With Paris Olympics Set to Start, BC Athletics Well-Represented

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2024 Paris Olympics Schedule

CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. — With the Opening Ceremonies of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games less than two days away, Boston College Athletics will have several alums and coaches taking part in the global celebration of sport.  Live coverage of all Olympics competition is available in the United States via the Peacock streaming service as well as the NBC family of networks.

Erika Reineke will represent the United States as a member of the sailing team.  The 2017 graduate will be competing in her first-ever Olympic Games, racing against the world in the ICLA 6 boat, also known as the women’s dinghy.  Current Boston College sailing coach Greg Wilkinson serves as Reineke’s personal coach and is in France mentoring the former Eagle sailing great.

While the games will be centered in Paris, the sailing venue will be located over 400 miles to the south in Marseille. A Mediterranean port city – and the oldest city in France – Marseille is renowned for its sailing conditions.  Marseille is known for its rich maritime history and iconic waterfront and the city has hosted several significant sailing events, making it a well-prepared venue for the Olympic sailing competitions. The opening day of competition is on Thursday, Aug. 1 and the preliminary series’ will run through Monday, Aug. 5.  

Laura Hottenrott – a 2016 graduate – will represent her native Germany, competing in the women’s marathon.  An All-America honoree during her time with the Eagles, Hottenrott has run a personal-best 2:24.32 over the 26.2 mile distance, set this past December at the 202 Maraton Valencia Trinidad Alfonso in Valencia, Spain.  During her pro racing career, she has broken the 2:30-barrier on three occasions.  Off the course, Hottenrott earned her PhD in 2023 from The Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg in sports science and is a professor at Die Deutsche Berufsakademie Sport und Gesundheit in Baunatal, Germany. 

The women’s marathon is scheduled to race on Sunday, Aug. 11 and the Olympic marathon route is a key moment from the French Revolution: the Women’s March on Versailles, on October 5, 1789.  Over two days in early October 1789, market women, shopkeepers and workers from the popular quarters gathered in front of the Hôtel de Ville in Paris to demand bread and arms. Between 6,000 and 7,000 Parisian women, joined by men, marched through Paris to Versailles to bring the King back to the Tuileries. That day, Louis XVI finally agreed to ratify the Universal Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizens.

Current Boston College assistant fencing coach Ralf Bissdorf is serving as the Team USA national coach in women’s foil.  A silver medalist in the foil at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Bissdorf was ranked No. 1 in the world and captured the 2000 World Cup fencing championship in Havana, Cuba.  He has been a member of the Eagles’ fencing staff since 2019. 

Fencing is a strategic combat sport where opponents face off with swords in a defined area, aiming to score points by hitting specific target areas on each other’s bodies. The sport involves quick movement, precise blade work, and strategic thinking to outmaneuver opponents while following strict rules of engagement. Fencing — often called “physical chess” — combines athleticism with tactical finesse for a thrilling battle of skill and strategy. Competition in women’s foil begins on Sunday, July 28.

 



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Publish date : 2024-07-25 02:32:41

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