American middle-distance star Yared Nuguse made history at the Paris 2024 Olympics, securing bronze in the fastest men’s 1500m final ever recorded. But while his athletic career is soaring, his childhood ambition remains unchanged, to become an orthodontist.
The 25-year-old Nuguse never envisioned himself as an elite runner. In high school, he joined the bowling team simply to fulfill extracurricular requirement. His focus was always on academics, particularly dentistry.
That changed when his PE teacher noticed his untapped talent and alerted the school’s track coach. What started as an afterthought soon became a career-defining passion.
By the time he received acceptance letters from dental schools, Nuguse was already making waves in collegiate running. Now, with an Olympic bronze and a world indoor silver medal to his name, he’s firmly established himself among the world’s best.
Despite his athletic success, Yared Nuguse has set a hard deadline for his track career.
“I always said I would get back to dentistry,” he told BBC Sport.
“The goal is 2029 right now, so I’m going to enjoy these years of running while I have it.”
His motivation stems from personal experience.
“When I had braces, I was such a huge fan of my orthodontist,” he recalls.
“I now have a smile that I’m really proud of, and that’s something I’d love to provide to other kids. You can give them this permanent confidence boost.”
Nuguse has emerged as a key contender in one of track’s most thrilling rivalries, sharing the spotlight with Britain’s Josh Kerr and Norway’s Jakob Ingebrigtsen.
“There’s already a lot of pressure on all of us, but at the Olympics, there was a little more on them and a little less on me.”
“It’s the juiciest running drama we’ve had in a long time. You can’t focus on it too much, but it made for good running conversation.”
In Paris, Nuguse outran Ingebrigtsen and came within 0.15 seconds of gold in a race won by American teammate Cole Hocker.
With four of history’s nine fastest men in the 1500m, Nuguse is determined to win his first world title in Tokyo.
Before the World Championships, Nuguse will compete in Michael Johnson’s groundbreaking Grand Slam Track, a new league offering $12.6 million in prize money. As a contracted athlete, he’ll race against Hocker, Kerr, and other elites in a series of high-stakes meets.
“I’m very excited,” he said.
“Track doesn’t really have a pinnacle league like other sports. It would be nice for athletes to be treated like professionals at the top level.”
Yared Nuguse is savoring every moment on the track, knowing his time as a professional athlete is finite.
“Running has brought me so much joy, but it’s not something you can do forever,” he reflected.
“I know I’ll blink, and it’ll all be over.”