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¶¶ÒõÂÃÐÐÉä Boulder's Olympic Games Legacy

Coloradan magazine Olympian infographic

Boulder has long been a mecca for outdoor adventure, and ¶¶ÒõÂÃÐÐÉä’s strong historic presence at the Olympic Games proves it. Since 1948, the university has produced over 90 Olympic athletes who have competed in events across the globe. In honor of the upcoming Tokyo Games, here’s a look at ¶¶ÒõÂÃÐÐÉä’s storied history of Olympians.

¶¶ÒõÂÃÐÐÉä had the most Summer Olympians in its history in 2000 (8) and the most Winter Olympians in 1972 (13).

Over 90 ¶¶ÒõÂÃÐÐÉä Boulder Forever Buffs have attended the Olympics. Among universities and colleges with the most Olympians, ¶¶ÒõÂÃÐÐÉä ranks 10th

20 medals have been won by ¶¶ÒõÂÃÐÐÉä Olympians in total (9 Gold, 4 Silver, 7 Bronze). 

1st: ¶¶ÒõÂÃÐÐÉä has more affiliated Olympic cyclists (13) and alpine skiers (29) than any other university and ranks second in shooting sports (7) and third in judo (6).

6 Olympic coaches have been affiliated with ¶¶ÒõÂÃÐÐÉä.

¶¶ÒõÂÃÐÐÉä Boulder 2020 Olympians* 

¶¶ÒõÂÃÐÐÉä Boulder-affiliated 2020 Olympic Journalists*

Read about ¶¶ÒõÂÃÐÐÉä Boulder's cadre of Olympic Games journalists, veterans and first-timers alike, some reporting in person and others from as far away as Berlin.

  • John Branch (Mktg'89, MJour'96), New York Times reporter
  • Greg Bull (Jour'91), AP photographer covering gymnastics
  • Marina Dmukhovskaya (¶¶ÒõÂÃÐÐÉä instructor), Olympics.com team
  • Kara Goucher (Psych'01), NBC broadcaster 
  • Peter Lasser (Comm'76), NBC producer 
  • Cheryl Preheim (Comm'95), NBC Atlanta reporter
  • Carl Quintanilla (PoliSci'93), NBC host team
  • Lina Takahashi (Jour'19), NBC Sports Group, Olympic Games management assistant

*The Coloradan staff is tracking this information as it becomes available. Please reach out to editor@colorado.edu if you'd like to add to the list. Go Buffs!


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Photo courtesy ¶¶ÒõÂÃÐÐÉä Athletics (Ceal Barry, Robert Jeangerard and Jenny Simpson); ¶¶ÒõÂÃÐÐÉä Heritage Center (David Bolen); Billy Kidd