Presented by PINNACLE WINDOWS & DOORS.
This Day In Sports…August 13, 2013:
Bishop Kelly High graduate Nick Symmonds turns in the top American men’s 800-meter performance in international championship competition in 41 years when he wins the silver medal at the IAAF World Championships in Moscow, Russia. Symmonds, a five-time national outdoor champion in the 800, claimed the highest spot on the podium in the event for the U.S. since Dave Wottle’s gold medal at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich. He was edged by Ethiopia’s Mohammed Aman.
Symmonds was a two-time Olympian, first making the U.S. team for the 2008 Summer Games in Beijing after winning the U.S. Olympic Trials in the 800. He reached the semifinals there. Then at the 2012 Olympics in London, Symmonds ran in what many call the greatest 800-meter race in history. He finished fifth with a personal-best time (by far) of 1:42.95, a mark that would have won gold in almost any other Olympics. Symmonds said going into the race that he’d have to be in the 1:43 area to medal, but seven of the eight runners recorded personal bests, and gold medalist David Rudisha of Kenya smashed his own world record with a 1:40.91.
At Bishop Kelly, Symmonds won state 4A individual titles in the 800-meters, 1600-meters, and 3200-meters. He could also sprint when the Knights needed him to, anchoring their championship 4 X 400-meter relay team. Symmonds went on to Willamette University, where he captured seven individual NCAA Division III national titles—four in the 800 and three in the 1500. He was named the 2005 Division III Track and Field Athlete of the Year.
Symmonds’ life has been nothing if not interesting since he retired from competition. He launched Run Gum, a caffeinated gum for athletes, and he remains its CEO. Symmonds is also an adventurer and YouTube fitness creator, and in May of last year he became the first person ever to reach the summit of Mount Everest and run a four-minute mile. Symmonds is working on a bigger goal—to scale the highest peaks on all seven continents. Four down so far: Everest, Kilimanjaro, Puncak Jaya and Denali.
(Tom Scott hosts the Scott Slant segment during the football season on KTVB’s Sunday Sports Extra. He also anchors four sports segments each weekday on 95.3 FM KTIK and one on News/Talk KBOI. His Scott Slant column runs every Wednesday.)
