USC represented by 44 athletes — most of any U.S. university — at Rio Olympics
The university looks to extend its incredible streak of gold medals: A Trojan has won one in every Summer Olympics since 1912
USC will be represented by 44 past, present and future students competing at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, more than any school in the nation.
Fans can go to USCTrojans.com/rio2016 to follow USC’s Rio Olympians.
USC has an unsurpassed Olympic tradition among American universities:
- Coming into the 2016 Games, USC has sent more athletes to the Summer and Winter Olympics, and they have won more medals and gold medals, than any other U.S. university.
- From the 1904 Summer Games through the 2014 Winter Olympics, there have been 423 athletes who attended USC before, during or after their Olympic appearance.
- They have collected 288 medals (135 gold, 88 silver and 65 bronze), including at least one gold medal in every Summer Olympics since 1912.
- If USC competed as a country, its 288 medals would rank 16th most in the world, while its 135 gold medals would be 12th most.
Gold-medal streak
Leading candidates to keep USC‘s gold-medal streak alive in 2016 include basketball player DeMar DeRozan, track sprinter Allyson Felix and hurdler Dalilah Muhammad, swimmers Haley Anderson, Katinka Hosszu, Ous Mellouli and Amanda Weir, water polo players Kami Craig and Kaleigh Gilchrist and beach volleyball player April Ross.
Of USC’s 2016 Olympians, 13 will compete in swimming, nine each in track and field and in water polo, three each in volleyball and golf, two each in beach volleyball, basketball and tennis and one in rowing.
In all, Trojans will compete for the United States and 20 other countries (Australia, Bahamas, Bermuda, Brazil, Canada, Chinese Taipei, Colombia, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, Jamaica, Norway, Poland, Puerto Rico, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia and Venezuela). Fifteen of USC‘s 2016 Olympians have participated in previous Games, nine are current or incoming USC student-athletes and 25 are women.
And more …
Eight others with USC ties will be involved in the Rio Olympics. Three swim coaches with USC backgrounds will serve on Olympic staffs in 2016 (current coach Catherine Vogt and alums Mike Bottom and Ray Looze) and a current Trojan coach will be a competitor (swimmer Anthony Ervin). Trojan volleyball alumna Natalie Hagglund will go to Rio as an alternate.
USC alums Jim Watson (archery) and Ari Wolfe (table tennis) will be on the NBC announce teams for the Rio Olympics, as will current USC assistant coach Dain Blanton (beach volleyball).