Brit Patrick Dever will run the 5000m and 10,000m at his Olympic debut
Whether you’re an athletics nut or not, you’ll remember the gold rush moment that was Super Saturday.
Otherwise known 4 August 2012, Super Saturday saw Team GB mine six gold medals in a single day, on home soil, at the 2012 Olympic Games in London. The final three wins arrived within the space of just 45 minutes on the track and field, with Mo Farah’s iconic victory in the 10,000m wrapping up one of the greatest days in British sport. And as if that wasn’t enough, Farah then went on to claim another Olympic gold in the 5000m just a few days later, making him only the seventh person in history to win both long-distance track events at a single Games.
And now, in 2024, we have another Brit looking to repeat Farah’s feat at the Olympic Games in Paris: Patrick Dever.
An ambitious 27-year-old, Dever is diving in at the deep end and running both the 5000m and 10,000m at his first-ever Olympic Games, having recently sealed the deal on his double selection for Team GB.
First up – the 5000m
The Lancastrian athlete kickstarted his Olympic campaign in February this year at the Boston University DMR Challenge in Massachusetts, USA. Here, Dever stormed to an exceptional PB of 13:04.05 in the 5000m, which was enough to slip him within the men’s Olympic qualifying mark of 13:05. He finished less than a second ahead of fellow Brit Jack Rowe, who also scraped within the standard in 13:04.75.
‘13:05 Olympic standard – what’s the point in going quicker?’ said Dever, elated, after this run.
Jump to June and Dever was running rapid laps again – this time, at the UK Athletics Championships in Manchester. Completing the 5,000m final in a time of 13:44.58, Dever placed behind James West and ahead of Rowe to earn the silver medal and secure his first, 5000m ticket to Paris.
Take two with the 10,000m
With both the 5000m and 10,000m involving multiple, metronomic laps of the track – 12.5 and 25 respectively – competitors need stamina, courage and razor-sharp focus, as well as enough explosiveness to push themselves to the front when it matters most. But with such stringent Olympic qualification standards in place, just making it to the purple start line in the Stade de France is nothing short of an achievement.
That is the way it has felt for Dever with the 10,000m. Indeed, while 5000m fortune came to him as early as February, he’s had a tougher ride with double the distance this year.
In March, Dever toed the line for The TEN race in California and ran the best 10,000m of his life so far. Clocking an epic PB of 27:08.81, Dever became the second-fastest British man ever over 10,000m, behind only former Olympic and world champion Mo Farah. This result was immense – and yet it was also disheartening, as it was less than nine seconds off the men’s Olympic qualifying mark of 27:00.00.
‘This is something I never imagined I would do and to be second to Sir Mo feels pretty special,’ said Dever, following his race at The TEN. ‘I can’t be disappointed with a PB and being second on the British all-time list, but I wanted to qualify for the Olympics in this race, so bittersweet is the perfect word.’
Britain’s Megan Keith, meanwhile, also achieved her best-ever 10,000m at The TEN with a women’s Olympic qualifying time of 30:36.84.
Move on to May and Dever was back fighting at the Night of the 10,000m PBs – a popular event at Parliament Hill Athletics Track that blends serious, top-tier running with live music, family-friendly activities and a free-flowing festival atmosphere. With the elite race being an official UK Athletics competition for Olympic qualification, all eyes were on the Brits – including Dever – to perform beyond their best and join Team GB in Paris.
Here, Dever delivered an outstanding performance of 27:23.88 in the elite men’s contest to be the first Brit home and finish second overall – but this result also fell short of the Olympic qualifying mark. It did, however, give Dever the UK Athletics Championships title for the 10,000m – and this was enough for the British Olympic Association to approve his second ticket to the 2024 Games.
The prelude to Paris qualification
As a young athlete growing into the sport, Dever never imagined that he’d reach the Olympic stage – and yet his impressive performances to date suggest that he has every right to dream big.
In his junior days, Dever began competing in middle-distance track and cross country races as a member of Preston Harries, his local athletics club, and banked many wins along the way. He then spent two years at the University of Tulsa in the USA, juggling studies for a master’s degree in accounting with his competitive duties as a student athlete. He won the 10,000m at the 2021 NCAA Championships in Eugene, Oregon, in a meet record time of 27:41.87, and left the University of Tulsa as a two-time All-American in both track and field and cross country.
In October 2021, Dever then made his big break as a professional runner for Puma, marking also his presence as a formidable figure on the athletics scene.
And now, with several accolades under his belt, Farah’s 10,000m record ripe for beating and two Olympic golds up for grabs in Paris, it’s never say never for Dever.
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