Four Alumni Shine at the Paris 2024 Olympics

Four young University of Adelaide alumni made the Paris 2024 Olympics team, including Maeve Plouffe (Marine Biology and Law) and Sophie Edwards (Health and Medical Sciences) in women’s cycling. Both aimed to build on their gold medal success from the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games. For Maeve, this was her second Olympics, while Sophie made her debut. They finished an impressive 7th in the women’s team pursuit finals—an outstanding achievement!

Olympia Aldersley (Law) competed in her third consecutive Olympics, and finished an impressive 9th in the women's fours rowing event. Meanwhile, Hattie Shand (Animal Science) received a late call-up to the Hockeyroos, where she played a crucial role in their journey to the quarterfinals.

All four athletes received financial support from Adelaide University Sport and Fitness (AUSF) through scholarships or the Pathway to Performance program, allowing them to balance their studies with their athletic endeavours.

Maeve and Sophie, former members of the Adelaide University Cycling Club, have been instrumental in promoting female participation in cycling. Earlier this year, Sophie also showcased her achievements at our Women in Sport brunch, highlighting the exceptional talent within the AUSF alumni community and serving as a role model for upcoming, future athletes.

It’s exciting to see so many women in sport from the University of Adelaide achieving amazing things on the global sporting stage.