The Olympic rings were tinged with purple, thanks to three Williams alumni athletes who made significant contributions to the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris, France. Williams Today shares their stories.

Kristi Kirshe ’17, USA Women’s Rugby Sevens, Bronze Medal

Her path to Paris: As a youngster Kirshe played football and later transitioned to soccer. A political science major at Williams, Kirshe played forward for a team that in 2015 won Little 3 and NESCAC titles and made it to the NCAA Finals. The Franklin, Mass., native was named NESCAC Player of the Year in 2016.

Seeking a competitive outlet while she was working as a practice development assistant in a law office, Kirshe, then 23, took a friend’s suggestion to try rugby. Within a year, Kirshe earned an invitation to a National Team camp a year and, six years later, played with the U.S. team in the 2020 Tokyo Games. Kirshe is now a full-time professional rugby player.

On the pitch: In the Paris Games, Kirshe was in play for every minute of every game on the road to silver. She’s often described by her coach, Emilie Bydwell, as “the heartbeat” of the team, according to a July article about Kirshe in The Boston Globe. In that same article, Kirshe says the experience of winning was “ethereal.” As she told The Williams Record in September: “I don’t think I’ll ever experience a high like that again in my entire life.”

Steve Graham ’82, philanthropist who helped bring breaking to the Olympic Games

His path to Paris: Graham, who competed with the men’s skiing, track and field, and tennis teams at Williams, became involved with break dancing shortly after college, when some friends suggested he check out the scene in New York City. He learned some moves and began joining in with groups of dancers on the street, often while wearing a suit and tie from his day job as an analyst at Goldman Sachs.

The philosophy and English major encouraged others to join him from work, business school and, later, his family; he wanted his young children to learn. Now the CEO and senior managing principal of Graham Partners, he sponsors breaking events, competitions and dancers’ highlight videos. Thanks to a connection he made within the International Olympic Committee, he’s credited with helping to bring breaking to the 2024 Games.

On the scene: As a sponsor of the U.S. team, Graham traveled to Paris to soak up the excitement of the sport’s premiere. He tells Williams Today that many of the athletes who competed were “elite world class”—including American Victor Montalvo, who earned the bronze—and was impressed with the staging, music and more handled by the international breaking community. He’s says he’s hopeful that the “Olympic shine” will secure a spot for breaking at future Games.

Ben Washburne ’23, Team USA Para-rowing PR3 Mixed Coxed Four, Silver Medal

His path to Paris: Washburne spent much of his childhood recovering from surgeries to correct a clubfoot in his left leg. His father, Peter Washburne ’87—who rowed at Williams—encouraged Ben to try the sport in eighth grade. He went on to row competitively in high school and with the men’s crew team at Williams, earning the college’s 2023 John A. Shaw Award for persistence, perseverance and dedication. He tells Williams Today that his time at Williams was “pivotal” to his journey: “I left a significantly fitter and more technical rower than when I had come in.”

An economics and physics major, Washburne earned a spot on the USRowing Para National Team shortly after graduation. That summer he won gold in the PR3 mixed four with coxswain at the Para Rowing Regatta to Paris and silver in the same category at the World Championships. He trained on the water for hours a day in Boston while working from his home office for Intersect Power, a green energy infrastructure company.

On the water: In Paris before the Paralympic Games began, Washburne said, “I feel both excited and nervous. So much effort and time has gone into my preparation, and now it’s time to see if it will pay off.” Attending the opening ceremony was “a surreal and once-in-a-lifetime type experience.”

Regina Velázquez is an associate editor and senior writer in Williams’ Office of Communications.