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Ram Recap from Tokyo Olympics

8/10/2021 4:09:00 PM | General, Women's Basketball, Track & Field

Five Rams Represented Four Countries

FORT COLLINS, Colo. – With Sunday's closing ceremony, the 2020 Tokyo Olympics Games concluded, sending the current and former Rams back to their respective homes after competing on the biggest stage in athletics.
 
The Ram Olympians included Lauren Gale (Senior at CSU, Team Canada, Women's 4x400m relay), Mostafa Hassan (CSU '18, Team Egypt, Men's Shot Put), Shadae Lawrence (CSU '19, Team Jamaica, Women's Discus Throw), and the Mestdagh sisters, Kim (CSU '12) and Hanne (CSU '15) of Team Belgium in women's basketball.
 
All were a part of successful runs in their events. In the throwing circle, Hassan and Lawrence recorded the best finishes in their country's history, while the Mestdagh sisters helped the Belgian Cats reach the quarterfinals in the team's first Olympic showing. Operating as a reserve, Gale trained with Team Canada who finished fourth in the 4x400m relay, missing the podium by .60 seconds.
 
Hassan, of Cairo, Egypt, registered a season-best 21.23m to qualify for the finals and then tossed a 20.73m to finish eighth at finals. Lawrence, of St. Catherine, Jamaica, measured a 62.27 in the qualification round before throwing a 62.12 in the finals to place seventh. Both already held their country's records in their respective events and now represent their country's best placement in Olympics history as well.
 
The Mestdagh sisters played an integral part in the Belgian Cats' success that went 2-1 in the pool stage before suffering a 1-point loss to Japan in the quarterfinals. Among all competitors, Kim ranked seventh in scoring (14.8 points per game), sixth in total field goals (52) and third in 3-point field goals made (10) in four games. Hanne also did some work behind the arc, ranking eighth in 3-point field goal percentage at 47.1% (8-17) and seventh in 3FGM (8). Notably, Hanne dropped six of those treys in a win against Puerto Rico during pool play.
 
At 21-years-old and the youngest member of Team Canada, Gale obtained valuable experience in what should be her first of many trips donning the maple leaf. Team Canada clocked a 3:21.84, trailing Jamaica (3:21.24), Poland (3:10.53) and gold medal winner USA (3:16.85).
   
All five were first-time Olympians, upping the list of former Ram student-athletes to 20 that have competed for seven different countries. Hassan, Lawrence and the Mestdagh sisters are the first Rams to don their nation's jersey at the Olympics whereas Gale is the third Canadian to do so for CSU. For women's basketball, the Mestdagh sisters join Becky Hammon who played for Russia in the 2008 and 2012 games. Gale, Hassan and Lawrence make it 11 track and field representatives at the Olympic Games. Here is a list of all Ram Olympians.