On Aug. 3, Shanieka Ricketts won her first silver medal with a 14.87m jump on her second attempt.
Her first jump landed at 14.61m, and her final jump landed at 14.73m. Her second jump already guaranteed her a spot on the podium.
Before competing, Ricketts set a goal to earn a medal, and she was able to reach her goal.
“Hopefully at this Olympic games, I will be able to get a medal this time- I was fourth in Tokyo,” Ricketts said.
Competing at the last two Olympic games, 2024 represents Ricketts’s best jump yet. Before showcasing her athletic talent at the Olympics this summer, Shanieka Ricketts’s ability to run and jump was presented at San Diego State University’s Aztec women’s track and field events.
She is the second alumni of the Aztec women’s track and field to win a medal at the Olympics, Lynn Kanuka-Williams winning bronze during the 1984 Olympics for her 3,000m run. During her time at SDSU, Ricketts won multiple awards and broke many records, including the high jump for freshmen both indoor and outdoor. However, Ricketts is no longer able to compete in the high jump after obtaining an injury while at SDSU; now she focuses on the triple jump.
After graduating from SDSU in 2014 with a Bachelor’s degree in Economics, Ricketts represented Jamaica in the Rio 2016 Olympics for the triple jump. Unfortunately, she was not able to place with her 14.02m jump. Ricketts’s gift landed her an induction to SDSU’s Hall of Fame in 2019.
Shortly after, Ricketts competed again in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. She was close to earning a bronze medal, coming in fourth with a 14.84m jump.
Despite not winning a medal at Tokyo, Ricketts kept a bigger perspective in mind.
“I’m all about appreciating and being present in the moment because you’ll never know if you’ll make it to the next Olympics. It’s just always an honor to represent Jamaica,” Ricketts reflected.
Aside from representing Jamaica, Ricketts hopes she can inspire the children of Jamaica.
“I hope to be an inspiration to them. I hope they see themselves in me,” Ricketts shared.
Xander Schauffele, a San Diego State University alumni, had the honor of representing the United States in golf at the 2024 Olympics in Paris, making this his second opportunity to win a gold medal for the U.S.
During his senior season, Schauffele was the face of SDSU’s golf team in 2014-2015. He was the No. 1 golfer in eight of ten tournaments, earning him the All-Mountain West accolade for the third year in a row, alongside being named to the Ben Hogan Award watch list. He was also given third-team All-American Honors from Golfweek and PING.
After graduating college, Xander turned professional and joined the PGA Tour in 2015 with aspirations of winning tournaments at the highest level. It didn’t take him very long as he was able to win the PGA Tour Championship in 2017, making him the first rookie to ever achieve this title. This gave him enough votes to receive Rookie of the Year and start his PGA Tour career strong.
In 2020, he was named to the Olympic golf team to represent the USA in Tokyo. This was his first opportunity to fight for something more than just his individual play. He had the chance to bring home a gold medal for his country and he took full advantage of that privilege.
As the 2024 Olympics approached, Xander was prepared to defend his gold medal in Paris. He was in the middle of his most successful season, winning his first two majors in the same year. He brought home the 2024 PGA Championship and the 2024 Open Championship, making him the No. 2 ranked golfer in the world.
Schauffele had high momentum going into this tournament, due to the recent success that he’s had on tour, while also being the defending gold medalist from the last Olympics. He started out the tournament strong with a 65 and 66 through the first two days.
On day three, he finished with a 68, putting him in first place with Jon Rahm going into the final round. Unfortunately, he struggled on the last day and finished with a 73, which is 2-over par for the round. With a bogey on hole eight, twelve, and thirteen, and a double bogey on hole fifteen, this set him back to ninth place in the tournament. Schauffele finished the Olympics with a final score of 272, unable to bring home a medal for the United States.
Despite Xander not having the finish that he wanted, he was still pleased to see that a USA athlete secured gold for their country. After shooting a 62 on the final day and finishing 19-under par, Scottie Scheffler, the No. 1 ranked golfer, was able to win the gold medal in Paris.
“When I take my competitive hat off and put on my USA patriot hat on, I’m very happy that we won another gold,” Schauffele said.
As the PGA Tour season comes to an end, Schauffele looks to finish strong and compete for a Presidents Cup title with his fellow Americans, which begins on Sept. 29. A win at this last event would solidify his most successful season as a PGA Tour Professional, and put a cherry on top to a great year.
