Lopez Lomong (born Lopepe Lomong) is a South Sudanese-born American track and field athlete. Lomong, one of the Lost Boys of Sudan, came to the United States at the age of 16 and became a U.S. citizen in 2007. His real birthdate is January 5, 1985, but like all Lost Boys who came to the United States without paperwork, his official birthday is listed as January 1.

Lomong qualified for 2008 Summer Olympics in the 1500 meters at the United States Olympic track and field trials in Eugene, Oregon. He was the flag bearer for the United States during the 2008 Summer Olympics Opening Ceremony.

Lomong is a member of Team Darfur, a group of athletes urging China to exert pressure on the Sudanese government to address the War in Darfur.

Lopez Lomong was born Lopepe Lomong in a small village in South Sudan to Awei Lomong and Rita Namana. Lomong was a victim of the Second Sudanese Civil War. A Catholic, he was abducted at age six while attending Catholic Mass and assumed dead by his family and buried in absentia. He nearly died in captivity, but was helped to escape by others from his village. The four of them ran for three days until they crossed the border into Kenya. Lomong spent ten years in a refugee camp near Nairobi before being moved to the United States through Catholic Charities. His name "Lopez" was a nickname from the refugee camp that he later adopted officially. He was inspired to become a runner after watching Michael Johnson at the 2000 Summer Olympics on television.

Ashton James Eaton (born January 21, 1988) is an American decathlete, who competes for the Oregon Track Club Elite team based in Eugene, Oregon. He currently holds the world record in the heptathlon.

In 2008, Eaton won the decathlon at the NCAA Men's Outdoor Track and Field Championship.

In 2009, Eaton defended his decathlon title at the NCAA Championships to win with 8,241 points (wind aided). He also won the heptathlon title at the 2009 NCAA Indoor Championships with 5,988 points. Eaton won the Division I field athlete of the year award in 2009.

At the 2010 NCAA Indoor Championships, Eaton broke the heptathlon world record with a score of 6,499, eclipsing Dan O'Brien's 17-year-old mark by 23 points. In June 2010, he won his third consecutive NCAA decathlon title by finishing first in the decathlon with a personal best of 8,457 points.

In 2010 Ashton Eaton won The Bowerman, which has been described as the Track and Field version of the Heisman Trophy.

At the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials, Eaton placed fifth overall.

Bryant Charles Gumbel (born September 29, 1948) is an American television journalist and sportscaster. He is best known for his 15 years as co-host of NBC's The Today Show. He is the younger brother of sportscaster Greg Gumbel.

Gumbel was born in New Orleans, Louisiana. He is the son of Rhea Alice (née LeCesne), a city clerk, and Richard Dunbar Gumbel, a judge. He graduated from Bates College in 1970. Gumbel began his television career in October 1972, when he was made a sportscaster for KNBC-TV out of Los Angeles.

Gumbel was hired by NBC Sports in the fall of 1975 as co-host of its National Football League pre-game show GrandStand with Jack Buck. From 1975 until January 1982 (when he left to do The Today Show) Gumbel hosted numerous sporting events for NBC including Major League Baseball, college basketball and the National Football League. Gumbel returned to sportscasting for NBC when he hosted the prime time coverage of the 1988 Summer Olympics from Seoul and the PGA Tour in 1990.

One of Gumbel's more memorable moments during his time at NBC Sports occurred in 1982, when he was on-site for the "Epic in Miami" NFL playoff game between the San Diego Chargers and Miami Dolphins. At the end of the game, Gumbel told the viewing audience "If you didn't like this football game then you don't like football!"

Galen Rupp (born May 8, 1986 in Portland, Oregon) is an American cross-country and track and field athlete, who competed for the University of Oregon and currently trains under Alberto Salazar as a member of the Oregon Track Club. Rupp competed for his native country in the men's 10000 m at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China, finishing in 13th place. He is the current American record holder at 10,000 m with a time of 26:48.00. He is only the second non-African to break the 27-minute barrier in the 10,000 m behind compatriot Chris Solinsky.

Rupp set junior national and American high school records while competing for Portland, Oregon's Central Catholic High School. Originally a soccer player, he caught the eye of American marathon legend Alberto Salazar, who coached him to great high school success, including two Oregon state titles in cross country (2002 & 2003) and three individual championships in track (1500 meters in 2004 and 3000 meters in 2003 & 2004). After winning the Oregon state title in cross country in 2003, he went on to finish 2nd nationally in the 2003 Foot Locker Cross Country Championships. In the spring of 2004, Rupp won his 5000 meters heat against college runners at the Stanford Cardinal Invitational with a time of 13:55.32, fourth best in prep history. He went on to break the Oregon state record in the 1500 meters (3:45.3) and the mile (4:01.8), the latter mark being the eighth best in American high school history. In June 2004 Rupp broke the U.S. high school record for 3000 meters at 8:03.67 (since broken by German Fernandez), also breaking the high school record for 2000 meters en route (5:18.5). On July 31 in Heusden-Zolder, Belgium, he broke Gerry Lindgren’s 40-year old U.S. high school record for 5000 meters by almost seven seconds, running 13:37.91 for the distance. He finished his high school career with a 10,000 meters race of 29:09.56 in Brasschaat, Belgium, fourth fastest 10K ever for an American schoolboy.

Nicholas Ian Willis MNZM (born 25 April 1983) is a New Zealand middle distance runner. He won the silver medal in the 1500m at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing with a time of 3:34.16 minutes. He was a gold medallist in the 1500 metres at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne and a bronze medallist at the 2010 Commonwealth Games. He was the first athlete from New Zealand to win the 1500 metres at the Commonwealth Games (although Peter Snell and Jack Lovelock have both won gold in the Mile at the Empire and Commonwealth Games.)

Willis was born in Lower Hutt, New Zealand, he grew up with a brother and two sisters and attended Hutt Valley High School in Lower Hutt, and university in the United States at the University of Michigan. His brother, Steve Willis, is also an athlete, and they are the only brothers in the history of New Zealand to have both broken 4:00 minutes for the mile.

For a New Zealand high school student over the mile, Willis became the fastest ever on 20 January 2001, with a time of 4 minutes 1.33 seconds.