2016 Michigan Olympian Bios
Men's Cycling
Mike Woods (Canada)
Cycling • Road Race/Time Trial
First Olympic Appearance • U-M track and field letterwinner (2004-07)
Woods was named to his first Olympic team when the Canadian Olympic Committee named the 19-person cycling squads on June 29. Woods, who has only competed in cycling at an elite level for four years, turned to the sport after a recurring stress fracture largely derailed his running career. Currently a member of the Cannondale-Drapac professional cycling team, Woods has recorded five top-five finishes over the last two years, including a fifth-place finish at the 2016 Tour Down Under in Australia.
Men's Gymnastics
Sam Mikulak (United States)
Gymnastics • All-Around
Second Olympic Appearance • U-M letterwinner (2011-14)
Considered the face of U.S. men's gymnastics, Mikulak returns for his second straight Olympic Games after capturing the all-around title at the 2016 P&G Championships and Olympic Trials and posting the highest cumulative score on pommel horse and high highest score on vault. He has won four consecutive all-around national championships titles (2013-16) and helped the American men win a team bronze medal at the 2014 World Championships. At the London Games, Mikulak contributed to a fifth-place team finish and claimed fifth individually in the vault -- just 0.267 points away from a medal.
Women's Rowing
Amanda Elmore (United States)
Rowing • Women's Eight
First Olympic Appearance • U-M letterwinner (2014)
Elmore will represent the United States at the 2016 Olympics -- her first -- after being nominated for the women's eight crew by USRowing in June. Elmore joins an elite group -- the U.S. has not lost a championship or Olympic race in the event since 2006. Elmore, a graduate student in U-M's Ph.D. program in biomedical sciences, considered giving up rowing after a standout career as an undergraduate in Purdue's ARCA club program. Elmore was accepted at Michigan and in her lone season with the Wolverines in 2013-14 made an immediate impact on the first varsity eight. She was named a Pocock All-America second team selection and earned All-Big Ten first team honors.
Felice Mueller (United States)
Rowing • Women's Pair
First Olympic Appearance • U-M letterwinner (2009-12)
Mueller earned a spot on the U.S. Olympic Team by winning a gold medal with partner Grace Luczak in the women's pair at the World Rowing Cup II back in May. Needing a top-four finish in the event final to qualify for the Olympics, Mueller and Luczak finished first in 7:06.36, capping off three days of solid racing for the crew. The two will be paired once again in Rio. A highly accomplished rower in Ann Arbor, Mueller was named 2012 Michigan Female Athlete of the Year. She earned CRCA first team All-America honors and was named the Big Ten Rower of the Year after leading the Wolverines to the 2012 Big Ten championship and a second-place finish in the 2012 NCAA Championships. She was a three-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree.
Ellen Tomek (United States)
Rowing • Women's Double Sculls
Second Olympic Appearance • U-M letterwinner (2003-06)
Tomek clinched a spot on the U.S. Olympic Team with partner Meghan O'Leary after winning the double sculls final at the U.S. Olympic Trials. The pair pulled away from the field in the first 1,000 meters of the race before cruising to an open-water victory in 7:09:11. Tomek and O'Leary will also team together in Rio. For Tomek, it will be her second Olympic appearance. In the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, Tomek and Meghan Kalmoe finished fifth overall in the double sculls. Tomek was a CRCA second team All-American and Michigan Rowing Athlete of the Year in 2006.
Sailing
Bora Gulari (USA)
Sailing • Nacra 17 (Mixed Multihull)
First Olympic Appearance • U-M Sailing Team Alumnus (2004)
Gulari is headed to his first Olympics in the Narca 17 (mixed multihull) class alongside teammate Louisa Chafee, a former All-American at Brown University. He was a member of the U-M sailing team and graduated in 2004 with a degree in aerospace engineering. In 2009, he was named Rolex Yachtsman of the Year.
Women's Soccer
Shelina Zadorsky (Canada)
Women's Soccer • Defense
First Olympic Appearance • U-M letterwinner (2010-13)
Zadorsky is making her first Olympic appearance with the Canadian Women's National Team in Rio. She first made her debut with the senior team in 2013 but has solidified her role as a full-time member of Canada's roster over the past year. In 2015, she played for Team Canada at the 2015 Pan American Games, scoring two goals during the tournament. This year, she helped Canada finish first at the 2016 Algarve Women's Cup and then secure the silver medal at the 2016 CONCACAF Women's Olympic Qualifying Championship, where Canada qualified for the Rio Olympics. Since graduation from Michigan, Zadorsky has also played professionally for Perth Glory in Australia, winning the League Cup and with Vittsjö GIK in Sweden's first division.
Men's Swimming & Diving
Sean Ryan (USA)
Open-Water Swimming • 10K
First Olympic Appearance • U-M letterwinner (2011-14)
Ryan was among the first Olympians named to Team USA, having earned his spot via a fourth-place finish in the 10K at the FINA World Championships last August in Kazan, Russia. After finishing his undergraduate degree, Ryan stayed at Michigan to pursue a graduate degree and fully commit to open-water swimming.
Felix Auböck (Austria)
Men's Swimming • 200-meter Freestyle, 400-meter Freestyle, 1,500-meter Freestyle
First Olympic Appearance • U-M Incoming Freshman
Though he has not yet stepped foot on campus, Auböck is one of the best up-and-coming mid-distance freestylers in the world. At last summer's World Championships, he was 20th in the 400-meter freestyle and 29th in the 200-meter freestyle. He took fourth in the 400-meter freestyle at the European Championships in May.
Dylan Bosch (South Africa)
Men's Swimming • 4x200-meter Freestyle Relay
First Olympic Appearance • U-M letterwinner (2013-16)
A first-time Olympian for his native South Africa, Bosch is scheduled to swim a leg on the country's 4x200-meter freestyle relay. In four years at Michigan, Bosch was an NCAA champion (2014: 200-yard butterfly), a 13-time NCAA All-American and an 11-time Big Ten champion.
Connor Jaeger (USA)
Men's Swimming • 400-meter Freestyle, 1,500-meter Freestyle
Second Olympic Appearance • U-M letterwinner (2011-14)
Arguably the best distance swimmer in the United States, Jaeger heads to his second Olympics hoping to improve on his sixth-place finish in the 1,500-meter freestyle from four years ago in London. Since then, he has set American records in the 1,500-meter/1,650-yard freestyle and won five medals in international competitions, including a silver in the 1,500-meter freestyle at last summer's FINA World Championships in Kazan, Russia. He will also swim the 400-meter freestyle in Rio.
Anders Lie Nielsen (Denmark)
Men's Swimming • 4x200-meter Freestyle Relay
Second Olympic Appearance • U-M letterwinner (2013-16)
Nielsen is making his second consecutive appearance at the Olympics, swimming once again on Denmark's 4x200-meter freestyle relay. At Michigan, Nielsen was a 10-time NCAA All-American and eight-time Big Ten champion.
Bruno and Miguel Ortiz (Spain)
Men's Swimming • 4x100-meter Freestyle Relay
First Olympic Appearances • U-M letterwinners (Bruno: 2012-15, Miguel: 2010-13)
Not only will Miguel and Bruno Ortiz realize their Olympic dream, but they will be able to do it together swimming on Spain's 4x100-meter freestyle relay. Both were members of Michigan's NCAA record-setting (and title-winning) 200-yard medley relay team in 2013. Older brother Miguel was an eight-time NCAA All-American and eight-time Big Ten champion, while Bruno was a 16-time NCAA All-American and 16-time Big Ten champion.
Michael Phelps (USA)
Men's Swimming • 100-meter Butterfly, 200-meter Butterfly, 200-meter IM
Fifth Olympic Appearance • U-M Volunteer Assistant Coach (2005-08)
The most decorated Olympian in history is back for a fifth and final time. A former U-M volunteer assistant coach while training under former head coach (and current U.S. National Team coach) Bob Bowman, Phelps is the owner of 22 medals (18 gold) and will be looking to add to his collection in Rio. He will swim both butterfly events and the 200-meter IM and will likely be a part of Team USA's relays.
Women's Swimming & Diving
Siobhán Haughey (Hong Kong)
Women's Swimming • 200-meter Freestyle, 200-meter IM
First Olympic Appearance • U-M letterwinner (2016)
After going to the 2012 Olympics in London as a spectator, Haughey goes back four years later but this time as an athlete. She is coming off a fabulous first season at Michigan, particularly at the Big Ten Championships where she was named Swimmer of the Meet. At the World Championships last summer, Haughey was a semifinalist in the 200-meter IM, finishing 14th.
Claudia Lau (Hong Kong)
Women's Swimming • 100-meter Backstroke, 200-meter Backstroke
First Olympic Appearance • U-M letterwinner (2012-15)
A late qualifier who earning her ticket just one month ago at a last-chance meet in Hong Kong, Lau will swim both backstrokes in Rio. She set the Hong Kong national record in the 200-meter backstroke and posted a time that would have placed sixth at U.S. Olympic Trials.
Men's Track & Field
Nate Brannen (Canada)
Track and Field • 1,500-meter run
Third Olympic Appearance • U-M letterwinner (2013-16)
An 11-time All-American in cross country and track during his time at Michigan, Brannen received a spot on the Canadian Olympic team after claiming third place the 1,500-meter run at the Canadian Olympic Trials in Edmonton. It will mark Brannen's third appearance at the Olympics; he was a 1,500-meter semifinalist at the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games. In London, he was clipped and fell midway through his semifinal race, missing the final by two places.
Jeff Porter (USA)
Track and Field • 110m Hurdles
Second Olympic Appearance • U-M letterwinner (2004-07)
Porter, an NCAA champion and three-time All-American at Michigan, used another dramatic finish at the U.S. Olympic Trials to earn a spot on his second U.S. Olympic Team in the 110-meter hurdles. Four years after diving across the line in a personal-best time (13.08) to clinch the final qualifying spot, Porter did it again in Eugene, Oregon, at the 2016 Olympic trials, finishing third in 13.21. He reached the semifinals in the 110-meter hurdles at the 2012 London Games.
Nick Willis (New Zealand)
Track and Field • 1,500m
Fourth Olympic Appearance • U-M letterwinner (2003-05)
Among the most decorated middle-distance athletes in Michigan history, Willis returns to the Olympic stage for the fourth time after setting a New Zealand and personal-best record of 3:29.66 at the Monaco Diamond League meeting on July 17, 2015. He captured the silver medal in the 1,500-meter run at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. He finished third in the race but was elevated to the silver medal after winner Rashid Ramzi tested positive for a banned substance. After redshirting his 2004 outdoor season at Michigan, Willis was a semifinalist in the 1,500m at the Athens Games. He served as New Zealand's team captain and flag bearer for his nation during the 2012 Games in London.
Women's Track & Field
Cindy Ofili (Great Britain)
Track & Field • 100-meter Hurdles
First Olympic Appearance • U-M letterwinner (2013-16)
Ofili, a tri-citizen of Great Britain, Nigeria and the United States since birth, will sport Union Jack and represent Team Great Britain in her first Olympic experience. A second consecutive British silver medal punched her ticket to Rio, and she made the leap to go pro after wrapping one of the most decorated collegiate careers in recent program history this spring. She collected five individual Big Ten championships and one NCAA title (indoor 60-meter hurdles) in addition to becoming a six-time U-M record holder. She broke each of the three program standards once held by her older sister, Tiffany (Ofili) Porter.
Uhunoma Osazuwa (Nigeria)
Track & Field • Heptathlon
Second Olympic Appearance • U-M College of Pharmacy Graduate (2014)
A graduate of Michigan's doctor of pharmacy program, Osazuwa returns for her second Olympic Games after scoring a career-best 6,153 en route to her second straight African Championships title in the heptathlon in June. She improved on her own Nigerian record with the performance. She failed to finish the heptathlon competition at the 2012 London Olympics due to injury after recording marks in five events. Osazuwa competed collegiately at Syracuse University, where she was an All-America pentathlete and two-time Big East Conference heptathlon champion as an undergraduate.
Tiffany (Ofili) Porter (Great Britain)
Track & Field • 100-meter Hurdles
Second Olympic Appearance • U-M letterwinner (2006-09)
Porter will represent Team Great Britain on the Olympic stage for the second time in her career, running her signature event: the 100-meter hurdles. A five-time national champion during her time at Michigan (including three titles in the 100-meter hurdles), Porter is coming off a fine summer season that saw her win her fifth career British championship in the same event. This time, Porter is joined by her husband, Jeff, and her younger sister, Cindy Ofili, on the biggest stage in track and field.
Nicole (Edwards) Sifuentes (Canada)
Track & Field • 1,500-meter run
Second Olympic Appearance • U-M letterwinner (2006-09)
As a middle-distance specialist, Sifuentes is making her second Olympic appearance for Team Canada this summer after reaching the semifinals of the 1,500-meter run in London four years ago. She will run in the same event in Rio with plenty of momentum behind her after a new PR of 4:03.97 set earlier this spring. Sifuentes won silver at her nation's championships to earn a spot on Team Canada. She was the nine-time All-American during her collegiate career.
