Two BYU runners finish in the top 10 in the men’s Olympic marathon
Aug 10, 2024, 5:08 PM | Updated: 7:09 pm
PARIS — Conner Mantz and Clayton Young were athletes together at Brigham Young University.
On Saturday, the two runners ran together in the men’s marathon in the Summer Olympics in Paris.
They train together, and they’re close friends. So, it’s fitting that Mantz and Young finished Saturday’s marathon together. Mantz finished eighth with a time of 2 hours, 8 minutes and 12 seconds.
The course is considered to be a tough one. And for Mantz, the time is a season-best. So he is thrilled with an eighth-place finish.
“I just couldn’t go a couple of seconds without hearing USA, USA,” Mantz said. ” And that was pretty special.”
Young finished ninth overall, 32 seconds behind Manta, which is also a season-best for him.
Young told KSL TV that he loved his Olympic experience, especially with his family and friends in Paris to cheer him on.
“They found a way to find me and I just can’t believe it,” Young said. “My wife is one of the first people I saw on the course, and she’s one of the first people I saw at the finish line. My sacrifice was great. But my wife, man, her diligence and her sacrifice, her support in me has been unmatched.”
Other runners with Utah ties
Mantz and Young weren’t the only runners from BYU that participated in Saturday’s race.
Former BYU athlete Rory Linkletter, of Herriman, came in 47th for Team Canada.
“That’s hopefully not the best Olympics I ever have and not the last one,” Linkletter said. “So, yeah, this is motivating in a lot of ways — great experience and happy to be here. But got four years to get a lot better.”
Also representing Team Canada was Cam Levins, who ran for Southern Utah University. He was 36th in Saturday’s race.
“I’m relatively happy with how I felt,” Levins said. “Obviously, I would have hoped for still a better placing, but it was OK, yeah.”
Mantz and Young told KSL TV being able to run the marathon together makes it an experience they will never forget.
