Hoppel’s swift 800 earns him USATF Athlete of the Week honors

INDIANAPOLIS -- Opening his season with a bang, Bryce Hoppel (Lawrence, Kansas) won the fan vote in impressive fashion to earn the 3rd USATF Athlete of the Week award for 2021 after becoming the second-fastest American ever indoors in the men’s 800m.
 
Winner of the 2020 Toyota USATF Indoor Championships title in his specialty, Hoppel ran a negative split race (52.23/52.14) at Fayetteville to cap off the American Track League’s second meet, clocking 1:44.37 to move to No. 2 on the all-time U.S. indoor list and No. 6 on the all-time world performer list. His previous indoor personal best was a 1:45.70, set in finishing second at last year’s Millrose Games, and the Doha World Championships fourth-placer came within .15 of Donavan Brazier’s American indoor record with last Sunday’s effort.
 
More top performances from last week:

• Sandi Morris cleared a world-leading 4.81m/15-9.25 to win the women’s pole vault at the American Track League meet in her season debut.
• Ryan Crouser won the men’s shot put for the second straight week at the American Track League meet in Fayetteville, this time with a best of 22.66m/74-4.25, a distance that only he and Randy Barnes have ever matched.
• Sophia Gorriaran, a Rhode Island high schooler, clocked 1:27.02 to win the 600m at the 757 Showdown in Virginia Beach. Her time makes her the No. 2 prep performer ever.
• Cooper Teare of Oregon won the 3,000m in 7:46.10 and anchored Oregon’s distance medley to the fastest time in collegiate history with a 3:54.60 1,600m carry at the Razorback Invitational.
• Anna Hall of Georgia moved to No. 9 on the all-time U.S. list in the women’s pentathlon with her 4,590-point win at the Razorback Invitational.
• KC Lightfoot of Baylor continued his hot streak in the men’s pole vault, breaking his own collegiate record with a 5.95m/19-6.25 win at the Texas Tech Invitational.

 
Now in its 20th year, USATF’s Athlete of the Week program is designed to recognize outstanding performers at all levels of the sport. USATF names a new honoree each week and features the athlete on USATF.org. Selections are based on top performances and results from the previous week.
 
2021 Winners: January 21, KC Lightfoot; January 28, Ryan Crouser; February 4, Bryce Hoppel.
 
We welcome your nominations!
 
To nominate an athlete for USATF Athlete of the Week, please send a detailed email about his/her performance to communications@usatf.org.
 
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