Brian Lee Diemer (born October 10, 1961, in

Grand Rapids, Michigan Grand Rapids is a city and county seat of Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 198,917 which ranks it as the second most-populated city in the state after Detroit. Grand Rapids is th ...

) is a former

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping eve ...

athlete, who mainly competed in the 3000 metre steeplechase during his career. He was high school state champion in the mile while running at South Christian High School in

. He graduated from the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

in 1983 after taking third in the 2 mile at the

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges ...

Indoor Track and Field Championships, held in nearby

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...

. He won the outdoor 1983 NCAA 3000m Steeplechase in a time of 8:26.95. He competed for the United States in the

1984 Summer Olympics The 1984 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXIII Olympiad and also known as Los Angeles 1984) were an international multi-sport event held from July 28 to August 12, 1984, in Los Angeles, California, United States. It marked the sec ...

held in

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, United States in the 3000 metre

steeplechase Steeplechase may refer to: * Steeplechase (horse racing), a type of horse race in which participants are required to jump over obstacles * Steeplechase (athletics), an event in athletics that derives its name from the steeplechase in horse racing ...

where he won the bronze medal in a career best time of 8:14.06. He ran in the

1988 Summer Olympics The 1988 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad () and commonly known as Seoul 1988 ( ko, 서울 1988, Seoul Cheon gubaek palsip-pal), was an international multi-sport event held from 17 September to 2 October ...

, finishing seventh in his semi final. He made his third Olympic team in 1992, going on to qualify for the final, where he finished seventh (in 8:18.77). He had fine showings at two World Championships in which he participated, finishing fourth in the

1987 World Championships in Athletics The 2nd World Championships in Athletics under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations were held in the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, Italy between August 28 and September 6, 1987. Men's results Track 1983 , 1987 ...

(in 8:14.46) and fifth at the

1991 World Championships in Athletics The 3rd World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations, were held in the Olympic Stadium in Tokyo, Japan between August 23 and September 1. 1517 athletes from 167 countries participa ...

(in 8:17.76). Diemer won four

The Athletics Congress USA Track & Field (USATF) is the United States national governing body for the sports of track and field, cross country running, road running and racewalking (known as the sport of athletics outside the US). The USATF was known between 1979 and ...

(TAC) and U.S. Track and Field (

USATF USA Track & Field (USATF) is the United States national governing body for the sports of track and field, cross country running, road running and racewalking (known as the sport of athletics outside the US). The USATF was known between 1979 an ...

) championships over that time (1988, 1989, 1990 and 1992). In 1989 he received the Glenn Cunningham Award as the outstanding American male distance runner for the year. He now coaches at

Calvin University Calvin University, formerly Calvin College, is a private Christian university in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Founded in 1876, Calvin University is an educational institution of the Christian Reformed Church and stands in the Reformed (Calvinist) ...

Grand Rapids Grand Rapids is a city and county seat of Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 198,917 which ranks it as the second most-populated city in the state after Detroit. Grand Rapids is the ...

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and t ...

, and has coached the Knights to four national championships. He and his wife, Kerri, have four children: Kelsey, Kaitlin, Mckenzie, and Matthew, and two dogs named Jackson and Quigley, all of whom have followed in his athletic footsteps. Kaitlin competed in the NCAA Division III 2010 Outdoor Track and Field Championships in the 4x400 meter relay. Mckenzie raced the steeplechase at NCAA Division III 2015 Outdoor Track and Field Championships running the 3rd best seed time in 10:36.

International competitions

(#) Indicates overall position achieved in the semis (s) or heats (h).

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Diemer, Brian 1961 births Living people American male middle-distance runners American male steeplechase runners Olympic bronze medalists for the United States in track and field Athletes (track and field) at the 1984 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 1988 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 1992 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 1995 Pan American Games Sportspeople from Grand Rapids, Michigan Track and field athletes from Michigan Michigan Wolverines men's track and field athletes Medalists at the 1984 Summer Olympics Pan American Games medalists in athletics (track and field) Pan American Games silver medalists for the United States Goodwill Games medalists in athletics Competitors at the 1990 Goodwill Games Medalists at the 1995 Pan American Games