Handal Roban Selected to Compete at 2024 Paris Olympics

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State track & field’s Handal Roban was selected to compete in the 800-meter run at the 2024 Paris Olympics for his home country of St. Vincent & the Grenadines, as announced by World Athletics and confirmed by the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Olympic Committee. 

Roban earned the qualification based on universality place and will toe the line in his first Olympic games this summer against the top 800-meter talent in the world. Associate head coach Ryan Foster will travel to Paris with Roban as his coach for team St. Vincent & the Grenadines. 

In 2023, Foster coached Roban at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary to a 33^rd place finish in the 800-meters. The St. Vincent & the Grenadines 800-meter national record holder returns to the big stage in 2024, eager to improve on his placement in the world standings from a year ago.

With Penn State, Roban is a four-time 800-meter All-American with just two collegiate seasons under his belt. In 2023, the middle-distance star won bronze in the 800 during both the indoor and outdoor NCAA seasons, establishing himself as the next in a long line of successful Nittany Lion half-milers. This year, Roban moved to No. 2 in Penn State history in the indoor 800-meter run, now trailing only Isaiah Harris on the list. His 1:45.36 mark from the Penn Relays Summer Classic in June is third on Penn State’s outdoor list.

Roban becomes the third Penn State athlete to earn qualification to this summer’s Olympics, joining 200-meter NCAA Champion Cheickna Traore (200m, Ivory Coast), and 2024 shot put world leader Joe Kovacs (shot put, USA).

FOLLOW THE NITTANY LIONS 

Follow along with the team on our social media pages on Facebook (PennStateTFXC) and X/Instagram (@pennstatetfxc).