Patrick Tiernan

The announcement came after he finished thirteenth at the 42nd IAAF World Cross Country Championships in Kampala, Uganda.

The following May, he won the 10000 m of the Palo Alto Payton Jordan Invitational in a world-leading time and personal best of 27:29.81.

Tiernan broke away from the other competitors in the final stages of the race, becoming the first Villanova man to win the NCAA Championships since Victor Zwolak in 1963.

Knight finished in second place, leaving Cheserek in an unexpected third.

Following his victory, the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association named Tiernan its National Athlete of the Year.

In reflecting on the race, LetsRun.com wrote that Tiernan "defeated arguably the most dominant runner in collegiate history in a performance that will be talked about for decades to come."

Patrick Tiernan (born 11 September 1994) is an Australian long-distance runner.

In July 2012, he won the 10 kilometres race that was part of the Gold Coast Marathon.

Tiernan competed for the Wildcats at Villanova University, where he earned All-American honors at each NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships in which he competed.

As a freshman in 2013, Tiernan placed ninth, beating 244 other runners.

He finished in eighteenth place the following year.

In his junior year in 2015, Tiernan claimed the runner-up spot, closely contesting the title with University of Oregon’s Edward Cheserek.

Tiernan led much of the race, before Cheserek pulled away in the final mile.

While competing for Vilanova University, he won the 2016 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships.

He has represented Australia in several global competitions, including the 2016 and 2020 Olympics.

He held the Australian record in the 10000 m from 2020 to 2022.

Tiernan competes professionally for PUMA.

Tiernan was born in Longreach, a town in Queensland, Australia.

He spent his formative years in Toowoomba, also in Queensland, where he took up distance running while attending St. Joseph's College, Toowoomba.

Cheserek entered the 2016 NCAA Division Cross Country Championships as the clear favorite, having won the competition an unprecedented three years in a row.

The race took place LaVern Gibson Cross Country Course in Terre Haute, Indiana, and it quickly unfolded into a three-man race between Tiernan, Cheserek, and Syracuse junior Justyn Knight.

On the track, Tiernan recorded his highest finish at the 2016 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships, held in June, finishing third in 13:27.07.

Following the NCAA Championships, Tiernan continued to compete in Europe and achieved a time of 13:20.88 in the 5000 m at the Paavo Nurmi Games in Turku, Finland, on June 29.

This time was below the Olympic standard of 13:25.00.

The following month, Australia confirmed his selection to the Olympic team for the 5000 m. At the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro on August 17, Tiernan participated in the 5000 m race but finished thirteenth in his heat, which did not qualify him for the final.

Tiernan revealed his decision to sign a professional sponsorship deal with Nike on 26 March 2017.

In August, Tiernan competed in the 2017 World Championships in Athletics.

He placed last among twenty two competitors in the 10000 m. During the 5000 m, he took the lead at the 3000 m mark.

However, he relinquished his lead shortly thereafter, eventually fading to eleventh place by the finish.

Tiernan returned to compete at the 2019 World Championships in Athletics.

In the 5000 m, he finished in tenth place during the heats, which was not enough to secure a position in the final.

Following his participation in the world championships, Tiernan joined the Nike-sponsored Oregon Track Club.

On 5 December 2020, Tiernan set a personal best of 27:22.55 in the 10,000m of The Track Meet in San Juan Capistrano, California.

His time was an Australian record, surpassing the previous mark set by Stewart McSweyn.

Tiernan's national record stood for 458 days before being surpassed by his countryman Jack Rayner on 8 March 2022.

After a hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Tiernan returned to competition in January 2021 at the Las Vegas Gold Half Marathon.

He won the race in 1:02:38, covering the last five kilometers in 13:58.

Three weeks later, he dropped down in distance to contest the mile at the Washington Invitational in Seattle, Washington, winning in 3:56.82.

The Australian competed in the 10,000m event at the 2020 Summer Olympics on 30 July 2021.

During the race, he suffered from heat exhaustion, collapsing twice.