Sam Kendricks and the Olympics- what happened?

Sam Kendricks is one of the most articulate and talented athletes I have enjoyed observing in my 45 years in the sport. In Tokyo, I watched from afar as Sam was quarantined. In the 2024 Olympic Trials, I feared Sam might not compete in Paris, but his father/coach convinced one of our most resilient athletes to give it his all. Sam Kendricks makes Mondo Duplantis do his best each time they compete. They respect each other. This piece was done on one of our favorite American athletes, Deji Ogeyingbo, who spoke to this class act, Olympic bronze and silver medalist Sam Kendricks! 

Sam Kendricks and the Olympics- what happened?

Sam Kendricks knows heartbreak. He also knows redemption.

Kendricks stood on the second step of the Olympic podium in Paris, the silver medal around his neck gleaming under the lights of the Stade de France. For most athletes, this would be the pinnacle of a career. For Kendricks, it was something much more profound: vindication.

Three years earlier, Kendricks’s Olympic journey seemed cursed. In Tokyo, he didn’t even make it to the runway. A positive COVID-19 test isolated him, robbing him of his chance to compete. The sting of that moment lingered for years, shadowing his training and sparking questions about whether he would ever return to the sport’s grandest stage.

But in Paris, Kendricks silenced those doubts with a performance equal to skill and defiance. He cleared 5.95m, his best jump of the season, to claim silver in a competition that showcased not only his resilience but also the unstoppable dominance of Sweden’s Armand “Mondo” Duplantis, who soared to gold with an Olympic-record 6.10m.

Tokyo’s Bitter Blow

Kendricks was no stranger to the pressure of the Olympics. He had already earned bronze in Rio in 2016, a performance that solidified him as one of the world’s top vaulters. Heading into Tokyo in 2021, he was seen as a medal favorite.

But just days before he was set to compete, disaster struck. A mandatory COVID-19 test came back positive, forcing him into quarantine. Healthy yet helpless, Kendricks could do nothing but watch as the Olympic pole vault final unfolded without him.