Two Spartan Alumni to Compete in the 2024 Paris OlympicsTwo Spartan Alumni to Compete in the 2024 Paris Olympics

Two Spartan Alumni to Compete in the 2024 Paris Olympics

SAN JOSE, Calif. - Two former San José State Spartans, Robyn Stevens and Rae Lekness, will head to Paris, France to compete in the 2024 Summer Olympics. Stevens will compete in race walking as a member of Team USA while Lekness will compete in women’s water polo as a member of Team Canada.

This is the 11th consecutive Summer Olympic Games since 1976 that the Spartans have had at least one athlete compete in. In the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympic games, the Spartans took home two medals.

Robyn Stevens, Race Walking, Team USA, SJSU ‘07, Vacaville, Calif.

  • Member of the 2003 Spartans' women's cross country team
  • Competed in five meets for the Spartans that season, posting a pair of top-10 finishes (ninth at the Santa Clara and tenth at the San Francisco State Invitationals) 
  • San José State's number three finisher at the 2003 Western Athletic Conference women's cross country championships, placing 38th overall
  • Began race walking while in high school
  • Retired from race-walking competition following the 2003 season, but came out of retirement in 2014 and qualified for the 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials
  • Competed in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, placing 33rd in the 20km Walk
  • Became the second Spartan to compete in the Olympics in race walking after Tom Dooley, who competed in the 1968 and 1972 Olympic games