Nic Fallin showed out at this year’s USATF National Junior Olympics on Monday and Tuesday, finishing eighth overall in the decathlon (17-18 division) at Texas A&M’s E.B. Cushing Stadium. 

The Cold Springs junior competed in the 100-meter dash (11.65), long jump (6.52m), shot put (10.59m), high jump (1.70m), 400-meter dash (54.53), 110-meter hurdles (17.14), discus (34.86m), pole vault (3.95m), javelin (44.24m) and 1,500-meter run (5:16.84). 

He set personal bests in seven of those events, finishing third in the pole vault and breaking the previous national decathlon long jump record en route to a fifth-place effort. Fallin accumulated 5,851 points — also a personal record — across the two-day competition and took home All-American honors with his Top 8 showing.

“There’s nothing easy about the decathlon,” said Fallin, who also competed in the National Junior Olympics in 2021 and 2023. “It challenges you physically and mentally. I had to really focus on staying positive and pushing myself as hard as I could both days. I knew going into the last event that if I wanted to make All-American I had to dig deep and leave everything on the track. That’s what I did.”

Indeed.

Fallin set a new PR in the 1,500-meter run by nearly 20 seconds to hold off other competitors for that aforementioned final All-American spot.

“This was the most exciting and insane competition I’ve ever been in,” he said. “It was an honor to compete with the top decathletes in the country, and my goal next year is to get to the Top 3. Making so many new friends was pretty great, too. I just want to thank everyone who has supported me, including (Arab City Speed) coach Waid Harbison for teaching me so much and always having faith in me. And as always, all glory to God.”