Michigan State's Heath Baldwin wins decathlon at U.S. Olympic Trials, qualifies for Paris Olympics

When compiling a list of the best athletes in Michigan State history, it’s time to make room for Heath Baldwin. And soon, he might rank near the very top.

Baldwin’s meteoric rise registered nationally this weekend when he placed first in the decathlon at the United States Track & Field Olympic Trials, qualifying for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.

He clinched first place in the two-day event on Saturday night in Eugene, Oregon, with a score of 8,625 points, which is the sixth best in the world this year and third all-time by a collegian. 

In April, Baldwin – a native of Kalamazoo – told WOOD-TV in Grand Rapids “It would mean a ton to make the US Olympic team in a Michigan State jersey.”

He delivered on that dream while wearing green and white at the US Olympic Trials this weekend, marking the final time he will compete in a Spartan jersey. Baldwin, a Michigan State graduate, earned the honor of donning the red, white and blue in France.

“This will be the last time I wear it,” Baldwin said on Saturday night while looking down on his Michigan State jersey. “It meant a bunch.”

Baldwin graduated last year with a degreee in information science and is finishing his master’s in marketing research and analytics this year.

“Just representing the state of Michigan has always been a big thing for me,” he said. “Michigan State has supported me through everything. Coach (Lisa) Breznau and Coach (Richard) Fisher supported me through skipping the NCAA National Championships to be fresh for this, which was a big deal for somebody to do. But they were confident in me and I feel like they took a big chance on that and I’m happy I was able to make that pay off for them.”

He is the first Spartan to qualify for the Olympic decathlon since Paul Terek in 2004.

Baldwin will attempt to become the first Spartan to earn an Olympic gold medal in track and field since Savatheda Fynes won a gold medal as part of women’s 4 by 100 relay team for the Bahamas at the Sydney Olympic Games in 2000. 

THE BACKSTORY

Michigan State’s Heath Baldwin won the U.S. Olympic Trials championship on Saturday in Eugene, Ore. (Photo by Craig Strobeck | USA Today Network).

Baldwin won high school three state championships in 2019 at Kalamazoo Hackett Catholic Central in the 300 hurdles, the 110 hurdles and the high jump. He was in contention for a state title in the long jump, but scratched on five of his six jumps and came away wanting more.

Baldwin didn’t join the track team at Hackett until his sophomore year.  Prior to that, he was a three-sport athlete in football, basketball and baseball.

“To think back to how I am at this point versus high school … I always figured I was going to be playing football in college,” he told WILX, Lansing’s NBC affiliate in April. “Track just kind of took off.”

He signed with the University of Michigan out of high school. He placed 11th in the decathlon at the NCAA Outdoor Championships for Michigan in 2021. 

He transferred to Michigan State in 2022 and again earned Second Team All-American honors.

In 2023, he won the Big Ten Championship in the indoor heptathlon, and claimed fifth in the decathlon at the NCAA Championships. He was named George Alderton Michigan State Men’s Athlete of the Year.

At the 2024 Big Ten Championships in May, he placed in the top six in four events. He placed third in the 110 meter hurdles (13.77), fourth in the javelin (68.39 meters), sixth in the high jump (2.11 meters) and sixth in the long jump (7.59 meters). 

He set Michigan State school records in the 110 meter hurdles, the 60 meter indoor hurdles, the javelin, the heptathlon and the decathlon this year. 

His decathlon score of 8,470 on April 18 at the Mt. SAC Relays in Walnut, Calif., broke the Big Ten record and established Baldwin as a prime contender to make the U.S. Olympic team.

Baldwin finished second at the Mt. SAC Relays to Puerto Rican professional Ayden Owens-Delerme, who posted an 8732. Baldwin and Owens-Delerme may dual as top contenders in Paris, next month. 

“I want to be in the mix for a medal,” Baldwin said. “I want to have the best competition on those two days out of anybody in the world. I don’t really like to think about points, I just like to think about competing. That’s what keeps it fun for me. The fun part about track is competing. When I think about points, it gets kind of boring.”

On Saturday night in Eugene, Baldwin took control of the decathlon in the ninth of 10 events when he posted a 66.69 in the javelin, 16 feet better than the second-place finisher in the event. 

“I really thought I fixed my approach after Big Ten Championships (in the javelin), but I still have some stuff to work on,” Baldwin said.

He wrapped up his historic weekend with a time of 4:41.87 in the 1500 meters. 

“I didn’t want to think about just making the team,” Baldwin said. “I came here to win and I’m glad I got that done.

“I feel like there’s a lot more there.”

Baldwin has been a rising national contender in the decathlon for more than a year, but his rise to become the U.S. Olympic Trials champion snuck up on a lot of Michigan State followers, and even surprised himself a bit. 

“It feels a little unreal that I have an opportunity to actually do what I’ve been dreaming of doing for the past five years,” Baldwin told WILX in April. “I feel like I’m in the spot where this is actually realistic and I can take a shot at this.”

The performance at the Mt. SAC relays brought his dreams more squarely into focus.

“After the indoor season, after I put together that NCAA runner-up in the heptathlon, I kind of knew things were coming together for me,” he said. “After that, I knew I was going to put up a big (decathlon) score.

“I wasn’t sure how some of those first events of the season were going to go. At Mt. SAC, I kind of got a good baseline for where I’m at. After that I got two more months to train. I got to skip out on NCAAs and just put in some work.

“I kind of knew I was in a really good spot coming into this week, so I felt pretty confident with what I was going to do. I still feel like I’ve got a lot in the tank. It’s crazy to think that I’m getting up into some of those numbers. I feel like I’m still pretty young and I have a lot more to do and a lot of things to fix up.”

HOW IT WENT DOWN

On Friday, the first day of competition in the decathlon, Baldwin set personal bests in the 400 meters (48.58) and the shot put (16.52m). He added a season best in the high jump (2.13m). He had the best marks in the 19-person field in the shot put and high jump. He finished day one in first place.

On Saturday, he clocked a 13.77 in the 100m hurdles

He notched a personal best in the discus (49.87m).

Zach Ziemek – of Itasca, Ill., and a graduate of the University of Wisconsin who represented the U.S in the 2020 Olympics- finished second to Baldwin on Saturday. Ziemek pulled ahead of Baldwin on Saturday after eight events with a 5.35 clearance in the pole vault while Baldwin had a 4.85.

But Baldwin bested Ziemek in the javelin, and then his 4:41.87 was better than Ziemek’s 4:53.65 in the 1500 meters.  

Track & field action at the Paris Olympics begins Aug. 1 and concludes Aug. 11. 

“I’ve got a couple more months to train and I’m going to be ready for it,” Baldwin said. “Hopefully this is just the beginning for me.”

(Photo by Ben Lonergan | USA Today Network).