MADISON – Zach Ziemek earned a return trip to the Olympics on Saturday and put himself in a class by himself when it comes to athletes who have come through the University of Wisconsin men’s track and field program.
The 31-year-old placed second in the decathlon at the U.S. Olympic Trials at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, to qualify for the Olympics for the third time.
He will be the first former Badgers men’s track and field athlete to compete for the United States in three Olympics. He finished seventh at the Rio Games in 2016 and took fifth at the Tokyo Olympics, which were held in 2021 due to the pandemic.
According to UW records, steeplechase runner Evan Jager (2012, ’16) and distance runners Matt Tegenkamp (2008, ’12) and Steve Lacy (1980, 84) are the only other men in program history to compete for the United States in more than one Olympics.
Suzy Favor Hamilton (1992, ’96, 2000) is the only former Wisconsin women’s track and field athlete to compete in three Olympics.
However, the overall record for Olympic appearances by a former Badger belongs to distance runner Mohammed Ahmed, who will make his fourth appearance for Canada next month.
As for Ziemek, he comfortably qualified for the Games. The top three finishers advanced to Paris. Ziemek, who totalled 8,516 points, finished 132 ahead of the third-place finisher, Harrison Williams, and 305 points ahead of the fourth-place finisher, Devon Williams.
Ziemek, a five-time All-American who competed at UW from 2012-16, had six top-three finishers in the 10 events, one more than Michigan State’s Heath Baldwin, who took first with 8,625 points.
Following the Tokyo Olympics, Ziemek won a bronze medal at the 2022 World Championships but did not finish at the World Championships in Hungary last year due to injury.
“It hasn’t hit me quite yet,” he said in an interview with Runnerspace. “Obviously the main goal all season and after Budapest last year (and) mainly since 2021 is to get to this Olympics and put myself in gold medal position.”
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Former Wisconsin standout Zach Ziemek earns third Olympic berth in decathlon
