Athens native and Athens Academy graduate Graham Blanks qualified for the Men’s 5,000M race this morning in Paris. Graham finished sixth in his heat, automatically qualifying for Saturday’s final race, which will be run at 1:50 PM CST.

Athens Academy will host a Team Graham Watch Party on Saturday in the Sinkwich Spartan Center on the Athens Academy campus. Doors will open at 1:15 PM and the race will begin at 1:50 PM. The watch party is open to the public.

July 8, 2024/Athens, Georgia: USA Track and Field and the World Athletics organization announced on Sunday, July 7, that Graham Blanks has secured a position on Team USA. Graham will run in the men’s 5,000-meter race at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France.

Graham finished fourth in the men’s 5,000 meters at the U.S. Trials in Eugene, Oregon, on Sunday, June 30. Third-place finisher Parker Wolfe failed to earn an Olympic Qualifying Time in the 5,000 meters, requiring him to achieve a world ranking of 42 or higher in order to secure a spot on Team USA. Graham, who earned an Olympic Qualifying Time in December 2023, claimed a place on the U.S. team when Wolfe failed to earn a high enough ranking by July 7.

A 2020 graduate of Athens Academy, Graham is the first member of the U.S. Olympic Team in the school’s 57-year history. He began running cross country during middle school and also joined the track team in high school after giving up soccer. Graham went on to earn a spot on the Harvard University cross country team.

Graham’s family and friends have been his biggest fans over the years, traveling far and wide to watch him compete. Both his head coaches from Athens Academy—Neville Anderson and Geoffrey Walton— were there in Oregon when Graham placed fourth in the qualifier. All of Graham’s family was on hand, including mom Mary Catherine Smith, who shared, “The support from the Athens Academy community has been nothing less than amazing. We appreciate each and every person who has cheered Graham on and followed his journey! Thank you to all of our incredible Spartans out there!”

According to Coach Anderson, “From day one, Graham has been the definition of the dedicated and coachable athlete. He has worked hard and made sacrifices to stay on the path of training, and he has maintained great discipline in the pursuit of excellence, not just on the track, but in every part of his life. He trusted the process at Athens Academy and at Harvard.” He continues, “Graham is GeorgiaStrong, and he is SpartanStrong! I am so proud of him. Just amazing!”

Graham, who will be a senior at Harvard University this fall, won the 2023 NCAA Cross Country National Championship last November in Charlottesville, Virginia. He ran an undefeated season before taking the national championship in the men's 10k with a time of 28:37.7.

Geoffrey Walton reflected on Graham’s development over the years. “It has been fun watching Graham grow from a goofy middle school runner into the NCAA Champion and Olympic athlete. From his early days, running has always looked effortless for him. His greatest asset is his mental toughness. He is the most positive athlete I have ever coached. When it comes time to race, he will push all negative thoughts away, which helps him push himself beyond where any of us are able to. It is amazing to watch!”

Athens Academy is an independent, co-educational school for students in K3 through 12th grade, located on a beautiful 152-acre campus in Northeast Georgia. Now in its 58th year, Athens Academy pursues its mission of “excellence with honor” through academics, athletics, fine arts, and service and leadership. Ranked the #1 private school in Athens, #9 college prep school in the state of Georgia, and #1 private school in Northeast Georgia (Niche.com).

For more information, please contact Kelley Cuneo, communications director, at [email protected] or 706-433-2410.