The 7 most famous Olympians from Kentucky
We here in Kentucky love sports. From Little League baseball to college basketball and beyond, I love that sports bring Kentucky people together, biting their nails and cheering loudly for their teams. Perhaps there is no better place to enjoy athletic competition than on the world stage at the Olympics. Many talented Kentucky athletes have competed in the Olympics, inspiring tremendous pride in the state. Here are seven of Kentucky’s most famous Olympians (in alphabetical order).
1. Justin Thomas
Justin Thomas is a professional golfer from Louisville, Kentucky who competed in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. He did not win a medal at the Olympics, finishing in a tie for 22nd place. Thomas, known to his fans as JT, has many other accolades; he is only one of six golfers to win two major golf tournaments before their 30th birthday and 15 tournaments in total. He attended St. Xavier High School and the University of Alabama, where he had a successful collegiate golf career. He currently lives in Jupiter, Florida.
2. Lee Pine
Lee Kiefer is a fencer who grew up in Lexington, Kentucky. She graduated from Notre Dame University and is currently studying medicine at the University of Kentucky. Kiefer competed in the 2012, 2016, and 2020 Olympic Games. She won a gold medal in the women’s individual foil fencing event in Tokyo. Kiefer is married to Gerek Meinhardt, who has also won Olympic medals in fencing.
3. Mary T. Meagher Plant
Mary T. Meagher Plant was born in Louisville, Kentucky, in 1964. She set her first world record in swimming at the age of 14. At the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, she won three gold medals in the 100-meter and 200-meter butterfly and in the 4 x 100-meter medley relay. At the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, she won silver and bronze medals. Her championship in the butterfly earned her the nickname Madame Butterfly.
4. Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali was a professional boxer and activist born in 1942 in Louisville, Kentucky. At age 18, Ali won the gold medal at the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome. During the games, Ali won all four of his fights easily. Ali lit the flame during the opening ceremony of the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta. He died in 2016 and is buried at Cave Hill Cemetery and Arboretum in Louisville.
5. Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone is a track and field star who attended the University of Kentucky. McLaughlin-Levrone was not born in the Bluegrass State, but was exceptionally successful as a college athlete at the University of Kentucky, breaking the collegiate record in the 400-meter hurdles. She competed in the 2016 and 2020 Olympic Games. In Tokyo, she won two gold medals in the 400-meter hurdles and the women’s 4 x 400-meter relay.
6. William Shaner
William Shaner is a sport shooter who attended the University of Kentucky. Born in Colorado Springs, Shaner enrolled at the University of Kentucky in 2018 and studied economics. William competed in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and won a gold medal in the men’s 10-meter air rifle competition.
7. Willis A. Lee
Willis A. Lee was born in Natlee, Kentucky in 1888, attended the U.S. Naval Academy, and served in World War I and World War II. He was distantly related to General Robert E. Lee and Charles Lee, the third U.S. Attorney General. Willis A. Lee competed in shooting at the 1920 Olympic Games in Antwerp and won seven medals – five gold, one silver, and one bronze. He died in 1945 while serving as a vice admiral in the Pacific and is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.
What do you think of this list of famous Olympians from Kentucky? Is there an Olympian missing that should be on this list?
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