Bryce Hoppel

Bryce Hoppel

Hoppel after the 800 m semifinal at Doha 2019
Personal information
Born	(1997-09-05) September 5, 1997 (age 27) Midland, Texas, U.S.
Height	6 ft 0 in (1.82 m)
Sport
Sport	Track
Event	800 meters
College team	Kansas Jayhawks
Club	Adidas
Coached by	Michael Whittlesey
Achievements and titles
Personal bests	800 m: 1:41.67 NR (Paris 2024) 1000 m: 2:15.99 (Monaco 2022) 1500 m: 3:42.62 (Eugene 2021) Indoor 800 m: 1:44.37 (Fayetteville 2021) 1000 m: 2:16.27 (New York City 2021)
Medal record Men's athletics Representing the  United States World Indoor Championships 2024 Glasgow 800 m 2022 Belgrade 800 m

Bryce Hoppel (/ˈhɒpəl/ HOP-əl; born September 5, 1997)^[1] is an American middle-distance runner who specializes in the 800 metres. He is the reigning 800 metres 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.

Hoppel competed for Midland High School in Midland, Texas.^[2] 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.

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 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.

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.

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 metres world champion Donavan Brazier. In that race, Hoppel improved his personal best in the 800 metres 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 second fastest indoor 800 metres in American history, behind only American record holder Donavan Brazier.

On 13 February Hoppel competed in the 1000‑metre 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.^[3]

On June 21, he qualified for the US Olympic team in the 800 meters.^[4] 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.^[3]

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 semi‑finals where he finished in fifth place in his heat with a time of 1:44.91. His semi‑final performance was Hoppel's second fastest time of the year but was not enough for a place in the Olympic final.

To open his 2022 season, Hoppel won the Millrose Games 800m 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.^[5]

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.

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.

On 4 February, Hoppel competed in the short track 1000 metres 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.^[6]

On 11 February, Hoppel took first at the Millrose Games 800m, in a time of 1:45.54.^[7] 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 800m 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.^[8]

On 30 June, Hoppel won the 800m final at the US Olympic Trials, finishing in a new personal best and trials record of 1:42.77.^[9] 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.^[10]

At the 2024 Summer Olympics, Hoppel made it through the heats and semifinals of the 800m. 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.^[11] 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.^[12]

Year	Competition	Venue	Position	Event	Time
Representing the  United States
2019	Pan Am Games	Lima, Peru	4th	800 m	1:47.48
	World Championships	Doha, Qatar			1:44.25
2021	Olympics Games	Tokyo, Japan	16th (sf)		1:44.91
2022	World Indoor Championships	Belgrade, Serbia	3rd		1:46.51
	World Championships	Eugene, Oregon	27th (h)		1:46.98
2023	World Championships	Budapest, Hungary	7th		1:46.02
2024	World Indoor Championships	Glasgow, Scotland	1st		1:44.92
	Olympic Games	Paris, France	4th		1:41.67

Year	Competition	Venue	Position	Event	Time
Representing the Kansas Jayhawks (2018-2019) and Adidas (2020–present)
2018	USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships	Des Moines, Iowa	18th	800 m	1:48.09
2019	USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships	Des Moines, Iowa	3rd		1:46.31
2020	USA Indoor Track and Field Championships	Albuquerque, New Mexico	1st		1:46.67
2021	USA Olympic Trials	Eugene, Oregon	3rd		1:44.14
2022	USA Indoor Track and Field Championships	Spokane, Washington	1st		1:45.30
	USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships	Eugene, Oregon			1:44.60
2023	USA Indoor Track and Field Championships	Albuquerque, New Mexico			1:45.92
	USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships	Eugene, Oregon			1:46.20
2024	USA Indoor Track and Field Championships	Albuquerque, New Mexico			1:46.67
	USA Olympic Trials	Eugene, Oregon			1:42.77

Year	Competition	Venue	Position	Event	Time
Representing the  United States
2018	NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships	College Station, Texas	8th	800 m	1:50.06
	NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships	Hayward Field	4th		1:45.67
2019	NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships	Birmingham, Alabama	1st		1:46.46
	NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships	Mike A. Myers Stadium			1:44.41

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.^[13]

At the University of Kansas, Hoppel studied business finance. He is Catholic.^[14]

• Bryce Hoppel at World Athletics
• Bryce Hoppel profile at TFRRS
• Bryce Hoppel at www.USATF.org
• Bryce Hoppel at Team USA (archive October 18, 2022)
• Bryce Hoppel at Olympedia (archive)
• Bryce Hoppel at Olympics.com
• Bryce Hoppel at the Lima 2019 Pan American Games