BEA alum and assistant University of Michigan track coach Steve Rajewsky will be coaching athletes at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.

A former athlete at Blue Earth Area High School is headed to the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France, not to compete, but as a coach for a couple of athletes who have qualified to participate in the track and field events at the Olympic Games.

Steve Rajewsky graduated from BEA in 2000 and is currently an assistant track and field coach at the University of Michigan, in Ann Arbor.

“I am looking forward to the opportunity and the experience,” Rajewsky says. “Chances like this don’t come along that often.”

Rajewsky shares that two University of Michigan athletes have already qualified for the Olympics while a third athlete is waiting to see if they will get to make the trip to France.

“Savannah Sutherland qualified as a member of the Canadian Olympic Team in the 400-meter hurdles,” Rajewski says. “She was the NCAA champion in that event in 2023 and the runner-up in 2024 and is a four-time All-American. She currently has the seventh fastest time in the world for 2024.”

Sutherland is also one of the females who was named as a member of the 4×400-meter relay team.

The other Michigan athlete who has for sure qualified for the Olympics is Dubem Amene.

“He will represent Nigeria,” Rajewsky explains. “He will run in the mixed relay and the 4×400-meter relay. He qualified at the World Relays which were held in the Bahamas in May.”

Rajeswky will attend the Olympics as a personal coach.

“I will go to the Canadian Team training camp in Barcelona, Spain, before the Olympics, but I will not be on their official staff,” Rajewsky explains. “The camp is for acclimation and training. The athletes will also have access to nutritional and medical support.”

He notes that if the third athlete ends up qualifying for the Olympics, he could have a busy few days in Paris.

“I traveled to the World Championships in Budapest so I have been away from home quite a bit,” Rajewsky adds. “I am blessed with a wonderful wife and two daughters who are very supportive of what I do.”