Bryce Hoppel

Bryce Hoppel ( ; born September 5, 1997) is an American middle-distance runner who specializes in the 800 meters. He is the reigning 800 meters world indoor champion having won gold at the 2024 World Indoor Championships in Glasgow. He also is a seven-time U.S. champion and two-time NCAA champion over the distance. At the 2024 Summer Olympics, Hoppel set an American record in the event, with a time of 1:41.67 to become the seventh fastest man and the second fastest North American man at the distance.

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), 1600 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 21race unbeaten streak began during the indoor season in 2019, lasting until the USATF Outdoor Championships on 25 July. He trained under Coach Michael Whittlesey in Lawrence, Kansas.

Along the way of Hoppel's breakout season, he set the fifth fastest 800 meter time in NCAA history, running a 1:44.41 at the NCAA Outdoor Championships on 7 June 2019. Hoppel's time was just off the Kansas school record of 1:44.3 (m) set by the great Jim Ryun in 1966. Hoppel also set the Kansas indoor school record of 1:46.46 on 9 May 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

2019

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 that he had signed a professional contract with Adidas.

Hoppel qualified for the 2019 World Championships in the 800 m, after finishing third 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, 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.

2020

On 15 February Hoppel earned his first national title at the USA Track & Field Indoor Championships, held in Albuquerque, New Mexico, running a time of 1:46.67 to win the 800 m final.

In August, he competed in the Monaco Herculis meeting, where he was narrowly defeated by fellow American and reigning 800 meters world champion Donavan Brazier. In that race, Hoppel improved his personal best in the 800 meters to 1:43.23.

2021

Hoppel began his 2021 campaign with a 1:44.37 indoor 800 meter in Fayetteville, Arkansas. At the time, this was the second fastest indoor 800 meters in American history, behind only American record holder Donavan Brazier.

On 13 February Hoppel competed in the 1000meter run at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix. 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, he qualified for the US Olympic team in the 800 meters. Hoppel finished third in the Olympic trials in Eugene, Oregon with a time of 1:44.14, qualifying him for the Tokyo Olympics later that summer.

At the 2020 Summer Olympics, he finished in third place in his round 1 qualifying heat with a time of 1:45.64, qualifying him for the semifinals where he finished in fifth place in his heat with a time of 1:44.91. His semifinal performance was Hoppel's second fastest time of the year but was not enough for a place in the Olympic final.

2022

To open his 2022 season, Hoppel won the Millrose Games 800 m with a time of 1:46.05 on January 29. A few weeks later on February 6, at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix, he placed second in the 800 m with a time of 1:46.08 behind Spaniard Mariano García.

Competing at the US Indoor Championships, he successfully defended his title 800 m national indoor title running a time of 1:45.30, qualifying him to compete at the World Indoor Championships in Belgrade. In Belgrade, Hoppel earned a bronze medal, placing third behind Mariano Garcia in first, and Noah Kibet in second, running a tim eof 1:46.51 in the process.

On 26 June, he earned his first US Outdoor title, winning the 800 m in a time seasons best time of 1:44.60. He was unable to replicate that successful showing at the World Championships the next month in Eugene, placing fourth in his heat and not advancing to the semi-finals.

2023

In 2023, Hoppel successfully defended both his US indoor and outdoor 800 m titles. The former with a 1:45.92 performance in Albuquerque, New Mexico and the latter running a 1:46.20 at Hayward Field.

On 21 July, Bryce clocked his first sub-1:44 since 2020, running 1:43.95 to take 6th place at the Herculis Meeting.

Competing at the World Championships in Budapest, Hoppel cruised through the heats, earning a place in the final. In the final, he finished 7th in a time of 1:46.02.

2024

On 4 February, Hoppel competed in the short track 1000 meters at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix, finishing in a time of 2:16.91 behind Marco Arop's new North, Central American and Caribbean area record of 2:14.74.

On 11 February, Hoppel took first at the Millrose Games 800 m, in a time of 1:45.54. The next week, he won his 5th straight US 800 m title (counting both indoor and outdoor), with a 1:46.67 clocking in Albuquerque.

On 3 March, Hoppel won the 800 m at the 2024 World Indoor Championships in Glasgow, United Kingdom, in a world leading time of 1:44.92, improving upon his bronze medal from 2022.

On 30 June, Hoppel won the 800 m final at the US Olympic Trials, finishing in a new personal best and trials record of 1:42.77. Hoppel, along with his training partner Hobbs Kessler, and Brooks Beasts athlete Brandon Miller, were named the men's 800 meter Team USA representatives for the 2024 Summer Olympics.

At the 2024 Summer Olympics, Hoppel made it through the heats and semifinals of the 800 m. In the final on 10 August, he finished fourth in a new American record and personal best of 1:41.67, breaking Donavan Brazier's previous American record of 1:42.34 by 0.67 seconds. Hoppel's time places him as the seventh fastest 800 meter runner in history. Finishing ahead of Hoppel was Algerian Djamel Sedjati in 1:41.50, Canadian Marco Arop in 1:41.20, and Kenyan Emmanuel Wanyonyi, who won the race in 1:41.19. Hoppel's performance was not a new area record given Arop's clocking of 1:41.20.

2025

On February 8, at the Millrose Games, Hoppel finished second to Josh Hoey in the men's indoor 800 meters, running 1:44.19. Hoey set a new national record of 1:43.90 in the event, while Hoppel also finished inside Donavan Brazier's previous record of 1:44.21.

Competition record

International Competitions

Circuit performances

National Championships

NCAA Championships

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 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.

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Hoppel, Bryce
1997 births
Living people
American male middle-distance runners
Kansas Jayhawks men's track and field athletes
Track and field athletes from Texas
Olympic track and field athletes for the United States
Olympic male middle-distance runners
Athletes (track and field) at the 2020 Summer Olympics
Athletes (track and field) at the 2024 Summer Olympics
Pan American Games track and field athletes for the United States
Athletes (track and field) at the 2019 Pan American Games
World Athletics Indoor Championships medalists
USA Indoor Track and Field Championships winners
NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships winners
NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships winners
Sportspeople from Midland, Texas
21st-century American sportsmen