Ilse Paulis becomes first Buckeye to medal at 2020 Olympic games

 Former Ohio State rower Ilse Paulis became the first Buckeye to medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games Wednesday. Credit: Courtesy of Ohio State Dept. of Athletics

Former Ohio State rower Ilse Paulis became the first Buckeye to medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games Wednesday. 

Paulis — who rowed at Ohio State in 2012 — earned the bronze medal for Netherlands in the lightweight women’s double sculls, alongside teammate Marieke Keijser. This is Paulis’ second career medal, winning the gold in the same event at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.  

Paulis and Keijser finished with a time of 6:48.03 — which placed them just a half-second behind Italy’s gold medal duo of Valentina Rodini and Federica Cesarini. 

While at Ohio State, Paulis helped lead the Buckeyes to a 2nd place finish in the Big Ten and 5th place finish at the NCAA Championships.