For
Emily Mackay '21, the wait is over.
It's been four weeks since the 2021 Binghamton track and cross country alum qualified for the Paris Olympics in the women's 1,500 run. Since then, it has been a whirlwind for Mackay between getting processed for the games, continuing to train for the Olympics and visiting friends and family.
On Wednesday evening, however, Mackay made the trans-Atlantic flight to Paris. The Olympic Games begin on Friday evening and she will take part in the Opening Ceremonies.
The first round of the women's 1,500 is set for 4:05 a.m. EST on Tuesday, August 6 at the Stade de France, the national stadium which seats 81,338. The semifinals are at 1:35 p.m. EST on Thursday, August 8 and the finals are at 2:25 p.m. EST on Saturday, August 10. All three races are expected to be shown live on the Peacock app with NBC showing highlights and select events later during their live nightly broadcasts.
As Mackay arrived in Paris, several administrators and former track teammates at Binghamton University took time out to wish her good luck in the upcoming Olympics. Click
here for the video.
Mackay is the fifth Binghamton student-athlete to have qualified for the Olympic Games. She is preceded by John Moreau, Chris Coleman, Yun Qu and Hui-Jue Cai.
Moreau qualified in fencing for both the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics as well as the 1988 Games in Seoul. In both 2008 and 2012, he was a judge for the modern pentathlon. Moreau will be making his fifth Olympic appearance – once again as a judge – at Paris. He was inducted into the Binghamton Athletic Hall of Fame in 1998.
Coleman was a five-time All-American sprinter on the Binghamton track & field team from 1986-89 but advanced to both the 1992 and 1994 Winter Olympic Games in the bobsled events. He was an inaugural inductee into the Binghamton Athletic Hall of Fame in 1996.
Qu and Cai, meanwhile, competed for their native China in the swimming events at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics prior to joining the Binghamton program. Qu was a 2002 All-American and was inducted into the Binghamton Athletic Hall of Fame in 2011.
Mackay is the most accomplished Binghamton University female student-athlete during its 24-year NCAA Division I era. She graduated as a five-time United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches' Association (USTFCCCA) All-American and won seven America East championships between cross country and track & field. She placed a program-best 14th overall at the 2020 NCAA Cross Country Championships and was sixth overall in the 1,500 at the 2022 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
