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UGA's track and field program is filled with international talent - and Olympic potential

In Bulldog country, athletes are preparing to compete at an international level.

ATHENS, Ga. — Tucked away in Bulldog country, athletes in Athens are aiming to reach new heights as they watch the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics.

Greatness in the Classic City is an international affair. The University of Georgia's track and field program has a long-running legacy of nurturing raw Olympic talent.

Sanaa and Sole Frederick are twins who will both attend UGA. They are also both headed to Paris to compete in this year's Olympic games. After their Olympic debut in France, they will compete for the Dawgs.

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Australian hammer thrower Stephanie Ratcliffe said the program uniquely shapes champions.

“Every college in America, they’re trying to win nationals, like get national championships, but I feel like what stands out at Georgia is that real focus on international excellence.”

It's a focus instilled in these UGA athletics that fuels athletes to run faster, throw further and jump higher.

Mikeisha Welcome, a triple jumper from Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, said athletes from all over the world thrive at UGA on the global stage and set the standard of excellence.

RELATED: Meet the UGA-connected athletes competing in the 2024 Paris Olympics

It's a standard that inspires Hossom Hatib to break records.

“Morocco is a distance country. There is no Moroccan ever run sub-45," said Hatib, who is representing Morrocco at the Olympic games.

Hatib plans to change that -- and UGA is the place to help him do it.

“If you get the chance to be here at UGA, it only means you got the chance to go to the Olympics," Hatib said.

To see what other UGA athletes will be competing in Paris, click here

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