You’ll never be able to accuse Sam Kendricks of not being patriotic.
Kendricks pulled off one of the coolest things we saw at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio when he stopped mid pole vault attempt to stand attention in observance of the national anthem.
Though the pole vaulting qualifications took place last Saturday and the finals were last Monday, the clip went viral on Sunday, leading NBC Sports to tweet the video:
2nd LT Sam Kendricks stops mid-run to stand at attention when he hears the national anthem?? https://t.co/9yoosVTGNC https://t.co/aNohNvGWxN
— NBC Olympics (@NBCOlympics) August 21, 2016
Kendricks, who won bronze in the event with a height of 5.85m, is a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army Reserve, so he is trained to respect the country, flag and anthem.
Kendricks talked last week about representing the military in Rio.
“Those guys are really proud of me and have given me every chance to continue as a civilian,” Kendricks told USA Today. “I am certainly looking to represent the Americans on two fronts, as a military man and as a U.S. athlete.
