University of Georgia Athletics
‘He Put Together His Masterpiece’
May 13, 2022 | Track & Field, The Frierson Files
By John Frierson
Staff Writer
One look at Kyle Garland and it's easy to tell that life is good. The easy smile, the confident demeanor, the smooth and relaxed movements of a young athlete — still only 21 years old — that has everything going in the right direction.
Last Saturday, at the USATF Combined Events Championships in Fayetteville, Ark., Garland shattered the collegiate record in the decathlon with a score of 8,720. Out of 10 events, he posted six personal bests, while competing in just his fourth decathlon ever.
"He put together his masterpiece," said Georgia combined events and sprints coach James Thomas.
As if that wasn't enough to celebrate, on Friday, Garland is graduating from the University of Georgia with a degree in Communication Studies. It has been a very, very good seven days. The best of his life, in fact.
"By far, actually," Garland said Wednesday while seated on a bench at Spec Towns Track, where he has trained and trained for results just like those he posted last weekend.
Which feels better, setting a collegiate record and earning a spot on the United States team at this summer's world championships or graduating from college?
"I think they're both up there equally," Garland said. "The years I've put in on the track, it's paying off for sure. To be able to qualify for a world championships team, that's at the top of my list. But also graduating, and to do it in four years, just to be able to graduate from here in four years is super incredible."
Garland didn't win the decathlon last weekend, instead finishing second behind former Georgia star Garrett Scantling, who won the meet with a score of 8,867. The 28-year-old Scantling is in his prime as a decathlete, while Garland, who turns 22 later this month, is, in the words of Thomas, a "puppy" in the sport.
"It's really nice to know that he potentially has a lot more, and he knows he has a lot more. That makes it fun. It makes you go back to the drawing board and not take any victory laps — you go back to work," Thomas said. "This is not an event that the young, I call them puppies, dominate. You see most of the people that have elite marks, they're between 26 and 30.
"That's one thing that's been a constant since I've been with him, I've seen how much of a puppy he is in all areas. It excites me but it also keeps me patient, understanding that you've got to give him a chance to grow and develop. It's his timeline and I think staying diligent with that will not only allow him to have a great season but a great career."
Scantling is a former training partner of Garland's, as well as a former volunteer assistant coach under former head coach Petros Kyprianou. Georgia and Kyprianou parted ways after last season and Caryl Smith Gilbert was named director of the men's and women's programs. One of her first hires was Thomas.
For Garland, who had done very well working with Kyprianou, the change has yielded great results. New voices, new ideas, and even better results.
"The chemistry that (Thomas) and Coach Caryl have, and the training staff that they've put together, for the way my body is and the way I train and I process things, it's definitely been a very good change," Garland said.
While the SEC Championships are going on this week, Garland is here in Athens both participating in Athens with his family that came down from Philadelphia and resting up for next month's NCAA Outdoor Championships. After that comes the world championships, which will be held in Eugene, Ore., where the NCAAs are being held.
Beyond that, Garland isn't certain what's next. He can return to Georgia and use his remaining year of eligibility or he can turn pro. Regardless, he said, he will continue to train with Thomas.
Garland has won three SEC Indoor titles in the heptathlon and has twice been the runner-up in the hep at the NCAA Indoors, including placing second behind then-teammate Karel Tilga in 2021. Another teammate, Johannes Erm, will likely be in the mix for the NCAA decathlon title next month. Erm, the 2019 NCAA decathlon champion and a 2021 Olympian in the event for Estonia (alongside Tilga), is competing in the SEC Championships this week after being out for an extended period with an injury.
"To have one of my best friends and a great training partner out there competing with me, it's going to bring a level of energy out that I haven't had all season," Garland said. "It would be a very, very sweet moment to get an NCAA title in my last semester here at UGA."
Staff Writer
One look at Kyle Garland and it's easy to tell that life is good. The easy smile, the confident demeanor, the smooth and relaxed movements of a young athlete — still only 21 years old — that has everything going in the right direction.
Last Saturday, at the USATF Combined Events Championships in Fayetteville, Ark., Garland shattered the collegiate record in the decathlon with a score of 8,720. Out of 10 events, he posted six personal bests, while competing in just his fourth decathlon ever.
"He put together his masterpiece," said Georgia combined events and sprints coach James Thomas.
As if that wasn't enough to celebrate, on Friday, Garland is graduating from the University of Georgia with a degree in Communication Studies. It has been a very, very good seven days. The best of his life, in fact.
"By far, actually," Garland said Wednesday while seated on a bench at Spec Towns Track, where he has trained and trained for results just like those he posted last weekend.
Which feels better, setting a collegiate record and earning a spot on the United States team at this summer's world championships or graduating from college?
"I think they're both up there equally," Garland said. "The years I've put in on the track, it's paying off for sure. To be able to qualify for a world championships team, that's at the top of my list. But also graduating, and to do it in four years, just to be able to graduate from here in four years is super incredible."
Garland didn't win the decathlon last weekend, instead finishing second behind former Georgia star Garrett Scantling, who won the meet with a score of 8,867. The 28-year-old Scantling is in his prime as a decathlete, while Garland, who turns 22 later this month, is, in the words of Thomas, a "puppy" in the sport.
"It's really nice to know that he potentially has a lot more, and he knows he has a lot more. That makes it fun. It makes you go back to the drawing board and not take any victory laps — you go back to work," Thomas said. "This is not an event that the young, I call them puppies, dominate. You see most of the people that have elite marks, they're between 26 and 30.
"That's one thing that's been a constant since I've been with him, I've seen how much of a puppy he is in all areas. It excites me but it also keeps me patient, understanding that you've got to give him a chance to grow and develop. It's his timeline and I think staying diligent with that will not only allow him to have a great season but a great career."
Scantling is a former training partner of Garland's, as well as a former volunteer assistant coach under former head coach Petros Kyprianou. Georgia and Kyprianou parted ways after last season and Caryl Smith Gilbert was named director of the men's and women's programs. One of her first hires was Thomas.
For Garland, who had done very well working with Kyprianou, the change has yielded great results. New voices, new ideas, and even better results.
"The chemistry that (Thomas) and Coach Caryl have, and the training staff that they've put together, for the way my body is and the way I train and I process things, it's definitely been a very good change," Garland said.
While the SEC Championships are going on this week, Garland is here in Athens both participating in Athens with his family that came down from Philadelphia and resting up for next month's NCAA Outdoor Championships. After that comes the world championships, which will be held in Eugene, Ore., where the NCAAs are being held.
Beyond that, Garland isn't certain what's next. He can return to Georgia and use his remaining year of eligibility or he can turn pro. Regardless, he said, he will continue to train with Thomas.
Garland has won three SEC Indoor titles in the heptathlon and has twice been the runner-up in the hep at the NCAA Indoors, including placing second behind then-teammate Karel Tilga in 2021. Another teammate, Johannes Erm, will likely be in the mix for the NCAA decathlon title next month. Erm, the 2019 NCAA decathlon champion and a 2021 Olympian in the event for Estonia (alongside Tilga), is competing in the SEC Championships this week after being out for an extended period with an injury.
"To have one of my best friends and a great training partner out there competing with me, it's going to bring a level of energy out that I haven't had all season," Garland said. "It would be a very, very sweet moment to get an NCAA title in my last semester here at UGA."
Assistant Sports Communications Director John Frierson is the staff writer for the UGA Athletic Association and curator of the ITA Men's Tennis Hall of Fame. You can find his work at: Frierson Files. He's also on Twitter: @FriersonFiles and @ITAHallofFame.
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