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SPORTS
The Des Moines Register
Rex Harvey stood in front of the congregation at a small, country church near Panora.
The Drake Relays track star, who competed in 21 decathlons, noticed a teenager who was thrilled to be so close to him.
"Here was this 13-year-old in the front row with these big eyes," Harvey said.
Harvey would later initiate Kip Janvrin into the world of multi-events.
Janvrin would go on to become an Olympian, a Drake Relays hall of famer and likely the greatest all-around track athlete the state has produced.
The Panora native has been named as the 225th member of the Des Moines Sunday Register's Iowa Sports Hall of Fame.
Janvrin's father, Ken, was a high school coach. Kip found it easy and appealing to get involved.
"My first memories are of running around school during basketball practice," Janvrin said. "It definitely got me into sports."
Janvrin became a four-sport athlete at Panora-Linden High School, graduating in 1984. He ran cross country, played basketball and baseball and competed in the pole vault, high jump, and the 400 and 800 meters in track.
Harvey would meet with Janvrin again. He spotted the potential of a strong would-be decathlete — a contest that features six field events and four races over two days.
Janvrin's mix of endurance, speed and power gave him a head start. The tricky part was making time for the high school athlete to compete in a Lincoln, Nebraska, decathlon.
"I got Kip away from his baseball coach," Harvey said. "That wasn't easy."
Harvey spoke to Janvrin. Once again, the eyes widened.
"He convinced my dad and myself to compete in one," Janvrin said. "That's how I fell in love with the event."
Janvrin chose to attend Simpson, where a number of coaches worked with him to hone his skills, including Guy Moser. They trained Janvrin to develop his potential and Janvrin went on to won three NCAA Division III championships.
After graduating from Simpson, he became a track coach at the University of Central Missouri. He was able to continue his training and competition while handling coaching duties, too.
Janvrin returned to the Drake Relays year after year, winning the decathlon a record 15 times. He's the winningest athlete in Drake history.
When he first won the Relays decathlon championship, he gave the watch he won to his mother.
The second went to his grandmother.
The third, to Harvey, who never won the decathlon at Drake.
"Kip winning the decathlon was an annual tradition," Drake Relays director Blake Boldon said. "You could almost set your calendar by Kip Janvrin winning the Drake Relays."
Janvrin became a familiar name and face to fans.
"For me, it was like a homecoming," Janvrin said.
Like Graceland College alum and fellow Drake decathlon champ Bruce Jenner, Janvrin aimed for the Olympics.
He placed eighth in the U.S. Olympic trials for the 1992 games. He finished fourth in 1996, just missing a spot on Team USA.
Then came the trials for the 2000 Olympics. Janvrin, who turned 35 in 2000, knew he was running out of time to make the games.
Three athletes would be named to represent the U.S. Janvrin's final chance came down to the 1,500 meters, one of his strongest events.
Janvrin ran a 4:12.01 to become the oldest American Olympic decathlete since the games began.
"I had zero aspirations of making it," Janvrin said. "All those years of training were finally kind of being rewarded."
Janvrin took 21st place in the Olympics.
A year later, he became the oldest American to win the USA Outdoor Championships title.
Janvrin returned to the Drake Relays in masters competition, setting a record in the 800 in 2007. He has a total of 17 Drake titles, a record.