AUBURN, Ala. (WSFA) - 10 current and former Auburn Tigers are headed to Paris to compete in the 2024 Olympic Games.
Nine different countries will be represented by the current and former Tigers when the Olympics kick off this Friday on NBC.
Sunisa Lee (USA)
Artistic Gymnastics
This will be Lee’s second appearance in the Olympic Games. She was the 2020 all-around gold medalist. The Minnesota native will look to add more hardware to the trophy case after putting on an unforgettable performance in Tokyo, taking home three medals and tying for the second most in a single Olympics in program history.
Marcelo Chierighini (Brazil)
Swimming
Chierighini will be making his fourth Olympic appearance, which ties Fred Bousquet for the most all-time by a Tiger men’s swim and dive athlete. He is a 22-time All-American and NCAA Champion. He has posted a career-best fifth place twice in the 4x100 freestyle relay in the Olympic games and will be looking to add some hardware this year in the same race.
Tim Puetz (Germany)
Tennis
Puetz will compete in Men’s Tennis Doubles with his partner Kevin Krawietz. They currently rank 24th in the world. Puetz is no stranger to the big stage. He and his partner Miyu Kato won the 2023 French Open Mixed Doubles title, making him the fourth Tiger in school history to win a Grand Slam.
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Donald Thomas (Bahamas)
High Jump
Thomas is entering his fifth Olympic Games, a feat that only four other Auburn athletes have accomplished. He made his Olympic debut in Beijing in 2008 and has not missed an Olympic Games since.
Kanyinsola Ajayi (Nigeria)
Sprinter
Ajayi is coming off a phenomenal freshman season at Auburn, where he was named the SEC Men’s Freshman Runner of the Year. He was also named First Team All-SEC this past season. He currently ranks number 24 in the world in the 100-meter as he looks ahead to his first Olympic appearance.
Favour Ashe (Nigeria)
Sprinter
Ashe is also making his Olympic Games debut in Paris. The Auburn junior is 22nd in the world in the 100-meter race. He was a member of the second-place Auburn 4x100 relay team during the SEC Track & Field Championships this past May.
Makanakaishe Charamba (Zimbabwe)
Sprinter
Charamba is the 32nd-ranked 200-meter sprinter in the world ahead of this year’s games. He was an instrumental part of Auburn’s 4x100 relay team, which won at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Championships this past season. He also finished fifth in the 200-meter final in Oregon.
Azeem Fahmi (Malaysia)
Sprinter
Fahmi was also a national champion 4x100 relay team member at this past year’s NCAA outdoor championships. He currently sits 75 in the world in the 100-meter, making that four Tigers in the top 100 of the world.
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Emily Hallifax (France)
Diving
Hallifax is making her Olympic debut in her home country after winning the silver medal at the European Championships on the 10m last month in Belgrade. She and her synchronized partner, Jade Gillet, have also scored three top-five finishes in international competitions over the past two years.
Valerie Tarazi (Palestine)
Swimming
Tarazi is one of eight Palestinian athletes set to compete in Paris. Tarazi took first place in the 2022-23 50-yard freestyle, 100-yard breaststroke, and 200-yard breaststroke at the War Eagle Invitational and now has her sights set on gold in this year’s Olympic Games.
The Opening Ceremony will be broadcast live on WSFA at 12:30 p.m. this Friday. All of the Olympic Games will be available to stream on Peacock.
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