) won a Bronze Medal for Great Britain in the 190-pound category. Desai Williams and Tony Sharpe won Bronze Medals in track (4X100 relay) for the Canadian team. Michelle Richardson became the first Clemson female to win a medal when she won a Silver Medal in the 800 free for the US team.

•Mike Milchin became the first Clemson athlete with a Gold Medal, as he was a pitcher on the 1988 US team that won gold. He was the first athlete to win a medal while still a Clemson student. Mitzi Kremer won a Bronze Medal for the US swimming team, giving the Clemson swimming program a medalist in consecutive Olympics.

•The 1996 Olympics in Atlanta saw six current or former Clemson athletes win medals. Three were members of the 1996 US baseball team that finished with a Bronze Medal. Three Gold Medals were collected as Kim Graham (women’s track), Carlton Chambers (men’s track) and Gigi Fernandez (doubles in women’s tennis) all won Gold Medals. Chambers, Kris Benson, Billy Koch and Matt LeCroy were all current Clemson students in 1996.

•Shawn Crawford is Clemson’s most decorated Olympic athlete with three total medals. He won the Gold Medal in the 200 meters in track in 2004 for the United States and he also captured a Silver Medal as a member of the 4X100 relay team. He became the first Clemson athlete to win two medals in the same Olympics. He added a Silver Medal in the 200 meters in 2008.

•The last two medals earned by former Clemson athletes have come in women’s track. Briana Rollins won the Gold Medal in the 100 meter hurdles in 2016 and Patricia Mamona won the Silver Medal in 2020 (competed in 2021) in the triple jump for Portugal.

 

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