By Todd Fertig
TopSports.news
Good things come to those who wait. High jumper Erik Kynard, a 2024 inductee to the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame, can attest to this truth.
Erik Kynard
Kynard earned a silver medal at the 2012 Olympics in London. With another year of eligibility at Kansas State, he returned to Kansas to claim his second consecutive NCAA outdoor championship.
Upon graduation, he remained at Kansas State as a volunteer coach and launched into a professional career, aiming at the 2016 Olympics, still in pursuit of gold.
The 2012 Olympics were a closed chapter of his life.
Kynard finished sixth at the 2016 games in Rio de Janeiro, then failed to make the Olympic team for the 2021 games in Tokyo. His days as a competitor winding down, Kynard transitioned to coaching and administration with USA Track and Field.
But an unexpected chance to return to the spotlight came in 2021. In November of that year, the International Olympic Committee announced Kynard’s silver medal would be upgraded to gold after the winner of the 2012 high jump competition was disqualified.
Former Kansas State star Erik Kynard received his gold medal for the 2012 Olympics earlier this summer after a 12-year wait. [Kansas Sports Hall of Fame]
Twelve years after the London games, Kynard was invited to Paris to accept the gold medal at the 2024 Summer Games.
“It feels great for it to be over,” Kynard said of the long wait. “I think I’m better because of the way it happened. I don’t lament over that loss.”
In the same year that he finally received his gold medal, Kynard will be enshrined in the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame. The 2024 class of inductees includes seven individuals who have ties to Olympic competition, including a paralympic medalist and the only American to be named a head track and field starter for two Olympic Games, in addition to Kynard, the lone gold medalist.
“It’s great to receive this honor, particularly in the way they chose to put special emphasis on the Olympics with this being an Olympic year,” Kynard said.” I definitely hold this in the same regard as other awards I’ve received. Especially anything that bears the moniker ‘Hall of Fame.’ ”
Kynard made Kansas his new home upon graduation from high school in Ohio. He spent four years competing for Kansas State, then served five more years on the staff of the track team, during which he continued to compete professionally.
With a gold medal on his resume, Kynard is in rare company. He is the third American-born Kansas Stater to earn Olympic gold, joining Thane Baker (400-meter relay in 1956) and Kenny Harrison (triple jump in 1996).
Though he no longer lives in Kansas, Kynard is pleased to be recognized by the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame. He said he looks forward to attending the induction ceremony on Sunday.
“It’s cool, especially not being from Kansas. But I spent about 10 years there and am so grateful to have been adopted by the state,” Kynard said. “I’m thrilled to continue to have a connection to Kansas and Kansas State University.
“I chose Kansas State because I felt like I could dedicate those years of my life and focusing and honing in on my dreams and goals and aspirations. Kansas was a great place for me to grow not just in my career athletically but also personally as a young man. That time was a huge blessing to my life.”
Kynard now lives in Georgia, where he serves as Associate Director of High Performance at USA Track and Field. With a gold medal now on his resume, he is working to help other athletes pursue their dreams.
“I’ve dedicated my life to making the sport better. I’m trying to give back,” Kynard said. “The medal is a symbol of who I am and the ability I have to affect growth and change in the world.”
Tickets to the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame ceremony at Hotel Topeka City Center, located at 1717 Southwest Topeka Blvd., are available at https://www.kshof.org/event-list.
