Ones to watch: Gary Aldrich

Behind every good team usually is a good coach and the Track & Field throwers on Team USA will have a good one in Paris. CMU head track coach Gary Aldrich is one to watch in the upcoming Olympic games.

Aldrich found track and field just okay when he was in high school. He used it as a way to stay in shape for high school football.

“It’s been pretty surreal, and it’s been a pretty unique journey,” Aldrich said.

Aldrich found joy in track and field as a student at Slippery Rock, and then he jumped into coaching. For the last 18 years, he’s helped build Carnegie Mellon University’s program into a powerhouse.

As the accolades stacked up, so did Aldrich’s thoughts of the Olympics.

“If you grade out by the athletes and the other staff members, then you can keep on moving up the ladder,” Aldrich said. “Obviously, I’ve done okay grading out because here it is, my second Olympics in a row, which is very unheard of.”

Along with his second Olympics, this is Aldrich’s eighth time coaching for USA on an international stage. He added there’s one moment that never gets old and that is wrapping the American flag around his athletes as they’re about to receive a medal.

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