OLYMPICS CENTRAL: Cougars Head to Paris for 2024 Olympics

HOUSTON – Seven current or former University of Houston athletes and coaches will head to the 2024 Paris Olympic Games – six as competitors and one as a coach – representing their countries at the highest stage this summer.

This marks Houston's largest delegation since the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games where the Cougars also sent seven representatives. Houston will be represented by six countries in Paris, with two representing Great Britain. The other countries represented by the Cougars are Barbados, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Mexico and South Africa.

The 2024 Paris Olympic Games will take place from July 26-August 11 with coverage on the NBC family of networks.

Name	Country	Sport	Event/Position	Years at Houston
Elizabeth Jimenez	Dominican Republic	Swimming	100m Backstroke (33rd; 1:04.99)	2023-Present
Alondra Ortiz	Costa Rica	Swimming	200m Butterfly (18th; 2:18.56)	2022-Present
Louie Hinchliffe	Great Britain	Track & Field	100m (Semifinalist, 11th place; 9.97) 4x100m relay (Bronze medalist, 37.61)	2024-present
Shaun Maswanganyi	South Africa	Track & Field	100m (Semifinalist, 15th place; 10.02) 200m (Semifinalist, 15th place; 20.42) 4x100m relay (Silver medalist, 37.57)	2021-present
Cecilia Tamayo-Garza	Mexico	Track & Field	100m, 200m	2019-23
Tristan Evelyn	Barbados	Track & Field	100m	2018-21
Jane Figueiredo	Great Britain	Diving	Coach	Diver: 1983-86 Diving Coach: 1990-2014

SCHEDULE – ALL TIMES CT

MONDAY, JULY 29

4:13 a.m. – 100-meter Backstroke Heats – Elizabeth Jimenez – 33rd overall (1:04.99)

WEDNESDAY, JULY 31

4:46 a.m. – 200-meter Butterfly Heats – Alondra Ortiz – 18th overall (2:18.56)

FRIDAY, AUG. 2

4:50 a.m. – 100-meter Round 1 – Cecilia Tamayo-Garza: 45th overall (11.39); Tristan Evelyn: 53rd overall (11.55)

SATURDAY, AUG. 3

4:55 a.m. – 100-meter Round 1 – Louie Hinchliffe: heat 3 winner, third overall (9.98); Shaun Maswanganyi: heat 3 qualifier, 16th overall (10.06)

SUNDAY, AUG. 4

3:55 a.m. – 200-meter Round 1 – Cecilia Tamayo-Garza – Advances to repechage round (23.65)

1:05 p.m. – 100-meter Semifinal – Louie Hinchliffe: 11th overall (9.97) – Shaun Maswanganyi: 15th overall (10.02)

MONDAY, AUG. 5

5:50 a.m. – 200-meter Repechage Round – Cecilia Tamayo-Garza – Fifth place in heat 3 (23.49)

12:55 p.m. – 200-meter Round 1 – Shaun Maswanganyi – Heat 5 qualifier, 7th overall (20.20)

WEDNESDAY, AUG. 7

1:02 p.m. – 200-meter Semifinal – Shaun Maswanganyi – 11th overall (20.42)

THURSDAY, AUG. 8

4:35 a.m. – 4x100-meter relay Round 1 – Louie Hinchliffe/Great Britain: Finals qualifier (38.04) – Shaun Maswanganyi/South Africa: Finals qualifier (37.94)

FRIDAY, AUG. 9

12:45 p.m. – 4x100-meter relay Final – Shaun Maswanganyi/South Africa: Silver medalist (37.57); Louie Hinchliffe/Great Britain: Bronze medalist (37.61)

SWIMMING & DIVING

Jimenez and Ortiz become Houston Swimming & Diving's 21st and 22nd Olympians with the potential to earn the team's eighth and ninth medals. Figueiredo continues her long Olympic career, attending the 1984 Games as an athlete for Portugal and the 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016 and 2020 Games as a coach for Russia or Great Britain.

Alondra Ortiz – Costa Rica

Ortiz is representing Costa Rica in Paris after earning a qualification time in the 200 butterfly. She currently holds the Costa Rican record in the event with a 2:13.25 in the event at the TYR Pro Series competition in San Antonio earlier this year. Ortiz previously represented the Central American country at the 2023 Pan Am Games in Santiago, Chile. She finished sixth in the 200 butterfly at the competition with her record-setting time.

Ortiz finished the 200 fly in 18th with a time of 2:18.56.

Elizabeth Jimenez – Dominican Republic

Jimenez makes her Olympic debut in Paris, earning a qualification in the 100 backstroke. Like Ortiz, Jimenez represented her country at the 2023 Pan Am Games, claiming 19th in the 100 backstroke with a 1:04.23.

Jimenez finished her debut Olympics with a 33rd-place finish, touching the wall in 1:04.99.

Jane Figueiredo – Great Britain

Continuing a storied Olympic career, Figueiredo will attend the 2024 Games, her ninth Olympiad, as a diving coach for Great Britain. She's coached Olympians that have medaled in five events, including former Houston standouts Yulia Pakhalina and Anastasia Pozdniakova. Most recently, at the 2020 Tokyo Games she mentored British duo Tom Daley and Matty Lee as they won Olympic Gold in the synchronized 10-meter springboard.

TRACK & FIELD

At Stade de France, Houston Track & Field will have four representatives, including Hinchliffe, the reigning 2024 NCAA 100-meter champion. Maswanganyi and Evelyn will compete at their second Olympic Games after previously competing in Tokyo 2020. Hinchliffe and Tamayo-Garza will make their debuts as the first Houston Track & Field representatives for Great Britain and Mexico, respectively.

Louie Hinchliffe- Great Britain

Under the tutelage of Head Coach Carl Lewis, Hinchliffe heads to his first Olympic Games after winning the men's 100-meter at the United Kingdom Athletics Championships in June. Along with competing in the 100, Hinchliffe is also in the 4x100-meter relay pool. Hinchliffe is the first Houston Track & Field student-athlete to represent Great Britain at the Olympic Games.

Shaun Maswanganyi - South Africa

A pupil of Head Coach Carl Lewis, Maswanganyi is set to compete in his second Olympic Games for South Africa, earning qualifications in the 100, 200-meter and 4x100-meter relay pool. He achieved the Olympic standard time in the 200 qualification with his mark of 20.10 at the Big 12 Outdoor Championship in May. Maswanganyi competed at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games where he was a semifinalist in the 100 and 200.

Cecilia Tamayo-Garza – Mexico

Tamayo-Garza makes her Olympic debut in Paris, earning qualifications in the 100 and 200 for Mexico. She is the second Mexican woman to compete in the 200 after a 56-year absence by Team Mexico and is the third Mexican woman to qualify in the 100. Tamayo-Garza is currently Mexico's 200 record holder with a time of 22.45. Tamayo-Garza was a member of the Houston Track & Field program from 2019-23 and trains with Head Coach Carl Lewis.

Tristan Evelyn – Barbados

Evelyn returns to her second Olympic Games for Barbados where she will compete in the 100. At the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, Evelyn competed in the 100, finishing sixth in her heat with a time of 11.42. She was a member of the Houston Track & Field program from 2018-21.

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