Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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6 SEPT. 7, 2024 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED BY TODD D. BURLAGE I n what the university is celebrating as "the most memorable and successful Olympic Games in Notre Dame athlet- ics history," 16 current and former Irish student-athletes competed at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris and brought home a school-record six gold medals and 10 total medals (including one silver and three bronze). For perspective on how impressive this Paris performance was for the Fighting Irish, if the group of 16 ath- letes was its own country, Notre Dame would've tied New Zealand for 11th in the world for most gold medals, and tied Poland and Belgium for 21st in overall medal count. Additionally, the 10 total medals won by the Irish slotted Notre Dame in an eighth-place tie for most medals se- cured by any U.S. college or university. Stanford ran away with the single- school medal count with 34. The 10 Irish medals also contributed to a total of 91 won by current and former ACC athletes, the most by a single conference in Paris. The eight Irish medalists earned golds in soccer, men's swimming, fencing and women's basketball; a silver in men's swimming; and a bronze in fencing and men's track. The memorable Paris Games lifted Notre Dame's all-time totals to 118 stu- dent-athletes who have competed in the Olympics since 1912, and its overall medal count to 48. Following is an alphabetical look at the eight Notre Dame student-athletes who secured medals in Paris. Six Irish athletes accounted for six medals (three gold, three bronze) at the Summer Games in Tokyo in 2021. Korbin Albert (Played at Notre Dame from 2021-22), Soccer: The former Irish All-American secured a gold medal in dramatic fashion with an assist on the game-winning goal in the gold medal match, a 1-0 win over Bra- zil Aug. 10. Albert also scored a game- winning goal during Olympic pool play — her first in international competition — in a 2-1 win over Australia July 31. Chris Guiliano (2021-present), Swimming: The rising Notre Dame senior won a gold medal on the U.S. 4x100-meter freestyle relay team, and a silver medal with the 4x200-meter team. He also competed individually in the 100- and 200-meter freestyle events. Nick Itkin (2018-22), Fencing: A two-time individual foil national cham- pion at Notre Dame, Itkin is now a two- time Olympic medal winner after he added a bronze in Paris to put alongside his bronze from the Tokyo Games. UNDER THE DOME SHINING IN PARIS Notre Dame's Olympians Claim 10 Medals At The 2024 Summer Games A RECORD HAUL A school-by-school list of the top medal winners at the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics, per NCAA.com Rk. School Medals 1. Stanford 34 2. California 17 3. Texas 16 4. Virginia 14 5. USC 13 6. Penn State 12 7. Florida 11 8. Kentucky 10 Notre Dame 10 10. Arizona State 9 UCLA 9 12. Harvard 8 LSU 8 Michigan 8 15. Texas A&M 7 Arkansas 7 The contingent of 16 current and former Notre Dame athletes excelled during their time in Paris. PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME ATHLETICS