Bio

Leonel "Leo" Manzano won the Silver Medal in the Men's 1500 meter at the 2012 London Olympics breaking a 44 year drought in men's middle distance running for the U.S. Manzano is a Mexican American middle distance Track and Field athlete specializing in the 1500 meter and the mile. Manzano, born in Dolores Hidalgo, Guanajuato Mexico, moved with his family to the United States at the age of 4. He discovered a passion for running early on and while attending Marble Falls High School in Marble Falls, Texas, he excelled, winning a total of nine Texas high school track and field titles.

Manzano's talents did not go unnoticed, earning him a coveted spot on the track and field team for the University of Texas, where he won five NCAA National Championship titles, earned All American nine times and holds four school records, including the indoor mile (3:58.78), 1,500 meter (3:35.29), and indoor and outdoor distance-medley relay. His senior year culminated in the Men's Track Athlete of the Year award from the US Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). He is the first Longhorn to ever make the U.S. Olympic team in the 1,500 meter and remains the most decorated athlete in Track and Field at the University of Texas.

Immediately upon graduating, Manzano headed to the 2008 Summer Olympic Trials and competed in the 1,500 meter posting 3:40.90 which earned him a runner up spot on the U.S. Olympic team. He represented the U.S. in the 1,500m in the 2008 Beijing Games where he posted a 3:36.67 in the qualifying rounds.

Since advancing to professional running in 2008, Manzano has competed nationally and internationally as a three-time member of the World Championships Team USA, and has capitalized on his speed and power to earn five podium finishes in nine major international races. He is the 2012 USA Indoor Champion in the 1,500 meter and ranks among the top five fastest men in the USA in both the 1,500m and the mile. He recently anchored the first-ever USA team to win at the 2012 Penn Relays in the USA vs. the World in the distance medley relay (9:19:31).

In addition to being a member of the U.S. Olympic Team at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, Manzano won the USA Track & Field Olympic Trials competition in July 2012 to earn the top spot on the U.S. Olympic Team for the Olympic Games in London. He proudly earned the Silver Medal for the U.S. at the Games.

He currently lives and trains in Austin, Texas.