Inside the Secret Service’s grueling fitness tests for recruits ahead of LA 2028

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The U.S. Secret Service is aggressively scaling up its recruitment to prepare for the upcoming LA28 Olympic Games.

The agency’s Los Angeles Field Office tested 14 prospective agents earlier this week at Pasadena’s Rose Bowl, pushing them through a series of high-intensity sprints, push-ups, sit-ups.

The candidates went through rounds of agility and strength drills to evaluate endurance and stress tolerance.

“The next two years is going to be an unprecedented timeline leading up to 2028. We have the Olympic and Paralympic Games coming to Los Angeles.

”In addition, we have the presidential campaign, where our agents and officers are following candidates all around the country,” Jeff Stoller, Deputy Special Agent in Charge of the Secret Service’s LA Field Office, told CBS LA.

As a National Special Security Event (NSSE), the 2028 Games will place the Secret Service at the helm of designing and implementing the overall operational security plan.

“Hiring is crucial right now, and we need to bring the best and brightest on board so we can have people ready to support our mission in 2028,” Stoller added.

The agency is currently recruiting for special agents and officer roles.

According to the Secret Service physical fitness standards, candidates’ strength, endurance, and aerobic capacity is measure in four core elements that include push-ups, sit-ups, chin-ups, and the 1.5 mile run.

Secret Service trainees are tested on how many push-ups and sit-ups they can complete in one minute, how many chin-ups they can perform and how quickly they can run 1.5 miles.

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For a 25-year-old man, 37 or fewer push-ups, 32 or fewer sit-ups, four or fewer chin-ups, or a 1.5-mile run of 14 minutes, 14 seconds or slower earns zero points in that event.

For a 25-year-old woman, the equivalent marks are 19 or fewer push-ups, 26 or fewer sit-ups, no chin-ups, or a 1.5-mile time of 16 minutes, 34 seconds or slower.

Recruits are scored and ranked by fitness level through mandatory evaluations at the beginning, during, and end of their training.

“Doing something that’s bigger than myself… taking on the responsibilities of protecting others and also doing investigative work has always been my goal, and I haven’t really seen myself wanting to do anything else,” a candidate told the news outlet at the Rose Bowl Monday.

The 2028 Games will make Los Angeles the first and only U.S. city to host the Olympic Games three times, having previously hosted in 1932 and 1984.

Alongside classic events, Cricket (T20), Baseball, Softball, Lacrosse, and Squash have all been officially added to the 2028 Games. Additionally, Flag Football will make its historic Olympic debut this year.