Bryce Hoppel (born September 5, 1997) is an American middle-distance runner, who is a member of the 2020 U.S. Olympic track team for the 800 meters. He holds the American indoor record in the 1000 meters. Hoppel attended the

University of Kansas The University of Kansas (KU) is a public research university with its main campus in Lawrence, Kansas, United States, and several satellite campuses, research and educational centers, medical centers, and classes across the state of Kansas. Tw ...

. Hoppel had a breakout junior year at Kansas, where he won 21 consecutive races between the indoor and outdoor season, including two NCAA Individual Championships in the 800 meters. Hoppel's 21 race streak came to an end when Hoppel finished 3rd at the

2019 USA Track & Field Outdoor Championships The 2019 USA Track & Field Outdoor Championships were held at Drake Stadium on the campus of Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa. Organized by USA Track & Field, the four-day competition took place from July 25–28 and served as the national cha ...

, qualifying for the

2019 World Championships in Athletics The 2019 IAAF World Athletics Championships () was the seventeenth edition of the biennial, global athletics competition organised by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), since renamed World Athletics. It was held betw ...

Running career

High school

Hoppel competed for Midland High School in Midland, Texas. At Midland High School, Hoppel won the 2016 Texas 6A State Track & Field Championship with a time of 1:49.67, included an undefeated season in the 800 meters. Hoppel broke school records in the 800 meters (1:49.67), 1,600 meters (4:10.51) and 3 miles (14:54.00) while at Midland, while graduating in the top-10 of his high school class.

College

While at the University of Kansas, Hoppel was a five-time All-American, two-time National Champion and four-time Big 12 Champion. In 2019, Hoppel completed a sweep of both the indoor and outdoor NCAA 800 meter titles, becoming the first male from the University of Kansas to win an NCAA title in the event. Hoppel's 21 race unbeaten streak began during the indoor season in 2019, lasting until the USATF Outdoor Championships on July 25. He trained under Coach Michael Whittlesey in Lawrence, Kansas. Along the way of Hoppel's breakout season, he set the No. 5 fastest 800 meter time in NCAA history, running a 1:44.41 at the NCAA Outdoor Championships on June 7, 2019. Hoppel's time was just off the Kansas school record of 1:44.3 (m) set by the great

Jim Ryun James Ronald Ryun (born April 29, 1947) is an American former Republican politician and Olympic track and field athlete, who at his peak was widely considered the world's top middle-distance runner. He won a silver medal in the 1500 m at the 1 ...

in 1966. Hoppel also set the Kansas indoor school record of 1:46.46 on May 9, 2019, while breaking facility records at the Birmingham CrossPlex and John McDonnell Field, among others. While at the University of Kansas, Hoppel thrived under the coaching of Head Coach Stanley Redwine and Assistant Coach Michael Whittlesey.

Professional

Upon the conclusion of his junior season, Hoppel announced he would forego his final year of NCAA eligibility to pursue a professional running career. In his first competition representing Team USA, Hoppel placed fourth overall at the Pan-American Championships in Lima, Peru, running a 1:47.48. Hoppel announced on August 17, 2019 that he had signed a professional contract with

Adidas Adidas AG (; stylized as adidas since 1949) is a German multinational corporation, founded and headquartered in Herzogenaurach, Bavaria, that designs and manufactures shoes, clothing and accessories. It is the largest sportswear manufactur ...

. Hoppel competed at the

, on the basis of his third-place finish at the US Championships. After completing a full three seasons of collegiate running, Hoppel secured a 4th-place finish in the 800 meter final on October 1, 2019, one year and one month after his season-opening cross-country race at the Bob Timmons Invitational on September 1, 2018. Remarkably, he was able to set another personal best, finishing a long season in style with a 1:44.25 performance. On February 15, 2020, Hoppel earned his first national title at the

USA Track & Field Indoor Championships The USA Indoor Track and Field Championships is an annual indoor track and field competition organized by USA Track & Field, which serves as the American national championships for the sport. In years which feature a World Indoor Championships in ...

, held in

Albuquerque, New Mexico Albuquerque ( ; ), ; kee, Arawageeki; tow, Vakêêke; zun, Alo:ke:k'ya; apj, Gołgéeki'yé. abbreviated ABQ, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico. Its nicknames, The Duke City and Burque, both reference its founding in ...

, running a time of 1:46.67 to win the 800m final. In August 2020, Hoppel competed in the Monaco Herculis meeting, where he was narrowly defeated by fellow American and reigning 800 meter world champion

Donavan Brazier Donavan Brazier (born April 15, 1997) is an American middle-distance runner. He holds the American junior record and American record in men's 800 meters and won the gold medal at the 2019 World Championships. Athletics career Youth In 2014, ...

. In that race, Hoppel dropped his personal best in the 800 meters to 1:43.23. Hoppel began his 2021 campaign with a 1:44.37 indoor 800 meter in Fayetteville, Arkansas. At the time, this was the 2nd fastest indoor 800 meter in American history, behind only American record holder Donavan Brazier. On February 13, 2021, Hoppel competed in the 1000 meter run at the

New Balance Indoor Grand Prix The New Balance Indoor Grand Prix, formerly known as the Boston Indoor Games, is an annual indoor track and field meet which is held in late January or early February at the Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center. It was first held in Roxbury, a n ...

. In that race, he won comfortably, setting a new American record in the indoor 1000 meters with his time of 2:16.27.Hoppel Qualifies for Tokyo Olympics
''KU Athletics'', June 21, 2021. On June 21, 2021, Hoppel qualified for the US Olympic team in the 800 meters. Hoppel finished third in the Olympic trials in

Eugene, Oregon Eugene ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is located at the southern end of the Willamette Valley, near the confluence of the McKenzie and Willamette rivers, about east of the Oregon Coast. As of the 2020 United States Census, Eu ...

with a time of 1:44.14, qualifying him for the

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

Olympics The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a var ...

in July and August 2021. In the 800m event at the 2020 Olympics Bryce finished in 3rd place in his round 1 qualifying heat with a time of 1:45.64, qualifying him for the semifinals where he ran in 5th place with a time of 1:44.91 which did not allow him to continue on to the finals. Bryce won the Millrose Games 800 with a time of 1:46.05 on 1/29/2022 in New York City. At the 2/6/2022 New Balance Indoor Grand Prix, Bryce placed in 2nd in the 800m with a time of 1:46.08.

Personal life

Hoppel is the son of Monty and Rita Hoppel and has two older siblings, Kelsey and Megan. His father is the general manager for the

Midland RockHounds The Midland RockHounds are a Minor League Baseball team based in Midland, Texas. The team, which plays in the Texas League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Oakland Athletics major league club. The RockHounds play in Momentum Bank Ballpark, whic ...

Double-A minor league affiliate of the Oakland Athletics in the Texas League. At the University of Kansas, Hoppel studied business finance. He is

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

References

External links

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hoppel, Bryce 1997 births Living people American male middle-distance runners Athletes (track and field) at the 2019 Pan American Games Pan American Games track and field athletes for the United States USA Indoor Track and Field Championships winners Kansas Jayhawks men's track and field athletes Olympic male middle-distance runners Track and field athletes from Texas Athletes (track and field) at the 2020 Summer Olympics Olympic track and field athletes for the United States World Athletics Indoor Championships medalists 21st-century American people Sportspeople from Midland, Texas