He graduated high school in his class of 1965. At the 1968 Summer Olympic Games, that were held in Mexico City, Ryun won the silver medal for Team USA in the men’s 1500 meters. Ryun was the first high school athlete to run one mile in less than four minutes. At the 1968 Olympics, his time was 3:37.89 seconds.
In his senior year state meet, Ryun had clocked 3:58.3 seconds, which is still the fastest-ever mile in a prep-only race. He trained under the demanding track and field coach Bob Timmons, who was a legend himself. He was also a sports journalist and photographer.
He is the last American runner to hold the world record in the one mile run. Following his athletic career, Ryun served in the United States Congress as a member of the House of Representatives, where he represented the second congressional district in Kansas, from 1996 until 2007.
Ryun joined the company of 29 other inductees, which included some of today’s top track and field athletes (Alan Webb and Allyson Felix), as well as some legends such as Bob Mathias, Jesse Owens, and Steve Prefontaine.
