PARIS – Alanna Smith ’19 became the third Stanford women’s basketball alumna to medal at an Olympic Games when she led Australia to bronze in Paris on Sunday.
Smith and the Australians beat Belgium, 85-81, to secure the Opals’ first Olympic medal since London 2012 (bronze). Stanford’s 2019 All-American had 13 points and 12 rebounds in the bronze-medal game and was one of the best in the entire tournament. She averaged 11.5 points, 8.0 rebounds and 2.2 assists per outing, shot 52.0 percent from the field and 41.7 percent from behind the arc, and was named to the Olympics’ All-Star Five along with A’ja Wilson (USA), Breanna Stewart (USA), Gabby Williams (France) and Emma Meesseman (Belgium).
Smith started the Games with 15 points and seven rebounds against Nigeria on July 29 and had 12 points and four rebounds against the host French to close out the group stage on August 4. She had a headlining performance in the quarterfinals against Serbia, pouring in 22 points on 7-of-13 shooting (.538) to go with 13 rebounds, two steals and two blocks in an 85-67 win on August 7.
Smith joins Jennifer Azzi and Katy Steding as Cardinal to medal at the Olympic Games. Both won gold with Tara VanDerveer-coached Team USA in Atlanta in 1996.
Stanford concluded the 2024 Paris Olympic Games with a school-record 39 medals, shattering its previous best while cementing its reputation on the world’s biggest stage as the nation’s top collegiate program.
Boasting a school-record 59 Olympians with Cardinal ties, Stanford surpassed its all-time medals benchmark (27 overall at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games) while winning at least 20 medals for the sixth time in school history (2020, 2016, 2008, 1996, 1924). Additionally, Stanford has won 128 medals combined over the last five Summer Games.
Stanford’s haul of 39 medals (12 gold, 14 silver, 13 bronze) is the most by any school at one Olympics.