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AP

Trio of Varsity Knights Set for 2024 Olympics in Paris

by Ken Landis

ORLANDO – The opportunity of a lifetime comes around every four years for Summer Olympians across the globe. For a trio of Varsity Knights, that chance has finally arrived. UCF will have three Varsity Knights competing at the upcoming 2024 Paris Olympics. Former UCF rowers Julie Poulsen of Denmark and Viktorija Senkute of Lithuania will represent their countries on the water, while Sarai Linder will participate on the pitch with Germany in women’s soccer. The 2024 Summer Olympics, officially named the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad, will begin on Friday, July 26 and conclude on Sunday, Aug. 11.

The former UCF student-athlete trio are three of six total Knights to compete at this summer's Olympics and Paralympics. A quick look at all six Paris athletes can be found here. A list of known Olympic and Paralympic from UCF was highlighted in the Summer 2021 issue of Pegasus magazine..

Poulsen and Senkute were not only teammates on the 2017 and 2018 UCF rowing squads, but they were both part of the Varsity Eight boat across the two seasons. Their boat finished first in both American Athletic Conference championship races, as well as earning nine victories and over 20 top three finishes in races together over the two years. The Knights’ run of five straight American Athletic Conference rowing championships from 2015 to 2019 had at least one of the pair on the roster.

18UCFRowing_2-12_854 (1)Viktorija Senkute (pictured left) and Julie Poulsen (right) rowed together in the Varsity Eight in 2017 and 2018, and will now be competing in the 2024 Olympics.

Julie Poulsen '20 – Denmark – UCF Rowing – 2017-21

Poulsen is one of the most decorated UCF rowers in program history. She is one of three Knights to be named a Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association (CRCA) All-American, earning honorable mention nods twice in 2018 and 2019. She earned a pair of CRCA All-Region nods in those same years as well. She was named First Team All-American Athletic Conference three times (2018, 2019, 2021) and earned CRCA National Scholar Athlete and American Athletic Conference All-Academic honors in four straight years from 2018-21.

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“I learned two big lessons at UCF that I still carry with me to this day…to be less timid of challenges and that the team is bigger than me. Everyone celebrated your success as a member of UCF’s team and pushed you to be a better athlete every day. It was such a rewarding experience.”

Julie PoulsenUCF Rowing, 2017-21

Poulson started rowing at age 10 and idolized four-time Olympian Juliane Elander Rasmussen, who rowed for the same club that Poulson got her start at.

“[Elander] made it okay to dream big. I carried a sign saying ‘Olympics 2024’ as a part of a parade to celebrate [Elander’s Olympic participation] and now 16 years later I can say that I will be going to the Olympics.”

Julie PoulsenUCF Rowing, 2017-21

Poulsen will compete in the women’s four portion of the rowing competitions in Paris. Lined up with her in the boat will be Frida Sanggaard Nielsen, Marie Johannesen and Astrid Steensberg. Poulsen and Steensberg both have collegiate rowing experience, with Steensberg competing at USC. Poulsen won three American Athletic Conference championships (2017, 2018 and 2019) while at UCF.

Poulsen graduated from UCF in 2020 with a degree in human communication with a minor in mass communication.

“I feel so grateful for every chance I get to race against the best rowers in the world, and the fact that I now get to represent my national colors at the highest level in sports is something I am honored to do.”

Julie PoulsenUCF Rower, 2017-21

Women’s Four Schedule
Sunday, July 28 - Women’s Four Heats - 6:30 a.m. ET
Tuesday, July 30 - Women’s Four Repechages - 5:30 a.m. ET
Thursday, Aug. 1 - Women’s Four Final B - 4:54 a.m. ET
Thursday, Aug. 1 - Women’s Four Final A (MEDAL) - 5:50 a.m. ET

Viktorija Senkute '18 – Lithuania – UCF Rowing – 2015-18

The Knights won American Athletic Conference championships in all four years of Senkute’s tenure, the start of five consecutive titles by the Black and Gold. She earned a CRCA All-Region nod in 2018 as well as First Team All-American Athletic Conference first team honors in 2017 and 2018 and second team recognitions in 2015 and 2016. She also earned American Athletic Conference All-Academic Team nods from 2016-18 on her way to a degree in interdisciplinary studies with minors in sports business management, and mass culture and collective behavior.

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“Before coming to UCF I didn't know how to be a teammate; I didn’t know how to fight as one. UCF taught me so many things about what it's like to be on a team. In Lithuania, you have to choose one path in college, sports or education. UCF allowed me to combine both and experience a culture and life I would have never dreamed about.”

Viktorija SenkuteUCF Rowing, 2015-18

Senkute will be participating in women’s single sculls. She is one of five boats across men’s and women’s rowing to represent Lithuania at Paris in 2024. It’s the third straight summer Olympics that her country will send five vessels.

“What I will remember most about my journey to the Olympics is the tough times; the injuries I came back from; the ‘unsuccessful’ years where I enjoyed the journey, but I couldn't produce the results; and the past two years when my boyfriend and I were working super hard, changed our mindsets, and it finally paid off. We both qualified for the Olympic games this year. It will be an experience of a lifetime.”

Viktorija SenkuteUCF Rowing, 2015-18

Women’s Single Sculls Schedule
Saturday, July 27 - Women’s Single Sculls Heats - 4:12 a.m. ET
Sunday, July 28 - Women’s Single Sculls Repechages - 3:00 a.m. ET
Monday, July 29 - Women’s Single Sculls Semifinal E/F 1 - 3:54 a.m. ET
Monday, July 29 - Women’s Single Sculls Semifinal E/F 2 - 4:06 a.m. ET
Tuesday, July 30 - Women’s Single Sculls Quarterfinals - 3:30 a.m. ET
Wednesday, July 31 - Women’s Single Sculls Semifinal C/D 1 - 4:14 a.m. ET
Wednesday, July 31 - Women’s Single Sculls Semifinal C/D 2 - 4:24 a.m. ET
Thursday, Aug. 1 - Women’s Single Sculls Semifinal A/B 1 - 3:30 a.m. ET
Thursday, Aug. 1 - Women’s Single Sculls Semifinal A/B 2 - 3:30 a.m. ET
Friday, Aug. 2 - Women’s Single Sculls Final F - 3:42 a.m. ET
Friday, Aug. 2 - Women’s Single Sculls Final E - 4:06 a.m. ET
Saturday, Aug. 3 - Women’s Single Sculls Final C - 3:30 a.m. ET
Saturday, Aug. 3 - Women’s Single Sculls Final B - 3:54 a.m. ET
Saturday, Aug. 3 - Women’s Single Sculls Final A (MEDAL) - 4:18 a.m. ET

Sarai Linder – Germany – UCF Women's Soccer – 2020-21

Former UCF women’s soccer defender Sarai Linder will represent her nation of Germany. Linder, who hails from Sinsheim, Germany, spent the COVID-shortened 2020-21 campaign with the Knights. She played and started all seven matches for the Black and Gold during her lone season with the program and was a key component in UCF’s midfield and back line. Linder recorded a pair of assists for the Knights and tied for the team lead in minutes played with 650. She capped her season by earning First Team All-American Athletic Conference honors, All-AAC Rookie Team accolades, and 2020-21 AAC All-Academic Team honors.

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She is one of three UCF women's soccer alums to compete at the Olympics, joining USA's Michelle Akers '89 (1996 Atlanta) and Brazil's Aline Reis '11 (2016 Rio).

Linder played in Germany before her collegiate career for TSG Hoffenheim II from 2015-17 and the top club TSG Hoffenheim from 2016-20. After her stint with UCF, she returned to the top tier of German soccer with TSG Hoffenheim. She appeared in 165 matches over the top two levels of soccer in her home country, finding the back of the net 14 times. Linder also played for Germany’s U17 and U20 teams before joining the German Women’s National Team last year. Since 2023, Linder has played in 16 matches for her nation’s squad and has helped lead her country to an 11-4-1 (W-L-D) record in those contests.

Women’s German National Team Schedule
Thursday, July 25 - Group B - Germany vs. Australia - 1 p.m. ET
Sunday, July 28 - Group B - Germany vs. USA - 3 p.m. ET
Wednesday - July 31 - Group B - Germany vs. Zambia - 1 p.m. ET
Saturday, Aug. 3 - Knockout Round - TBA
Tuesday, Aug. 6 - Semifinal Round - Noon or 3 p.m. ET
Friday, Aug. 9 - Bronze Medal Match - 9 a.m. ET
Saturday, Aug. 10 - Gold Medal Match - 11 a.m. ET