From 'Verd Mont' to Paris: Green Mountain athletes set for Olympics
From Verd Mont to Paris: Green Mountain athletes set for Olympics
Montgomery runner Elle Purrier St. Pierre, Burlington rugby player Ilona Maher and Norwich rower William Bender are ready to represent the United States at the 2024 Summer Games.
By Kevin O'Connor
July 23, 2024, 7:53 am
https://vtdigger.org/2024/07/23/from-verd-mont-to-paris-green-mountain-athletes-set-for-olympics/
Ilona Maher, left, of the United States is chased by Chinas Yang Min during a womens rugby sevens match at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo on Thursday, July 29, 2021. Photo by Shuji Kajiyama/AP
Vermonters are famous for skiing and snowboarding off with Winter Olympic medals. But three athletes with Green Mountain State ties are aiming to sprint, grand slam or speed their way into Summer Games history.
Montgomery runner Elle Purrier St. Pierre, Burlington rugby player Ilona Maher and Norwich rower William Bender are part of a more than 500-athlete team set to represent the United States in Paris starting Friday.
Although generations of Vermonters have won gold in the Winter Olympics, only about two dozen have even competed in the Summer Games the most recognized being the late 1912 long jumper Albert Gutterson, known for the namesake fieldhouse of his alma mater, the University of Vermont.
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