JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-FORT SAM HOUSTON, Texas — “I will never quit” is the sixth sentence of the U.S. Army Soldier’s Creed, and Staff Sgt. Leonard Korir proved that Feb. 3.
Korir, a track and field Soldier-Athlete with the U.S. Army’s World Class Athlete Program, won the bronze medal in the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials in Orlando, Florida, with a time of 2 hours, 9 minutes and 57 seconds. Korir finished behind former Brigham Young University runners Connor Mantz (2:09:05) and Clayton Young (2:09:06).
Korir was in fifth place during the 26th mile, but he surged into third over the last mile.
“I usually have the mentality of ‘Don’t give up till the finish line,’” Korir said. “I knew the marathon is usually a long and grueling event. I saw the two guys ahead of me, and I decided to push and give everything I had. I am glad it worked out for me and thankful for finishing third.”
Korir said he wasn’t nervous during the last mile, and neither was Staff Sgt. Sam Kosgei, Korir’s coach.
“I knew Staff Sgt. Korir was ready to handle anything that can be thrown at him,” Kosgei said. “In the marathon, you must trust the process. His buildup to the Olympic Trials was great, he was ready for any challenges, and I had no doubt Staff Sgt. Korir was the type of Soldier who will never accept defeat or never quit.”
Korir felt confident of his preparation and training going into the race. The weather was ideal, and the course was flat with no hills, he said.
The top two finishers earned automatic berths to the U.S. Olympic Marathon team. The World Athletics System says runners can “unlock” spots for their country during the qualifying period of Nov. 6, 2022, to April 30. For men, the qualifying time is 2:08:10.
Only seven U.S. men have ever run faster than 2:08:10 on a record-eligible course. Fortunately, Korir is one of them. He is likely going to have to wait until May to find out if he will run in Paris.
“I am still confident that I will get to run in the Olympics in Paris,” Korir said. “I am currently ranked 68th in the world, and I don't expect to be displaced in this position. The number of athletes required to run in Olympics is 80. So, I have a good chance to run because I can still do a few races to also improve my rankings if I want to.
“Overall, I am happy with my performance of finishing in third, since it’s an improvement from the 2020 Olympic Marathon Trials,” Korir said.
And Korir credits Army WCAP for his improvement and honing his resilience.
“The support we have from our leadership is amazing,” Korir said. “We get everything we need to train and also to develop as Soldiers. It’s the best unit we can ask for and we are very thankful to represent the Army and Team USA.”
Korir’s determination and resilience has impressed Kosgei.
“His daily grinding and his performance at the Trials define what the WCAP mission stands for,” Kosgei said. “He sets the tone for the rest of the WCAP Soldier-Athletes to follow as they get ready for the Olympic Track and Field Trials in June.”
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