Former Wildcat Erik Kynard confident heading into Olympic high jump final

Former Kansas State high jumper Erik Kynard will compete for his second straight Olympic medal on Tuesday after qualifying Sunday for the men’s high jump final.

Kynard, 25, cleared the 2.29-meter bar (7 feet, 6 inches) en route to a fifth-place qualifying finish in Rio’s Olympic Park Stadium, just minutes before Jamaica’s Usain Bolt won his third straight gold medal in the same venue.

Kynard, a second-time Olympian, won silver in the high jump four years ago in London. But his Rio experience has been different. The former Wildcat said he hopes familiarity with the Olympic drill will help him take one step up on the podium.

“I’m little more comfortable and little more stable now,” he said. “I know how to take care of business.”

His main competitors, Canada’s Derek Drouin and Qatar’s Mutaz Essa Barshim, also both qualified Sunday by clearing the 2.290-meter bar. Kynard will be one of 15 in the high jump final, scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Central time Tuesday.

Asked what needs to happen to take home the gold, Kynard’s response was simple.

“I have to jump high,” he said. “That’s it.”

This story was originally published August 15, 2016 at 8:27 AM with the headline "Former Wildcat Erik Kynard confident heading into Olympic high jump final."