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Tokyo Bound

Blue Devils to Watch in Tokyo

7/20/2021 2:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball, Women's Basketball, Women's Golf, Women's Soccer, Swimming & Diving, Track & Field, Athletics

DURHAM, N.C. – After a year's delay, thousands of the world's greatest athletes will march into Tokyo Olympic Stadium on July 23 to kick off the 2020 Summer Olympic Games. Sixteen former Duke student-athletes, alumni and coaches are set to compete in nine sports representing seven nations.

Duke has had a former player compete in the Olympics in each of the last seven Summer Games, including multiple players in two of the last three and three of the last six. All-time, the Blue Devils have donned 10 Olympic gold medals.
 
Representing Duke on the international stage will be Elizabeth Balogun (women's basketball, Nigeria), Celine Boutier (women's golf, France), Kate Van Buskirk (track & field, Canada), Oderah Chidom (women's basketball, Nigeria), Dani Goldstein (equestrian, Israel), Chelsea Gray (women's basketball, United States), Kara Lawson (United States Head Coach 3x3), Leona Maguire (women's golf, Ireland), Jahlil Okafor (men's basketball, Nigeria), Morgan Pearson (mixed relay triathlon, United States), Maddy Price (track & field, Canada), Quinn (women's soccer, Canada), Jessica Springsteen (equestrian, United States), Steven Solomon (track & field, Australia), Jayson Tatum (men's basketball, United States) and Ashley Twichell (swimming, United States).
 
Tatum will be the 13th Duke men's basketball player to compete at the Olympic level. Men's basketball's 17 Olympic appearances lead Duke programs and is followed by track & field (15), swimming & diving (8) and women's soccer (5).
 
Duke continues a run of sending women's soccer alumni to four straight Olympic Games with former star midfielder Quinn ('17), joining the Canadian team. It's the second Olympic appearance for Quinn, who helped the Canadians to a bronze medal in 2016.
 
Duke women's basketball head coach Lawson will do double duty at the Olympics as the coach of the women's 3x3 basketball team and as a commentator for NBC Sports. Meanwhile alumna Gray, a 2014 Duke graduate, will become the first women's basketball player from Duke to represent the United States in the Olympics. Balogun and Chidom are also set to represent Nigeria on the national stage.
 
The Duke men's basketball team will be represented by Tatum playing for the United States and Okafor on the Nigerian team. Tatum is coming off an NBA season where he led the Boston Celtics to the playoffs. He will wear Kobe Bryant's traditional No. 10 on the U.S. team at the Olympics. Okafor, a member of the Duke 2015 national championship team, shined for the Detroit Pistons.  They are the 13th and 14th Duke men's basketball players to compete in the Olympics. Duke has had a former player compete in the Olympics in each of the last seven Summer Games.
 
Two Duke runners will key the Canadian women's track team: Van Buskirk ('11), who took second in the mile for Duke in the 2011 NCAA championship, will run the 5K race, while Price ('18), a former All-American at Duke, will run in the 4x400 meter relay.
 
On the men's side, alumnus Solomon has been selected to represent the Australian National Team in the men's 400 meter run. Solomon spent one year at Duke as a graduate student; in that year he set indoor and outdoor university records in the 400-meter run that remain on Duke's books. His second Olympics representing Australia, Solomon becomes the first Blue Devil track athlete to compete in the Olympics since Curt Clausen in the 50K racewalk at the 2004 Olympic Games.
 
On the swim team, Duke is represented by alumnus Twichell ('11), who will take part in the open water competition. It was her fourth try to make the U.S. Olympic team, and to qualify she had to pass a half-dozen swimmers in the last 800 meters during the recent world championships. At age 30, she becomes the U.S.'s oldest rookie Olympic swimmer since 1908.
 
Two women's golf alumnae, Boutier of France and Maguire of Ireland, will play the Olympics course in Japan representing their respective nations. Maguire ('18), will make her second Olympics appearance. She is currently ranked 16th on the LPGA money list. Boutier ('16), a member of Duke's 2014 national championship team, will make her first appearance in the Olympics for France and has been one of the hottest golfers on the LPGA Tour over the last four months. It will mark the second straight Olympics that Duke women's golf will have two representatives competing.
 
One of the last Duke alumni to join the U.S. team comes from a sport that isn't a varsity team at Duke. Springsteen ('14), will ride her 12-year-old stallion Don Juan van de Donkhoeve on the U.S. Show Jumping Team. Springsteen was one of four top riders selected for the team just this week. Goldstein ('07) is also set to represent Israel.
 
To follow along with the 2020 Summer Olympics, visit here. A list of competing Blue Devils and a schedule of events can be found below.
 
#GoDuke

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS:
*All times listed as ET*
Women's Soccer

Wednesday, July 21 | 6:30am | Canada (Quinn) vs. Japan
Saturday, July 24 | 3:30am | Canada vs. Chile
Tuesday, July 27 | Canada vs. Great Britain

Women's Basketball
Tuesday, July 27 | 12:40 am | United States (Chelsea Gray) vs. Nigeria (Oderah Chidom, Elizabeth Balogun)
Friday, July 30 | 12:40 am | United States vs. Japan
Friday, July 30 | 4:20 am | Nigeria vs. France
Monday, Aug. 2 | 12:40 am | United States vs. France
Monday, Aug. 2 | 9 pm | Nigeria vs. Japan

3x3
Saturday, July 24 | 4:55 am | United States (Kara Lawson) vs. France
Saturday, July 24 | 8 am | United States vs. Mongolia
Sunday, July 25 | 4:30 am | United States vs. Romania
Sunday, July 25 | 8:25 am | United States vs. ROC
Monday, July 26 | 4:55 am | United States vs. Italy
Monday, July 26 | 8 am | United States vs. China
Tuesday, July 27 | 12:30 am | United States vs. Japan

Track & Field
Friday, July 30 | 6 am | Women's 5000m Qualifying (Kate Van Buskirk)
Sunday, Aug. 1 | 9:45 pm | Men's 400m (Steven Solomon)
Monday, Aug. 2 | 7:05 am | Men's 400m Semifinal
Monday, Aug. 2 | 8:40 am | Women's 5000m Final
Thursday, Aug. 5 | 6:25 am | Women's 4x400m Relay Qualifying (Maddy Price)
Thursday, Aug. 5 | 8 am | Men's 400m Final
Saturday, Aug. 7 | 8:30 am | Women's 4x400m Relay Final

Swimming
Wednesday, Aug. 4 | 5:30 pm | Women's 10k (Ashley Twichell)

Men's Basketball
Sunday, July | 4:20 am | Nigeria (Jahlil Okafor) vs. Australia
Sunday, July 25 | 8 am | United States (Jayson Tatum) vs. France
Wednesday, July 28 | 12:40 am | United States vs. Iran
Wednesday, July 28 | 9 pm | Nigeria vs. Germany
Saturday, July 31 | 12:40 am | Nigeria vs. Italy
Saturday, July 31 | 8 am | United States vs. Czech Republic

Women's Golf
Wednesday, Aug. 4 | 6:30 pm | Women's Individual Stroke Play Round 1 (Leona Maguire & Celine Boutier)
Thursday, Aug. 5 | 6:30 pm | Women's Individual Stroke Play Round 2
Friday, Aug. 6 | 6:30 pm | Women's Individual Stroke Play Round 3
Saturday, Aug. 7 | 6:30 pm | Women's Individual Stroke Play Round 4

Equestrian
Friday, Aug. 6 | 6 am | Jumping Team Qualifier (Jessica Springsteen & Dani Goldstein)
Saturday, Aug. 7 | 6 am | Jumping Team Final

Mixed Relay Triathlon
Saturday, July 31 | 6:30 pm (Morgan Pearson)

Women's Soccer
Quinn - Canada

Women's Basketball
Elizabeth Balogun – Nigeria
Oderah Chidom – Nigeria
Chelsea Gray – United States
Kara Lawson -- United States Head Coach 3x3

Women's Track and Field
Kate Van Buskirk -- Canada – 5K
Maddy Price -- Canada 4x400 relay

Women's Swimming & Diving
Ashley Twichell -- United States Open water

Men's Basketball
Jahlil Okafor – Nigeria
Jayson Tatum – United States

Men's Track and Field
Steven Solomon -- 400 meter - Australia

Women's Golf
Celine Boutier – France
Leona Maguire -- Ireland

Equestrian
Jessica Springsteen – United States
Dani Goldstein - Israel

Mixed Relay Triathlon
Morgan Pearson - United States