What To Know About Leo Neugebauer, The Viral, 2024 Olympic Silver Medalist In The Decathlon

NCAA champion Leo Neugebauer made a name for himself at the 2024 Olympics as he represented Germany. Neugebauer, a social media sensation and track-and-field star at the University of Texas, has captured a silver medal in the decathlon at the Paris games. The Texas star finished behind Markus Rooth from Norway.

The decathlon, one of the most grueling sports in the Olympics, includes the 100-meter dash, long jump, shot put, high jump, 400-meter, 110-meter hurdles, discus throw, pole vault, javelin throw and 1500-meter race. Rooth took gold with 8,796 points while Neugebauer totaled 8,748 points.

Neugebauer came into the Olympics as the No.3-ranked decathlon athlete in the world, the Austin American-Statesman reported. The 24-year-old athlete set a new collegiate record at the 2023 NCAA Championships, finishing the decathlon with 8,836 points.

Although he represents Germany, Neugebauer is also proud of his African roots. The young star represents his background with a special neckless.

“I don’t want to forget about my other side,” Neugebauer said, per KVUE . “My mom’s from Germany, my dad is from Africa … So he’s from Cameroon. So this necklace is kind of to represent my other half.”

For Neugebauer, it’s also important to take a break from training. That’s why he spends part of his time as a content creator on social media. The rising star has already amassed more than 400,000 followers on Instagram and over 100,000 followers on TikTok  Part of his popular features on social media include his “outfit of the day” clips.

“Social media was always like a passion, just to grow something on your own,” Neugebauer said. “I would say taking photos is like, a hobby of mine. Being on the PC, being creative, it’s a passion of mine.”

Neugebauer was feeling confident when he got off to a strong start at the Paris game. With only a couple of events left in the decathlon, Neugebauer was leading the competition.

“I had a lot of hope,” Neugebauer said, per The Dallas Morning News . “I knew that it would be really, really close. But I gave it all my all in the javelin and 1,500 and I have no regrets.”