A record-breaking 11 University of Kentucky Wildcats earned a total of 13 medals at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, marking the most successful Olympic performance in the school’s history. The haul included nine gold medals, two silver, and two bronze.
When counting team medals as one per event, regardless of the number of Kentucky athletes involved, the University of Kentucky’s medal tally stands at 10—six gold, two silver, and two bronze. If the Wildcats’ 10 total medals were represented on the Nations Medal Table, Kentucky would rank 21st in total medals and 14th in gold medals.
Kentucky athletes made significant contributions to Team USA’s overall success, contributing nine medals to the United States’ world-leading total of 126 medals, including 40 golds. Seven individual Wildcats were responsible for six of Kentucky’s gold medals in Paris. This includes team medals, such as the gold for the three Wildcats on the U.S. men’s basketball team (Bam Adebayo, Devin Booker, and Anthony Davis) and another for the two Wildcats who ran in the women’s 4x400m relay (Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone and Alexis Holmes).
Five Kentucky athletes earned six medals in track and field, four medaled in basketball, one medaled in volleyball, and another, Lee Kiefer, a University of Kentucky College of Medicine student who competed collegiately at Notre Dame, won two golds in fencing.
Kentucky also ranked second on the Southeastern Conference (SEC) Medal Table, a notable achievement considering that Lee Kiefer’s two golds were not included in the SEC tally due to fencing not being an SEC varsity sport.
In total, a record 24 University of Kentucky student-athletes, alumni, and coaches represented nine countries across six sports at the 2024 Paris Olympics, held from July 26 to August 11. Initially, 22 Wildcats were set to compete, but the roster expanded during the Games to include Tapiwanashe “Carlie” Makarawu, a signee for the 2024-25 Kentucky track and field team, and Jelani Walker, a former UK track and field athlete who turned professional after his freshman year in 2018.
Over the years, 12 of Kentucky’s 24 Olympians who competed in Paris have collectively won 22 medals, dating back to the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Wildcats also set a school record at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics with 12 individual medals—eight gold, three silver, and one bronze—now surpassed by their success in Paris.
2024 Kentucky Wildcats Olympic Medalists
GOLD
Bam Adebayo (Men’s Basketball)
- Gold– 5×5 Basketball – Team USA
Devin Booker (Men’s Basketball)
- Gold– 5×5 Basketball – Team USA
Anthony Davis (Men’s Basketball)
- Gold– 5×5 Basketball – Team USA
Alexis Holmes (Track and Field)
- Gold 4x400m Relay – Team USA
Lee Kiefer (Fencing), UK College of Medicine (competed collegiately for Notre Dame)
- Gold – Women’s Individual Foil – Team USA
- Gold – Women’s Team Foil – Team USA
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone (Track and Field)
- Gold – 400m hurdles – Team USA
- Gold – 4x400m Relay – Team USA
Masai Russell (Track and Field)
- Gold 100m hurdles – Team USA
SILVER
Daniel Roberts (Track and Field)
- Silver – 110m hurdles – Team USA
Avery Skinner (Volleyball)
- Silver – Volleyball – Team USA
BRONZE
Jasmine Camacho-Quinn (Track and Field)
- Bronze 100m hurdles – Team Puerto Rico
Rhyne Howard (Basketball)
- Bronze – 3×3 Basketball – Team USA
Additional notes on the Kentucky Wildcat 2024 Olympic Medalists
The 24 Olympians with UK connections passed the previous school record – 20 – for competitors and coaches who were part of the last Summer Olympics in Tokyo 2021 (officially the 2020 Olympics). The previous school record was nine, set in 1948, when all nine were associated with the UK men’s basketball team.
Over the years, UK athletes have represented 16 countries. This year’s event marked the first time that UK has had an athlete represent South Sudan.
The Paris Games marked the fifth consecutive Olympiad where UK men’s basketball players won gold — Bam Adebayo (2020 and 2024), Devin Booker (2020 and 2024), Anthony Davis (2012 and 2024), Keldon Johnson (2020), DeMarcus Cousins (2016) and Tayshaun Prince (2008).
Davis became the only player on Team USA to have won two Olympic gold medals, an NCAA National Championship and an NBA Championship.
Kentucky had the largest contingent on Team USA Basketball with three Wildcats on Men’s Basketball 5×5 and Rhyne Howard earning bronze in Women’s 3×3.
UK’s status as “Hurdle U” was on full display during the athletics (track and field) competition. Wildcats swept the gold medals in the women’s hurdles for the second-consecutive games with McLaughlin-Levrone repeating as 400-meter hurdles gold medalist in world-record time and Masai Russell winning the 100m hurdles. Jasmine-Camacho-Quinn, who won gold in the 100H in Tokyo, claimed bronze in Paris.
Wildcats also made up two-thirds of the 100m hurdles podium for the second-consecutive Olympics as UK Athletics Hall of Famer Keni Harrison earned silver in Tokyo.
Daniel Roberts (UK 2016-2019) earned silver in the men’s 110m hurdles.
Wildcats made up half of the American Record, gold medal, U.S. women’s 4x400m relay team with McLaughlin-Levrone running the fastest mile-relay split in decades and Alexis Holmes anchoring Team USA to the win.
2024 marked the eighth consecutive Olympiad featuring a Wildcat in track and field dating to Tim Harden in 1996.
Avery Skinner, an NCAA National Champion with Kentucky Volleyball in 2020-21, earned silver with Team USA volleyball.
Ashley Kovacs, who competed as a thrower on the UK Track and Field Team from 2007-10, the USA Athletics/Track and Field team’s Women’s Throws Coach, coached two medalists – with Valerie Allman winning gold in the discus and Annette Echikunwoke claiming silver in the hammer throw.
Kovacs also coached her husband, Joe Kovacs, to a third-straight silver in the shot put.
Kiefer became a three-time gold medalist, repeating as gold medalist in women’s foil individual gold and winning another gold with the women’s team foil squad.
Kentucky Wildcat 2024 Olympic Games Results
BASKETBALL
Adebola Adeyeye, Nigeria 5×5 Basketball (2022-23)
- Quarterfinalist
Rhyne Howard, USA 3×3 Basketball (UK 2018-22)
- Bronze medal
Bam Adebayo, USA 5×5 Basketball (UK 2016-17)
- Gold medal
Devin Booker, USA 5×5 Basketball (UK 2014-15)
- Gold medal
Anthony Davis, USA 5×5 Basketball (UK 2011-12)
- Gold medal
Wenyen Gabriel, South Sudan 5×5 Basketball (UK 2016-18)
- Ninth place after group stage
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Canada 5×5 Basketball (UK 2017-18)
- Quarterfinalist
Jamal Murray, Canada 5×5 Basketball (UK 2015-16)
- Quarterfinalist
Trey Lyles, Canada 5×5 Basketball (UK 2014-15)
- Quarterfinalist
VOLLEYBALL
Avery Skinner, USA Volleyball (UK 2017-21)
- Silver medal
ATHLETICS/TRACK AND FIELD
Jasmine Camacho-Quinn, Puerto Rico Athletics/Track and Field (UK 2016-18)
- Bronze medal, 100m hurdles
Devynne Charlton, Bahamas Athletics/Track and Field (Volunteer Assistant Coach/Purdue Alum)
- Sixth place, 100m hurdles final
Andrew Evans, USA Athletics/Track and Field (UK 2012-2014)
- 17th place, discus qualifying round
Alexis Holmes, USA Athletics/Track and Field (UK 2019-2022)
- Gold medal, 4x400m relay (anchor leg and American record)
- Sixth place, 400m final
Ashley Kovacs (nee Muffet), USA Throws Coach, Athletics/Track and Field (2007-10)
- Coached three medalists
Tapiwanashe Makarawu, Zimbabwe Athletics/Track and Field (Incoming Team member)
- Sixth place, 200m final
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, USA Athletics/Track and Field (UK 2018)
- Two gold medals, 400m hurdles, 4x400m relay
- Broke her own world record in the 400H, and on the American Record 4x400m relay
Daniel Roberts, USA Athletics/Track and Field (UK 2017-2019)
- Silver medal, 110m hurdles
Masai Russell, USA Athletics/Track and Field (UK 2018-2023)
- Gold medal, 100m hurdles
Jelani Walker, Jamaica Athletics Track and Field (UK 2018)
- 11th place, 4x100m relay first round
DIVING
Julia Vincent, South Africa Diving (Assistant Coach/South Carolina alum)
- 11th place, 3m springboard diving
Ted Hautau, South Africa Diving Coach
- Coached Julia Vincent to 11th place, 3m springboard diving
FENCING
Lee Kiefer, USA Fencing (UK College of Medicine/Notre Dame Alum)
- Two gold medals, individual foil and team foil
Gerek Meinhardt, USA Fencing (UK College of Medicine/Notre Dame Alum)
- Fourth place, men’s team foil
- Table of 16, men’s individual foil
