LYON, France – Former UCF women’s soccer player Sarai Linder helped Germany to a bronze finish at the 2024 Paris Olympics in women’s soccer on Friday at Lyon Stadium.
Linder, who earned first team all-conference honors during the 2020-21 campaign for the Knights, helped Germany record a 1-0 victory over Spain in the bronze medal match on Friday. Overall, she guided Germany to a 4-2 record at the 2024 Olympics.
"I'm absolutely thrilled for Sarai and her incredible achievement with Germany at the Olympics. Helping her team secure a bronze medal is a testament to her skill, determination, and hard work,” head UCF women’s soccer coach Tiffany Roberts Sahaydak said. “During her time at UCF, Sarai was not just a standout player on the field but also a true leader and role model off it. Her work ethic, intelligence, and passion for the game were unmatched, and she consistently raised the level of everyone around her. I'm so proud to see her continue to excel on the world stage, and I have no doubt she will keep making an impact in whatever she pursues next."
Linder was instrumental in Germany’s opening 3-0 victory over Australia on July 25, as she recorded an assist in that contest. After missing the next few matches with an infection, she then earned the start in Friday’s bronze medal contest and helped solidify Germany’s backline en route to leading her country to the shutout victory over Spain.
During her lone season of competition at UCF, Linder not only earned First Team All-American Athletic Conference honors, but also All-AAC Rookie Team accolades, and AAC All-Academic Team recognition. She played and started all seven matches for the Black and Gold that season—the COVID-shorted 2020-21 campaign—and was a key component in UCF’s midfield and back line. She also tallied a pair of assists and tied for the team lead in minutes played that season for the Black and Gold.
Linder is the second Varsity Knight to have medaled at the 2024 Summer Olympics, as former UCF rower Viktorija Senkute too earned a bronze medal for Lithuania in women’s single sculls. In all, a total of three Varsity Knights competed at the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad, in Linder, Senkute, and fellow rower Julie Poulsen (Denmark).
To read more about Senkute and Poulsen’s performances at the 2024 Olympics, click HERE.
