Track & Field

What was the moment you knew you wanted to try and go to the Olympics?

Middle School to Olympics: Turning Potential into Reality

Hey Melanie, thank you for your question. And the question is, what was the moment you knew you wanted to try and go to the Olympics. Well, I'm going to say that there was a few moments. It just wasn't one and I'm going to take it back to Middle School. When people used to tell me hey, you have the potential to one day. Go to the Olympics, went from there into high school or I started wearing a few state titles. And that's when I knew that it could be a possibility, was then awarded a scholarship at the University of Texas where that's where I started. Thinking that I could make this a reality which it became reality in 2008 after finishing top three at the USA trials, made my first Olympics in 2008 in Beijing China and had the ability to take my parents there. And that was just incredible. So, take your potential, make it into a possibility and then make it become reality.

I knew I wanted to go to the Olympics when people told me I had the potential to do so in Middle School. After winning some state titles in high school and getting a scholarship to the University of Texas, I was able to make it a reality at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

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The moment I knew I wanted to try and go to the Olympics wasn't just one specific moment, but rather a series of moments. It started back in Middle School when people would tell me that I had the potential to one day compete at the Olympics. Then, in high school, I started winning a few state titles, and that's when I began to believe that it could be a possibility.

Things started to solidify when I was awarded a scholarship at the University of Texas. It was there that I really started to think that I could turn this dream into a reality. And in 2008, after finishing in the top three at the USA trials, I made my first Olympics in Beijing, China. It was an incredible experience, especially being able to bring my parents along.

So, it was a journey of taking my potential, turning it into a possibility, and ultimately making it a reality.

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Leonel "Leo" Manzano is a retired Mexican-American middle-distance track and field athlete specializing in the 1500 m and mile. He was a silver medalist at the 2012 Summer Olympics. Manzano is known for finishing his races with a strong finishing kick.