Running career Nick Symmonds

symmonds during 2010 usa outdoor track , field championships

after college symmonds joined oregon track club elite. 7 time outdoor track champion @ ncaa iii level, runner-up @ at&t usa outdoor track , field championships in 2006 in 800m race. in 2007, won 800m race @ prefontaine classic meet in eugene, oregon, personal best time of 1:44.54, shocking current olympic champion yuriy borzakovskiy beating him own come-from-behind strategy. see video.

in 2008, symmonds won united states olympic trials 800m final held in eugene, oregon personal best time of 1:44.10. first of 3 oregon associated athletes finish @ top of race before home crowd, other 2 being andrew wheating university of oregon , oregon track club training partner christian smith, event referred oregon sweep , replayed many times in television coverage of meet. qualified him (and three) u.s. olympic team 2008 summer olympics in beijing, china, 800 m race. @ beijing olympics, symmonds won first-round heat, finished non-qualifying fifth place in semifinal heat time of 1:46.96, 0.73 seconds behind winner of heat.

symmonds continued improve in 2009, winning usatf championships on khadevis robinson, qualified him represent united states @ world championships. part of preparation championships, symmonds ran personal best of 1:43.83 on july 29, 2009, in monaco. few weeks later, symmonds became first american qualify final of men s 800m since 1997. finished sixth in 1:45.71. in 2010, lowered personal record again, 1:43.76, while finishing third behind david rudisha s 1:41.01 world record @ iaaf world challenge track , field meet in rieti, italy.

on june 25, 2012, symmonds returned 2012 united states olympic trials again on home track in eugene, oregon. race went out fast, charles jock leading duane solomon through sub-50 second first lap. atypically, symmonds not far off pace. jock faded, solomon charged off big lead through final turn. symmonds ran around field , sprinted past solomon on homestretch make second olympic team.

at london olympics, symmonds 1 of 2 time qualifiers final of 800m. placed fifth in final new personal best of 1:42.95; david rudisha placed first in world record time of 1:40.91., nijel amos of botswana second, timothy kitum of kenya third, , symmonds teammate duane solomon fourth.

symmonds removed u.s. team @ 2015 world championships in athletics due sponsorship rights conflict between personal sponsor brooks , u.s. sponsor nike.

in 2014, nick , former coach, sam lapray, founded run gum, markets caffeinated chewing gum athletes. in january 2016 run gum filed antitrust lawsuit against usa track , field rules symmonds feels suppress competition. in may, federal judge dismissed suit.

symmonds had forego racing 2016 olympic trials due injured ankle.