2024 Paris Calympians: Meet the members of Team USA
This is part 1 of the WFC series introducing the 2024 Paris "Calympians"
We are just over three weeks away from the start of the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics. Just like the last few Olympics, a large contingent of the athletes have ties to Cal. Cal fans can expect over 50 "Calympians" once again to represent at least 21 countries, not counting coaches, future Cal Bears, and athletes who are training at Cal. The exact count is still not quite set with several countries still not naming their team rosters yet.
Since today is America's Birthday, let us focus on the USA "Calympians". One thing that probably quickly jumps out is that these elite Team USA representatives are just a plurality (largest subgroup) but far from a majority (greater than 50%) of the total 2024 Paris Calympians. On the other hand, the USA Calympians will likely win the most medals out of the entire Calympian contingents. Of course, the majority of the Cal community is probably rooting for Team USA over other countries.
A couple of notable alumni who are not 2024 USA Olympians include Alex Morgan for Women’s Soccer and Jaylen Brown for Men’s Basketball. Morgan was somewhat surprisingly left off the smaller (than the World Cup) roster of 18 for the Olympics by the new USWNT head coach Emma Hayes who is set to start a new era. While one cannot completely rule out Morgan being on the 2027 Women’s World Cup roster as a veteran sub/team leader, this could be it for the Cal legend outside a well-deserved retirement tour, whenever that may be. Jaylen Brown was left off the Team USA roster as the roster was decided way before his breakout play during the 2024 NBA Playoffs. Brown is young enough to be in consideration for the next couple of Olympic games.
Without further ado, here are your USA Calympians for the 2024 Paris Games:
Familiar Names:
Ryan Murphy (Swimming)
Swimming Schedule: July 27th - August 4th
Events: 100 Back, 200 Back, Men’s 4x100 Medley Relay, Mixed 4x100 Medley Relay
Medaling Chance: Very Good
Age: 29 (July 2nd, 1995)
At Cal: 2013-17, 8x NCAA individual champ sweeping 100y and 200y backstroke all four year (1st person to accomplish this)
Going to his 3rd Olympic game is 6-time (4G, 1S, 1B) Olympic medalist Ryan Murphy. The backstroker is arguably the most likely Paris Calympian to medal. “Murph” has a shot at as many as four medals in Paris. Murphy won three Golds (100 Back, 200 Back, Men’s 4x100 Medley) in Rio and three medals out of 4 events in Tokyo (Men’s 4x100 Medley Gold, 200 Back Silver, 100 Back Bronze, 5th in the then-brand-new Mixed 4x100 Medley Relay). A team captain for Team USA Swimming this year, Ryan Murphy is still at the top of his game after winning both backstroke events at the U.S. Olympic Trials last month.
200m backstroke is probably his best event, but he will need to fend off fellow Cal Bears in Hugo Gonzalez (Spain) and Keaton Jones (USA, more on him below) as well as ASU’s Hubert Kos (Hungary). Cal’s Backstroke U reputation is further enhanced by how the three Golden Bears have the top three times in the world so far this year. It is a plausible dream that the podium of 200m Backstroke in Paris will be three California Golden Bears. I am writing this out here to manifest this into existence!?!?
Abbey Weitzeil (Swimming)
Swimming Schedule: July 27th - August 4th
Event: Women’s 4x100 Free Relay (probably prelim)
Medaling Chance: Very Good
Age: 27 (December 3rd, 1996)
At Cal: 2016-2020, 2020 Honda Sport Award winner for swimming
Sprinter Abbey Weitzeil will be a 3rd-time Olympian in Paris. The 4-time medalist (1 G, 2S, 1B) will again be a part of a USA relay, qualifying for the 4x100 Free Relay this Olympics.
Weitzeil was supposed to be a part of the superclass for Cal but delayed her enrollment by a year. This ultimately worked as she did go to the 2016 Rio Games before matriculating at Cal. Her time racing for the Cal Bears resulted in a 2019 NCAA title in 50y Free and five NCAA relay championship titles.
At the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials, Weitzeil fell just short of qualifying for an individual swim in 100m Free (5th) and 50m Free (3rd). Her 5th place finish in 100 Free did earn her a spot in the 4x100 Free relay, most likely swimming the less glamourous prelim but still eligible for a medal.
According to her Instagram page, Weitzeil is set to marry fellow Cal Swimming alum Michael Jensen this fall. Congratulations to the two Cal Bears!
Collin Morikawa (Golf)
Golf Schedule: August 1st - 10th
Medaling Chance: Decent
Age: 27 (February 6th, 1997)
At Cal: 2015-19, 5x individual medalist honors (1st place in collegiate tournaments)
Just qualified for the Paris Olympics with a strong early 2024 to move up enough in the Offical World Golf Ranking to be the 4th-ranked American, Collin Morikawa is seeking his first Olympic medal after losing in the playoffs for the Bronze medal in 2021 Tokyo to C.T. Pan (Washington alum representing Taiwan).
Morikawa has two Golf Major Titles (2020 PGA Championship and 2021 (British) Open Championship) already in his still young professional career. He is the lone Cal Bears to have won a golf major thus far. The 6x PGA Tour champion is considered one of the best iron players on the PGA Tour.
Collin Morikawa is no stranger to representing Team USA, having done so in two Ryder Cups (2021 and 2023) and a Presidents Cup (2022). In fact, Morikawa clinched the USA’s win in the 2021 Ryder Cup.
Kara Kohler (Rowing)
Rowing Schedule: July 27th - August 3rd
Event: Women’s Single Scull
Medaling Chance: Decent (4th at the 2023 World Rowing Championships)
Age: 33 (January 20th, 1991)
At Cal: 2011-14, All-American honor in each of her four years at Cal, including helping the V8+ boat to the NCAA Championship in 2013.
Cal alum Kara Kohler had a remarkable comeback for the 2021 Tokyo Games after missing out on the 2016 Rio Games. The 2012 London bronze medalist for quadruple sculls, Kohler switched to single sculls to qualify for Tokyo (when she finished 9th) and now Paris.
Without any prior rowing experience, Kara Kohler became a walk-on on the Cal Women’s Rowing team her freshman season. According to interviews, Kohler was a swimmer growing up who idolized Cal legend Natalie Coughlin in high school. She immediately found success after switching to rowing and now will be a 3x Calympian. Kohler almost quit rowing when not selected for the 2016 Rio Games, but her persistence has since been justified.
1st Time "Calympians"
This is always the most fun group to write about every Olympic cycle. These Cal Bears can forever call themselves an Olympian. 2024 may also be the first of many
Keaton Jones (Swimming)
Swimming Schedule: July 27th - August 4th
Event: Men’s 200 Backstroke
Medaling Chance: Decent
Age: 19 (October 13th, 2004)
At Cal: a rising sophomore, Jones was the lone freshman to qualify for the NCAA Championships this past spring
For the third consecutive Olympic Games, both representatives for Team USA for men’s 200m Backstroke are Cal Bears. Ryan Murphy had earned the top spot in 2016 and 2021. Jacob Pebley in 2016 and Colby Mefford in 2021 had touched the wall at the U.S. Swim Trials. 2024 is Keaton Jones’ turn. Jones will attempt to better the results of Pebley and Mefford by medaling in Paris. He certainly got enough speed to do that.
Jack Alexy (Swimming)
Swimming Schedule: July 27th - August 4th
Events: Men’s 100 Free, Men’s 4x100 Free Relay
Medaling Chance: Good (especially in relay)
Age: 21 (January 19th, 2003)
At Cal: rising senior, a part of the 2024 Cal’s NCAA winning 4x200 Free Relay and earned valuable points to help Cal win the Team National Championships in 2022 and 2023
2023 was a huge year for Jack Alexy’s international swimming career. The sprinter put the swimming world on notice when he won five medals at the 2023 World Championships. Alexy was able to sustain that success and make his first Olympic Games this summer.
Alexy finished 2nd in the 100m Freestyle at the U.S. Trials to earn both an individual swim and a spot on the 4x100 Free Relay. He narrowly missed a chance to race in 50 Free by only placing 4th in that final.
Megan Rodgers Valzonis (Field Hockey)
Field Hockey Schedule: July 27th - August 9th
Medaling Chance: Not great (USA is ranked 13th internationally)
Age: 25 (March 15th, 1999)
At Cal: 2017-21, one of the top goal scorers in Cal history despite only competing for three years (4th all-time in goals, 5th all-time in points)
After a splendid career at Cal that was cut short by the COVID pandemic in 2020, Megan (Rodgers) Valzonis made the U.S. National Team first in 2021 and helped Team USA to qualify for the Paris Olympics. She is only the 4th Field Hockey Calympian and the first since the 1988 Games.
With 35 caps for Team USA, Megan is right around the middle in terms of national team experience on the 16-person USA roster. She has four international goals thus far.
Christian Tabash (Rowing)
Rowing Schedule: July 27th - August 3rd
Event: Men’s Eight
Medaling Chance: ???
Age: 25
At Cal: as a graduate student, Tabash was a part of the 3V8+ boat in 2023.
A graduate transfer to Cal after four years at Harvard, Christian Tabash will make his Olympic debut in Paris on the premier rowing event for the USA men. Tabash is currently in the 3rd seat of Team USA’s Men’s Eight boat. A completely different lineup except for one rower had finished 4th at Tokyo.
According to his profile, Tabash is fluent in French and Haitian Creole as well as being able to speak Spanish and Arabic. He only became interested in rowing after watching the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Aaron Shackell (Swimming)
Swimming Schedule: July 27th - August 4th
Event: 400 Free
Medaling Chance: ???
Age: 19 (December 10th, 2005)
At Cal: after swimming with the Cal Bears in the fall of 2024, Shackell opted to train back at home in Carmel, Indiana; he has since decided to transfer to Texas
It might be slightly controversial to list Aaron Shackell as a “Calympian” since he barely spent time in Berkeley, but since he did suit up for the Cal Bears on a couple of occasions, that is enough for me to count him. Shackell was a somewhat surprising winner of the 400 Free in his hometown of Indianapolis for the U.S. Swim Trials. Son of a former Great Britain swimming Olympian, Aaron is the older brother of twins Alex and Andrew. Both Alex and Andrew had committed to Cal as high school class of 2025 but Andrew has since followed his older brother Aaron to Texas.
The top recruit for the class of 2025 in women’s swimming, Alex Shackell has also qualified for Paris as a US Olympian. We will have more on her in the next post about future Cal Bears.
Gus Rodriguez (Rowing)
Rowing Schedule: July 27th - August 3rd
Event: ??? (Spare)
At Cal: as a graduate student, Rodriguez was on the V8+ boat that won the 2023 IRA National Championship.
Gus Rodriguez won a Natty at Cal in 2023 after being a graduate transfer from Brown. Fast forward to 2024, Rodriguez is one of the five alternates for Team USA rowing. He’s one of two men and three women that are ready to fill in if needed. I traditionally do not count alternates as “Calympians” but Rodriguez will get to experience the Paris Olympic experience.
An Olympic medal is in Gus Rodriguez’s pedigree. His father was an Olympic silver medalist in men’s four back in 1988.
USA Men's Water Polo
Men’s Water Polo Schedule: July 26th - August 11th
We are not quite done with the list of 1st-time USA Calympian. After helping Cal Men’s Water Polo to the past three consecutive NCAA Championship titles, the recently graduated Adrian Weinberg will be in the cage for Team USA in Paris. He will be joined by two other Cal Bears on Team USA.
Team USA finished 9th at the 2024 World Aquatics World Championships in Doha, Qatar. They are ranked 7th internationally. With three Cal Bears in key roles, we do hope for an improvement on that result this summer to get on the podium.
Adrian Weinberg
Age: 22 (November 25th, 2001)
At Cal: 2019 - 2024, helped Cal to three national championships (2021, 2022, 2023)
A starter at goalkeeper at Cal since his freshman year (although he was not expecting it), Weinberg was instrumental in helping Cal three-peat with his great defense. His international career saw his promotion to the USA Senior Team in the summer of 2022 and he soon took advantage by earning the role of the starting goalkeeper.
How far Team USA can go in Paris will likely be decided by how well Weinberg can play in front of the cage.
Johnny Hooper
Age: 27 (June 24th, 1997)
At Cal: 2015-19, his 245 career goals made him Cal’s 2nd leading scorer all-time when he graduated, Hooper was a key part of Cal’s 2016 NCAA title squad
Back to another Olympic Games, Hooper has been a member of Team USA since his college days, missing a few Cal games due to his national team duty. Nonetheless, Hooper has always been prolific in scoring goals. He tallied 10 goals at the 2024 World Aquatics World Championships in Doha. Considered slightly short for water polo at only 6-foot-1, Hooper is known for his athleticism in rising out of the water to score goals.
The Tokyo Olympics was special for Hooper since his mom came from Japan. Hooper’s father was an elite beach volleyball player, earning Hall of Fame status.
Luca Cupido
Age: 28
At Cal: 2014-17, before the current Cal three-peat, it was Luca Cupido who helped Cal to the 2016 NCAA title - earning him the 2017 Cutino Award
Back for his 3rd Olympic Games, Luca Cupido is a veteran difference-maker on the squad. Known for his clutch goals, Cupido is one of the key attackers for Team USA. Cupido can also play multiple positions, a trait that he displayed while at Cal to lead the Golden Bears to an NCAA title.
Born in Italy to an Italian father and an American mother, Cupido ultimately decided to represent the USA. He has helped USA to two Pan American titles in 2015 and 2019. Cupido has a brother who also played at Cal.
Great Athletes who also went to Cal
Not all great athletes at Cal are a part of Cal Athletics. Some of the “regular” students on campus may have been Olympic-level athletes!
Lily Zhang (Table Tennis)
Table Tennis Schedule: July 26th - August 11th
Events: Women’s Single, Women’s Team
Age: 28 (June 16th, 1996)
At Cal: 2014-18, despite taking a gap year or the 2016 Olympic Games, Lily Zhang earned her Cal degree in 3.5 years
If you have followed our Olympic coverage for the last two Summer Games, Lily Zhang should be a very familiar face. She will be competing in her 4th Olympic Games in Paris. The top-ranked female table tennis player in the US, Zhang has improved her game to be ranked in the top 25 internationally. Although the USA has not yet medalled in Table Tennis at the Olympics, Lily Zhang making that breakthrough is somewhat plausible.
A star of the documentary Top Spin while she was in high school, Zhang has won the US national championship six times. She finished 17th individually at both Tokyo and Rio.
Lily Zhang has played professionally in Germany to hone her game since graduated. She did a Reddit AMA two months ago.
Annie Xu (Badminton)
Kerry Xu (Badminton)
Badminton Schedule: July 27th - August 5th
Event: Women’s Double
At Cal: 2017-20
Twin sisters Annie and Kerry Xu grew up in the Bay Area. Annie is the older twin by two minutes. The two started to play badminton at the age of eight and soon found themselves to be very good. Despite their success playing the sport internationally, the twins decided to stop playing when they enrolled at Cal, both in accounting.
But after they had graduated and got the chance to play again post-pandemic, the Xu sisters decided to chase their Olympic dream. They achieved that goal and earned a berth for Paris by winning silver medals at the Pan-American Games. They have also stated in an interview how they would love to promote the game of badminton in the US.
It turns out that I have hit the length limit for this post. A continuation of the future, pro group, and coaching USA “Calympians” will be sent later today.
GO BEARS! GO USA!
Makes me proud! Go Bears!
Congratulations! You do us proud!
Go Bears!