Leonel Manzano

Leonel Manzano

Manzano at the 2014 DécaNation
Personal information
Nationality	Mexican and American
Born	(1984-09-12) September 12, 1984 (age 32) Dolores Hidalgo, Guanajuato, Mexico
Residence	Austin, Texas, United States
Height	5 ft 5 in (1.65 m)
Weight	125 lb (57 kg)
Sport
Sport	Track
College team	University of Texas Austin
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)	800 meters: 1:44.56 1500 meters: 3:30.98 Mile: 3:50.64
Medal record Men’s athletics Representing  United States Olympic Games 2012 London 1500 m Continental Cup 2010 Split 1500 m USA Outdoor Championships 2012 Eugene 1,500 m 2014 Sacramento 1,500 m 2007 Indianapolis 1,500 m 2008 Eugene 1,500 m 2009 Eugene 1,500 m 2010 Des Moines 1,500 m 2013 Des Moines 1,500 m 2006 Indianapolis 1,500 m 2011 Eugene 1,500 m 2015 Eugene 1,500 m

Leonel "Leo" Manzano (born September 12, 1984) is a Mexican-American middle-distance track and field athlete specializing in the 1500 m and mile. He was a silver medalist at the 2012 Summer Olympics.

Born in Dolores Hidalgo, Guanajuato, Mexico, Manzano moved with family to Texas at the age of four. He was raised in Granite Shoals, Texas, and excelled at Marble Falls High School, where he won a total of nine Texas 4A state championships in track and cross country. Manzano recorded prep bests of 1:50.48 (800 m), 4:06.29 (1600 m), and 9:07.18 (3200 m).

During a recruiting trip to the University of Texas, Austin, Manzano went on a training run with several runners on the Track&Field team. It is reported that they ran 8 miles. After coming back from the run, Manzano was quoted as saying that the 8-mile run was the longest run he had ever completed. As a prep, Manzano possessed incredible talent and upside, having never trained in a higher-mileage system. Manzano's early talent did not go unnoticed, earning him a spot on the track and field team for the University of Texas, where he won five NCAA National Championship titles, earned All American nine times and holds four school records, including the indoor mile (3:58.78), 1,500 meter (3:35.29), and indoor and outdoor distance-medley relay. His senior year culminated in the Men's Track Athlete of the Year award from the US Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). He is the first Longhorn to ever make the U.S. Olympic team in the 1,500 meter and remains the most decorated athlete in Track and Field at the University of Texas.