Five BYU-Connected Olympians Coached by Ed Eyestone

Five Olympians—Clayton Young, Conner Mantz, Rory Linkletter (representing Canada), Kenneth Rooks, and James Corrigan—what do they have in common? These great athletes have all been trained by BYU running coach Edward Eyestone.

Ed Eyestone was once an Olympian himself, running the marathon in both the 1988 and 1992 Olympics. He is not only known for his Olympic achievements and coaching abilities but also for his perspective on failure and success. In his speech given at BYU, he tells of when his goal to be named an All-American, making it to a national meet and finishing in the top six, fell short. He didn’t know at the time that he would later become a 10-time All-American, a national champion, and a two-time Olympian. What he did know was that he gave it his all. As his coach said, he “ran like a horse,” running even after he was ready to drop.

As we cheer for these five Olympians, we remember Ed Eyestone’s words, “If we have done everything in our power—if we have run like a horse—then that is all that is required. We can hold our heads high.” With a coach like Ed Eyestone, we can be sure these five athletes will give their all, and that is what truly matters.

The 2024 Olympics are in full swing, and BYU is representing big-time. To learn more about our athletes competing for gold, watch this video (shown below), read this article, or listen to this podcast. To learn more about Ed Eyestone and his story, read his speech or watch this inspiring short.