WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump awarded the nation's highest civilian honor Friday morning to Jim Ryun, a former Kansas congressmen who was the first high school runner to clock a mile in under 4 minutes.
Click here to watch a replay of the ceremony
Trump honored the three-time Olympian with the Presidential Medal of Freedom at the White House.
The Wichita native entered the record books in 1964 at age 17 by becoming the first high school runner to break the 4-minute barrier in the mile with a time of 3 minutes, 59 seconds.
He competed in the 1964, 1968 and 1972 Olympics and earned a silver medal in the 1,500 meters in 1968. He was the last American runner to hold the world record in the mile with a time of 3:51.1, set in 1967.
He graduated from KU in 1970 and later served as a 4-term congressman from Kansas.