(Scroll to the bottom of the page to see the answers.)
1. How many Stanford-affiliated athletes qualified to compete at the 2024 Paris Olympics? (Hint: It was a school record.)
a) 60
b) 57
c) 50
d) 45
2. The first Cardinal athlete to compete in the Olympics did so in which sport?
a) Discus throw
b) Wrestling
c) Pole vault
d) Fencing
3. Besides winning the most gold medals of any American woman in history, which of these accomplishments can swimmer Katie Ledecky claim?
a) Gave Mark Zuckerberg a swimming lesson
b) Swam the length of a pool with a glass of chocolate milk balanced on her head
c) Took William Dement’s Sleep and Dreams course
d) Played alto sax at a Cardinal football game
e) All of the above
4. At the 1924 Paris Olympics, tensions between the U.S. and French teams in which sport led to a brawl that included many Stanford players?
a) Archery
b) Artistic swimming
c) Fencing
d) Rugby
5. At the 1936 Berlin Games, 13-year-old Marjorie Gestring became the youngest Summer Olympic gold medalist in history. She would later enroll at Stanford. In which sport did she compete?
a) Diving
b) Biathlon
c) Bobsled
d) Trampoline
6. George Horine became the first Stanford athlete to win an Olympic medal when he competed in the 1912 Stockholm Games. He won in which track and field event?
a) Pole vault
b) Steeplechase
c) High jump
d) Javelin throw
7. Prior to the 2024 Paris Games, how many Olympic medals had Stanford-affiliated athletes brought home?
a) 301
b) 296
c) 556
d) 217
8. At which Olympic Games did Stanford-affiliated athletes win the most medals?
a) 1956 in Melbourne
b) 1992 in Barcelona
c) 1998 in Nagano
d) 2016 in Rio de Janeiro
e) 2020/21 in Tokyo
9. Jessica Mendoza is a two-time Olympic medalist in a sport that was added to the Olympics in 1996, removed for 2012 and 2016, re-added in 2020, and removed again in 2024. What is the sport?
a) Softball
b) Breakdancing
c) Squash
d) Trampoline
10. The Bay Area Sports Organizing Committee’s proposal to host portions of the 2012 Olympics on the Stanford campus included which of the following plans not approved by the university?
a) Un-sinking Sunken Diamond
b) Renovating the Red Barn to provide stables for equestrian events
c) Turning Stanford Stadium into a 100,000-seat athletics complex
d) Setting up Olympic Village in Old Union
11. In 1996, the Olympic Torch passed through campus, pausing for a brief ceremony in front of which Stanford landmark?
a) Hoover Tower
b) The Claw
c) Tresidder
d) The Dish
Answers
1. a, 60, including 14 current student-athletes (source: Stanford Athletics)
2. c, pole vault (source: STANFORD Magazine)
3. e, all of the above (source: Washington Post)
4. d, rugby (source: STANFORD Magazine)
5. a, diving (source: International Olympic Committee)
6. c, high jump (source: International Olympic Committee)
7. b, 296 overall medals (source: Stanford Facts)
8. d, Rio de Janeiro (source: Stanford Athletics)
9. a, softball (source: CBS Sports)
10. c, turning Stanford Stadium into a 100,000-seat athletics complex (source: Stanford Daily Archives)
11. a, Hoover Tower (source: Stanford Daily Archives)