Sixteen athletes with ties to New Mexico participated in the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, according to the Albuquerque JournalThe athletes represent 10 different countries, many of them are former Lobos.
Here is a breakdown of the Olympic sports in which New Mexico athletes have competed.
athletics
Weini Kelati is a former University of New Mexico cross country athlete originally from Eritrea. At age 27, she represented the United States in Paris. As a Lobo, she was the Mountain West individual champion and twice named the conference’s Female Athlete of the Year, according to Go to Lobos.
Kelati qualified for the Olympics after winning the women’s 10,000m at the Olympic qualifying heats, according to the Olympics websiteKelati finished 8th out of 23 at the Olympic Games.
Josh Kerr, 26, is also a UNM graduate and former Lobo track and field athlete. He represented Great Britain in Paris and won silver in the men’s 1500m, according to Team Great Britain. Kerr originally comes from Scotland.
Tapiwanashe Makarawu, 24, recently graduated from New Mexico Junior College. He represented Zimbabwe in the men’s 200-meter dash and finished 6th, according to Olympia. website.
Makarawu and his Team Zimbabwe co-star Makanakaishe Charamba were the first Zimbabwean sprinters to make the Olympic 200m final, according to New Mexico Junior College. website.
Lacarthea Cooper, 20, is originally from the Bahamas and is currently a student-athlete at New Mexico Junior College. Cooper qualified for the women’s 4×400-meter relay.
Cooper traveled to Paris with Team Bahamas but was not selected for the competition despite finishing 3rd in the senior national championships, according to the Nassau Guardian.
Alicja Konieczek, 29, lives and trains in Albuquerque according to KOB4Her discipline is the 3000-meter steeplechase in athletics. Representing Poland, she finished 13th in the final round.
Konieczek was also a volunteer assistant coach for the UNM track and field team prior to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, according to Optimize athletes.
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Shot put
Chase Jackson, 30, graduated from Los Alamos High School, according to Los Alamos Daily PostJackson competed for Team USA in the women’s shot put event; in the qualifying round she finished 9th with a throw of 17.60 m, according to Olympia website.
Pole vault
Anicka Newell, a 31-year-old Canadian pole vaulter, finished 13th out of 14 in Group B at the women’s pole vault qualifications in Paris. Newell originally wanted to be a gymnast until she started competing in athletics during her childhood in Albuquerque, according to Texas State UniversityShe has been participating in the Olympic Games since Rio 2016.
golf
Former Lobo golfers Victor Perez, 31, of France, Gavin Green, 30, of Malaysia and Manon De Roey, 32, of Belgium, all competed in this year’s Olympic Games.
After a decisive performance in the final, Perez improved nine places on the last day of competition and finished fourth in the Olympic men’s golf competition, according to ESPN. Green was the only Malaysian representative in men’s golf and finished 33rd out of 58, his new best Olympic record, according to Bernama.
De Roey was the 2013 Mountain West Individual Champion, according to the Mountain West Women’s Golf Record bookAt the Olympic Games in Paris, she finished 29th out of 59 participants.
New Mexico State University graduates Alena Sharp (43) of Canada and Ursula Wikstrom (44) of Finland both competed in women’s golf. Sharp finished 42nd out of 59 and Wikstrom finished 57th.
Marathon
Lobos were also represented in the Olympic marathon. 26-year-old Fiona O’Keeffe from the USA and 31-year-old Calli Thackery from Great Britain both ran in Paris.
O’Keeffe transferred from Stanford University to UNM’s athletics department in 2020, but was never able to compete for UNM and became a professional runner, so Go to Lobos. Thackery ran cross country for UNM from 2013 to 2017.
O’Keeffe started her 2024 Olympic debut strongly, placing first in her heats. During the Olympic competition, O’Keeffe withdrew from the race before the 5k mark due to a suspected injury, according to Runners world.
Thackery, also an Olympic debutant, did not finish her race for unknown reasons. Athletics weekly.
rugby
In men’s sevens rugby, the captain of the US team, Kevon Williams, 33, was a wide receiver for the New Mexico Highlands University football team from 2009 to 2012, according to NMHU Athletics. This was his second Olympic Games with the US national rugby team. Team USA finished 8th out of 12 after a 19-0 loss to Argentina.
Skateboarding
Born and raised in Albuquerque, 27-year-old skateboarder Mariah Duran competed in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and finished last in women’s street skateboarding for Team USA this summer.
Leila Chapa is a freelance journalist at the Daily Lobo. You can reach her at [email protected] or at X @lchapa06
Paloma Chapa is the Daily Lobo’s multimedia editor. She can be reached at [email protected] or at X @paloma_chapa88
Paloma Chapa is the Daily Lobo’s multimedia editor. You can reach her at [email protected] or on Twitter at @paloma_chapa88
