Gold medalists and new Olympic record holders Christopher Bailey, Vernon Norwood, Bryce Deadmon and Rai Benjamin of Team United States pose for a photo in front of the scoreboard following the Men’s 4 x 400m Relay Final on day fifteen of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Stade de France on August 10, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
Former Tennessee Track & Field athlete Christopher Bailey ran the leadoff leg of the 4x400m relay final, helping the United States earn gold and set an Olympic record in the process. The Atlanta native is the first Tennessee alum to win Olympic gold in track & field since 2016.
The medal was the 11th Olympic championship win by a former Tennessee track & field athlete and the first medal by a Vol in the men’s 4x400m relay.
Erika Connolly poses at Paris 2024 on August 04, 2024 (Photo by Joe Scarnici/Getty Images for USOPC)
Former Tennessee standout Erika Connolly became the first Lady Vol swimmer ever to win three Olympic medals. She swam in the preliminary heats of the 4x100m freestyle relay for a Team USA group that went on to claim the silver medal.
Melvin Stewart, who won two Gold medals and one bronze at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, is the only other Tennessee swimmer in history to win three total medals.
Connolly previously won silver in the 4×100 medley relay and bronze in the 4×100 free relay during the 2020 Tokyo Games.
Kelsey Robinson Cook (USA): Silver, volleyball
Kathryn Plummer (L) and Kelsey Robinson Cook (R) celebrate silver medal during the Women’s Gold Medal Match, Match 26, United States of America vs Italy of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Paris Arena on August 11, 2024. (Photo by Jari Pestelacci/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images)
The U.S. Women’s Volleyball Team has now medaled in the past five Olympics after winning the silver at Paris 2024. Robinson Cook, who played at Tennessee from 2010-2012, was a two-time AVCA All-American on Rocky Top and was named the 2011 SEC Player of the Year.
Robinson Cook has been a member U.S. Women’s National Team since 2014. This is the third Olympic medal of her career. She helped the U.S. win gold at Tokyo 2020 and took home a bronze from the 2016 Rio Olympics.
Mona McSharry (Ireland): Bronze, 100m breaststroke
Women’s 100m breaststroke final bronze medalist Mona McSharry of Team Ireland celebrates with her medal at the Paris La Défense Arena during the 2024 Paris Summer Olympic Games. (Photo By Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile via Getty Images)
She is just the second Irish swimmer to ever win an Olympic medal. It’s McSharry’s first medal in her second Olympic games. She became the second Irish swimmer to compete in an Olympic final at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.
(L-R) Dearica Hamby, Cierra Burdick, Hailey Van Lith, Rhyne Howard of United States celebrate their bronze medal win during the Women’s 3×3 Basketball on day ten of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Esplanade Des Invalides on August 5, 2024. (Photo by Daniela Porcelli/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images)
Burdick became the 14th Lady Vol basketball player to win an Olympic medal by helping the U.S. beat Canada in the 3×3 women’s basketball bronze medal match in Paris. She is the first Lady Vol to medal in the 3×3 basketball since it was added in 2020.
The 2015 Tennessee grad and Torchbearer Award is no stranger to earning winning medals. Burdick won gold in 2009 at the FIBA Americas U16 Championship in the traditional five-on-five game. She also claimed gold at the 2014 and 2023 FIBA 3×3 World Cups and the 2023 Pan American Games.
Uroš Plavšić (Serbia): Bronze, basketball
Ismael Romero, of Puerto Rico, gets a dunk over Uros Plavsic, of Serbia, in a men’s basketball game at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, July 31, 2024, in Villeneuve-d’Ascq, France. (Brian Snyder/Pool Photo via AP)
The third-place game saw Serbia defeat Germany to claim the bronze medal.
Plavšić, the 7’1″ center who suited up for the Vols from 2019-2023, is the third Tennessee men’s basketball player to win an Olympic medal. Ernie Grunfeld and Allan Houston helped the United States win gold in 1976 and 2000, respectively.
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