UK’s accomplished Track and Field program made its presence felt on the biggest stage in international sports, the Olympics.

The Cats sent six athletes to Rio to compete, including current UK sophomore Jasmine Camacho-Quinn, who suffered a heartbreaking defeat in the semifinals of the 100 meter hurdles.

Camacho-Quinn, who ran for Puerto Rico in the games, finished second in her heat to qualify for the finals, but after it was determined that she did not correctly jump over the final hurdle, she was disqualified.

“As much as it hurts that I am not in finals, I can say I’m proud of myself,” Camacho-Quinn said.

The Olympic experience will help the young runner moving forward into the 2017 outdoor season where she can continue her momentum on the track in the blue and white.

Along with Camacho-Quinn, UK Track and Field was represented by five alumni competing for four different countries with Andrew Evans being the only athlete wearing the red, white and blue for team USA in the discus.

Evans, a member of the class of 2014, failed to qualify for the discus final, finishing 16th with only 12 throwers getting a spot in the final.

Alums Rondel Sorillo and Mikel Thomas both represented Trinidad and Tobago with Sorillo taking part in the 100m, 200m and 4x100m sprinting events, and Thomas competing in the 110m hurdles. Sorillo, the 2010 NCAA champion in the 200m, failed to qualify for the final in his semifinal heat, but was able to make it to the relay final and compete with the world’s fastest man, Usain Bolt.

Unfortunately for Sorillo and his countrymen, Trinidad and Tobago were disqualified along with the United States.

Class of 2015 graduate Leah Nugent competed for track powerhouse Jamaica in the 400m hurdles, but finished just three spots off the podium.

The sixth and final runner who represented UK is 2013 graduate Luis Orta who ran in the marathon for Venezuela and finished 106.

A name many people were looking forward to seeing in Rio was 2015 grad Kendra Harrison, who currently holds the world record in the 100m hurdles. Harrison failed to qualify for the Olympics at the U.S. trials, but broke the 22-year-old record in July.