Oxford Native Trains for the Next Olympics

Cameron Fronk/ Journalism student

He’s an Olympian, a champion, a husband and an Oxford native. Sam Kendricks is a man of many traits, but his passion for pole vaulting is like no other.

Kendricks recently began training for the U.S Olympic trials. His wife, Leanne Kendricks (who is an Ole Miss alumna and former track star herself), says that he not only inspires her but others in the Oxford community as well.

“I think he really inspires a lot of the high school athletes,” Leanne says. “I think he has that kind of charisma that just inspires other people to be a great sportsman of the sport.”

Last Friday, Kendricks attended an open interview hosted by the University of Mississippi in the Overby Auditorium on campus. Kendricks shared many memories about the Olympics, Ole Miss, and his time serving the military.

Kendricks also said that despite his long hours of training and the stress to uphold his ranking as number two in the world, his family is what drives and motivates him.

“It’s been a family thing from the get-go,” Kendricks said. “My brother beat me, my dad coaches me, my little brother is now my motivation. There is so much that goes into it, that you just don’t have a good reason to give up. So that’s why I stayed motivated. There was never a good enough reason to give up yet.