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By Olivia Sayer
Georgia Freshman Christopher Morales Williams competes in a sprint event on April 7, 2023. The University of Georgia track team competes in the Spec Towns & Torrin Lawrence Invitational in Athens, Georgia. (Photo/Laney Martin; @laneymartinphotography)
Over 10,000 athletes will take the stage in Paris, France Friday night for the Olympic Opening Ceremony. Among them will stand 34 former, current and future Georgia athletes. Here is a breakdown of everything you need to know about the 2024 Summer Games. All times are in eastern standard.
Thursday, July 25: soccer
Croix Bethune made her mark in just a short time with Georgia soccer. Now, she will serve as an alternate for the USWNT. The United States defeated Zambia 3-0 Thursday to begin its play in the Paris 2024 Olympics and is aiming to win its fifth gold medal.
Saturday, July 26: swimming and tennis
The swimming events will begin Saturday, with multiple Bulldogs competing at 5 a.m. Former Bulldog Nic Fink will race for Team USA in his second-consecutive Olympics in the men’s 100m breastroke, while rising junior Steven Insixiengmay will oppose him, representing Laos. Javier Acevedo, who holds multiple Georgia records, will participate in Canada’s 4x100m freestyle relay.
Three former Bulldogs will compete Saturday in the first round of tennis singles and doubles, with María Lourdes Carlé, Ellen Perez and Jan Zielinski representing Argentina, Australia and Poland at 6 a.m.
The day will conclude with the men’s 100m breaststroke semifinal and 4×100 freestyle relay final at 3:15 and 3:50 p.m. Should they qualify during prelims, Fink, Insixiengmay and Acevedo will compete in the events.
Sunday, July 28: gymnastics, swimming, tennis and basketball
Georgia’s representatives have an early wakeup call on Sunday, with incoming transfer Csenge Bácskay competing in the gymnastics women’s qualification at 3 a.m. Bácskay competed at the Worlds Gymnastics Championships in 2022 for Team Hungary and is a Hungarian National Champion in multiple events.
“I just want to give my best and enjoy every second of the Olympics,” Bácskay told International Gymnast Online.
Swimming will follow gymnastics with two prelims at 5 a.m. Former Bulldog Chase Kalisz will compete in the 400m IM, while Acevedo will compete in the 100m backstroke. Kaliz earned gold in the event during the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. If the former Bulldog wins again, he will become the first man in his 30’s to win an Olympic medal in a race that’s at least 400 meters.
“There’s a lot of lead changes that usually happen in the 400 IM, and that’s why I think it’s the most beautiful race,” Kalisz told USA Today. “I think it’s absolutely a beast of a race, but the mental aspect of it is also pretty brutal itself too.”
The first round of tennis singles and doubles will continue an hour later, before Anthony Edwards and Team USA begin play. The basketball team will take on Serbia at 11:15 a.m. to begin the United States’ quest to win its 17th gold medal.
“It’s going to mean a lot,” Edwards said of making the team. “It’s going to be super fun seeing those guys go to work. Because I feel like I work super hard on my craft everyday, so seeing the goats work on [their] craft may show me that I’m not working hard enough, so that’s something I’m looking forward to.”
Should they qualify, multiple Bulldogs will close out the day competing. The men’s 400m IM final (Kalisz), 100m backstroke semifinals (Acevedo) and 100m breaststroke finals (Fink and Insixiengmay) will take place from 2:45 to 3:54 p.m. The United States will also play Germany in soccer at 3 p.m.
Monday, July 29 and Tuesday, July 30: swimming
Monday is a slow day for the Bulldogs, with Acevedo competing in the 100m backstroke final at 3:22 p.m., should he qualify.
Current Bulldog Luca Urlando will begin racing Tuesday, with the 200m butterfly prelims at 5 a.m. and semifinals at 2:41 p.m. The event is the same one Urlando finished third in during the 2020 trials to narrowly miss the cut.
“Going to my first Olympics is pretty surreal,” Urlando told georgiadogs.com. “It has not sunk in yet.”
To make the day more special, Urlando’s family from Italy will be in attendance. The Bulldog is the grandson of a former Italian Olympic hammer thrower, who will watch the Bulldog compete in his first Summer Games.
“To be able to share that experience with them in a city that is so renowned and beautiful is going to be unlike any other,” Urlando said.
Wednesday, July 31 and Thursday, August 1: swimming, soccer, baseball and golf
Should he make the cut, Urlando will compete in the 200m butterfly finals Wednesday at 2:36 p.m. Bethune will continue her role as a USWNT alternate if it advances to take on Australia at 1 p.m.
Edwards will take the court for Team USA again, as the basketball team faces South Sudan at 3 p.m. The United States narrowly defeated South Sudan 101-100 in an exhibition game prior to the Olympics.
Former Bulldog Sepp Straka will make his second-consecutive Olympic appearance Thursday at 3 a.m. in the first round of men’s golf. Straka will represent his home country of Austria.
“This is a tremendous honor, getting the opportunity to represent Austria,” Straka said in 2021 of making the roster. “I am very proud of my heritage, so being able to play for Austria in the Olympics is a dream come true. It also means the world to me to be going to the Olympics as a Bulldog.”
Friday, August 2: golf, track and field and swimming
Friday is a busy day for Georgia’s representatives, with Straka competing in the second round of golf at 3 a.m.
The track and field competition will also kick off at 4:05 a.m. for the Bulldogs and conclude at 2:50 p.m.
Over the span of almost 11 hours, seven former and current Bulldogs — Johannes Erm, Janek Oiglane, Karel Tilga, Denzel Comenentia, Tatiana Gusin, Elena Kulichenko and Keturah Orji — will compete in eight different events.
Incoming swimming transfer Ieva Maluka will also begin her 2024 Olympic run for Latvia at 5 a.m. in the 200m IM. Should she make the cut, the future Bulldog will participate in the semifinals at 3:34 p.m.
Saturday, August 3: golf, track and field, basketball and swimming
The third round of the men’s golf competition begins Saturday at 3 a.m., with Straka as a potential participant.
Former and current track and field Bulldogs Erm, Oiglane and Tilga will then compete for Team Estonia in multiple men’s decathlon events — 100m hurdles, discus, pole vault and 1500m — from 4:05 a.m. to 7:40 a.m.
The women’s soccer quarterfinals will also take place Saturday, while the basketball team will face Puerto Roco at 11:15 a.m. Bethune and Edwards will continue serving their roles for the two teams.
Maluka is the only Bulldog potentially competing in a swimming event Saturday, with the women’s 200m IM final occurring at 2:59 p.m. The event will conclude the swimming portion of the Paris 2024 Olympics for the eligible Bulldogs.
Sunday, August 4 and Monday, August 5: golf and track and field
The fourth round of men’s golf will kick off Sunday’s slate of Olympic events at 3 a.m.
Four more track and field Bulldogs will then make their Paris debuts, with Stephanie Ratcliffe (Australia), incoming freshman Adaejah Hodge (British Virgin Islands), Christopher Morales Williams (Canada) and Aaliyah Butler (United States) competing in the hammer throw, 200m and 400m from 4:20 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. The women’s high jump final for Gusin and Kulichenko will be sandwiched in the middle at 1:50 p.m.
Morales Williams will potentially begin Monday’s competition for the Bulldogs in the men’s 400m repechage at 5:20 a.m. In 2024, he was named the SEC’s Indoor Men’s Runner of the Year following a record-setting campaign.
Butler will follow with a performance in the first round of the women’s 400m at 5:55 a.m., while Hodge will potentially compete in the women’s 200m repechage and semifinals at 6:50 a.m. and 2:45 p.m. Both are first time Olympians and will be teammates at Georgia next season.
“It means everything,” Butler said of qualifying for her first Summer games. “Going to the Olympics has always been a big deal, and plus, it’s in Paris, and I’ve always wanted to go to Paris.”
Tuesday, August 6 and Wednesday, August 7: basketball, track and field and soccer
The basketball men’s quarterfinals begins Tuesday, with Edwards and Team USA looking to continue their run. Chanice Porter will then compete in the women’s long jump qualification at 5:15 a.m., with multiple athletes hoping to reach the semifinals that follow. The women’s soccer semifinals will also take place Tuesday.
Former Bulldog Marie-Therese Obst will partake in the women’s javelin qualification Wednesday at 4:05 a.m. The Georgia representatives then have a break before weightlifter Jourdan Delacruz competes at 1:30 p.m. The women’s 200m semifinals and men’s 400m final will take place at 2:45 p.m. and 3:20 p.m., with Butler and Morales Williams competing if they qualify.
Thursday, August 8 and Friday, August 9: track and field, basketball and soccer
Recent graduate Ana de Silva will kick off the competition Thursday at 4:25 a.m. in the women’s shot put qualification.
Sanaa Frederick, Sole Frederick and Shaunae Miller-Uibo will participate in the first round of the women’s 4x100m relay at 5:10 a.m. The twins will compete for Trinidad & Tobago, while Miller-Uibo will represent the Bahamas.
“It is such a blessing for us to get to tryout and make the Trinidad-Tobago Olympic team at such a young age,” Sanaa Frederick told 11Alive. “It makes for such a long season, but there is plenty more to come as we have more opportunities for the Olympics and World Games in the coming years.”
The men’s portion of the event will follow at 5:35 a.m., with Jehlani Gordon and Cejhae Greene competing for Jamaica and Antigua & Barbuda. Edwards will then potentially partake in the men’s basketball semifinals for Team USA before Porter’s long jump finals begin at 2 p.m.
The women’s soccer bronze medal match takes place Friday at 9 a.m., while the women’s 4×100 relay final with the Frederick twins and Miller-Uibo starts at 1:30 p.m. Three more finals will follow with four Bulldogs as candidates to compete.
Saturday, August 10: the final day
The final day of the Paris 2024 Olympics is filled with many events, with the men’s basketball bronze medal game beginning at 5 a.m. The women’s soccer gold medal match will begin at 11 a.m., while the women’s javelin final will start at 1:40 p.m. To round out the Bulldogs competing in the 2024 Summer Games, the men’s basketball gold medal match will take place at 3:30 p.m.