MIDLAND, Texas — Hoppel Watch continues this summer on NewsWest 9 as Midland native Bryce Hoppel is officially headed to the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The Midland High alum set an Olympic Team Trials record in the 800-meter finals on Sunday with a time of 1:42:77, securing his spot on Team USA.
“Going into the final it was just like ‘oh man I'm excited to kind of let loose and see what I can actually do’ but... it is kind of surreal to finally be getting into those ranks of like one of the fastest of all-time, and it’s some fun stuff and I think it made it very exhilarating there in the stadium to kind of hear the roar of the crowd when they see the time go up on the board," said Bryce Hoppel, two-time U.S. Olympian and Midland native. “Now we get to go after the fun stuff and add some icing to the cake there over in Paris hopefully.”
Hoppel competed in the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, but he says back then he was battling a slight tear in his quad.
A healthy Hoppel in 2024 won’t be the only thing new this time, as his parents Monty and Rita shared.
“The big difference is we get to go!" said Monty Hoppel, Bryce's Dad. "Last time in Tokyo, no fans, so we get to go to an incredible city, an incredible stadium that’s going to be packed and be part of the action there and see Bryce run every day. It’s just all the ambience so that’s super exciting.”
The Hoppel family celebrated at the trials with Bryce, and they’ve been there for every stride.
“One of my fond memories of like really first starting this sport was my dad kind of just driving me to those 5 a.m. practices and he’d pretty much drag me out of bed and I would be sleeping in the car on the way to practice, [I] definitely owe it to my parents to upkeep my passions," Bryce Hoppel said.
“We’ve been supportive but he just continues to pull off the unthinkable and we’re just kind of going with the flow and just trying to stay humble," Monty Hoppel said.
“As a mom I just try to be there for him just to talk to but also big support for him, and like he said our whole family – his sisters, his brother-in-law – we just try to be there for him," Rita Hoppel said.
Bryce Hoppel added that he was also lucky to grow up in a great community with coaches and friends who pushed him.
As for his preparation for the Olympics? He's off to Europe soon for the Diamond League in Monaco, then an altitude camp in Switzerland before heading over to Paris.
NewsWest 9 wishes Bryce and his family all the best in their experience as the 2024 Olympics air on NewsWest 9 with Hoppel going for gold.