Michigan State's Heath Baldwin Wins U.S. Olympic Team Trials Decathlon, Will Compete in Summer Olympics
Spartan Nation will be represented by one of its men's track and field stars at the 2024 Summer Olympic Games.
Michigan State's Heath Baldwin won the U.S. Olympic Team Trials decathlon on this weekend, clinching a spot at the Summer Olympics in Paris.
Baldwin recorded a time of 10.85 seconds in the 100-meter dash, the first event of the decathlon, on Friday.
Next was the long jump. Baldwin would post a distance of 7.46 meters, which placed him third in the event.
Baldwin then recorded a 16.52-meter throw in the shot put, a personal best.
After that, the Spartan star would come in first place in the high jump with a height of 2.13 meters.
To end Friday's events, Baldwin finished eighth in the 400 meters with a time of 48.58 seconds.
The decathlon picked back up on Saturday with the 110-meter hurdles. Baldwin posted a time 13.77 seconds, placing him first in the event.
Baldwin then recorded a personal best in the discuss throw with a distance of 43.67 meters. He finished in 10th place in the event.
Next came the pole vault, which Baldwin finished with a height of 4.85 meters, placing fifth in the event.
After the pole vault was the javelin throw. In the second-to-last event of the day, Baldwin claimed the top throw with a distance of 66.69 meters. That win put him in first place with one event to go.
The final event was the 1500 meters. Baldwin finished sixth with a time of 4:41.87. He finished the decathlon with 8,625 points, besting the other 18 participants.
Baldwin's decathlon win follows an epic final season with Michigan State. He broke five program records, was named to the NCAA Indoor All-America First Team, and was the runner-up in the NCAA Indoor Championships. He decided to forgo the NCAA Outdoor Championships, with intentions of focusing on his preparation for this weekend's trials.
Baldwin dominated both indoor and outdoor track during his time as a Spartan and cemented himself as arguably the greatest athlete in program history.
The last Spartan to qualify for the Olympic Decathlon was Paul Terek, who did so in 2004.
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