American Grant Fisher surprises in Olympic men's 10,000 meters, taking bronze

SAINT-DENIS, France — When it comes to the longest distance race at the Olympics, the American men have mostly faded from view over the last decade or so. 

Grant Fisher wasn’t OK with that. 

In a literal photo finish Friday night at Stade de France just outside of Paris, Fisher finished the men’s 10,000 meters in 26:43.46 to claim the bronze medal, as Ethiopia’s Berihu Aregawi leaned past him at the line to clock a 26:43.44. Uganda’s Joshua Cheptegei won gold in 26:43.14, shattering the previous Olympic record of 27:01.17. 

"These races always come down to the last lap, specifically the last 100," Fisher said. "That last 100 you can see your goal in front of you.

"I’ve been close to the medals before. But I haven’t gotten one until today."

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And he did it in style.

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From the gun, it was clear the pace had the potential to be record-setting. That worked to Fisher’s advantage, as he improved on his season-best time by more than 8 seconds to claim a medal. It was the first medal in the 10,000 meters for Team USA since Galen Rupp won silver at the 2012 London Olympics. 

Americans Nico Young (26:58.11) and William Kincaid (27:29.40) finished 12th and 16th, respectively.

"The narrative when I was a kid was, 'You just can’t run with East Africans, you can’t run with the Europeans.' I hope I showed I’m capable of that," Fisher said, adding that after his first Olympics, in Tokyo, he started to understand he belonged on the world stage. "I hope people see as my mindset shifts, America’s can as well."

After the race a jovial Fisher, 27, took a victory lap around Stade de France with the American flag draped over his shoulders and a smile stretched across his face. You'd never know he had just run 25 laps around the track.

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Fisher’s is the first track medal for Team USA at the Paris Games. He is just the second American man in 56 years to win an Olympic medal in the 10,000 (Rupp was the other).

"So many things have to go right to get on the podium," said Fisher, who finished fifth at the 10,000 meters at the Tokyo Olympics. "I’m happy that they did."

Friday marked Fisher’s first medal at a major world event. At the 2022 World Championships in Eugene he finished fourth in the 10,000 and sixth in the 5,000. He missed the 2023 World Championships in Budapest after finishing fourth at nationals while running on a stress fracture.

Before Paris, Fisher made it clear he wanted to medal at these Olympics, and believed he was capable of doing so even though coming into the Games he had just the 11th-fastest time of the season. 

After the race, Cheptegei told Fisher, "you really fought for it."

"It was exciting that Grant was a medalist today," Cheptegei said. "It’s really special to see young guys come up and inspire young boys out there."

Fisher is also scheduled to compete in the 5,000 here. The prelims for that race are Aug. 7, and the final is Aug. 10. Fisher is the American record holder in both the 5,000 and 10,000.

Fisher will be trying to follow an American medal trend in the 5,000: At the Rio Games and Tokyo Games, Team USA’s Paul Chelimo won silver and bronze, respectively. 

Email Lindsay Schnell at [email protected] and follow her on social media @Lindsay_Schnell