Many of the world’s best athletes have converged on Paris for the Olympic Games that officially start today. Former El Pasoan and two-time Olympian Alan Culpepper understands what many of those athletes are experiencing.
Culpepper, 51, was one of the country’s best long-distance runners when he represented Team USA at the 2000 (10,000-meter run) and 2004 (marathon) games in Sydney, Australia, and Athens, Greece, respectively. He reminisced about his Olympic moments during a phone call from his home in Boulder, Colorado.
The 1991 Coronado High School graduate said his favorite Olympic memory was finishing the marathon in the Panathenaic Stadium in Athens because of its history as site of the first modern Olympics in 1896. He recalled running toward the lit stadium and entering it as the sun set. He described it as breathtaking.
On top of the aesthetics, he was happy to pass several competitors in the stadium on his way to a 12th-place finish in a field of 105. He called that one of the most satisfying races he ever ran.
“I knew I had done the best that I could that day,” he said. “I’m really proud of that effort.”
Prior to his race, he decided not to participate in any Olympic-related activities. He stayed at a small college campus in Athens occupied by the U.S. delegation instead of the Olympic Village to minimize distractions.
That is in stark contrast to his previous Olympics in Sydney. There, he tried to enjoy every moment. His wife, Shayne, a two-time Olympian who ran middle-distance events, accompanied him to the opening ceremonies and many athletic events to include swimming and gymnastics.
“We were really trying hard to absorb and enjoy every aspect of it,” he said. “In some ways, it was really invigorating and super fun.”
Culpepper admitted that he was not a medal contender, and was content to run his best race. Unfortunately, fate had other plans. He got a flu-like illness a few days before his event and basically got out of bed to compete. He finished 17th.
“It was one of the most disappointing races of my life,” he said. “It was just horrible, really heart-wrenching.”
Culpepper used that experience to fuel his competitiveness. The next four years were among the best of his professional career. By 2008, he had stopped running competitively and turned to coaching. One of his stops was as an assistant cross country and distance coach at the University of Texas at El Paso during the 2021-22 academic year.
Today, the former El Pasoan, who graduated from the University of Colorado in 1996 with degrees in geography and sociology, teaches health and physical education at Erie High School in Erie, Colorado, about 15 miles east of Boulder. He also is the school’s head track and cross-country coach. He and his wife, a high school counselor, have four boys.
“We’re still quite busy enjoying all life has to offer,” he said.
As for this year’s Olympians, Culpepper said a lot of the stress that the athletes experience is based on how competitive they expect to be.
He said athletes know when there is a big discrepancy between their abilities and those of true medal contenders. He said those participants are thankful to be there, will do their best and enjoy the overall experience. The favorites will feel more anxious. They know they have to be ready to perform at their best to win a medal or at least to be in the hunt.
About 10,500 athletes who represent 206 countries will participate in this summer’s games that will involve 32 sports and 329 medal events. The 2024 U.S. Olympic team has 592 athletes, and about 40 of them are from Texas. These Texans will participate in boxing, breaking (break dancing), cycling, diving, rowing, rugby, shooting, soccer, swimming, basketball, field hockey, taekwando, track and field, and volleyball.
El Pasoans can root for several current and former UTEP track and field athletes at the Paris Olympics. Jamaica’s team includes Sean Bailey (400 meters), Niesha Burgher (200 meters), Samantha Hall (discus), and Jevaughn Powell (400 meters). Tobi Amusan (100 hurdles) is on Nigeria’s team, and Greta Kerekes (100 hurdles) will represent Hungary.
Ryan Medrano, center, runs during the U.S. Paralympic Team Trials for track and field on July 20, 2024, in Miramar, Florida. (Mark Reis/U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee)
The Sun City also will be represented at the Paralympic Games, scheduled Aug. 28 through Sept. 8. Ryan Medrano is scheduled to participate in the 100-meter and 400-meter events.
Medrano was born three months early with fluid in the cerebellum. It is the part of the brain that coordinates movement and balance. As a result, he has a mild case of cerebral palsy. He has a T-38 classification for athletes with that condition. It accommodates participants with mild to moderate coordination issues.
The native of Savannah, Georgia, started his track career about two years ago after his appearance on season 43 of the CBS reality show “Survivor” in fall 2022. Noelle Lambert, one of the other contestants and an established Paralympian, encouraged him to participate in the Paralympics.
Medrano, 26, now lives in El Paso and trains at the tracks at Franklin and Coronado high schools. He has become competitive at an international level in several sprints and the long jump. He earned his spot on the U.S. team during the trials July 20 in Miramar, Florida, near Miami.
This will be Medrano’s first Paralympics. In a July 17 story about Medrano broadcast by KTSM-TV, the athlete said he has come to expect success on the track.
“I’m done doubting myself,” he said. “I’m at that point where I’m like, ‘Just execute, man. You do fantastic in practice. Just bring that to the track.’”
Medrano’s athletic career highlights include a gold medal in the 400 meters at the 2023 ParaPan American Games in Santiago, Chile; and a silver medal in the 400 at the 2024 World Championships in Kobe, Japan.He started a GoFundMe page to help pay for his flight, food and lodging expenses for Paris.
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