The long tradition of former Barton Community College student-athletes qualifying for the Olympics continues with the 2024 version of the Olympiad games in Paris, France, concluding Aug. 11.
Three former members of the Barton track and field program will be making their Olympic debut: women's 100-meter hurdler Joveinny Mota from Venezuela, men's 100-meter sprinter Jhonny Renteria of Colombia, and shot put thrower Ana Da Silva of Brazil.
It'll be an eight day wait from opening ceremonies before the trio will have their respective competitions,
Renteria the first in the spotlight beginning Round 1 of action on Aug. 3 with Mota competing on Aug. 7 capped by Silva on Aug. 8.
Complete schedule and results of the 2024 Paris Olympics can be found at: https://olympics.com/en/paris-2024
Renteria set the Colombia 100-meter national record this past June with a blazing 9.97 at the XIX International Athletics Meeting in Bilbao to qualify for Paris and become just the second countryman to break the 10-second barrier.
Competing on Barton's 2019-20 squad, Renteria helped the Cougars to an indoor national runner-up finish by placing 5th in the 60m dash (6.76). Due to the Covid outbreak scrapping the outdoor season, Renteria returned home and has been on the competitive track running in 60-meter, 100-meter, 200-meter, and both the 400-meter and 1,600-meter relay races.
Da Silva was a two-time NJCAA shot put national champion for the Cougars during the 2019-21 seasons, as well as, was a two-time Region VI Indoor Female Field Athlete of the Meet earner. The program record holder in the hammer throw, Silva left Barton ranking 2nd in shot put and weight throw on the Cougars' historical chart and among the NJCAA's all-time best performances.
Moving on to the University of Georgia, Silva has both the indoor and outdoor school records in the event, placing at the NJCAA National Championships in her first two years at the four-year level. Sitting out the 2024 season due to injuries, Silva will return in again competing for Bulldogs for the 2024-25 season.
Mota was a 4-time NJCAA All-America performer at Barton during the 2019 and 2020 seasons, helping the Cougars to the 2019 NJCAA Indoor National title, and left her name atop the program as the 60m hurdle record holder.
Moving on to the University of Arkansas, Mota set the Venezuela national record in both the indoor and outdoor seasons before resetting the indoor time at the 2022 World Indoor Championships competing for her home country. In her second season at U of A, Mota continued her progression while also competing and representing her country at multiple international events before transferring this past year for her final year of collegiate athletics at the University of Kansas.
In addition to the trio, former Barton coaches have had, and will have, training responsibilities of numerous athletes including but not limited to: Dennis Shaver (Louisiana State University), Lance Brauman (PURE Athletics Elite), Matt Kane (Florida State University), and former Cougar athlete and Olympian Tabarie Henry (University of Alabama).
