Five Badgers wrap up track action at 2024 Paris Olympics

PARIS — Five Wisconsin track and field standouts wrapped up competition on the track at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games as Canadian Mohammed Ahmed led the for UW charge with a top-five finish.

Ahmed, making his fourth Olympic appearance at 33-years-old, nearly missed out on the podium in the 10000 meters, finishing fourth in 26 minutes, 43.79 seconds. USA’s Grant Fisher took bronze at 26:43.46. Ahmed also competed in the 5000 meters, earning a 15th-place finish in his heat with a time of 14:15.76.

Wisconsin senior Adam Spencer made his Olympic debut for Team Australia after a strong 2024 campaign where he won the Australian 1500 meter National Championship and finished third in the event at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. Spencer finished eighth in his heat in the first round of the 1500 meters last Friday, posting a time of 3:37.68, before earning a season best of 3:34.45 on Saturday in the repechage round where he nearly qualified for the final with a sixth place finish. Spencer will return to UW for his senior year as a six-time All-American, five-time Big Ten Champion and school record holder in the mile.

Olli Hoare competed alongside Spencer for Team Australia in his second Olympics after persevering all season through injury to qualify for Paris. The 2018 NCAA 1500 Meter Champion posted a 13th place finish in his Friday heat at 3:39.11, followed by a near-qualification in the repechage round, placing fifth in 3:34.0.

Morgan McDonald, the third and final Aussie to represent UW, made his second Olympic appearance as a strong contender in the distance field. McDonald, who was a four-time NCAA Champion at Wisconsin, went out in a highly competitive 5000 meters heat and finished ninth at 13:52.67. The top qualifier from the section finished in 13:51.59 in a thrilling race where several athletes nearly missed out on the final round. 

Finally, Badger legend Zach Ziemek took the stage in the decathlon as he became the first American to appear in three decathlons at the Olympics. “Double Z” finished sixth at the 2020 Tokyo Games and had a strong buildup to Paris after a bronze medal at the 2022 World Championships. The 31-year-old unfortunately suffered an injury early on in the competition but powered through, finishing 17th with a score of 7,983 points.