Hayward Field on the campus of the University of Oregon in Eugene. Photo: Wiki Commons

EUGENE, Oregon. — At this weekend’s U.S. Olympic Team Trials, a courageous Cougar showed the meaning of sportsmanship.

Brigham Young University (BYU) Jr. and track athlete Connor Mantz, whose hometown is Smithfield, Utah, did not end up making the U.S. Olympic Track team that will represent the U.S.A in Tokyo but a pride of a different sort is his to hold on to. Serving his two-year Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (LDS) Mission in Ghana, Africa, home to some of the fastest Olympic long-distance athletes, distance running is his passion.

In Oregon’s TrackTown USA, with approximately three laps to go in his 10,000-meter race, after running the first 22 laps in the historically hottest recorded heat in the region, Mantz made a big move in a big moment.

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Runners refer to a race being ‘honest’ when the athletes run to their fully-trained potential and do their best to outrun their competitors. By contrast, when the runners don’t try to outrun each other and instead attempt to conserve energy during the beginning and middle of a race to then explode with a ‘kick’ in the final lap, it’s unofficially not considered an honest race.

Mantz, sensing the enormity of the moment that was the Olympic Trials, took it upon himself to make this race honest and set a fast pace that his competitors had no choice but to follow.

Out in front and leading the field for approximately a whole half a lap at the world-famous Hayward Field, Mantz, giving his all for his sport, had chosen to not conserve precious energy and really run, really race.

He was ultimately passed by more than three competitors at the finish line. Only the top three made it onto that coveted Tokyo team.

Mantz might be experiencing this summer’s Games from right here in Utah with his BYU buddies, but at least he’ll be experiencing it from a place of honesty.