MONTREAL – Swimmer Clément Secchi has become the first McGill University product to reach the podium at the Summer Olympics since canoeist Thomas Hall won bronze at the 2008 Beijing Games.
 
A 24-year-old management graduate from Aix-en-Provence, France, Secchi earned bronze for his native country on Sunday as part of the men's 4x100 medley relay. An alternate on the relay squad, he swam in the morning preliminary race, where his France quartet posted a time of three minutes, 31.36 to qualify for the evening finals. Secchi was one of two alternates subbed out for the foursome that claimed bronze in the final, clocking a time of 3:28.38 to finish on the podium behind first-place China (3:27.46) and the United States (3:28.01). However, medals in relay events are awarded to any individual who competed, whether it be in the prelims or the final.
 
A four-time All-Canadian at McGill, the 5-foot-11, 157-pound butterfly specialist was a three-time recipient of the Forbes Trophy as the University's male athlete of the year. He graduated in 2022 with a bachelor's degree from the Desautels School of Management.
 
Secchi is one of six McGill grads competing at the Paris Games. The Canadian contingent includes Briana Scott-Hungerford (BA '12), a former McGill volleyball player from Vancouver, B.C., who is now a distance runner representing Canada in track and field. Rounding out the group is  Virginie Chénier (BA '17) of Laval, Que., in archery, and three fencers: Shaul Gordon (BCL/LLB '19, LLM '21) of Richmond, B.C., along with a pair of Montrealers, Maximilien Van Haaster (BSc '16) and François Cauchon (BCom '22).

Also competing is future McGill student Caroline Crossley from Victoria, B.C., who helped Canada win silver in rugby sevens and is expected to be enrolled in law school this fall.

To date, 156 McGillians that have gone on to compete for Summer or Winter Olympic glory over the past century. Since first appearing at the 1904 Summer Games in St. Louis, McGillians have now won a combined total of 34 Olympic medals, 12 of them golden, in addition to eight silvers and 14 bronzes.
 
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Earl Zukerman
Sports Information Officer
McGill University - Athletics & Recreation
(cell) 514-983-7012
TWITTER: @EarlZukerman
E-MAIL: earl.zukerman@mcgill.ca