Photo by: Japan Sport Council
Former Bulldogs Open Competition In Tokyo
July 29, 2021 | Track & Field, Olympic Games
TOKYO, Japan – The Games of the XXXII Olympiad are underway in Tokyo, Japan, and Mississippi State has sent six former track and field athletes to the world's biggest stage.
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MSU's six Olympians are a program record for a single Games. It is also the first time State has had two pairs of Olympians competing in the same events at a single Games.
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All events can be streamed online on NBCOlympics.com or the NBC Sports app. Nearly-live results are available on Olympics.com along with MSU's State to Tokyo webpage and social media feeds. Tokyo is 14 hours ahead of the central time zone, so most events will take place between 5-8 a.m. or 7-11 p.m. CT.
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Marco Arop (CAN) and Brandon McBride (CAN) will open the Games for MSU on Friday night, running in the 800m. Arop is making his Olympic debut after finishing seventh at the 2019 Outdoor World Championships.
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Marta Pen Freitas (POR) returns to the Olympic 1500m stage on Sunday after competing in Rio at the 2016 Games.Â
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In the javelin competition, two former NCAA Champions will make their Olympic debuts. Anderson Peters (GRN) and Curtis Thompson (USA) compete in qualifying on Tuesday, Aug. 3 with hopes of throwing for medals on Saturday, Aug. 7. Peters is the reigning World Champion having won in 2019, and Thompson is a two-time U.S. Champion, most-recently topping the podium at this year's Olympic Trials.
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Erica Bougard (USA), the most-decorated Bulldog student-athlete in school history, has finally reached her first Olympic Games. The heptathlete is MSU's first Olympian in the event and narrowly missed a medal at the 2019 World Championships, finishing 90 points off the podium.
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The four first-time Olympians raise MSU's track and field individual Olympian count to 19. Don Scott became MSU's first-ever Olympian at the 1920 Games in Antwerp, Belgium, competing in the 800m. Three track and field Bulldogs have won four Olympic medals as athletes. Mississippi State's athletics program boasts 20 Olympians overall, with the addition of B.J. Wallace in baseball at the 1992 Games. Legendary baseball coach Ron Polk claimed two medals coaching Team USA, and E.C. Hayes was an assistant track and field coach for Team USA in the 1924 Games.
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All events will take place at the Japan National Stadium, formerly known as New National Stadium in Tokyo. It is a multi-purpose facility that is mostly used for the Japanese national soccer and rugby teams that was built beginning in 2016. It will serve as the main stadium for both the Opening and Closing Ceremonies at the Olympics as well as the track and field events for the Games. It has a capacity of 68,000, however no spectators will be allowed at this years' Games.
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For more information on the Mississippi State track and field program, visit HailState.com and follow "HailStateTF" on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
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*participation dependent upon qualification
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*participation dependent upon qualification
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*participation dependent upon qualification
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*participation dependent upon qualification
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MSU's six Olympians are a program record for a single Games. It is also the first time State has had two pairs of Olympians competing in the same events at a single Games.
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All events can be streamed online on NBCOlympics.com or the NBC Sports app. Nearly-live results are available on Olympics.com along with MSU's State to Tokyo webpage and social media feeds. Tokyo is 14 hours ahead of the central time zone, so most events will take place between 5-8 a.m. or 7-11 p.m. CT.
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Marco Arop (CAN) and Brandon McBride (CAN) will open the Games for MSU on Friday night, running in the 800m. Arop is making his Olympic debut after finishing seventh at the 2019 Outdoor World Championships.
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Marta Pen Freitas (POR) returns to the Olympic 1500m stage on Sunday after competing in Rio at the 2016 Games.Â
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In the javelin competition, two former NCAA Champions will make their Olympic debuts. Anderson Peters (GRN) and Curtis Thompson (USA) compete in qualifying on Tuesday, Aug. 3 with hopes of throwing for medals on Saturday, Aug. 7. Peters is the reigning World Champion having won in 2019, and Thompson is a two-time U.S. Champion, most-recently topping the podium at this year's Olympic Trials.
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Erica Bougard (USA), the most-decorated Bulldog student-athlete in school history, has finally reached her first Olympic Games. The heptathlete is MSU's first Olympian in the event and narrowly missed a medal at the 2019 World Championships, finishing 90 points off the podium.
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The four first-time Olympians raise MSU's track and field individual Olympian count to 19. Don Scott became MSU's first-ever Olympian at the 1920 Games in Antwerp, Belgium, competing in the 800m. Three track and field Bulldogs have won four Olympic medals as athletes. Mississippi State's athletics program boasts 20 Olympians overall, with the addition of B.J. Wallace in baseball at the 1992 Games. Legendary baseball coach Ron Polk claimed two medals coaching Team USA, and E.C. Hayes was an assistant track and field coach for Team USA in the 1924 Games.
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All events will take place at the Japan National Stadium, formerly known as New National Stadium in Tokyo. It is a multi-purpose facility that is mostly used for the Japanese national soccer and rugby teams that was built beginning in 2016. It will serve as the main stadium for both the Opening and Closing Ceremonies at the Olympics as well as the track and field events for the Games. It has a capacity of 68,000, however no spectators will be allowed at this years' Games.
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For more information on the Mississippi State track and field program, visit HailState.com and follow "HailStateTF" on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
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Meet/Broadcast Schedule (all times CT)
Friday, July 30
| Time | Event | Athletes | Country | Watch |
| 7:50 p.m. | Men's 800m (Qualifying) | Marco Arop Brandon McBride |
CAN CAN |
NBCOlympics.com |
Sunday, Aug. 1
| Time | Event | Athletes | Country | Watch |
| 6:25 a.m. | Men's 800m (Semifinals)* | Marco Arop Brandon McBride |
CAN CAN |
NBCOlympics.com |
| 7:35 p.m. | Women's 1500m (Qualifying) | Marta Pen Freitas | POR | NBCOlympics.com |
*participation dependent upon qualification
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Tuesday, Aug. 3
| Time | Event | Athletes | Country | Watch |
| 7:05 p.m. | Men's Javelin (Qualifying) | Anderson Peters Curtis Thompson |
GRN USA |
NBCOlympics.com |
| 7:35 p.m. | Heptathlon 100m Hurdles | Erica Bougard | USA | NBCOlympics.com |
| 8:35 p.m. | Heptathlon High Jump | Erica Bougard | USA | NBCOlympics.com |
Wednesday, Aug. 4
| Time | Event | Athletes | Country | Watch |
| 5 a.m. | Women's 1500m (Semifinals)* | Marta Pen Freitas | POR | NBCOlympics.com |
| 5:05 a.m. | Heptathlon Shot Put | Erica Bougard | USA | NBCOlympics.com |
| 6:30 a.m. | Heptathlon 200m | Erica Bougard | USA | NBCOlympics.com |
| 7:05 a.m. | Men's 800m (Final)* | Marco Arop Brandon McBride |
CAN CAN |
NBCOlympics.com |
| 7:40 p.m. | Heptathlon Long Jump | Erica Bougard | USA | NBCOlympics.com |
| 10:30 p.m. | Heptathlon Javelin | Erica Bougard | USA | NBCOlympics.com |
*participation dependent upon qualification
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Thursday, Aug. 5
| Time | Event | Athletes | Country | Watch |
| 7:20Â a.m. | Heptathlon 800m | Erica Bougard | USA | NBCOlympics.com |
Friday, Aug. 6
| Time | Event | Athletes | Country | Watch |
| 7:50 a.m. | Women's 1500m (Final)* | Marta Pen Freitas | POR | NBCOlympics.com |
*participation dependent upon qualification
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Saturday, Aug. 7
| Time | Event | Athletes | Country | Watch |
| 6 a.m. | Men's Javelin (Final)* | Anderson Peters Curtis Thompson |
GRN USA |
NBCOlympics.com |
*participation dependent upon qualification
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Players Mentioned
800m
/ Olympic Games
Heptathalon
/ Olympic Games
800m
/ Olympic Games
1500m
/ Olympic Games
Javelin
/ Olympic Games
Javelin
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