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On the 18 August 2016, Sam McEntee stepped up to start in heat 1 of the 5000 meters at the Summer Olympics games. He was 24.
Interestingly, he didn’t’ start taking his running seriously until he was 18, and left high school.
My name is Dr Craig Harrison, and this is the Athlete Development Show.
This is part one of a two-part series on running, with special focus on training and competing in the US college system.
Today we hear Sam’s story, from his time growing up in Perth playing all sorts of different sports, but with a love for Australian Rules Football, to the Olympic stage.
I chat to Sam about his time at Villanova University, including how he got his scholarship in the first place.
We discuss the traits Sam thinks are most important to be a top runner, and how his parents played a significant part of his success.
And we dig into some dark times Sam went through that almost led to him throwing the towel in on his athletic career.
On next week’s show, I sit down with Adrian Blincoe, one of the best runners New Zealand has ever seen, but who also played a significant role in McEntee’s running story. So what out for that one.
Please enjoy my interview with Sam McEntee.
