Reviewed by: Liv George
Former Crimson Tide athlete Shelby McEwen takes silver at 2024 Olympics
Reading time: 3 minutes
The 2024 Olympics officially wrapped up Sunday night but not before another athlete with ties to Alabama got on the podium.
Former Alabama Crimson Tide athlete Shelby McEwen got plenty of the spotlight during the final day of track and field events in Paris, competing in the men’s high jump. After a thrilling jump-off in the final, McEwen walked away with a silver medal in his first trip to the Olympics.
Keep reading to find out more about McEwen’s performance + read up on another trio of Tide athletes who made some noise on the track.
Shelby McEwen
McEwen spent two seasons with Alabama, claiming indoor and outdoor SEC Championships in the high jump in 2018. He was also an All-American in high jump for the 2019 season.
But he never had a performance like the one he had in France. McEwen broke his personal best twice during the finals, clearing 2.34m and 2.36m to secure at least a spot on the podium.
In the end, McEwen was tied with Hamish Kerr of New Zealand after neither man could clear the 2.38m bar. They were given a choice of sharing the gold medal or entering a jump-off and Kerr made it clear he did not want to share the top spot.
Kerr went on to claim the gold by clearing 2.36m again, pushing McEwen back to silver.
Tide trio competes in men’s 400m
Three runners who have competed for Alabama at the collegiate level were representing three different countries in the men’s 400 meter run at the 2024 Olympics. All three qualified for the final, making up nearly half of the field, including:
- Jereem Richards (Trinidad & Tobago)
- Kirani James (Grenada)
- Samuel Ogazi (Nigeria)
James became the first person to ever reach four Olympic finals in the 400m. He was in the hunt for a medal along with Richards but both were passed in the final moments.
Here’s how each Alabama runner finished, with Richards crossing the line just four-hundredths of a second behind the bronze medalist:
- Jereem Richards – 43.78 – 4th
- Kirani James – 43.87 – 5th
- Samuel Ogazi – 44.73 – 7th
Alabama connections in the Olympics
Make sure you don’t miss out on any of the stories about Olympians with ties to Alabama including four athletes who left Paris with some extra weight around their necks.
- Troy alum joins elite group with fourth Olympic gold medal
- Mobile native Paige Madden adds to her Olympic medal count in Paris
- Former Auburn star Suni Lee earns Olympic bronze in all-around final
- Oak Mountain’s Payne sisters competing for Nigeria
- Former Crimson Tide star Luisa Blanco set to represent Colombia
- South Alabama’s Francois Prinsloo follows up national title with trip to the Olympics
- Birmingham native Tanner Tessman set to compete with US Soccer
What was your favorite part of the 2024 Olympics in Paris? Let us know by tagging The Bama Buzz on Instagram, X, Facebook + LinkedIn.
