"She was having the time of her life," Taylor said. "She was competing at some of the best meets in the world. She was definitely holding her own all summer. Above all, she was having a lot of fun."

This week was not the first time Gyorffy competed in Sydney. In 1996, she competed in the world junior championships there, placing second with a jump of 1.91 meters.

But Turner said Gyorffy has improved dramatically since coming to Harvard in the fall of 1997, jumping higher at a more consistent rate.

"She's gone from a 6'4" jumper to a 6'5.5" [jumper]," Turner said. "At that level, it's hard to get that extra centimeter."

Gyorffy will be coming back to Harvard once registration for the spring semester begins, returning to uniform in time to defend her NCAA indoor title.

Harvard was shut out of the medals this year, with five Harvard graduates also failing to medal in rowing. Henry Nuzum '99, who made an appearance on NBC's Olympic coverage, did not qualify after placing fourth in a semifinal race for the men's coxless pairs.

Harvard has a long history with the Olympics. James B. Connolly, Class of 1898, won the first-ever gold medal of the modern Olympic Games in Athens in 1896. Connolly competed in the hop, skip and jump, now commonly known as the triple jump.

A Harvard student or graduate has competed in every modern summer games and nearly every winter games.