Louie Hinchliffe and Shaun Maswanganyi took first and second in the men’s 100-meter dash at the NCAA West Preliminaries. The duo will head to Paris to represent Great Britain and South Africa. | Courtesy of UH Athletics.
Current and former Houston athletes will represent countries across the globe and showcase their talents in track, swimming, break dancing and Paralympic shooting at the 2024 Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Louie Hinchliffe, Great Britain
In June, the standout sprinter became the first European to win an NCAA national championship in the men’s 100-meters when he crossed the finish line in 9.95 seconds, his personal best. The All-American’s time marks the fourth-best in Houston history. After winning the UK Championships in the 100, Hinchliffe qualified to race for gold in Paris. He will also compete in the men’s 4×100 relay.
Shaun Maswanganyi, South Africa
The South African sprinter is no stranger to major competition. Maswanganyi competed in the men’s 100 and 200-meter NCAA Championships during each of his four collegiate seasons. In June, he finished third in the 4×100 meter where he raced alongside Hinchliffe. A 12-time All-American, his 9.91-second place finish in the 100 is the best in Houston history. The two-time Olympian is set to race in the men’s 100 and 200-meter dashes and is in the relay pool for the 4×100 in Paris.
Cecilia Tamayo-Garza, Mexico
Tamayo-Garza competed for UH track from 2018 to 2023, during which she broke her own Mexican national record in the women’s 200-meter dash at the American Championships with a 22:45 finish. In her first Olympic appearance, Tamayo-Garza will represent her home country in the 200.
Tristan Evelyn, Barbados
Evelyn competed for Houston track from 2017 to 2020. During her senior season, the sprinter won the American Athletic Conference Indoor Championships in the women’s 60 and 100-meters and qualified for the NCAA Indoor Championships. In 2021, she represented her home country in the Olympic 100-meter dash and will compete again in Paris.
Jeffery “B-Boy Jeffro” Louis, United States
The breaking sensation ranks fifth in the world and won the silver medal at the 2023 Pan American Games. The 29-year-old Houston native graduated in 2018. Off the competition floor, Louis launched FitBreak, a workout program that incorporates hip-hop’s full-body movements into fitness exercises.
Alondra Ortiz, Costa Rica
Ortiz secured a 1:56.93 finish in the women’s 200-meter butterfly at the Big 12 Championships and will compete in the 200-meter butterfly in Paris.
Elizabeth Jimenez, Dominican Republic
Jimenez made an impression during her freshman season with a 55.25-second, 12th-place finish in the women’s 100-meter backstroke at the Big 12 Championship. The swimmer will represent her home country in the 100-meter backstroke at her first Olympics.
Jazmin Almlie-Ryan, United States
Almile-Ryan will compete in the R5 Mixed 10m Air Rifle Prone SH2 at her third Paralympics. The 42-year-old graduated from UH in 2006 and has competed for Team USA for 10 years.
The Cougars have earned 41 medals including 20 gold, 13 silver and eight bronze all time.
The 2024 UH Olympians will make their mark in Paris and aspire to take home a medal containing an embedded chunk of iron from the Eiffel Tower. The contest will run from July 26 to Aug. 11, and the Paralympics will run from Aug. 28 to Sept. 8.
