OSU grad student swimming in Olympics for third time

Wednesday, July 28, 2021

Media Contact: Lyn Putnam | Communications Specialist | 405-744-5496 | lyn.putnam@okstate.edu

Angelika Ouedraogo will jump into the pool on Friday looking to join a select group of people who can call themselves three-time Olympians.

Ouedraogo, an Oklahoma State University doctoral student and researcher studying Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering, will be competing for Burkina Faso at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, which were postponed a full year because of COVID-19.

Ouedraogo will participate in the 50-meter freestyle competition, an event where she placed 63rd in the 2012 London Olympics and 67th in the 2016 Summer Games in Rio De Janeiro, where she was the West African country’s flag bearer during the Closing Ceremonies.

“Being a part of the Olympics is every athlete’s dream,” Ouedraogo said. “My first time competing at the Olympics, I was excited and proud to represent my country, but also nervous because it’s the biggest competition for athletes.”

Ouedraogo started swimming competitively in 2006 and joined the Burkina Faso national team in 2009. While at OSU, she trained with the King Marlin Swim Club at their 25-meter pool in Oklahoma City and occasionally with Norman’s Sooner Swim Club in their 50-meter pool.

Ouedraogo competes in the FINA World Championships when she is not preparing for the Olympics and placed in the top 25 at the 12th African Games in 2019 in the 50-meter freestyle and was a top 10 finisher for the 50-meter breaststroke.

The FINA World Championships are the global competiion for aquatic sports and take place in a variety of places such as South Korea, Hungary, Russa, Canada and China.

Ouedraogo will start out in Heat 4 of the 50-meter freestyle at 5:30 a.m. Friday on NBC.