Kansas alumnus looks ahead to 2024 Paris Olympics

LAWRENCE — Bryce Hoppel has competed in the Olympics before.

Hoppel, a former KU track and field athlete, was at the Tokyo Olympics. He’s been in an Olympic village with other athletes. If he competes in the upcoming 2024 Games in Paris, whose opening ceremony is Friday, that will provide a certain level of comfort.

But Hoppel recently explained that it never really sinks in that he has this opportunity. Hoppel, who qualified by winning the 800 meters at the U.S. Olympic trials, noted that there is a different dynamic that comes with the Olympics. He knows he is not guaranteed another chance, and this time he wants to win a medal.

Of course, Hoppel won’t be the only one representing the Kansas Jayhawks — Alexandra Emilianov (Moldova, women’s throw) and Hussain Al-Hizam (Saudi Arabia, men’s pole vault) will compete for their home countries. Hoppel is also coached by KU distance/middle distance coach Michael Whittlesey. And KU head coach Stanley Redwine is also the men’s coach for Team USA for the Olympics.

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Before the Olympics begin, Hoppel spoke with the Topeka Capital-Journal for this Q&A:

*This interview has been shortened and clarified.

Q: What made you want to go into track and field? Was there a moment when you realized, “Okay, I actually have a future in this,” to the extent that you do now?

Answer: Hoppel said it’s interesting because he grew up in a sports family. He explained that his father worked in minor league baseball for decades. He grew up in the ballpark and always had a love for soccer, baseball and American football.

“It’s interesting how I found myself in track and field,” Hoppel said. “I think I was just getting through high school — I switched halfway through. I had a great group of friends that pushed me to do it with them in the summer and it just — it’s one of those things that I just fell into. I mean, at that point, I would probably say I was a pretty mediocre soccer player and I just loved the sport. And then I did cross country. I was like, ‘Oh man, I’m pretty good at this.’ And then it convinced me to go to USATF for the summer, like junior Olympics, and I ended up making it to nationals and stuff.”

Hoppel said he thinks it was his junior year that he decided to dedicate himself to track and field and try to earn a scholarship. Success followed and momentum led him to KU. There, he feels like he developed into the athlete he is.

Q: So why did you choose Kansas? Did you ever consider going somewhere else?

A: Hoppel said it’s easy to say in hindsight, but Whittlesey was definitely the most significant part because of the way he approached things. And an official visit that Hoppel made also played a major role.

“I went to visit Lawrence and when I came back I was like, ‘There’s something wrong,'” Hoppel said. “I was just sleeping at home and I think it was pretty late at night, probably around 11:30, almost midnight. And I went up to my parents’ room. I was like, ‘I’m going to Kansas.’ … ‘This is where I want to go.’ … ‘I think I’m going to make the decision.'”

Hoppel went on to explain that he was simply drawn to KU. While there was pressure to go to a school in Texas, where he is from, he didn’t have much loyalty to either one. He noted that his mother is from Arizona and his father is from Montana.

Q: Is there anything you can point to that helped your time with (Whittlesey) at that university develop your talents?

A: Hoppel couldn’t point to exactly one thing.

“I mean, I know the training now, and I know what works, and I know what needs to be done,” Hoppel said. “But I’ve always said that Coach (Whittlesey) is the brains behind it. He obviously has his Ph.D. and he knows the science behind it, and he knows what he’s doing. So I’ve always had that blind faith of, ‘Man, this guy is special and he’s going to do what needs to be done to get me where I want to go.’ And yeah, I mean, I’ve been coached by him for eight years now.”

Q: Back to Tokyo. Was there a moment during those Games when you realized you were competing in the Olympics and playing for Team USA?

A: “Yeah, I mean, the Olympic Trials are definitely a special moment for track and field,” Hoppel said. “Just because, I mean, they do an incredible job there, putting it on in Eugene, Oregon.”

Hoppel continued: “I think I had about 25 of my closest family members and friends in the stands at that point cheering me on with their ‘Team Hoppel’ shirts on. And when you cross that line, that’s when it really hits you and you feel a wave of emotion. It’s pretty overwhelming. So it’s like, ‘Man, I’m going to be an Olympian.'”

Hoppel called it surreal to be with the other athletes in their Olympic village. He also felt an outpouring of love and support from his hometown, where he volunteered to host a viewing party. It’s hard for him to understand such moments.

Q: What does it mean to you to see (Redwine and Whittlesey) again and share that experience with them in France?

A: For Hoppel, it’s a testament to how great the two are as coaches. And it’s not just the fact that he’s at the game with them that stands out to him. He pointed back to Tokyo and the escape from the village that Team USA had set up for training.

“Some of my, like, fondest memories of Tokyo are me, coach (Whittlesey) and Redwine just going out there and sitting in the silence and away from all the noise and just having dinner — which is, like, special,” Hoppel said. “You get to share those moments together and those parts of the Olympics are the highlight. We get to put all our hard work into performing. And yeah, it’s definitely special to have them there.”

Jordan Guskey covers University of Kansas Athletics for The Topeka Capital-Journal. He is the National Sports Media Association’s 2022 Sports Writer of the Year for the State of Kansas. Contact him at [email protected] or on Twitter at @JordanGuskey.