Back to the Kansas State Wildcats Newsfeed

Former Kansas State high jumper Erik Kynard aiming for gold at Rio Olympics

MANHATTAN

Erik Kynard compares himself to a volcano.

That’s an unusual assessment for any athlete to make about himself, but the former Kansas State high jumper can explain his logic.

When the time is right, Kynard says, he is capable of anything, like an erupting volcano. That is what happened four years ago when he took silver at the London Olympics, an achievement that sparked a successful professional career and earned him an endorsement deal with Nike.

But, much like a volcano, he also goes dormant. He thinks dormancy is a good word to describe much of the past four years.