Just a few years ago, Hobbs Kessler was a Skyline student athlete getting ready for his next test. Now, he can say he ran at the Olympic trials for the first time when he was 18 years old and signed a professional running contract in 2021.
This past year, after he qualified at the Olympic trials, he ran the 800 and 1500 meter races in the Olympics at age 21.
“It was a really cool experience [and] it’s been my goal for the last 3 years – crossing the finish line and knowing I was going to the Olympics,” says Hobbs. “There was so much weight on my shoulders, [and] it was really relieving…You only get the chance once in every four years.”
In 2012, Kessler’s mother, and Skyline English teacher Serena Kessler, qualified and ran in the Olympic trials, but unfortunately didn’t qualify. This inspired Hobbs to run in the Olympics, with his mom supporting him and being his biggest inspiration throughout the whole journey.
“She’s done a lot of just being a good mom [and] making me feel loved and supported,” says Hobbs. “Seeing her as an athlete and seeing her train are some of my earliest memories. I learned a lot through her [which] made it [all] feel more familiar.”
Hobbs was very active as a kid but he never dreamed of being an Olympic runner, up until middle school when he started showing interest in the sport. He felt out what he wanted to do before then and even did rock climbing for a while before focusing on running. However, his skill took time to develop as he wasn’t the best immediately.
“A lot of kids have a dream of being in the Olympics when they’re young. He didn’t have that vision,” says Serena Kessler. “We let him play [and] just be a normal kid…We just let him be really active [and] follow his interests…We didn’t know he was going to be such a great runner. His talent didn’t emerge right away.”
When Hobbs ran for Skyline, despite his talent taking time to evolve, he still found that he was a successful runner and enjoyed it. During his teen years, Hobbs Kessler broke the U.S high school record for the indoor mile with a time of 3.57.66. During the outdoor track season, he ran an 8.39.04 time in the 2 Mile at the NSAF USA Meet of Champions in Myrtle Beach as well. This ranked him as the 4th American High Schooler at that distance. Around this time, he also won his first state title in the 1600 meter race.
His success in high school led him to pursue running at a higher level. Hobbs started off running at Northern Arizona University in September 2020 and now runs professionally for Adidas.
“He found that he liked to run [and] he liked the team,” says Serena. “He had success and it was very motivating. We just loved and supported him; we never put pressure on him. He [was determined] to be good at running.”
At the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France, Hobbs Kessler ran a 1:43.64 in the 800 meter race (a personal record for Kessler) and placed 20th overall in the semifinals. He also ran 3.29.45 in the 1500 meter race, placing 5th in the Olympic Finals.
“To see track and field at the highest level…to experience that, to participate, [and] to see athletes that were the greatest of all time was a really cool experience.”
Competing at such a high level, Hobbs will always be an inspiring story for other Skyline athletes looking to be the best they can be.
