Game Time: HBCU Athletes Headed to the Olympics

Written By: Elainey Bass

We all know the saying: HBCUs breed greatness. Whether that be in the STEM field, entrepreneurship, or entertainment, alumni of HBCUs continue to set the standard of Black excellence. Lately, we have been seeing an influx of Black athletes leaving their mark and putting on for their school and hometown. HBCU athletes have been constantly overlooked and deemed as incomparable to White athletes, simply because of the school that they chose to attend. However, in the upcoming summer Olympics, we see an influx of HBCU representation among the athletes and to say that they are making everyone proud is an understatement. Just in case you are unfamiliar, here are a few HBCU athletes that will be making their way to Paris to compete.

Jessika Gbai

Hailing from Philly, Jesskia Gbai will be competing as a sprinter for the Ivory Coast (Côte d’Ivoire). Gbai attended Howard University and originally came to the school as a walk-on. During her time at the Mecca, Gbai earned a spot on the 2019 MEAC (Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) Outdoor All-Conference Second Team as a member of the team's 4x400 relay squad. She also set a school record in the women’s outdoor 200-meter dash! To qualify for this year’s Olympics, Jessika won the 200-meter dash at the African Athletics Championships, running a time of 22.84.

Danielle Williams

Jamaican sprinter, Danielle Williams, is an alum of Johnson C. Smith University and broke records as a junior in 2013. She is currently the second fastest hurdler in divisional history for the 100 hurdles and the fifth highest performance in the 100. Williams will be representing Jamaica in the 100 meter hurdles. To everyone’s surprise, this will be her first time competing in the Olympics! For the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, she fell short and placed fourth but was still able to travel with the team. At age 31, she is making her dreams come true, which holds true to the testament that age is truly just a number.

Sade McCreath-Tardiel

Representing Canada as a member of the 4x100 Women’s Relay Team, this Ajax, Ontario native attended Bethune-Cookman University from 2016-2019. McCreath-Tardiel is no stranger to the relay scene; competing in the 4x100 Women’s Relay at the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) East Preliminaries in 2019. She also made history at Bethune-Cookman by being a part of the school’s first women’s relay team to qualify for the NCAA Outdoor National Championships in 2018. Sade also had the opportunity to compete in Naples, Italy at the World University Games in 2019 and finished 12th in the 100 meters.

Monae’ Nichols

Just like McCreath, Monae’ Nichols also attended Bethune-Cookman University from 2018-2020 before transferring after COVID-19. She will be representing the USA as a long jumper; nailing the exact meters needed to qualify for the Olympics on her final attempt. During her stint at Bethune-Cookman, Nichols was the 2018 MEAC Champion in the long jump for the outdoor season and won the same title for the indoor season the following year. She also competed in both the NCAA Outdoor Nationals and 4x100 East Preliminaries in 2019. After transferring to Texas Tech, the Lakeland, Florida native remained consistent with her work ethic and broke the school long jump record at the Texas Relays for the 2022 outdoor season.

The 2024 Summer Olympics will be held from July 26th to August 11th. There is no doubt that there is power in numbers, so to see this much HBCU representation in a competition against the world is truly inspiring.