.jpg) McGorty in 2019 at the Payton Jordan Invitational | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| Nationality | American | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | (1995-03-08)March 8, 1995 (age 30) Fairfax, Virginia | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 4 in (193 cm) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 165 lb (75 kg) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Track,cross country | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Event(s) | 5000 meters,10000 meters | ||||||||||||||||||||
| College team | Stanford | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Turned pro | 2018 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Coached by | Chris Miltenberg 2013-2018 Jerry Schumacher 2018-Present | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Achievements and titles | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Personalbests |
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Medal record
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| Updated on December 21, 2023 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Sean McGorty (born March 8, 1995)[1] is an Americanmiddle- andlong-distance runner, who competes mainly in the5000 meters and10000 meters. He represented the United States in both events at the2023 World Championships and in the 5000 m at the2022 World Championships. McGorty is a two-time gold medalist at theNACAC Championships, securing victories in the Junior Men's 6K in 2014 and the 10000 m in 2022.
In high school, McGorty achieved success in state- and national-level competitions, including a second-place finish at theFoot Locker Cross Country Championships. He attendedStanford University from 2013 to 2018, where he won anNCAA title over 5000 m. Upon graduation, McGorty turned professional to compete for the Nike-sponsoredBowerman Track Club.
Sean McGorty grew up inChantilly, Virginia in a family with a background in track and field.[2][3] His parents met while competing in the sport for the University of North Carolina. His father was adecathlete who participated in the U.S. Olympic trials in 1988 and 1992. McGorty has two brothers who also pursued running, with one who competed forStanford and the other forWilliam and Mary.
McGorty attendedChantilly High School inFairfax, Virginia. He was initially involved in soccer and basketball but switched to running after trying cross country in his freshman year. In his first season competing in cross country, he recorded 16:26 in a 5 km race.[4] Encouraged by his success, the high schooler moved on to indoor track. Describing his transition to running, McGorty stated in an interview, "When [indoor track] continued to go well, I decided to do outdoor track. After that spring season, I left my club soccer team and decided to run all year."[3] He became a state champion in cross country, the 1600 meters, and the 3200 meters.
In his senior year in 2012, he placed second at theFoot Locker Cross Country Championships, behindEdward Cheserek.[5] At the 2013New Balance Outdoor Nationals, he won the 2-mile race in a time of 8:45.61, the fastest ever for a Virginia high school boy.[6] McGorty also set the high school boy's mile meet record at the 2013Penn Relays with a time of 4:04.47.[7] For college, he chose Stanford University among offers from several institutions, including Princeton and Georgetown.[8]
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While at Stanford University, McGorty won an NCAA title and recorded multipleAll-American finishes. He competed in theNCAA Division I men's cross country championships four times, with a highest finish of seventh in 2015. While competing in track, McGorty achieved several top finishes in the mile. In January 2015, he ran themile in 3:59.34, becoming the first collegiate runner to achieve asub-four minute mile in 2015.[9] In 2016, he improved his time in the indoor mile to 3:53.95, finished less than a second behindIzaic Yorks.[10]
McGorty also specialized in the 5000 m. On May 1, 2016, he fulfilled thequalifying standard in the event for theOlympics, with a personal best of 13:24.25 at the Payton Jordan Invitational.[11] At the2016 NCAA Outdoor Championships, he finished second behind Edward Cheserek in the 5000 m. McGorty improved to first place at the2018 NCAA Outdoor Championships to claim the NCAA title in the 5000 m in 13:54.81, out kicking heavy favoriteJustyn Knight, as well as the 2017 champion and Stanford teammateGrant Fisher.[12] His university honors include being named NCAA Division I Male Indoor Track Scholar Athlete of the Year and Scholar-Athlete of the Year by theU.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.[13][14]
On July 14, 2018, McGorty competed for the first time in Europe at the Guldensporenmeeting inKortrijk, Belgium, where he won the1500 meters in a personal best of 3:36.61. The following month, McGorty announced that he had joined theBowerman Track Club, aNike-sponsored group coached byJerry Schumacher. In June 2019, McGorty experienced a severe pain in his foot during training. He was diagnosed with aStaphylococcal infection in his heel bone, leading to multiple surgeries throughout the year. McGorty made a successful recovery and resumed competing in February 2020. In June 2020, he set a personal best of 13:11.22 in the 5000 m.[15]
McGorty began competing in the3000 meters steeplechase in May 2021, with the aim of qualifying in the event for the2020 Summer Olympics.[16] On 9 May, in his first race at the distance, he recorded a time of 8:20.77, meeting the qualifying standard for the Olympics. This time was the fastest debut ever in the event by an American. During the2020 US Olympic Trials, held in June 2021, McGorty stopped mid-race in a preliminary round to fix a loose shoe, losing about 10 seconds.[17] Despite this, his time was fastest enough to qualify for the final round. In the finals, he finished seventh, missing the top three needed to qualify for the Olympics. In a post-race interview, he expressed disappointment and attributed his performance to negative thinking, stating, "I let myself get out of the race mentally."[18]
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On 27 May 2022, McGorty placed third place in the 10000 m at the2022 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships.[19] This top-three finish qualified him for this event at the2022 World Athletics Championships, held inEugene, Oregon on July 17, 2022. At the World Championships, he finished 12th in 27:46.30. The following month, McGorty ran 3:36.67 for 1500 m and 3:54.51 for the mile. His final race of the year was at theNACAC Championships, where he won a gold medal in the 10000 m.[20]
At the2023 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, McGorty placed third in both the 5000 m and 10000 m.[21] While theUSATF selects the top three finishers from each event for the world championships, McGorty had not initially met thequalifying standard of 13:13.50 in the 5000 m, a prerequisite for participating in the2023 World Championships.[22][23] However, he met the standard for the 5000 m on July 15, 2023 by running 13:02.13 at a meet inHeusden, Belgium.[24] During the 2023 World Championships, McGorty finished 16th in the 10000 m and did not progress past the preliminary rounds in the 5000 m.
At theUS Olympic Trials, McGorty place sixth in the final of the 5000 m.[25] It was his first race of the year after recovering from injury.
All information from athlete's profile on World Athletics.[1]
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| Surface | Event | Time | Date | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Outdoor track | 600 meters | 1:22.17 | 21 July 2020 | Portland, OR (USA) |
| 800 meters | 1:53.00 | 1 June 2013 | Newport News, VA (USA) | |
| 1500 meters | 3:36.61 | 14 July 2018 | Kortrijk, Belgium | |
| One Mile | 3:54.51 | 5 August 2022 | Raleigh, NC (USA) | |
| 2000 meters | 5:09.75 | 7 August 2020 | Portland, OR (USA) | |
| 3000 meters | 7:37.47 | 6 February 2021 | Phoenix, AZ (USA) | |
| Two Miles | 8:45.61 | 15 June 2013 | Greensboro, NC (USA) | |
| 5000 meters | 13:02.13 | 15 July 2023 | Heusden-Zolder (Belgium) | |
| 10,000 meters | 27:18.15 | 6 March 2022 | San Juan Capistrano, CA (USA) | |
| 3000 meters Steeplechase | 8:20.77 | 9 May 2021 | Walnut, CA (USA) | |
| Indoor track | 1000 meters | 2:32.75 | 13 January 2012 | Lynchburg, VA (USA) |
| One Mile | 4:13.81 | 11 March 2012 | New York, NY (USA) | |
| One Mile | 3:53.95 | 27 February 2016 | Seattle, WA (USA) | |
| 3000 meters | 7:51.16 | 27 February 2020 | Boston, MA (USA) | |
| 3000 meters | 7:46.76 | 14 February 2020 | Seattle, WA (USA) | |
| Two Miles | 8:33.41 | 23 February 2019 | New York, NY (USA) | |
| 5000 meters | 13:09.21 | 12 February 2022 | Boston, MA (USA) |
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Representing USA | |||||
| 2023 | World Championships | Nemzeti Atlétikai Központ,Budapest, Hungary | 28th (h) | 5000 m | 13:40.28 |
| 2023 | World Championships | Nemzeti Atlétikai Központ,Budapest, Hungary | 16th | 10,000 m | 28:27.54 |
| 2022 | World Championships | Hayward Field,Eugene, Oregon, USA | 12th | 10,000 m | 27:46.30 |
