In a week, he broke two world records. February 8, Millrose Games – Grant Fisher ran 7:22.91 for the 3,000m breaking Lamecha Girma’s world indoor record of  7:23.81.  February 14, Valentine’s day, BU Valentine – the olympian ran  5,000m in 12:44.09. This time breaking the record 12:49.60 set by Kenenisa Bekele in February , 2004. Now let’s go back in time a little. 2023 World Athletics championships and Grant Fisher. He was down with a stress fracture to his femur and had missed the team, but that created a hunger in him. As he sprawled on the couch and watched the 2023 worlds one thing kept ringing in the back his mind. Paris. Olympics. 1ok run.

He had not yet qualified for it, but he dared to dream. And as they say, dreaming is the first step, come the 2024 Olympics, Grant outshone everyone. He overcame a stumble deep into the fastest 25-lap race ever at an Olympics and ended up with a bronze medal, behind Uganda’s Joshua Cheptegei (gold) and Ethiopia’s Berihu Aregawi (silver). But do you wonder who helps him make the secret recipe to the all? Well, to answer that, it’s his high school coach, Mike Scannel. Just before the Olympics, he dialed him and said he needed him. Now who is he?

Meet Mike Scannell: Grant Fisher’s Coach

Well, for starters, Matt was a track and field coach who is known for his work with elite athletes. His resume flexes his time as Arizona high school running coach. The coach of the Olympian was born and raised in Michigan and later attended Arizona State University. This is where he met the father of the Olympian. Dan Fisher and Matt were roommates and teammates back in their uni days. Don’t mistake the two for some ordinary athletes.

Dan Fisher finished fourth in the 1986 PAC – 12 championship and Matt was ranked within the top 15 of all marathon runners in the U.S. by 1989. After being a competitive distance runner in the 1980s and 1990s the man chose to turn towards coaching. Scannell became a triathlon coach at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in 1993 and contributed to the training plan for the 2000 Sydney Olympics. After enjoying that he returned to Michigan and reconnected with dan.

Scannell then high school coaching in Michigan a chance and then took a break. That until one fine day when Grant fisher was in eighth grade,  Dan gave his old teammate a call. New York Times call him Fisher’s secret gun. Coach Scannell was back with the Irish of coaching 8 more students privately as well. We can see how that worked out. But what are his achievements other than Grant Fisher. 

Mike Scannell Career Highlights and Achievements

His debut? Scannell first put his shoes to track for a professional event in the Phoenix City Marathon of 1987. Renowned Bill Rogers was also in that race but he lost to the Michigan native’s time of 2:16. His personal best for a 10k is 29:02. Apart from that he competed professionally in duathlons and well we all know of his coaching career. 

At Hamilton High School in Arizona, Scannell has been instrumental in developing the cross-country program, emphasizing goal-setting and achieving milestones.Zarian Rodriguez who usually led the team said, “I think just having that support and knowing he’s there in our corner and he tries his hardest to get us to where we want to be and make us the best we want to and can be. I think that’s really beneficial to us and the team, and really helps us achieve great things.” In 2024, Scannell won the school their first state championship. He won the Coach of the Year for his work with the school.

Scannell coached Grant Fisher during high school and later during his professional career, leading to Fisher’s historic achievements, including two bronze medals at the Paris Olympics in the 5000m and 10,000m events.

How Does Mike Scannell Feel About Grant Fisher’s Olympic Success?

Scannell was the key figure of Grant’s Olympic gold. Under mike when in high school became one of only eight high schoolers ever to break four minutes in the mile. Grant then headed off to a great NCAA career in Stanford and a pro career with the elite Bowerman Track Club team in Oregon. But when the olympics donned near, he shifted places to Park City, UT for altitude training and dialled up Mike. Result? Two Bronze for Fisher.

Ref;ecting back on that Scannell said, “It was a deeply emotional event for me. On one side, I was so happy for Grant that he had done what he wanted to do. And then on the other side, it’s almost like my kid racing at the Olympics. I’ve known him his whole life. Think about the feelings you have when your child succeeds.” Fair to say, it is a coach like Mike Scannell that creates a Grant Fihser and an athlete like GrantFihser that creates a Mike Scannell. What do you say?