Going for Gold: UofL researcher explores why many Olympians are college athletes

In summer 2021, more than 600 elite athletes made their way to Tokyo as part of the U.S. Olympic team. 

The vast majority — some 75 percent — of those athletes came from American colleges and universities, including several from the University of Louisville who traded their Cardinal red for red, white and blue. 

This month, several Cardinals will also head to Paris to compete in the summer games. 

So why do so many Olympic athletes come from academia? According to UofL researcher Meg Hancock, who studies college athletics, it comes down to the unique environment and resources available to college athletes that allow them to achieve an elite level of competition. 

“It’s a formula for success that starts with these bright, talented, ambitious students — they’re driven, both on the court and in the classroom, ” said Hancock, an associate professor at the UofL College of Education & Human Development. “When you take a great athlete, and support them with coaches, mentors, health experts and other resources only universities can offer, they become more and more competitive, even on an international stage.”

That ‘formula’ is likely why more than 170 U.S. colleges and universities have produced Olympians, with UofL alone producing around 40 — and some Olympic-level coaches — since 1980. Those athletes, representing 20 different countries, competed in events as wide ranging as rugby, swimming and diving and track and field.

“I think it’s phenomenal that we have folks who are competitive across that breadth,” Hancock said. “It’s an incredible opportunity for these student athletes to compete on a world stage and represent their home countries.” 

UofL, she said, has taken a leading role in supporting student athletes and working to help them improve their Olympic chances. UofL and UofL Athletics have been on the forefront in taking a holistic approach to athlete performance, including looking at players’ physical, mental and nutritional health and incorporating data and technology that helps them minimize risk and improve their technique.

“That holistic approach is part of UofL’s strong commitment to the health, safety, and performance of all of our student athletes,” said Pat Ivey, associate athletic director for student athlete health and performance. “We want to ensure that they’re firing on all cylinders and on all fronts — that we’re helping them achieve not only their athletic or Olympic aspirations, but overall wellbeing.” 

UofL also offers student athletes access to a suite of trainers, health care experts and clinicians via its official care provider, UofL Health. That care is unique among universities, Hancock said, because it puts heavy focus on mental and emotional health, with UofL Health providing at least 10 mental health and mental performance professionals for student athletes. 

“We have built the nation’s largest team of mental health professionals with a focus on student-athletes. This commitment is directly enhancing individual and team performance in UofL sports,” said Kate O’Bryan, director of the UofL Athletics Mental Health and Performance Team, a partnership with UofL Health. “The integrated approach, alongside our other services in sport science, nutrition, athletic training, and sport performance, positions UofL Athletics as a leading model of high performance for other universities to emulate

Mental health has been a big part of the recent public discussion around Olympic athletic performance, especially since gymnast Simone Biles famously withdrew over concerns at the 2020 Tokyo Games. But even so, some surveys show only half of athletes at universities think mental health is a priority for their athletics department.

“They’re under a lot of pressure,” Hancock said. “UofL has worked to address that, and now, other colleges are seeing this as a model and thinking about the role mental health and mental performance play in athletics at this level. To compete in the Olympics, you have to consider the whole athlete.”