Six Knights will represent America, Denmark, Germany and Lithuania at the 2024 Summer Olympics (July 26-Aug. 11) and Paralympics (Aug. 28-Sept. 8) in Paris.
These athletes exemplify the spirit and dedication of Knight Nation. Watch the events on NBC or stream via Peacock as you cheer them on.
Kyle Coon ’13
Event dates: Sept. 1-2
Coon, a communication alum, will compete in the Paralympic triathlon after secured his place by finishing third in the World Triathlon Para Series Montreal. His impressive performance in the race, which included a 760-meter swim, 20.2-kilometer bike, and 5-kilometer run, earning him the honor of representing Team USA in Paris.
He also represented Team USA in the 2020 Summer Paralympics in Tokyo, where he made his first Olympic appearance and placed fifth. A lifelong competitive athlete, Coon was a member of UCF’s Wrestling Club and a group exercise instructor for UCF’s Recreation and Wellness Center during his studies.
At 10 months old, Coon was diagnosed with bilateral sporadic retinoblastoma, the most common form of eye cancer for children. By the time he turned 7, both of his eyes had been surgically removed. Shortly after, Coon’s father introduced him to Erik Weihenmayer, a blind extreme athlete who inspired the young boy to continue to stay active.
Malacchi Esdale
Event dates: July 24, 25 and 27
Esdale, a former UCF student, will compete in rugby for Team USA. After becoming a professional rugby player in 2017, he was appointed as a travel reserve for the 2020 Summer Olympics.
Esdale discovered rugby in by playing for the Naples Bears in Florida. After attending ASA College in New York and the University of Miami, he transferred to UCF, where he joined the Rugby Club – Men’s Team and honed his skills.
Sarai Linder
Event dates: July 25, 28 and 31; Aug. 3, 6, 9 and 10
Former UCF women’s soccer defender Sarai Linder will represent her nation of Germany. She is one of three UCF women’s soccer alums to compete at the Olympics, joining USA’s Michelle Akers ’89 (1996 Atlanta) and Brazil’s Aline Reis ’11 (2016 Rio).
Linder, spent the COVID-shortened 2020-21 campaign with the Knights, playing seven matches. She capped her season by earning First Team All-American Athletic Conference honors, All-AAC Rookie Team accolades, and 2020-21 AAC All-Academic Team honors.
Julie Poulsen ’20
Event dates: July 28 and 30; Aug. 1
Denmark native Poulsen will represent her home county in the women’s four portion of rowing.
The UCF communication alum began rowing at 10 when her mother took her to a local club. Poulsen is one of the most decorated UCF rowers in program history. She is one of three Knights to be named a Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association (CRCA) All-American. She was named First Team All-American Athletic Conference three times (2018, 2019, 2021) and earned CRCA National Scholar Athlete and American Athletic Conference All-Academic honors in four straight years from 2018-21.
“My days at UCF has taught me a lot of lessons, which has played a big part of who I am today,” Poulsen says. “An important lesson I learned at UCF was to be less timid of challenges. We were often thrown big challenges we didn’t think we could overcome, but we always would. This has made me believe that there is no challenge that is too big, and it has made me so much more tough than I was before.”
Viktorija Senkute ’18
Event dates: July 27-Aug. 3
Senkute will compete for Team Lithuania in women’s single sculls for rowing.UCF’s rowing team won four American Athletic Conference championships while the interdisciplinary studies student-athlete attended the university (2015-18). She earned a CRCA All-Region nod in 2018 as well as First Team All-American Athletic Conference first team honors in 2017 and 2018 and second team recognitions in 2015 and 2016.
“Before coming to UCF I didn’t know how to be a teammate; I didn’t know how to fight as one. UCF taught me so many things about what it’s like to be on a team,” she says. “In Lithuania, you have to choose one path in college — sports or education. UCF allowed me to combine both and experience a culture and life I would have never dreamed about.”
Kristen Thomas ’16
Event dates: July 28-30
Thomas, a theatre studies alum, is a rugby traveling reserve for the Team USA. She previously represented Team USA as co-captain in the 2020 Summer Olympics, helping the team achieve a top 10 finish.
Thomas began her rugby career at UCF in 2011, joining the Rugby Club – Women’s Team. Her exceptional talent was quickly recognized, leading to a call-up to the national team just two years later.
“UCF was pretty instrumental in developing me as a player,” Thomas said in a 2021 article. “Our coach, Raoul Besse, really harped on our skills. The physicality of the game I think I get a lot from him because you need to be physical in a contact sport. He was the first one to nominate me for the under-20 national team and if he hadn’t done that, I don’t know if I would be where I am today.”
