OLYMPICS: Hoppel back for more at the Summer Olympics

PARIS Three years ago, Bryce Hoppel made his Summer Olympics debut in Tokyo.

Now, he’s back for more in Paris as the Midland native 800-meter runner looks to add to his list of medals as he goes for gold at the 2024 games in France.

“It’s incredible,” Hoppel said in a phone interview. “It’s always an honor to be able to represent the country and represent West Texas and everything. It’s fun to give it another shot. You only get one or two opportunities. I’m feeling blessed and ready to compete.”

This time, he’ll get to compete in front of an actual crowd at the Olympics, including his friends and family.

Because of COVID-19, the last Olympics didn’t feature any spectators but now the world is slightly back to normal.

“I think that makes all the difference,” Hoppel said. “I didn’t get here by myself so being here with my fans and my family and all the loved ones that have supported me, it’s great to have that experience here with me. It’s something special. I can’t wait to share it with them. It’s going to make this a whole lot better. It’ll make it more exhilarating.”

His parents, Monty and Rita Hoppel, are excited to physically be at the Olympics to see him run.

“It’s good for the family,” Monty Hoppel, who is the team president of the Midland RockHounds said. “My two daughters are going and my son-in-law is going and some of my wife’s family and a bunch of Bryce’s friends. Really, the experience of the Olympics is going to be much better. he was an Olympian for the first time last time but it felt weird since we weren’t there to experience it. To experience it with him this time around will be special.”

Bryce Hoppel will compete in the prelims at 4:50 a.m. (Odessa time) Aug. 7 at the Stade de France.

At the last Olympics, Hoppel finished third in his round one qualifying heat with a time of one minute, 45.64 seconds, advancing him to the semifinals where he placed fifth in his heat with a time of 1:44.91.

However, his placing in the semifinals wasn’t enough for him to qualify for the Olympic final.

This time around, he’s confident about coming home with a medal.

“I think I’ve been on the world stage and the world championships and I’ve won medals before,” Hoppel said. “I’ve made some changes this time and doing everything possible to be ready and be at my best. I think it was a culmination of things that I’ve worked hard for. The medals are within sight. I just need to go after it. I’m going in confident. I’m excited to compete.”

Since 2021, Hoppel has won no shortage of titles.

In 2022, he earned his first U.S. Outdoor title, winning the 800-meters in a time of 1:44.60.

He competed at the World Championships the next month in Eugene, Ore. but was unable to advance to the finals.

In 2023, he defended his indoor and outdoor 800-meter titles, winning by times of 1:45.92 and 1:46.20, respectively.

He added a seventh place finish in a time of 1:46.02 at the World Championships last year in Budapest, Hungary.

Earlier this year, Hoppel added another World Indoor title, taking first in a time of 1:33.92 in Glasgow, United Kingdom.

At this year’s Olympic Trials, Hoppel punched his ticket to the games after winning the 800-meter final in 1:42.77.

He described his qualifying performance as more of a ‘relief’ in comparison to his last Olympic qualifying run in 2021.

“The adrenaline and the excitement was there but I think it was a little bit more of a relief,” Hoppel said. “I had the confidence and knew where I wanted to be this time around. I would say it’s still more of a weight off the shoulders.”

The opening ceremony for the Paris Olympics took place this past Friday.

Unlike previous opening ceremonies, this one was different, most notably taking place outside of the Olympic Stadium on the Seine River.

Instead of the athletes marching into the stadium, they were brought in by boats.

“That was super special and being able to go out there and wave the flags to the crowd was super special,” Hoppel said. “The U.S. boat would go by and fans would start chanting ‘USA! USA!’. That was amazing. It was super cool to see that support. It was fun to see some of the basketball guys. At the end of it, we were at the base of the Eiffel Tower and saw a stunning performance. We got to hear the speeches of what it means to be an Olympian. That’s really when it settled in. it was a special moment.”

The flag bearer for the U.S. athletes was LeBron James. While Hoppel didn’t get a chance to meet the basketball superstar, he did get to see other members of the U.S. Basketball squad.

“I got a picture with Steph Curry and a few other basketball players including Kevin Durant and Joel Embiid,” Hoppel said. “He’s a KU alum. I also got to see Anthony Edwards. I didn’t get to see LeBron but he was the most sought after athlete.”

Hoppel described what the training schedule has been like since qualifying for the Olympics last month.

“We went to Switzerland and trained for a few weeks in St. Moritz,” Hoppel said. “We came to Paris for the opening ceremonies and at this point, it’s just making sure that we’re well-rested and ready to go for when the day comes.”

When asked what his favorite part about competing in the Olympics is, he said it’s just about representing his country.

“It feels like the biggest honor,” Hoppel said. “I feel like it’s an extension of all the people that have supported me and made this possible. I want to make them proud and make the U.S. proud. I think that’s what makes it more special.”