PARIS, France — Louisville, Kentucky, is home to a brand new Olympic bronze medalist.
Manual High School graduate Yared Nuguse came from the middle of the pack on the final lap of the men's 1500 meters to finish third and get on the podium. His Team USA teammate Cole Hocker took the gold.
Two American men won an Olympic medal in the event for the first time in 112 years.
Nuguse ran a 3:27.80, nearly four seconds faster than his semifinal time, and was just 0.01 seconds away from silver. Hocker finished in 3:27.65.
The NBC commentator said Nuguse ran "the race of his life." He ran in the middle of the pack for most of the race before turning on the jets for the final lap.
Nuguse, who graduated from Manual High School in 2017, had the fastest time among all competitors during Sunday's two semifinal races, crossing the finish line in 3:31.72. He took the lead seconds after the gun and led for the remainder of the race.
The 25-year-old Nuguse won a state cross country championship for Manual before continuing his education and career at the University of Notre Dame.
He qualified for the same event at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, but did not make it to the semifinals due to injury. According to his college athletics profile at Notre Dame, he qualified for the 2020 Games in the 1500 by placing third in the Olympic Trials his senior year of college.
In 2019, Nuguse was the NCAA Division I champion in the 1500. He was the U.S. champion in 2023.
Nuguse has two younger twin brothers. According to his Team USA bio, he can solve a Rubik's cube in 33 seconds.
Nuguse started running when he was 13. His hobbies include playing violin, singing, cooking and knitting.
