Card in Olympic Track and Field

RIO DE JANEIRO – Justine Fedronic '13 and Katerina Stefanidi '12 will represent Stanford track and field at the Olympics. This is the ninth consecutive Games that a Stanford athlete – current, former, or incoming -- will have competed, and the 23rd overall.

Fedronic, an 800-meter runner for France, and Stefanidi, a pole vaulter for Greece, were teammates at Stanford from 2010-12. This is the second Olympics for Stefanidi, who won the European championship and was third at the World Indoors this year. Fedronic, the French runner-up, will become Stanford's 64th track and field Olympian. This is her first major world competition.

This is the first Olympics that Stanford's representation has been by women and no men.
 * * *
Event: Olympic Games
Site: Olympic Stadium
City: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Schedule/Results: IAAF.org

Stanford Competitors:
Justine Fedronic '13 (France), women's 800 meters (@ThisJustine_)
Katerina Stefanidi  '12 (Greece), women's pole vault (@KatStefanidi)

Stanford Schedule (Pacific time)
Aug. 16 (Tuesday)
5:45 a.m.: Women's pole vault qualifying (Katerina Stefanidi). Result: Stefandi opened at 15-1 (4.60m) and cleared the bar easily on her first try. That was all she needed to become one of 12 to advance to the final.

Aug. 17 (Wednesday)
6:55 a.m.: Women's 800 first round (Justine Fedronic). Result: Fedronic was fifth in the first heat, running 2:02.73, and did not advance to the semifinals, placing 46th overall. Fedronic never was in good position. She broke near the back of the pack and was sixth after the first lap. She shifted to lane two to get in better position, moving up slightly in a tightly-bunched field on the back stretch, only to get boxed in coming off the final turn. When she finally found room, she was unable to respond.

Aug. 19 (Friday)
4:30 p.m.: Women's pole vault final
 * * *
A closer look at Stanford's Olympians:

Justine Fedronic '13
Event: Women's 800 meters
Age: 25
Born: Heidelberg, Germany
Home: Seattle, Wash.
Twitter: @ThisJustine_
Lifetime best: 1:59.86
Season best: 1:59.86
2016 world ranking: No. 24

Personal: Born in Germany to a French-Caribbean father and Hungarian mother ... lived in France until age 6 when the family moved to the Bay Area … grew up in Belmont, just up the Peninsula from Stanford, and starred at Carlmont High School … learned English by reading Dr. Seuss … boyfriend is U.S. Olympic decathlete Jeremy Taiwo.

At Stanford: Five-time All-America … third at the 2013 NCAA Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Ore., running the 800 in 2:01.67 … broke the school 800 record (since broken) by 0.01 on July 6, 2013, running 2:00.97 at the Paris Diamond League meet … the time is No. 2 at Stanford all-time … 2013 Pac-12 runner-up … holds Stanford's indoor record of 2:03.25, run in 2014  … qualified individually for the 2014 NCAA Indoor 800, but chose to run the distance medley relay, running the 1,600-meter leg, anc anchored the Cardinal to second … ran at the 2012 NCAA Cross Country Championships, helping Stanford to third ... graduated with a degree in earth systems.

National/International: Selected for the Rio team after breaking the French Olympic standard of 2:00.00 at the American Track League event in Atlanta on June 4 … her time of 1:59.86 was a personal best … third at the 2014 European Under-23 Championships … second at the 2016 Payton Jordan Invitational at Stanford on May 1, running 2:00.64 … led off the French 4x800 relay team that placed sixth at the 2014 World Relay Championships … second at the 2016 French Championships.
 * * *
Katerina Stefanidi '12
Event: Women's pole vault
Age: 26
Born: Athens, Greece
Home: Chesterland, Ohio
Twitter: @KatStefanidi
Lifetime bests: 4.90m (indoor), 16-0 ¾; 4.86m (outdoor) 15-11 ¼
Season bests: 4.90m (indoor), 16-0 ¾; 4.86m (outdoor) 15-11 ¼
2016 world ranking: No. 3

Personal: Grew up in Pallini, Greece, and lives in Chesterland, Ohio, with her coach and husband, Mitchell Krier … owns a master's in cognitive psychology.

At Stanford: Won both 2012 NCAA championship meets: outdoors in Des Moines (4.45m, 14-7 ¼) and indoors in Nampa, Idaho (4.34m, 14-3 ¼) … holds Stanford records outdoors (4.51m, 14-9 ½) and indoors (4.41m, 14-5 ½) … six-time All-America (three outdoors, three indoors) … captured three consecutive Pac-12 titles, from 2010-12 … won two Mountain Pacific Sports Federation indoor titles, in 2010 and 2012.

National/International: Broke the European Championships record by winning at 4.81 meters (15-9 ¼) in Amsterdam on July 9, breaking the 10-year-old mark of 4.80m (15-9) held by Russia's Yelena Isinbayeva … set the Greek outdoor record of 4.86m (15-11 ¼) in Athens on June 8 … competing in second Olympics, after placing 14th in London in 2012 (13-11 ¼, 4.25m) … third at the 2016 World Indoor Championships in Portland, Oregon, on March 17 (4.80m, 15-9) … Stanford's first world or Olympics pole vault medalist since Toby Stevenson, her coach at Stanford, won silver at the 2004 Olympics … set Greek indoor record and personal best of 4.90m (16-0 ¾) at the  Millrose Games in New York's Armory on Feb. 20 … won the 2005 World Youth Championships in Marrakech (4.30m, 14-1 ¼) and was second in 2007 in Ostrava (4.25m, 13-11 ¼) … third at the 2009 World Junior Championships in Bydgoszcz, Poland (4.25m, 13-11 ¼) … earned silver medals at the 2015 European Indoor Championships in Prague and the 2014 European Outdoors in Zurich (4.60m, 15-1) … three first-places on the Golden League circuit this year.
 * * *
Stanford Olympic track and field facts:

•    64 different Olympians
•    18 different medalists
•    8 different gold medalists
•    21 medals altogether
•    9 gold medals
•    8 silver medals
•    4 bronze medals
•    Most recent medalist: Toby Stevenson (2004, men's pole vault, silver)
•    Most recent gold medalist: Chryste Gaines (1996, women's 4x100)
•    Most recent individual-event gold medalist: Bill Toomey (1968, decathlon)
•    Most recent individual-event gold medalist who competed for Stanford: Bob Mathias (1952, decathlon)
 * * *Stanford track and field Olympians:

1908 London Games
Sam Bellah (U.S.), Men's Pole Vault, Long Jump, Triple Jump

1912 Stockholm Games
Sam Bellah (U.S.), Men's Pole Vault
George Horine (U.S.), Men's High Jump (Bronze)

1920 Antwerp Games
George Bihlman (U.S.), Men's Shot Put
Morris Kirksey (U.S.), Men's 100 Meters (Silver), 4x100m Relay (Gold)
Feg Murray (U.S.), Men's 110m Hurdles (Bronze)
John Norton (U.S.), Men's 400m Hurdles (Silver)
Dink Templeton (U.S.), Men's Long Jump

1924 Paris Games
Glenn Hartranft (U.S.), Men's Shot Put (Silver), Discus
Bill Richardson (U.S.), Men's 800 Meters

1928 Amsterdam Games
Bob King (U.S.), Men's High Jump (Gold)
Eric Krenz (U.S.), Men's Shot Put
Harlow Rothert (U.S.), Men's Shot Put
Bud Spencer (U.S.), Men's 4x400m Relay (Gold)

1932 Los Angeles Games
Hec Dyer (U.S.), Men's 4x100m Relay (Gold)
Ben Eastman (U.S.), Men's 400 Meters (Silver)
Nelson Gray (U.S.), Men's Shot Put
Henri Laborde (U.S.), Men's Discus (Silver)
Bill Miller (U.S.), Men's Pole Vault (Gold)
Harlow Rothert (U.S.), Men's Shot Put (Silver)

1936 Berlin Games
Gordon Dunn (U.S.), Men's Discus (Silver)

1948 London Games
Bob Mathias (U.S.), Men's Decathlon (Gold)

1952 Helsinki Games
Bud Held (U.S.), Men's Javelin
Bob Mathias (U.S.), Men's Decathlon (Gold)
Ian Reed (Australia), Men's Discus

1960 Rome Games
Ernie Cunliffe (U.S.), Men's 800 Meters

1964 Tokyo Games
Dave Weill (U.S.), Men's Discus (Bronze)

1968 Mexico City Games
Peter Boyce (Australia), Men's High Jump
Larry Questad (U.S.), Men's 200 Meters
Bill Toomey (U.S.), Men's Decathlon (Gold)

1972 Munich Games
Chuck Francis (Canada), Men's 100 Meters, 4x100-Meter Relay

1976 Montreal Games
Don Kardong (U.S.), Men's Marathon
Duncan MacDonald (U.S.), Men's 5,000 Meters

1984 Los Angeles Games
Carol Cady (U.S.), Women's Shot Put
Gustavo Envela (Equatorial Guinea), Men's 100 Meters, 200 Meters

1988 Seoul Games
Jeff Atkinson (U.S.), Men's 1,500 Meters
Carol Cady (U.S.), Women's Discus
Nancy Ditz (U.S.), Women's Marathon
Gustavo Envela (Equatorial Guinea), Men's 200 Meters, 400 Meters
Regina Jacobs (U.S.), Women's 1,500 Meters
Brian Marshall (Canada), Men's High Jump
PattiSue Plumer (U.S.), Women's 3,000 Meters

1992 Barcelona Games
Pam Dukes (U.S.), Women's Shot Put
Jackie Edwards (Bahamas), Women's Long Jump
Gustavo Envela (Equatorial Guinea), Men's 100 Meters
Regina Jacobs (U.S.), Women's 1,500 Meters
PattiSue Plumer (U.S.), Women's 1,500 Meters, 3,000 Meters

1996 Atlanta Games
Jackie Edwards (Bahamas), Women's Long Jump
Gustavo Envela (Equatorial Guinea), Men's 200 Meters, 4x100 Meters
Chryste Gaines (U.S.), Women's 4x100m Relay (Gold)
Regina Jacobs (U.S.), Women's 1,500 Meters
Shaun Pickering (Great Britain), Men's Shot Put
Dave Popejoy (U.S.), Men's Hammer Throw
Dave Strang (Great Britain), Men's 800 Meters

2000 Sydney Games
Jackie Edwards (Bahamas), Women's Long Jump
Chryste Gaines (U.S.), Women's 4x100m Relay (Bronze), 100 Meters
Brad Hauser (U.S.), Men's 5,000 Meters
Gabe Jennings (U.S.), Men's 1,500 Meters
Michael Stember (U.S.), Men's 1,500 Meters

2004 Athens Games
Jackie Edwards (Bahamas), Women's Long Jump
Malindi Elmore (Canada), Women's 1,500 Meters
Jonathon Riley (U.S.), Men's 5,000 Meters
Grant Robison (U.S.), Men's 1,500 Meters
Toby Stevenson (U.S.), Men's Pole Vault (Silver)

2008 Beijing Games
Leila Ben Youssef (Tunisia), Women's Pole Vault
Jillian Camarena (U.S.), Women's Shot Put
Ian Dobson (U.S.), Men's 5,000 Meters
Jackie Edwards (Bahamas), Women's Long Jump
Ryan Hall (U.S.), Men's Marathon
Arantxa King (Bermuda), Women's Long Jump
Erica McLain (U.S.), Women's Triple Jump
Michael Robertson (U.S.), Men's Discus

2012 London Games
Jillian Camarena-Williams (U.S.), Women's Shot Put
Ryan Hall (U.S.), Men's Marathon
Arantxa King (Bermuda), Women's Long Jump
Amaechi Morton (Nigeria), Men's 400 Hurdles
Idara Otu (Nigeria), Women's 4x400 Relay
Steven Solomon (Australia), 400 meters, 4x400 Relay  
Katerina Stefanidi (Greece), Women's Pole Vault