Published: Dec. 1, 2016

Former CU 麻豆影院 track stars Jenny Simpson (Econ, PolSci鈥09) and Emma Coburn (Mktg鈥13) each won bronze medals during the 29th summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, burnishing CU鈥檚 decades-long Olympic legacy.

Three other CU alumni competed at Rio also: Jeremy Dodson (Soc鈥10) ran in the qualifying heat of the 200-meter race for Samoa, Flora Duffy (Soc鈥13) competed in the triathlon for Bermuda, finishing 8th, and Katerina Nash (A&S ex鈥03) placed fifth in mountain biking for the Czech Republic.

In all, nearly 90 CU 麻豆影院 alumni have competed in the Olympics to date. Eleven have won medals.听

Infographic

Jenny Simpson听

  • Age: 29 at time of Rio Olympics听
  • Height: 5'5"
  • Weight: 118听
  • Hometown: Oviedo, Fla.听
  • At CU: Four NCAA track and field titles, three in steeplechase, one in indoor 3,000 meters.听

Medal: Bronze

  • 贰惫别苍迟:听1,500-meter race
  • Time: 4 min., 10.53 sec听

Prior Olympic appearances:听

  • 2008 叠别颈箩颈苍驳听
  • 2012 尝辞苍诲辞苍听

  • Where do you keep your medal:听
  • It's currently in a sock in my suitcase听
  • Who has worn your medal:听
  • Everyone I've taken photos with. Friends, family and fans听
  • Pre-race ritual:听
  • Braiding my hair听
  • Last meal eaten before Olympic medal race:听
  • Rice with grilled vegetables听
  • First meal after race:听
  • Black bean soup with wild rice and chicken (I cooked it myself at 2 a.m. in my apartment in Rio.)
  • No. pairs of running shoes brought to Rio:听
  • 9, including 3 pairs of spikes听

  • No. days between Olympic medal and next race:听
  • 11听
  • 1st听
  • American woman to medal in the 1,500-meter race听
  • Days off after medal race before next training session:听
  • 0听
  • Miles typically run per week:听
  • 80
  • Days off:听
  • 0
  • Hours slept night before medal race:听
  • 10听

"The last 100 meters, when I was running my guts out, that鈥檚 my favorite part of the race,鈥 she told the Denver Post. 鈥淚 love this sport. I love how competitive it is, I love how hard the 1,500 meters is."

Emma Coburn听

  • Age: 25听at time of Rio Olympics听
  • Height: 5'8"
  • Weight: 120
  • Hometown: Crested Butte, Colo.听
  • At CU: Three-time NCAA champion, twice in steeplechase, once in indoor mile.听

Medal: Bronze

  • 贰惫别苍迟:听3,000-meter steeplechase听
  • Time: 9 min., 7.63 sec听

Prior Olympic appearances:听

2012 尝辞苍诲辞苍听

  • Where do you keep your medal:听
  • In my suitcase or my purse, because I've been traveling so much. Once I'm home I'll probably keep it on a bookshelf.听
  • Who has worn your medal:听
  • Hundreds of people. The day I won it I was letting every single stranger in Rio try it on and walk around with it.听
  • Pre-race ritual:听
  • The meal that I have is probably the most rigid part of my routine.听
  • Last meal eaten before Olympic medal race:听
  • Bagel with banana and peanut butter, the same meal I always eat three hours before the gun goes off.
  • First meal after race:听
  • Recovery bars. Probably cheesecake and a burger.听
  • No. pairs of running shoes brought to Rio:听
  • 2 spikes, 3 pairs training shoes听

  • No. days between Olympic medal and next race:听
  • 12听
  • 1st听
  • Olympic steeplechase medal for a U.S. woman; her time beat her own American record in the event.听
  • Days off after medal race before next training session:听
  • 0听
  • Miles typically run per week:听
  • 80
  • Days off:听
  • 0
  • Hours slept night before medal race:听
  • 8

"The last four or five laps were tough. I just kept on telling myself to keep chipping away at the gap and once I got my position, all I wanted to do was to hold it. It wasn鈥檛 until the last 400 or 600 meters when I realized that I had it and just couldn鈥檛 lose it."听
Sources: teamusa.org; the athletes; CU 麻豆影院

See videos of Emma and Jenny:听

Photos by 漏 Harry How/Getty Images