‘Records Are Meant to Be Broken’

Paris has been good to Team USA. Five days into the Summer Olympics, Simone Biles has vaulted women’s gymnastics back to the top of the podium, social media breakout star Ilona Maher has led women’s rugby to its first medal, and American swimmers have nabbed more than a dozen pieces of hardware.

Now, it’s time to trade goggles and swim caps for singlets and sneakers as the track and field athletes get ready to step up to the starting block.

“Coming in behind some of these sports, you have no choice but to step up,” says longtime University of Maryland track and field Head Coach Andrew Valmon. “They’ve set the tone.”

He would know. The two-time Olympic gold medalist (1988 and 1992) once stood atop the podium with legends like Michael Johnson as part of the world record-breaking 4×400 relay team. And in 1993, he and the team smashed the record again at the world championships—a time that remains untouched today.

After his running career wrapped, Valmon transitioned into coaching, joining the Terps in 2003. He stayed involved with the national team and was named head coach of the 2012 track and field team in London, where U.S. athletes brought home a remarkable 28 medals, including 11 gold.

Valmon shares how his Olympic experiences were so different, the toughest part of competing and why he thinks many records could go down at this year’s Paris Games.

You had just graduated from college when you first competed in the Olympics in 1988 in Seoul, South Korea. What was that like?

There was a lot going on in that time, with the U.S. versus the Soviets. In 1980, the U.S. had boycotted, in 1984, the Eastern countries didn’t show up, and in 1988, some countries still didn’t come.

I was just happy to be in another country, to be parading in for the Opening Ceremony with people holding signs, running around. That year, we didn’t leave the Olympic Village, but we got to meet a lot of other athletes. You get to trade pins, uniforms—you might not come back with a lot of your gear because you’ve traded it!

For me, ’88 was a learning experience. I was part of the preliminary rounds for the 4×400 so I earned a gold medal. But going into the next Games, it was my mission to be in the final round.

What was it like to return to the Olympics in 1992?

We had the best of the best: The Dream Team with Larry Bird, Magic Johnson and…