Kenneth Rooks, College Place grad, ready for his chance at Olympic gold

Somewhere out there is a College Place High School classmate of Kenneth Rooks’ — named Tristan Lomeli — who is telling everyone “I told you so.”

“I don’t think I pictured myself going to the Olympics,” said Rooks, who graduated from high school in 2018. “It was hard for me to visualize that back in high school and then running in college. It was always a dream to be an Olympian. But I didn’t think something would happen.”

Rooks, in an interview with the Herald, remembers what Lomeli said to him.

“Ever since my freshman year in high school, he’d always say to me ‘Man, you’re gonna go to the Olympics.’ I just shook my head,” said Rooks.

Lomeli, however, was right.

Rooks won the 3,000-meters steeplechase event in late June at the USA Olympic Track and Field Trials in Eugene. He qualified for his first Olympics.

His time of 8 minutes, 21.92 seconds wasn’t his best. But he’s ready to show the world what he’s got.

The first-round heat races come at 10:04 a.m. Pacific time on Tuesday, Aug. 5.

Rooks couldn’t ask for a more memorable year than 2024.

Last fall, after running to a third-place team championship in men’s cross country, Rooks could have stayed with his BYU teammates for one final season in outdoor track and field.

But he felt it was time to turn professional in the steeplechase.

“It has been so fun,” said Rooks. “I enjoy representing Nike as well. I loved running for BYU. It was hard for me to leave the team. I prayed about it. But it worked out.

“It’s been an interesting year so far,” he continued. “I got married in February. I’m still going to school. I’m getting my degree in civil engineering. A lot of things have been happening.”

Rooks was a two-time state high school cross country champion at College Place.

“My coach (Ed Eyestone) told me that he thought I’d be good at the steeplechase during my freshman year at BYU,” said Rooks. “He thought I could be an All-American in the steeplechase. I wanted to try it out. It was fun. I enjoyed it more than running the 3200 meters.”

He quickly gained confidence.

“My mindset shift came my sophomore year at BYU,” said Rooks. “I ran an 8:22 that year. I was 1 second off of the school record, and I broke it the next year. At that point I went ‘OK, wow. There is a possibility I could be good at this.’”

Then came his junior year in 2023.

Rooks won the men’s NCAA Championship in the steeplechase.

The best was still yet to come.

Competing in the US Track and Field Championships, Rooks had an incredible performance.

Running near the middle of the pack just 1.5 laps into the race, Rooks fell over a hurdle and was left way behind of the field.

But undaunted, Rooks got up and began reeling in the rest of the field over the next 5.5 laps until he passed the field coming down the final stretch to win.

That qualified him for the World Championships last August in Hungary. The newcomer would finish 10th in the finals.

It was all exciting for the 24-year-old, who is currently ranked 24th in the world in his event.

But this is different. This is the Olympics.

“The Olympics does feel different than the World Championships,” said Rooks. “There is a lot more hype overall with the Olympics with the general public. I know there is more hype with Nike. And more people are more excited about the Olympics. The Olympics is not just a track and field event. There are other sports too.”

Rooks left for Paris on July 24, and he was looking forward to the Opening Ceremonies.

After that, he and some of his teammates left France for a week in Switzerland.

“My coach thought that would be good, with some altitude training,” he said.

Remember, he says, he and his teammates are on a business trip.

“There is a lot of noise at this: the media, friends, family,” said Rooks. “The expectations that people have. You process those things, but you basically see through the smokescreen. So I just try to focus on the racing. Just focus on the process of racing. I’ve learned if you’re not focused on racing, if things are not going my way, I lose sight of what I’m doing. And I might not be in good position.”

Afterwards, there will be plenty of time to enjoy Paris with some family members.

For now, it’s about his races this week in the Summer Olympics.

“It is a great blessing,” he said. “It only happens every four years.”