Jim Ryun, the first U.S. high schooler to break four minutes in the mile and an Olympic silver medalist, will receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom in the Oval Office on Friday.
He joins a long line of Olympians to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom, including Jesse Owens, Muhammad Ali and Pat Summitt.
“I’m very humble that I was even considered,” Ryun said by phone on Monday. “One of the things that’s really special about it, too, is that I’m getting it while I’m alive. Sometimes these are awarded after you’re dead.