History of Jayhawks in the Olympic Games

The Olympic Games only come around every four years, but the tradition of the games dates back hundreds of years. For KU, the tradition of competing at the Olympics is rich, with 66 Olympians all-time, including 45 medals.

The first Olympian to hail from KU came in 1904, by the name of Ray Moultan. Moultan competed in track & field in the 60 meters, 100 meters and 200 meters, securing a bronze medal in the 60.

In 1952, the Jayhawks sent nine individuals to the XV Olympiad in Helsinki, Finland in 1952, including Phog Allen, Bill Lienhard, Bill Hougland, Charlie Hoag, Clyde Lovellette, Dean Kelly, John Keller, Robert Kenny and West Santee. Team USA went on to win gold in men’s basketball, with seven Jayhawks coming home with the prestigious gold medal.

Most recently. Kyle Clemons won gold in the 4×400 meter relay at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio De Janiero. The Jayhawks accounted for seven Olympic qualifiers in 2016.

This year, KU sends another impressive crop of athletes and coaches to the Olympic Games, including Mason Finley, Bryce Hoppel, Gleb Dudarev, Alexandra Emilianov, Christina Clemons, Stanley Redwine, Andy Kokhanovsky and Michael Whittlesey. Of them, Finley is the only repeat qualifier for the Olympic Games, also competing in 2016.

Follow along with the Jayhawks in the Olympics by visiting KUathletics.com and following along with exclusive coverage from the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.