Eleven current and former Sun Devils are competing in the Beijing Olympics this month. Who’s the best bet to claim a medal for the old maroon?

Eleven current and former Sun Devils are competing in the Beijing Olympics this month. The list ranges from Zimbabwean sprinter Lewis Banda to Nebraska-born basketball player Shawn Redhage, who married an Aussie and became an Australian citizen dropping 18 points on Memphis in ASU’s last NCAA Tournament victory back in 2003 .

ASU’s medal hopes don’t seem terribly high, but what do we know? Around these parts, we follow Olympic sports about once every four years. If you follow the Games closer than we do, by all means enlighten us in the comments.

Anyway, our scanty research indicates that ASU’s best bet for a medal is probably British archer Alison Williamson, who is competing in her fifth Olympic games and won a bronze medal in Athens in 2004. Williamson attended ASU from 1991 to 1995 and was a member of ASU’s last varsity archery team in 1993.

Yes, there was a time when ASU fielded both a men’s and women’s archery team. And they were quite good. The Sun Devils claimed 21 women’s championships, 15 men’s championships and 20 mixed titles. Not too shabby.

Williamson’s competition begins tonight at 7 p.m. Arizona time, and we’ll be keeping you up to date on Sun Devil accomplishments throughout the Olympics.

Thank you to thesundevils.com for compiling the list of ASU Olympians below– not to mention tracking down photos and bios for each Olympian.

Athletes

• Seth Amoo, Ghana, track and field, 200-meter dash.
• Lewis Banda, Zimbabwe, track and field, 400-meter dash.
• Ante Cvitkovic, Croatia, swimming, 400-meter medley relay.
• Jacquelyn Johnson, United States, track and field, heptathlon.
• Mohammed Madwa, Kuwait, swimming, 50-meter freestyle, 100-meter freestyle.
• Gal Nevo, Israel, swimming, 200-meter individual medley.
• Joel Phillip, Grenada, track and field, 400-meter dash.
• Joona Puhakka, Finland, diving, 3-meter springboard.
• Trevell Quinley, United States, track and field, long jump.
• Shawn Redhage, Australia, basketball.
• Alison Williamson, Great Britain, archery, individual 70 meters.

Coaches and Trainers

• Mark Bradshaw, Finland, diving, coaching Puhakka.
• Mike Chasson, Kuwait, swimming, coaching Madwa.
• Ian McLeod, United States, swimming, athletic trainer.
• Casey Smith, United States, men’s basketball, head athletic trainer.
• Linda, Wells, Netherlands, softball, assistant coach.

(By the way, a crop of current Sun Devils are keeping ASU archery alive as a club sport.)

Tags: Other ASU Sports , alison williamson, ante cvitkovic, gal nevo, jacquelyn johnson, joel phillip, joona puhakka, lewis banda, mohammed madwa, seth amoo, shawn redhage, trevell quinley // Add Comment »