Military Athlete Sam Kendricks

Congratulations to Sam Kendricks! Army Reserve 2nd Lt. Sam Kendricks cleared the pole vault bar at 19 feet 2-¼ inches to take third place and win a bronze medal on Monday night at the Rio Olympics, becoming the 1st Military Member of the U.S. Team to medal. It also marked the first pole vault medal for the United States in a dozen years, since since Tim Mack and Toby Stevenson went 1-2 at the Athens Olympic Games in 2004. Army Secretary Eric Fanning, who will be part of the U.S. Presidential Delegation attending the closing ceremonies on Sunday, took to Twitter to congratulate Kendricks on the achievement. “Congrats @samkendricks! USA!” Fanning tweeted on Monday night after the event. “#ArmyOlympian #TeamUSA.” This morning, he added, “Still thinking about @SamKendricks’s medal last night, Now, even more energized for my trip to #Rio2016. #ArmyProud.” Kendricks, who led the competition after the qualifying rounds, finished behind Brazil’s Thiago Silva and France’s Renaud Lavillenie. Silva won gold with an Olympic record of 19 feet 8 inches. Kendricks, who graduated from the University of Mississippi in 2014 and is the five-time U.S. champion, previously represented Team USA at the 2012 London Olympics. –