Irish in the Olympics: Who’s going to Rio

We are a week away from the first competitions of the 2016 Rio Olympics, so for your convenience, here’s a list of all the current and former Irish athletes competing in the Games, with medal odds included.

In 2012, Notre Dame had 15 athletes compete in the London Olympics, with five of them returning home with a medal. This year, the number of Irish at the Games will be a little lower (11), but plenty of them have the chance to capture some hardware.

Here’s a quick breakdown of the Notre Dame athletes and coaches.

• One current student, senior fencer Lee Kiefer
• Three first-time Olympians
• Four Olympic medalists with seven top-three finishes between them
• Eight Americans, two Canadians and one Nigerian
• 10 women and one man

Women’s Basketball

Natalie Achonwa, Canada

Medal odds: 20 to 1

Achonwa was one of the all-time greats for Notre Dame women’s basketball, an All-American, all-conference player in her final two seasons who formed a big three alongside Kayla McBride and Jewell Loyd during the team’s undefeated regular season of 2013-2014. With the Irish, Achonwa made four straight Final Fours, but she never got the national championship.

She’s had better luck with team Canada, with whom she competed in the 2012 Olympics, reaching the quarterfinals, and the 2015 Pan-American Games, where she led the team to a gold medal. The Canadians are definite long shots to win gold in Rio, but they currently rank ninth in the world, and it wouldn’t be shocking to see them capture bronze.

Men’s Basketball

Monty Williams, USA

Medal odds: 1 to 25

Williams was an honorable mention All-American back with the Irish in 1993-1994, and he went on to have himself a pretty lengthy NBA career, playing nine seasons and averaging 6.3 points per game before injuries forced him into retirement.

Where Williams has really made his name, though, is in coaching. At 38 years old, he became the youngest head coach in the NBA when the New Orleans Pelicans hired him in 2010, and he has since worked with Billy Donovan at Oklahoma City before being let go this offseason.

But that’s OK, because Williams is one of three assistant coaches to Mike Krzyzewski for the U.S. Olympic team, alongside Jim Boeheim and Tom Thibodeau. That’s impressive company, and it would rank as probably the biggest surprise of the Games if this team doesn’t win a gold medal.

Fencing

Mariel Zagunis, USA

Medal odds: 3 to 1

Zagunis was already a gold medalist by the time she came to Notre Dame, surprising the world by winning the women’s sabre in 2004. Since then, she has added another gold and bronze in 2008 and was selected to carry the American flag during the Opening Ceremony in 2012.

But Zagunis’s London Games went downhill from there, as she was upset in the tournament and failed to medal. Now 31 years old, Zagunis is back for another run at glory. She’s ranked third in the world this year, and as a member of the women’s sabre team competition, her chances of a medal are pretty good.

Kelley and Courtney Hurley, USA

Medal odds: 7 to 1

The sisters Hurley will both be competing in the women’s epee team and individual events. While this will be the first time Kelley and Courtney had competed in the exact same events, both sisters have competed in the Olympics before, Kelley twice and Courtney once. They did win bronze together in London, and their best chance for a medal is again in that competition. Individually, it would be a surprise to see either win anything.

, USA

Medal odds: 5 to 1

Competing in the men’s foil, Meinhardt will be seeking a breakthrough after competing in the last two Olympics without winning anything. In 2008, he was the youngest U.S. Olympic fencer ever, and he has won medals at the NCAA championships, national championships, world junior and senior championships and Pan-American Games.

Meinhardt is currently ranked fourth in the world in his category, so he’s on the very cusp of winning something, and the U.S. national team is one of the favorites in the team portion, so he’s likely to claim something at last.

Lee Kiefer, USA

Medal odds: 7 to 1

The only current Notre Dame student to make the Olympics, Kiefer is no stranger to the big stage. She also competed in the 2012 Games and finished fifth in the foil, as well as earning a bronze medal at the 2011 world championships. She also has three NCAA titles to her name.

At the moment, Kiefer ranks third in the world individually, so her medal chances are solid, but the Olympics rotates out one team competition per gender per Games, and this time it just so happens to be foil for the women, dealing a blow to Kiefer’s opportunity. Still, plenty of Olympics are likely in the rising senior’s future.

Rowing

Amanda Polk, USA

Medal odds: 1 to 4

In case you didn’t know, the U.S. has a dynasty in women’s eights rowing, in which eight rowers and coxswain compete per boat. All told, the Americans have won 10 straight Olympic or world titles in the event.

Amanda Polk was an alternate for the 2012 Games, but she was in the boat for five other of those world championships, and she’s finally made it to the Olympics in Rio. Polk was a three-time All-American with the Irish back in the day and is the most decorated rower in program history. She’ll likely cement that legacy with a gold this August.

Women’s Soccer

Melissa Tancredi, Canada

Medal odds: 15 to 1

Canada earned bronze back in 2012, but had plenty of reason for outrage after some controversial calls in its semifinal against the U.S. But in the 2015 World Cup, the Canadians failed to exact revenge, only reaching the quarterfinals on their home turf.

Tancredi was a two-time All-American and won an NCAA title with the Fighting Irish back in 2004, and she’s been a part of Canada’s Olympic and World Cup teams since 2007. She has 22 international goals, including four in London in 2012, and this could be her last hurrah for Canada. Her team ranks 10th in the world at the moment.

Track and Field

Molly Huddle, USA

Medal odds: 25 to 1

Huddle graduated from Notre Dame in 2006 with nine All-American scrolls, and she has gone on to have a solid career in professional running. A little bit of a late bloomer since turning pro, her first Olympics came in 2012, where she finished 11th in the 5,000 meters.

Since then, she’s only gotten better, coming fourth in the 10,000 meter world championships last year and winning both the 10K and 5K at the U.S. Olympic Trials. She’s only running the 10K in Rio though, in hopes of bettering her medal chances. She’ll have her work cut out for her though, as she does not have any of the 20 best times in the world this year.

Margaret Bamgbose, Nigeria

Medal odds: 50 to 1

Bamgbose graduated from Notre Dame this past May as the track and field program’s all-time leader in All-American honors, with 11, then went on to finish third in the 400 meters at the Nigerian Olympic Trials, punching her ticket to Rio.

She finished fourth at the NCAA outdoor championships this past season and owns the 20th fastest time in the world this year. Bamgbose will hard-pressed to make the finals of this very competitive event, but she will likely be back in 2020.