Former KU runner Bryce Hoppel sets American record, places 4th in 800 at Olympics
Former University of Kansas track middle distance standout Bryce Hoppel placed fourth in the 800 Saturday at the 2024 Olympic Games despite racing to an American record 1:41.67 in the event.
Hoppel, a 26-year-old Midland, Texas native who placed fifth in the 800 semifinals at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, barely missed out on medaling on Saturday. The top four finishers were within a second of each other in a thrilling race held at Stade de France in Saint-Denis, France.
Emmanuel Wanyonyi of Kenya won the gold medal in 1:41.19, a time that makes him the third-fastest 800 runner of all time. It was the fifth-best mark in an Olympic Games 800. Wanyonyi narrowly missed the world record of 1:40.91 set by Kenya’s David Rudisha at the 2012 London Olympics.
Marco Arop of Canada won the silver in 1:41.2 and Djamel Sedjati of Algeria the bronze in 1:41.50.
Hoppel beat the old American record time of 1:42.34 set by former teammate Donavan Brazier in the 2019 world championships. Hoppel’s personal best entering the race was 1:42.77. Saturday’s race was the only 800 in history in which four runners broke 1:42.0. Hoppel’s time of 1:41.67 would have been fast enough to win the gold medal in the Tokyo Olympics.
All eight runners Saturday in the event finished in a faster time than the winner in Tokyo.
Hoppel, who was involved in a sprint with several runners over the final 100, had a chance to medal at the end but was barely out-kicked by Wanyonyi, Arop and Sedjati.
A runner from Kenya has won gold in the 800 in five consecutive Olympic Games.
Hoppel completed an amazing season in which he placed first in the 800 at the U.S. Olympic Trials in a meet record and personal best 1:42.77.
He fell a second shy of becoming the first American to win gold in the Olympics since Dave Wottle at the 1972 Munich Games. He was trying to become the first U.S. runner to medal in the men’s 800 since Clayton Murphy, who earned bronze at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics.
Hoppel entered the 2024 Games as the fourth rated runner in the world. Hoppel, a five-time All-American, two-time NCAA champion and four-time Big 12 champion, won the 1,500 at the 2024 Kansas Relays.
He won the 800 at the World Indoor championships on March 4 in Scotland in 1:44.92. He’s the only American to win the 800 meters at the world indoor meet.
