Former Stanford runner Grant Fisher won the men’s 10,000-meter track medal in one of the most thrilling endings of the 2008 Summer Olympics, making history as the second American to do so in 56 years. Fisher finished the 6.2-mile race in 26:43.46, only a hair behind Ethiopia’s Berihu Aregawi (26:43.44) and a smidgen of a second behind Uganda’s Joshua Cheptegei (26:43.14), the world mark holder who established a new Olympic record on Friday. Fisher passed almost everyone on the final stretch.
With nine circuits remaining, Fisher, 27, slid on the inside rail, almost sending his race into the wall. Fisher saw the speed at the top slow down and competitors go past him on the outside while he was comfortably in second place and hugging the inside of the circuit for the opening sixteen laps. Fisher’s left ankle hooked the inside rail, causing a minor twist and a stumble into the runner ahead of him as shoulders collided. However, he was able to catch himself at the last second, remain upright, and maintain his speed.
For the next eight laps, Fisher held fifth position and calmly awaited his opportunity to move up. He flew around the outside and passed three runners on the final turn. It appeared as though he would win the silver medal, but Arehawai narrowly defeated him by 0.02 seconds in a photo finish. Grabbing an American flag, Fisher threw it over his back, sprinted around the track, and greeted his family in the front row with a smile on his face. Only Galen Rupp, who took home a bronze in London in 2012, has claimed a medal in the men’s 10,000 over the previous fifty-six years.