As the final lap of the Olympic men’s 5,000 meter race at raucous Stade de France in Paris began to unfold, Grant Fisher was summoning everything his body had left to give.
American distance running history, after all, was there for the taking.
Having already captured a 10,000 meters bronze medal eight days earlier, the Grand Blanc High School graduate was on the cusp of becoming the first American man to medal in 5,000 and 10,000 meters during the same Olympic Games.
With roughly 300 meters remaining, however, Fisher – legs churning and arms driving – was running hard but running out of time to make that happen.
He was only ninth, having lost ground when a bold move by Ethiopian Hagos Gebrhiwet with about 600 meters to go strung out the pack.
Still, Fisher was not rattled. Less than a year earlier, he had reunited with his high school coach, Mike Scannell, and the two developed a targeted training regimen to prepare for high-stakes moments like this.
A patient Fisher began picking off those ahead of him who were perhaps paying a price for kicking too early.
“When Gebrhiwet took off, my legs just would not accelerate enough and I was farther back to start the last lap than I was expecting, but I started going through my gears and finding some extra energy,” says Fisher while reliving the race a month later. “I started catching guys who were tying up and slowing down. With about 100 to go, I could see a medal was still possible.”
Fisher unleashed a furious kick down the final straightaway, passing three others, to secure bronze by .14 seconds. The gravity of his accomplishment sinking in, Fisher began pumping his fists and flashing his signature smile.
“I just went wide and drove to the finish line, but I’m not sure where that kick came from because I was pretty tired by then,” he says. “There was less pressure because I already had a medal, so I just went for it. I looked up at the board just to be sure I made the podium and, fortunately, the results were already there.”
An emotional Scannell, part of a sizable contingent of Fisher supporters in attendance, began celebrating in the stands.
“I was so happy with the way Grant closed the 5K and covering the last 100 in 13 seconds was amazing,” Scannell says. “We really worked hard on closing strong over the last 80 meters, especially, and Grant’s finish reflected that. He showed a lot of poise and patience down the backstretch when some of those guys were running so fast and opened a gap on him. Then, they started coming back to Grant.”
Fisher soon found his father Dan, Scannell’s track and cross country teammate at Arizona State during the early 1980s, who had made his way to the front row of the crowd. Dan Fisher presented his son with an American flag as the two embraced.
“Obviously, that was such a super cool moment with my dad,” Fisher says. “I was like, ‘I got two (medals)!’, but don’t remember much of what was said after that. It sounded like my parents were pretty worried I had completely blown up at the start of that last lap and I might have given my mom (Sonia) a little heart attack, but knowing they were going to see me on the podium again was the most amazing feeling.”
Fisher’s Olympic experience was indeed made even more amazing by the presence of those who have been there from the beginning of his running journey in middle school. That’s when he took up track and field to improve fitness for his then-favorite sport – soccer.
In addition to his parents and Scannell, Fisher’s sister Hailey and two of his high school teammates were in Paris. Sarah Walker, his girlfriend and former Stanford University teammate, made the trip along with Scannell’s two children and two other Stanford teammates.
All were thousands of miles away, of course, when Fisher made his first Olympic appearance in Tokyo three years ago, finishing fifth in the 5,000 and ninth in the 10,000.
“Having so many of the most important people in my life in Paris to support me is what I’ll always remember and appreciate the most, because the last Olympics were super weird in an empty stadium,” he says. “It’s just so cool they were able to celebrate with me in a stadium full of pure energy with a loud crowd and electric atmosphere. None of us ever thought I’d win Olympic medals when I started, so it’s been a long journey and I’ve been lucky to always have good people there who made it possible.”
Fisher is only the fourth Michigan high school grad to win two track and field medals in the same Olympics and the first since 1932.
“None of us ever thought I’d win Olympic medals when I started, so it’s been a long journey and I’ve been lucky to always have good people there who made it possible.”
Grant Fisher
“Grant’s success in Paris is about him taking more control of his racing and training schedule and being happy and confident in the plan we created together,” Scannell says. “He no longer felt like he was following someone else’s workout plan. Instead, he was following his own plan every day. What a great feeling, and relief, when we proved the plan worked.”
Fisher and Scannell did not arrive in Paris until July 31, two days prior to the 10,000 race. They spent the previous ten days training in the altitude (6,000 feet) and tranquility of St. Moritz, Switzerland.
“Yes, I skipped the opening ceremony and stayed away from the bustle of the Olympic Village for a time to remain locked in,” Fisher says. “I needed to maximize my race preparation and stay focused.”
Fisher’s closing strength was on full display in the 10,000 as well, as he powered from fifth with roughly 120 meters left into second before being caught by Ethiopia’s Berihu Aregawi just before the finish line, missing a silver medal by two one-hundredths of a second.
Fisher crossed the line in 26:43.46, his second-best time ever.
He glanced upward, waiting for results to appear on the scoreboard, as his parents, sister and girlfriend worked their way to the front row. They were all decked out in T-shirts emblazoned with Fisher’s photo, Olympic rings and the words “Go Grant!”
His bronze medal confirmed, Fisher began waving to them with both hands before taking turns embracing the four.
“I was just determined to stay within striking distance to cover any moves,” he says. “Between 100 and 200 meters to go, I was feeling good about making the podium. It seemed like forever until my name appeared in third place on the board and then came such elation, emotion and validation that all the changes I made during the year before were worth it. My wait for an Olympic medal was over.”
Only two others competed in both the 5,000 and 10,000 finals and neither one finished higher than eighth in either race.
“Grant ran a great race, always stayed in good position and would have been fine if the pace was even faster,” Scannell said. “When he crossed the line and had achieved the goal we laid out, wow. We had checked that first box.”
Before celebrating his medals with family and friends at a Paris nightclub, Fisher did experience a few days in the Olympic Village.
“The village is such a cool melting pot of athletes from every country in the world, speaking all these different languages,” he said. “We all have mutual respect because everyone knows how hard it is to get there. Then, going clubbing with a group that included my parents – what a way to celebrate! We all danced to European-style club music until the early morning hours.”
Following his final race of 2024 in Silesia, Poland on August 25, Fisher vacationed in Spain with his girlfriend, his sister and her boyfriend before spending more time with his parents and being invited by the Detroit Lions organization to its season-opener against the Los Angeles Rams at Ford Field.
Fisher settled in on the sideline and was introduced on the stadium’s Jumbotron prior to the game as highlights of his 5,000-meter performance were shown. Medals around his neck, he mingled with other invited celebrities like actor Taylor Lautner, a Hudsonville native best known for his role as Jacob Black in “The Twilight Saga” films.
“The Lions asked me to bring my medals, and it was cool to kind of share them with others on the field,” says Fisher, who was also excited about serving as grand marshal of Grand Blanc’s Homecoming Parade on September 29. “Everyone was kind of enamored with the medals.”
Fisher, whose entire family is composed of former Division 1 college athletes, ended his high school career with seven combined state track and cross country titles and became the seventh high school runner to break four minutes in the mile.
In addition to his father, his mother was a middle distance runner at the University of Houston while his sister played soccer for the University of Michigan and brother Mark was a soccer standout at Stanford.
Fisher also shined at Stanford as a two-time track and cross country All-American, winning the 2017 NCAA 5,000 championship. He competed in the Olympic Trials for the first time at age 19 in 2016, placing 18th in the 5,000.
After graduating from Stanford in 2019, he signed with the Eugene, Oregon-based Bowerman Track Club. Fisher followed up his 2021 Olympic performances with a banner 2022, placing fourth in the 10,000 and sixth in the 5,000 at the 2022 World Championships and setting American records he still holds in the 5,000 (12:46.96) and 10,000 (26:33.84).
Unfortunately, 2023 was frustrating as a nagging femur injury prevented him from making the World Championships team. He recovered in time to set an American record in the 3,000 (7:25.47) on September 17.
By then, Fisher had decided that making the Olympic podium in 2024 would require changes, starting with living and training at altitude. In short order, he contacted Scannell, who had moved back to his native Phoenix, AZ and moved to Park City, UT which sits at 7,000 feet.
“Just about every medal-winning distance runner trains at altitude and Park City has been the perfect place to do that with great facilities, trails, scenery and training partners,” Fisher says. “I also just kept coming back to the idea of Mike coaching me again which has clearly worked out beautifully.”
In late September 2023, the two met at a Salt Lake City café to map out a ten-month training and racing plan for the Olympics.
Fisher’s first race of 2024 proved their plan was paying off as he set an American indoor two-mile record (8:03.62) in New York City on February 11. In June, Fisher swept the 5,000
and 10,000 at the Olympic Trials.
Fisher will spend 2025 pursuing his first podium appearances at the World Championships, set for September in Tokyo.
“The World Championships is such a cool event with everybody who is anybody in track and field there,” he says. “The competition level is the exact same, so winning more medals won’t be easy, but Mike and I believe we know what works to put me in a strong position to do well.”
More celebratory laps with American flags are likely in Fisher’s future.