T&FN’s FORMCHART nailed it — Grant Fisher, Woody Kincaid and Nico Young finished in exactly that order to become the first track athletes on the U.S. team.
That’s just as well, because the trio were also the only entrants with the Olympic standard of 27:00.00, saving fans the headache of puzzling out exactly who was on the team.
However, just because the finish was predictable doesn’t mean it wasn’t exciting. As late as the 22nd lap, there was still a pack of 10 separated by less than 3 seconds, despite Conner Mantz (already on the marathon squad) setting an honest early pace.
Then Fisher decided just making the team wasn’t enough and went for the 10,000 national title that had eluded him the past three years. Closing laps of 62.32, 60.48 and 58.12 sealed the deal on a 27:49.47 win.
Kincaid, Young and Drew Hunter actually chipped away at Fisher’s lead on the last circuit, as the three had to battle for only two remaining medals. Defending U.S. champion Kincaid’s 55.72 brought him home in 27:50.74, and Young’s 57.18 gave him 3rd at 27:52.40, with Hunter 4th in 27:53.35.
The United States will thus send a team composed of the three fastest Americans not named Galen Rupp. Fisher set the American Record of 26:33.84 at JSerra Catholic High School in San Juan Capistrano, California, back in 2022; Young ran 26:52.72 (No. 3 all-time American) and Kincaid 26.57.57 (No. 4) on the same track in March of this year.
“Those last three laps I was just pressing, leaning into it, and I knew these guys have really good kicks, so I wanted to drag it out of them a little bit,” Fisher explained of his early kick. “I’ve been here with Woody before, Nico for the first time, and, man, it feels good.”
“Every year has a different challenge, and I worked so hard to get here,” said Kincaid, who also won the Trials ’25-lapper in 2021 and joins Fisher as a two-time Olympian. “This is the team I wanted. This is the best team right here.”
“It was amazing,” Young said of the Trials experience. Making the team certainly must have soothed the Northern Arizona junior’s pain from finishing 2nd in the NCAA 5000. “This is where I saw my season going, and to execute today is surreal.”
MEN’S 10,000 RESULTS
(June 21)
1. Grant Fisher (Nik) 27:49.47
(64.43, 64.25 [2:08.68], 64.79 [3:13.47], 65.08 [4:18.55], 65.79 [5:24.34], 66.07 [6:30.41], 67.56 [7:37.97], 67.59 [8:45.56], 67.08 [9:52.64], 67.97 [11:00.61], 70.02 [12:10.63], 68.34 [13:18.97], 68.53 [14:27.50], 69.07 [15:36.57], 68.23 [16:44.80], 69.36 [17:54.16], 68.41 [19:02.57], 72.10 [20:14.67], 67.63 [21:22.30], 71.25 [22:33.55], 69.40 [23:42.95], 65.60 [24:48.55], 62.32 [25:50.87], 60.48 [26:51.35], 58.12)
(58.12, 1:58.60, 3:00.92, 4:06.52);
2. Woody Kincaid (Nik) 27:50.74 (55.68, 1:58.37, 3:01.95, 4:07.62);
3. Nico Young (NnAz) 27:52.40 (57.17, 2:00.31, 3:03.37, 4:09.53);
4. Drew Hunter (adi) 27:53.35 (57.85, 2:00.78, 3:03.82, 4:10.11);
5. Casey Clinger (BYU) 27:59.71;
6. Conner Mantz (Nik) 28:00.90
(63.99, 64.28 [2:08.27], 64.78 [3:13.05], 65.08 [4:18.13], 65.79 [5:23.92], 66.08 [6:30.00], 67.52 [7:37.52], 67.59 [8:45.11], 67.08 [9:52.19], 68.01 [11:00.20], 69.80 [12:10.00], 68.54 [13:18.54], 68.51 [14:27.05], 69.09 [15:36.14], 68.28 [16:44.42], 69.34 [17:53.76], 68.45 [19:02.21], 72.95 [20:15.16], 68.12 [21:23.28], 71.06 [22:34.34], 69.35 [23:43.69], 66.69 [24:50.38], 63.73 [25:54.11], 65.19 [26:59.30], 61.60)
(61.60, 2:06.79, 3:10.52, 4:17.21);
7. Sam Chelanga (Sauc) 28:04.36;
8. Andrew Colley (ZapE) 28:05.05;
9. Ryan Ford (ZapE) 28:08.72; 10. Paul Chelimo (AmDP) 28:18.31; 11. Chandler Gibbens (Ks) 28:31.63; 12. Futsum Zienasellassie (HokaNAzE) 28:32.43; 13. Wil Smith (Gonz) 28:33.30; 14. Alex Phillip (NC) 28:35.15; 15. Zach Panning (Hans) 28:36.82; 16. Aidan Reed (TsmithRRP) 28:59.54; 17. Creed Thompson (BYU) 29:06.38; 18. Afewerki Zeru (McKirdy) 29:06.77; 19. Ryan Johnson (unat) 29:30.13; 20. Aidan O’Gorman (NFl) 29:55.42; 21. Ben Perrin (MtSt) 30:09.11; 22. Evan Jenkins (Wa) 30:33.47;… dnf—Dillon Maggard (BrooksB).
