#53 Michtrack At The Olympics - Fisher's Bronze!

Inside this Issue

• Fisher Wins Bronze

• Quick Fisher Interview

• Heath Baldwin’s First Day

• Kessler Advances

• Other Things

Fisher Wins Bronze

What an incredible race. The stadium crowd (a near sell-out) was roaring throughout the 25  laps. I am working on a longer write-up for Track & Field News and I still need to review the video. But wow!

In winning the bronze medal, Fisher becomes only the second American man to be so honored since Billy Mills’ win in ’64. Thirteen men went under the old Olympic record, and Fisher’s 27:43.46 is the No. 2 U.S. time ever, after his own American Record. He ran his first half in 13:23+, his last half in 13:20.

And one major takeaway was just how astoundingly competitive it was. In the last few laps, so many variables popped up that could have and did change the outcome. For one, it looked as if with 200 to go Fisher’s route was blocked and he had to check his stride just as he was launching a sprint. Had that not happened, would he have won?

Yet that’s not anything to complain about. There are about a dozen other outcomes that would have been just as possible. For one, if silver medalist Berihu Aregawi hadn’t waited so long to start his final sprint, he would certainly have won.

Instead, focus on the joy on Grant’s face afterwards. That bronze medal is golden to him.

Also, quick Michigan trivia: It was the sixth time a Michigander has run the Olympic 10,000 (he, Todd Williams and Dathan Ritzenhein have all done so twice). The best previous finish was Fisher’s 5th place in ‘21.

Fisher Talks About His Race

This comes from my friends in media services:

On his decision to move to Park City, Utah to train at high altitude: 

"I’ve been close to the medals before but never gotten one. I made a big change a year ago and one of the pieces of that was to move to Park City and spend more time at altitude. That was one piece of a puzzle that bumped me up one second over the course of a 10,000m race - and I think it was a big piece.

"Pretty much everyone that medals in the 10,000m all year lives at altitude."

On the other pieces of the puzzle which earned him a first Olympic medal: 

“It was just to optimize everything I could. One was my altitude plan, one was to individualize my training better, switching coaches was a piece, implementing different ideas in training. 

“I do a lot more threshold work, choosing high frequency of workouts over high intensity, more lactate testing. Trying to hone in on everything I could. There are things I left behind to make this change. I kind of pieced it all together. Generally being happy in my set-up was a piece. All those things add up. So many things have to go right over a year to get on a podium.” 

On the final 100m: 

“You replay that situation over and over in your head in the lead-up. I was injured last year when the World Championships were going on. I really wanted to get back on to the global stage. These races always come down to the last lap, and specifically the last 100m. To be in position and fighting, you’re right on the line the whole race. 

“That last 100m you can see your goal in front of you. I can count to three. This sport is defined by the top three. I’ve been outside that every time up until today. I’ve seen 1-2-3 slip away from me before. It feels really good.

"These guys have been on the podium before; this is my first time. My margins were probably a little more slim than these guys' margins. I needed to execute a pretty spotless race.

"I don’t have the lights-out speed to make up a ton of ground instantly. I needed to be in a good position and it worked out well."

On Olympic gold medallist Billy MILLS (USA) saying he had a chance to win this race: 

“I did not see that. Probably a good thing, no need to put so much pressure on the situation. I met Billy when I was a sophomore in high school. I have a T-shirt that was signed by him when I was a kid. He’s one of the few people that have stood on top of the podium in the men’s distance races for the US. Really inspiring, he has a great story, I’m happy to continue that legacy a little bit and get a medal for the US.”

On joining an exclusive club of USA men who have won medals in distance running:

“It’s rare. It’s something. When I was a kid, Billy MILLS was one of the few guys who made it to the top. They are few and far between. 

“The narrative when I was a kid was, in the US, you just can't run with these African guys, East European guys. I hope I’ve shown I’m capable of that. My first international competition at the senior level was the Olympics in Tokyo (in 2021). I lined up right next to Joshua (CHEPTEGEI), who had just run a World Record in the 10,000m. I ran 27 minutes, 11 seconds, which was a minute slower than he had just run. 

“I thought, how was I supposed to race this guy? In the past three years, my mindset has shifted a lot. I became a better athlete, but my mindset has shifted too. I hope people can see that when my mindset shifts, so should everybody's in the US as well. People are capable of great things, you have to believe in yourself and put yourself in a position in order for good things to happen.”

Heath Baldwin’s Decathlon First Day

MSU alum Heath Baldwin—now a pro—was the first Michigander to compete on the purple Olympic track. Here’s how the first five events of the decathlon went for him:

100 – Baldwin finished last in his heat in 10.91, compared to his PR of 10.79. He’s behind his Trials PR pace; he ran 10.85 there.

Long Jump—Baldwin opened with a foul, then jumped 7.38 (24-2.5). On his final leap he fouled again. His PR is 7.59 (24-11). At the Trials he jumped 7.46 (24-5.75).

Shot – He opened with a 14.48 (47-6.25), followed by a 14.18 (46-6.25) and a foul. PR 16.52 (54-2.5); 15.76 (51-8.5) at Trials.

High Jump – Baldwin came to life here, dominating the field and setting a PR 2.17 (7-1.5). Old PR 2.15 (7-0.5); 2.07(6-9.5) at Trials. Good for a huge 963m points, that moved his total to 3507, good for 8^th place (113 points off bronze medal pace). The long throws are tomorrow—always strong events for the Hackett grad.

400 – Last in his heat again, but with a decent 49.04. PR 48.58; 48.60 at Trials.

Baldwin ends the day with 4366 points in 11^th place. For what it’s worth, decathlon wizard Howard Willman has Baldwin projected to finish 12^th at 8483.

Kessler Advances in the 1500

Three years after graduating from Skyline High School, Hobbs Kessler stepped onto the Olympic track for the first time. Completely focused, he appeared emotionless as he gave New Zealand’s Sam Tanner a fistbump and took his place in the order. Ignored in the introductions, which focused on the French runner to his right and defending champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen, Kessler stood ready.

In mid-pack after the first 100, he forcefully made his way into the top 3 and stayed there for the most part. He had some crowding issues with Britain’s Neil Gourley, but they sorted it without fisticuffs. In last 200, Kessler moved ahead of Ethiopia’s Samuel Tefera and finished behind Netherland’s Stefan Nillessen in 3:36.87, a stride ahead of Ingebrigtsen, who had stayed at the back until the final 300.

Kessler advances to the semis, set for Sunday, 3:15pm Eastern time.

Other Things

RIP Bob Bridges: Received word today that the legendary coach at Dearborn High, Bob Bridges, passed away on July 30 at the age of 93. His coaching career went on for an amazing 59 years and he mentored countless champions. Viewing will be at Howe Peterson Funeral Home in Dearborn, Aug 8, 3-8pm & Aug 9, 1-8pm. Mass will be at Dearborn’s Sacred Heart Church on Aug 10 at 11am.

Triple Jump – I’m sure some of you have followed the career of MSU alum Tori Franklin. Here she jumped 46-0 (14.02) in qualifying, a mark that left her in 14th place overall, just 3cm away from making the final.

AAU Junior Olympics: Already I’ve seen a few very impressive Michigan performances at JOs, but my coverage of that meet is going to have to wait until after the Olympics. My workload here is such that I don’t have the bandwidth to even think about another meet. (In fact, who knows if I’ll be able to keep up with daily newsletters.)

Today’s Rant: Paris ’24 has made much of its goal to be a “green” Olympics. Not a problem for me, except when it starts to get dumb. Case in point: organizers want to reduce the waste caused by disposable plastic bottles. So instead of supplying the media with bottles of water as in past years, we get water bottle refilling stations. Again, fine, but what happens when your bottle is lost in the crowd crush after the subway ride to the stadium? As I found out, there are still no bottles to be had, but they kindly gave me a small dixie cup when I made my plea. So I went to the concession stand to buy a bottle of water, so that I would have something to refill. However, they refused to give me the bottle, explaining that it is a green Olympics. Instead, they opened the bottle and poured it into a large, thick plastic cup (that has more plastic in it than the bottle it replaced). I muttered bad words in astonishment. They shrugged.

Must-see TV: If you want some pseudo-Olympic movie to watch, check out “Under Paris.” I actually was entertained by this movie, which is abysmal. It's a must-watch. Spoiler alert: in the climax, mutant freshwater sharks attack the Olympic* triathletes and eat them all, as well as the mayor of Paris. Then the dams burst above Paris and the city goes underwater. Sharks then take over the world. *The word "Olympics" not mentioned because lawyers. The trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jnCefPQIH98