SAINT-DENIS, France — For much of his career, Grant Fisher has felt like an outsider in his own sport.
Regular fourth and fifth places in international competitions have that effect.
But now, as a bronze medalist, the American is as knowledgeable as anyone about the 10,000 meters.
“I've been close to medals before, but I've never gotten one until now.” 1722638804″said Fisher, who came to the Olympics fresh off of podium finishes at recent Olympics and world championships.
It was during the thrilling final race of the first full day of Olympic track and field events at the Stade de France that Fisher took a third-place finish that helped showcase the long-distance prowess American runners have been desperate to prove they possess.
While his result was partly overshadowed by Ugandan runner Joshua Cheptegei's Olympic record time of 26:43.14, it was an achievement Fisher had reason to celebrate nonetheless.
“There are a handful of guys who have made it into the top three, but they're very few,” Fisher said. “When I was growing up, the idea was that in America you can't compete with the East African guys. You can't compete with the best European guys. And I hope I've proven that I can do that.”
Fisher's US teammate Nico Young believes Fisher's result demonstrated exactly that.
“This sets the standard for what Americans can do in this event in the future,” Young said.
This bronze marked the fourth time an American runner had medaled in this event at the Olympics. Galen Rupp was the last to do so, winning silver at the 2012 Games. Billy Mills, who has recently been strongly backing Fisher as a potential gold medal contender, won gold in 1964. In 1912, Lewis Tewanima won silver in Stockholm.
Fisher, 27, has long considered Mills a hero. He still has a jersey he says Mills signed for him when he was a kid and saw him speak at an event in Michigan.
Lately, Fisher has begun to feel like he can have an impact on his sport similar to the one Mills had.
“Over the last three years my mindset has changed a lot, I feel like I kind of belong here,” Fisher said. “I hope people can see that as my mindset changes, so should everyone in America. People are capable of great things, and you have to put yourself in the right position and believe in yourself to make good things happen.”
Part of the mindset shift came last year, when Fisher moved to Park City, Utah, to train at altitude like some of the racers she routinely lost to.
“That was a piece of the puzzle that made me gain a second over the course of a 10K race, and I think that was an important piece,” Fisher said. “If you look at all the medalists in the 10K race year after year, virtually all of them live at altitude.”
It was during a dramatic final lap that Fisher made her move in Friday night’s race, working her way up from the top five to third place. Although she was ultimately unable to catch Cheptegei, Fisher and silver medallist Berihu Aregaawi pushed hard in the final 100 metres to claim gold.
“For me it's a very special day here in Paris,” said Cheptegei, 27. “I have a lot of respect for these guys and maybe for me it's time to get out on the roads.”
“I think these are my last Olympic Games and maybe my last athletics.”
On more than one occasion after the race, Cheptegei hinted that his illustrious 10-year career, which includes multiple world championships and another gold medal in the 5,000 meters, was over.
In addition to this new Olympic record, which was broken by 13 runners in the field, Cheptegei also holds the current world record of 26:11.00, set in October 2020.
