Fisher secures rare Olympic bronze for U.S. in 10K; Cheptegei strikes gold - ESPN

SAINT-DENIS, France — For so much of his career, Grant Fisher has felt like an outsider in his own sport.

Regular fourth- and fifth-place finishes in international competitions will do that.

But now, as a bronze medalist, the American is as much a 10,000-meter insider as anybody.

«I've been close to the medals before, but I've never gotten one until [now],» Fisher, who came into the Olympics just off podium contention at the last Olympics and world championships, said.

It was during the thrilling final race of the first full day of Olympic track and field events at the Stade de France when Fisher earned the third-place finish that helped showcase the long-distance prowess American runners have been desperate to prove they possess.

While his finish was partially overshadowed by Ugandan runner Joshua Cheptegei's Olympic-record time of 26:43.14, it was an accomplishment Fisher had reason to celebrate, nonetheless.

«There's a handful of guys that have made it to the top three, but they're few and far between,» Fisher said. «The narrative when I was a kid was the U.S., you just can't run with the East African guys. You can't run with the best European guys. And I hope I showed that I'm capable of that.»

Fisher's U.S. teammate, Nico Young, believes Fisher's finish showed exactly that.

«It sets the standard of what Americans can do at this event going forward,» Young said.

This bronze marked only the fourth time an American runner has medaled in the event at the Olympics. Galen Rupp was the last to do so, earning silver at the 2012 Games. Billy Mills, who recently has been steadily backing Fisher as a potential gold medal hopeful, won gold in 1964. In 1912, Lewis Tewanima earned silver in Stockholm.

Fisher, 27, has long