Germantown Academy grad Kyle Garland withdraws from U.S. Olympic track and field trials

Garland suffered an injury forcing him to withdraw from the trials, and ultimately an opportunity for the Summer Games in Paris.

Kyle Garland in the pole vault.Read moreCourtesy of the University of Georgia

by Staff Reports

Published June 22, 2024, 6:40 p.m. ET

Kyle Garland, a Philly native and Germantown Academy graduate, withdrew from the men’s decathlon after he suffered an injury at Saturday’s U.S. Olympic trials.

“After a bad landing in the pole vault yesterday, my dreams of becoming an Olympian were, once again, snatched away from me,” Garland wrote in an Instagram post on Sunday. “I, in no way shape or form, have even the slightest of words to describe what I’m feeling nor do I know what is going to happen in the future. But if there is one thing about me, it’s that I’m going to fight, for as long as I have to fight until I can officially call myself an Olympian.”

Through six events on Saturday, the 24-year-old held the second overall position, trailing Heath Baldwin of Michigan State who ultimately finished first. On Friday, the first day of the Track and Field Olympic trails, Garland placed fourth in the 100-meter dash and 11th in the 400-meter dash.

He also had strong finishes in field events, placing third in the shot put, second in the high jump, and fifth in the long jump.

Garland, who competed at Georgia, won three NCAA indoor championships in the heptathlon. He qualified for the 2022 World Track and Field Championships in Eugene, Ore., after setting the NCAA record in the decathlon (8,720 points).

Last year, he was the runner-up in the decathlon at the NCAA Championships, posting a No. 3 all-time collegiate score with 8,630 points.