Alumni

UNC’s Olympic firsts

Published on August 15, 2016

Harry Williamson was the first Olympian from UNC, but not the first Tar Heel to take gold.

Harry Williamson was the first Olympian from UNC, but not the first Tar Heel to take gold.

By carstories

Harry Williamson was the first Tar Heel to compete in the Olympics, finishing sixth in the 800 meters in Berlin in 1936. So who was the first Carolina athlete to bring home the gold? That honor belongs to Larry Brown, who won gold as part of the men’s basketball team at the 1964 Tokyo Olympic Games. Since 1936, there have been a handful of other Carolina Olympic firsts.

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