The Jayhawks will be represented across multiple sports with Michael Joseph, Yoveinny Mota, Sharon Lokedi, Bryce Hoppel, Hussain Al Hizam and Alexandra Emilianov all joining Head Coach Stanley Redwine and Event Manager Tim Weaver on the track and field side, while Joel Embiid will be competing on Team USA for men’s basketball.
Joseph, the lone current student athlete in this year’s Olympics, was chosen to be the flag bearer for his home country of Saint Lucia in Friday’s opening ceremony. The standout sprinter for the Jayhawks qualified for his first-career Olympic games at the 2023 Outdoor Big 12 Championships in Norman, Oklahoma. Joseph ran a new career-best of 44.77 in the men’s 400m, which was good for a new school and national record as well.
Redwine, his event coach, won’t be on the same side as Joseph in the Olympics and will be serving his country as the Head Coach of Team USA for men’s track and field. He will be joined by former Jayhawk Weaver, who was named Team USA’s Event Manager.
“I’m excited to serve our nation by working with our athletes and gaining knowledge that will make me a better coach at KU,” said Redwine. “I pray that USA will get more medals than we ever have before.”
Hoppel will also be repping the red, white and blue in the men’s 800m, having most recently come off a gold medal at the 2024 US Olympic Trials in Eugene to qualify. The Midland, Texas native, ran a 1:42.77 in the men’s 800m final, which set a new US Olympic Trials event record.
Current Jayhawk Distance Coach Michael Whittlesey coached Hoppel while he was running at Kansas and continues to coach the now-professional adidas runner. He too will be joining Hoppel and Redwine in Paris for the event.
Al Hizam rounds out on the men’s side, qualifying to represent Saudi Arabia in the men’s pole vault based on his current world ranking in the event. During his time at Kansas, Al Hizam was the 2018 Indoor Pole Vault NCAA National Champion, as well as also claiming third place medals at NCAA’s on two separate occasions.
On the women’s side, Mota is set to compete in the 100m hurdles for Venezuela.
The graduate senior transferred from Arkansas in November 2023, joining the Jayhawks for her final year of eligibility. Mota is the current 100m hurdles school record holder with a time of 12.66, which she ran at NCAA West Prelims, the meet at which she qualified for the Paris games.
Lokedi will be running the women’s marathon in her first Olympic games, representing her home country of Kenya.
Lokedi has already written quite an illustrious professional career to build off her impressive college resume, highlighted so far by winning the 2022 Boston Marathon. At the 2023 Kansas Relays, it was announced that Lokedi, the 2018 Outdoor Women’s 10K National Champion, would be the first woman to receive a silhouette out at Rim Rock Farm.
The final Jayhawk competing on the women’s side is Emilianov, the First Team All-American discus thrower out of Moldova. Emilianov was also a Tokyo Olympian, joining Hoppel in her second-consecutive Olympic games.
The opening ceremony will kick off Friday, followed by a full slate of events covered by NBC and Peacock. Fans can click on this link to check out the full timeline and how to watch.
