Celebrating Our Olympic Athletes in Paris
The 2024 Olympic Games have come to an end in Paris, and three former students from Montgomery County Public Schools shined in the competition.
Thea LaFond brought home gold. The John F. Kennedy High School alumna and former MCPS teacher won the gold medal for triple jump. Thanks to Thea, Dominica has its first medal in the country's Olympic history. Thea graduated from Kennedy in 2011. An interesting fact about her is that she never imagined participating in track and field, but her friends at Kennedy’s Leadership Training Institute (LTI) inspired her to try something new. She didn't think that trying that sport would catapult her to the gold medal at the Paris Games.
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Col. Zadok Magruder High School’s Helen Maroulis earned a bronze medal in wrestling. Helen attended Magruder until she left to begin training for the Olympics her senior year. Helen has been honored with a spot in the Maryland Wrestling Hall of Fame. She also made history by being the first American woman to win gold in this category at the 2016 Rio Olympics. An interesting fact about Maroulis is that she suffered a concussion after a wrestling match that at one point made her question whethershe could continue the sport. This story is recounted in “Helen Believe,” a documentary she created.
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Swimmer and recent MCPS graduate Aaron Owusu represented the country of Eritrea. A 2024 Quince Orchard High School grad, Aaron qualified for the 2024 Olympics after participating in a preliminary competition in Qatar. He participated in the tight 50-meter swim competition and placed #51. Aaron is at the beginning of his athletic career and says he wants to be an example for other young athletes.
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