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Erik Kynard

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Erik Kynard
Erik Kynard, London 2012
Personal information
Born (1991-02-03) February 3, 1991 (age 33)
Toledo, Ohio, U.S.
Height6 ft 4 in (193 cm)
Weight188 lb (85 kg)
Sport
Country United States
SportTrack and field
EventHigh Jump
College teamKansas State University
Turned pro2013
Coached byCliff Rovelto
Retired2021
Medal record
Men's athletics
Representing the  United States
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 2012 London High jump
World Indoor Championships
Bronze medal – third place 2014 Sopot High jump
Bronze medal – third place 2016 Portland High jump

Erik Kynard Jr. (born February 3, 1991) is an American track and field athlete who competes in the high jump. In his Olympic debut at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London as a 21-year-old, he won a silver medal in the men's high jump. His silver medal was upgraded to gold in 2021 upon the disqualification of original champion Ivan Ukhov from Russia for doping.[1]

Kynard was born in 1991, the son of Erik Kynard and Brandynn Adams. He is one of 10 children.[2] He is a 2009 graduate of Rogers High School in Toledo, Ohio, and a graduate of Kansas State University where he trained under Cliff Rovelto. He jumps off his right leg.

At 17 years old, Kynard qualified for the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in 2008 but did not make the team.[2] Kynard was the 2011 and 2012 NCAA outdoor national champion in the high jump.[2]

At the 2012 United States Olympic Trials, Kynard made the Olympic team by placing second behind Jamie Nieto with a height of 2.28 m. At the Olympics, Kynard won silver[3] behind Russian Ivan Ukhov with a height of 2.33 m, the first major international medal of his career. Ukhov won the competition with a height of 2.38 m. Throughout the high jump competition, Kynard was notable for his American-themed tube socks.

In February 2019, it was announced that all of Ivan Ukhov's results from 16 July 2012 to 31 December 2015 were being disqualified for doping, making Eric Kynard the rightful recipient of the 2012 gold medal.

At the start of the 2013 outdoor season, he cleared a world-leading mark of 2.34 m at the Mt SAC Relays.[4] He won the high jump title at the United States Outdoor National Championships in 2014 and 2015; in the latter he tied his personal best, and the meet record, of 2.37m (7' 9-1/4").

In January 2022, despite being retired, Kynard accepted a six-month ban from the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency for receiving an IV infusion of saline solution with no prohibited substances without a therapeutic use exemption.[5]

On August 9, 2024, Kynard received his upgraded gold medal from the 2012 London Summer Olympics in a medal reallocation ceremony held at the Champions Park of the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics.[6][7] When asked by a reporter if the day had made him feel “whole", he responded:

“I would not sum it up as making me whole for what I lost...It's like I told a joke 12 years ago, and the world just now is starting to get it.”[6]

Major competition record

[edit]
Year Competition Venue Position Event Notes
Representing the  United States
2008 World Junior Championships Bydgoszcz, Poland 19th (q) High jump 2.10 m
2009 Pan American Junior Championships Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago 2nd High jump 2.10 m
2011 World Championships Daegu, South Korea 14th (q) High jump 2.28 m
Universiade Shenzhen, China 13th High jump 2.15 m
2012 Olympic Games London, United Kingdom 1st High jump 2.33 m
2013 World Championships Moscow, Russia 5th High jump 2.32 m
2014 World Indoor Championships Sopot, Poland 3rd High jump 2.34 m
2015 World Championships Beijing, China 8th High jump 2.25 m
2016 World Indoor Championships Portland, United States 3rd High jump 2.33 m
Olympic Games Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 6th High jump 2.33 m
2017 World Championships London, United Kingdom – High jump NM
2018 World Indoor Championships Birmingham, United Kingdom 4th High jump 2.29 m

Personal bests

[edit]
Event Best (m) Venue Date
High jump (outdoor) 2.37 Lausanne, Switzerland June 4, 2013
High jump (indoor) 2.34 Birmingham February 15, 2014
  • All information taken from IAAF profile.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "United States high jumper Erik Kynard to get 2012 Olympic gold medal from Russian doper". ESPN.com. 12 November 2021. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
  2. ^ a b c "USA Track & Field | Erik Kynard Jr". usatf.org. Retrieved 2024-08-13.
  3. ^ "Erik Kynard wins high jump at U.S. Olympic track and field trials". OregonLive.com. Retrieved 2017-12-08.
  4. ^ Lee, Kirby (2013-04-21). Kynard's 2.34m among seven world leads at Mt SAC Relays. IAAF. Retrieved on 2013-04-22.
  5. ^ Erik Kynard Jr., Olympic high jump champion, sanctioned while retired NBC Sports
  6. ^ a b "Olympic medal reallocation ceremony finally gives Lashinda Demus and Erik Kynard their golden moment 12 years later". Yahoo Sports. 2024-08-10. Retrieved 2024-08-13.
  7. ^ Schad, Tom. "Jamaican sprinter gets reallocated Olympic medal from Marion Jones saga, 24 years later". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2024-08-13.
[edit]
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