Kyle Garland
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 28, 2000 |
| Home town | Philadelphia, PA, U.S. |
| Height | 6 ft 4 in (193 cm) |
| Sport | |
| Country |  United States |
| Sport | Track and field |
Event(s) | Decathlon, Heptathlon |
| College team | Georgia Bulldogs |
| Coached by | Carol Smith Gilbert and James Thomas |
| Achievements and titles | |
| Personal best(s) | Decathlon: 8,869 points (2025)[1] Heptathlon: 6,639 points (2023)[2] |
Medal record | |
Kyle Garland (born May 28, 2000) is an American decathlete. He won the bronze medal in the decathlon at the 2025 World Championships and in the heptathlon at the 2026 World Indoor Championships. He is the third-highest scoring decathlete in American history behind Ashton Eaton and Dan O'Brien.
Garland was born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He completed his prep career at private Germantown Academy before enrolling as a student at the University of Georgia.[3] As a senior at Germantown, Garland won the 2018 PAISAA state championships in the long jump, javelin, 300 meter hurdles, and 110 meter hurdles.
As an unattached junior athlete, Garland won gold at the 2018 USATF U20 Championships in the decathlon scoring 7562 points. He then went on to finish 7th at the 2018 IAAF World U20 Championships.
Collegiate career
Garland earned the nickname 'The Freight Train' from University of Georgia coach Caryl Smith-Gilbert.[4] Garland set the decathlon collegiate record and personal best score of 8720 points in finishing second at the USA World Championship Trials in June 2022. This score included six personal bests, and placed him in the top 10 for all US decathletes, the top 20 for all decathletes.[5] Garland won the 2023 NCAA Indoor Championships heptathlon title, setting an NCAA record 6,639 points, for his first collegiate title. That score was just six points from compatriot Ashton Eaton's world record.[6]
Professional career
Garland was selected to compete at the 2022 World Athletics Championships held in Eugene, Oregon. Garland placed in the top 10 after the shot put, long jump and 100 meters events before ultimately finishing eleventh on his senior major championship debut, which was won by world-record holder Kevin Mayer of France.[7] He was selected for the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest in August 2023.[8]
Garland won the heptathlon at the 2025 USA Indoor Track and Field Championships in New York finishing ahead of Hakim McMorris, with 6139 points.[9] He finished second at the Hypo-Meeting in Götzis on 1 June 2025 with a tally of 8626 points.[10] He won the decathlon at the 2025 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, becoming the third-best performer in U.S. history with 8869 points, behind only Dan O'Brien and Ashton Eaton.[11]
On September 21, 2025, he won the decathlon bronze medal with 8703 points at the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Japan.[12][13] He finished runner-up to Sander Skotheim in the season-long World Athletics Combined Events Tour for 2025.[14]
Garland won the bronze medal in the heptathlon competing for the United States at the 2026 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Toruń, Poland. He scored 6245 points to finish behind a world-record setting Simon Ehammer and compatriot Heath Baldwin.[15][16]
International event
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Representing United States | |||||
| 2017 | 2017 Pan American U20 Athletics Championships | Trujillo, Peru | 2nd | Decathlon | 7212 points |
| 2018 | 2018 IAAF World U20 Championships | Tampere, Finland | 7th | Decathlon | 7451 points |
| 2022 | 2022 World Athletics Championships | Eugene, Oregon | 11th | Decathlon | 8133 points |
| 2017 | USATF U20 Outdoor Championships | California State University Sacramento | 2nd | Decathlon | 7035 points |
| 2018 | USATF U20 Outdoor Championships[17] | Bloomington, Indiana | 1st | Decathlon | 7562 points |
| 2021 | USA Olympic Trials Track and Field | University of Oregon | 6th | Decathlon | 8140 points |
| 2022 | USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships | University of Arkansas | 2nd | Decathlon | 8720 points |
