Making Waves in Paris: Tulane Takes the Olympic Stage
Aug 16, 2024 | General, Men's Tennis, Women's Basketball, Track & Field, Sailing
NEW ORLEANS – Tulane University had four representatives compete in the 2024 Paris Olympics participating for four different countries. Those representatives for the Green Wave include current women's basketball assistant coach Rena Wakama, graduates Thad Lettsome and Dominik Koepfer, and incoming freshman Tharushi Karunarathna.
Wakama served as the head coach for the Nigerian National Women's Team leading the nation to the quarterfinals of the Olympics becoming the first African team (men or women) to reach the quarterfinals. She led the team to a 2-2 record during the games including the nation's first win in 20 years in the Olympics after defeating Australia 75-62 in the opening game of pool play.
Following the historic run by Nigeria FIBA named Wakama as the Best Coach of the Paris 2024 Olympics in the women's tournament.
Lettsome set sail for the British Virgin Islands in his first Olympic appearance. He competed in the men's one person dinghy (ILCA 7) laser event off the coast of Marseille, France. Lettsome finished 37th overall in the event but posted his best result in the fourth race finishing second in the field of 43 sailors.
His Olympic appearance was the first for the British Virgin Islands since 1996 in Atlanta. Lettsome also received the honor of being one of the nation's two flag bearers during the Opening Ceremony in Paris.
Koepfer made his second consecutive trip to the Olympics representing Germany on the tennis court. He competed in both the singles and doubles draws for his country earning a pair of victories in both draws reaching the quarterfinals in doubles.
In both the singles and the doubles draws Koepfer lost to the eventual gold medalists. In singles he reached the third round where he lost to Novak Djokovic and in doubles play, he and his partner Jan-Lennard Struff fell in the quarterfinals to Australia's Matthew Ebden and John Peers.
Karunarathna represented Sri Lanka competing in the women's 800m race on the track. In her first race on the Olympic stage, she placed eighth in her first round heat with a time of 2:07.76. She followed her run in the first round with an improved time of 2:06.66 in the repechage round the next day to finish seventh in her heat.
Despite not qualifying for the semifinals of the 800m, Karunarathna's two performances would have placed her fifth and tied for second all-time at Tulane.
Tulane University has been represented in the Olympics by six athletes and two coaches all-time across four separate Olympic Games. The full list of Tulane Olympians is listed below:
Tulane in the Olympics
• 1972 (Munich): David Berger, Weightlifting, Israel
• 2004 (Athens): Linda McEachrane, Swimming, Trinidad & Tobago
• 2020 (Tokyo): Dominik Koepfer, Men's Tennis, Germany
• 2020 (Tokyo): Leah Stancil, Swimming, Barbados Coach
• 2020 (Tokyo): Danielle Titus, Swimming, Barbados
• 2024 (Paris): Dominik Koepfer, Men's Tennis, Germany
• 2024 (Paris): Tharushi Karunarathna, Women's Track, Sri Lanka
• 2024 (Paris): Thad Lettsome, Men's Sailing, British Virgin Islands
• 2024 (Paris): Rena Wakama, Women's Basketball, Nigeria Coach
Wakama served as the head coach for the Nigerian National Women's Team leading the nation to the quarterfinals of the Olympics becoming the first African team (men or women) to reach the quarterfinals. She led the team to a 2-2 record during the games including the nation's first win in 20 years in the Olympics after defeating Australia 75-62 in the opening game of pool play.
Following the historic run by Nigeria FIBA named Wakama as the Best Coach of the Paris 2024 Olympics in the women's tournament.
Lettsome set sail for the British Virgin Islands in his first Olympic appearance. He competed in the men's one person dinghy (ILCA 7) laser event off the coast of Marseille, France. Lettsome finished 37th overall in the event but posted his best result in the fourth race finishing second in the field of 43 sailors.
His Olympic appearance was the first for the British Virgin Islands since 1996 in Atlanta. Lettsome also received the honor of being one of the nation's two flag bearers during the Opening Ceremony in Paris.
Koepfer made his second consecutive trip to the Olympics representing Germany on the tennis court. He competed in both the singles and doubles draws for his country earning a pair of victories in both draws reaching the quarterfinals in doubles.
In both the singles and the doubles draws Koepfer lost to the eventual gold medalists. In singles he reached the third round where he lost to Novak Djokovic and in doubles play, he and his partner Jan-Lennard Struff fell in the quarterfinals to Australia's Matthew Ebden and John Peers.
Karunarathna represented Sri Lanka competing in the women's 800m race on the track. In her first race on the Olympic stage, she placed eighth in her first round heat with a time of 2:07.76. She followed her run in the first round with an improved time of 2:06.66 in the repechage round the next day to finish seventh in her heat.
Despite not qualifying for the semifinals of the 800m, Karunarathna's two performances would have placed her fifth and tied for second all-time at Tulane.
Tulane University has been represented in the Olympics by six athletes and two coaches all-time across four separate Olympic Games. The full list of Tulane Olympians is listed below:
Tulane in the Olympics
• 1972 (Munich): David Berger, Weightlifting, Israel
• 2004 (Athens): Linda McEachrane, Swimming, Trinidad & Tobago
• 2020 (Tokyo): Dominik Koepfer, Men's Tennis, Germany
• 2020 (Tokyo): Leah Stancil, Swimming, Barbados Coach
• 2020 (Tokyo): Danielle Titus, Swimming, Barbados
• 2024 (Paris): Dominik Koepfer, Men's Tennis, Germany
• 2024 (Paris): Tharushi Karunarathna, Women's Track, Sri Lanka
• 2024 (Paris): Thad Lettsome, Men's Sailing, British Virgin Islands
• 2024 (Paris): Rena Wakama, Women's Basketball, Nigeria Coach
Players Mentioned
/ Sailing
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