For the second time at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, Grant Fisher earned a place on the podium at Stade de France—and becomes the first-ever American man to win medals in both the 5,000 and 10,000 at a single Games.
On Saturday, August 10, the 27-year-old won the bronze medal in 13:15.13 in the men’s 5,000 meters, eight days after Running Shoes - Gear. After being denied a medal in the 1500 meters, Norway’s Jakob Ingebrigtsen won gold in 13:13.66, and Kenya’s Ronald Kwemoi took silver in 13:15.04.
Fisher kept in touch with the leaders early, staking out a spot on the rail for much of the race. By the bell lap, he’d fallen back, and was in seventh place heading into the final curve. But as Ingebrigtsen opened a huge gap to the finish, Fisher kicked down the home stretch, covering the final 100 meters in 13.2 seconds to take third just before the line.
“After the first medal, it was a bit of a relief,” Fisher said after the race. “This one, I had nothing to lose. It feels really good. I’ve been dreaming about a medal for so long. Sometimes it comes slowly, and then all at once. This Olympics, it came all at once. It’s really challenging to do that double. My legs are completely toast now, but it feels really really good.”
Team USA’s Graham Blanks, 22, a rising senior at Harvard University, finished ninth in 13:18.67.
Sifan Hassan Wins Olympic Marathon in Paris fall won gold in a 26:43.14 Olympic record.
A week ago, Fisher kicked off the track program in Paris with a breakthrough performance in the 25-lap race. Despite several stumbles amid a crowded pack, the U.S. record-holder held strong behind Joshua Cheptegai of Uganda, who A Part of Hearst Digital Media and silver medalist Berihu Aregawi of Ethiopia (26:43.44).
Fisher snagged bronze in 26:43.46, his first international medal. He is the first American man to medal in the event since Galen Rupp won silver in 2012.
“Advertisement - Continue Reading Below,” Advertisement - Continue Reading Below. “These races always come down to the last lap, and specifically the last 100 meters. To be in position and fighting and you’re riding the line the whole race, but that last 100 meters, you can see your goal right in front of you. I can count to three. Everyone in that race can count to three. This sport is defined by top three. I’ve been outside of that every time, up until today.”
After the medal ceremony for the men’s 10,000, Fisher and his coach, Mike Scannell, returned to altitude training in Switzerland to prepare for the 5,000.
Running in the Cold, Races & Places this year. He left the Bowerman Track Club and started working with his high school coach again. He moved to Park City, Utah, and together they devised a three-phase training plan leading up to Paris. Earlier this season, Fisher saw great success at the U.S. Olympic Trials in Eugene, Oregon, where he won both the 5,000 and 10,000-meter titles.
Fisher said afterward for the U.S. men’s distance running contingent.
Taylor Dutch is a writer and editor living in Austin, Texas, and a former NCAA track athlete who specializes in fitness, wellness, and endurance sports coverage. Her work has appeared in Runner’s World, SELF, Bicycling, Outside, and Podium Runner.
Cindy is a freelance health and fitness writer, author, and podcaster who’s contributed regularly to Runner’s World since 2013. She’s the coauthor of both Breakthrough Women’s Running: Dream Big and Train Smart and Rebound: Train Your Mind to Bounce Back Stronger from Sports Injuries, a book about the psychology of sports injury from Bloomsbury Sport. Cindy specializes in covering injury prevention and recovery, everyday athletes accomplishing extraordinary things, and the active community in her beloved Chicago, where winter forges deep bonds between those brave enough to train through it.
