By: Andrew Cheng

Galen Rupp is known in the running community as one of the greatest American long-distance athletes in the 21st century. However, he was also previously the team’s signature runner under the leadership of coach Alberto Salazar, who was later revealed to have repeatedly committed various transgressions against the sport.

Rupp is a hero in his home state of Oregon, where he was the fastest teenager in the decade. Through his talent, he has become a great athlete nowadays. However, he is also a cautionary tale. He teaches everyone that athletes must prove their loyalty to the sport, primarily when the coach is known for misguiding athletes.

The 36-year-old Galen Rupp is ready to be in the World Championships men’s marathon and toe the starting line. The return of Rupp means he is prepared to dominate, leaving the rest of the national competitors to race for second and third.

Besides, he is also a durable runner as his career is reaching the last half of its second decade. He has faced all kinds of injuries, but none of those obstacles or other people can keep him from challenging the final lap on all those big races.

Recently, Rupp has been reprimanded for the behavior of his formal coach. The chief executive of the US anti-doping said, “Every athlete is entitled to the presumption of innocence, unless and until proven guilty through the legal process, that they have committed a violation.”

Therefore, although some awful events happened in Rupp’s life as an athlete, it is still irrefutable that he was one of the greatest long-distance runners the U.S. has ever seen.

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/16/sports/galen-rupp-salazar-world-championships.html