LSU gymnast Olivia Dunne smiles as she gets ready for the start of the NCAA Gymnastics Championships on Saturday, April 20, 2024 at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas. Athletes like Sha’Carri Richardson and Mondo Duplantis aren’t the only people with Louisiana ties here for the Olympics. A host of coaches, trainers, officials and, yes, one LSU gymnast/social media superstar are also attending the Games, which officially begin Friday and run through Aug.
11. Here’s a sampling of those we know are going: The chair of several medical disciplines at the Via College of Osteopathic Medicine’s Monroe campus, Aldret will be the team physician for USA Gymnastics’ trampoline team. The team includes Lafayette’s Aliaksei Shostak, who competes Aug.
2. Aldret has worked three Paralympic Games and the ParaPan American Games, but this will be her first Olympics. “I’ve loved all of the opportunities I’ve been given by the USOPC,” Aldret said.
“But I’m really excited to go to these Olympic Games with these Team USA trampoline athletes I’ve worked with since 2017.” The LSU gymnast is one of 27 members of NBC’s “Paris Creator Collective,” young social media content creators who NBC will have posting things throughout the Games. Dunne, who announced in June that she is returning to LSU to compete for a fifth season in 2025, will be posting content on her Snapchat account.
Dunne has 2.3 million followers on Snapchat and 13.2 million social media followers overall.
Before she left for Paris, Dunne said wasn’t exactly sure what kind of content she would be creating for NBC. But she was certain she would make it to Bercy Arena in Paris to watch LSU teammate Aleah Finnegan compete for The Philippines, her mother’s native country. “To watch Aleah achieve her goals is going to be amazing,” Dunne said.
The former Baton Rouge high graduate is the long-time head swimming and diving coach at N.C. State and is serving as an assistant coach with USA swimming.
This is the first Olympics for Holloway, who was also an assistant coach for the U.S. at the 2023 world championships.
“This is the biggest meet I’ve ever been associated with,” said Holloway, who just celebrated his 13th season as NC State’s coach by leading the Wolfpack to the men’s ACC championship. “I’m grateful for the opportunity to help.” Holloway said the USA Swimming staff will each work with a small group of swimmers (he will oversee five) and help out with other competitors as needed.
“We’ll also work with each other to make sure we put together the best relays for the team,” Holloway said. The a team chiropractor for LSU track and field for well over a decade, Hymel is accompanying LSU track coach Dennis Shaver to Paris to provide therapy to LSU athletes as needed. “Any athlete who has worn the purple and gold,” Hymel said, “I’m there to support them.
” That includes LSU swimmers and divers and beach volleyball’s Kristen Nuss and Taryn Kloth. Hymel, who has his own practice in Baton Rouge, said he’s traveled with Shaver and LSU athletes to track and field competitions before, but this will be a new highlight for his career. “My daughter was born right before Rio (2016 Olympics),” Hymel said.
“Last time the staff didn’t get to go (to the Tokyo Olympics) because of Covid. So, it’s been a couple of near misses for me.” The director of BREC Golf in Baton Rouge, Raby will be working the men’s Olympic golf tournament as a rules official.
He also worked the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. A highly respected rules expert, Raby has risen to be vice-chairman of the PGA of America’s rules committee. He has worked numerous major championships as a rules official, including the Masters and PGA Championship.
This is the second straight Summer Olympics for Thomas, who serves as a groom for four-time U.S. equestrian Olympian Laura Kraut and her horse, Baloutinue.
“I’m the horse’s caretaker,” said Thomas, who also attended Baton Rouge High and went to college in Virginia. “I’m not a coach or trainer. I make sure the horse is happy and healthy to compete.
“Baloutinue is the same horse we took to Tokyo. He gets very excited to compete. He’s in good form at the moment.
” The equestrian competition will be on the grounds of the famous palace of Versailles. Kraut will ride Baloutinue in the show jumping events. “It looks beautiful,” she said.
“Teenage Margo couldn’t have pictured this.”.
