Aaron Brown (born 27 May 1992) is a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

sprinter who specializes in the

100 100 or one hundred (Roman numeral: C) is the natural number following 99 and preceding 101. In medieval contexts, it may be described as the short hundred or five score in order to differentiate the English and Germanic use of "hundred" to de ...

and

200 metres The 200 metres, or 200-meter dash, is a sprint running event. On an outdoor 400 metre racetrack, the race begins on the curve and ends on the home straight, so a combination of techniques is needed to successfully run the race. A slightl ...

. As part of Canada's 4×100 m relay team, he is a two-time Olympic medallist at the 2016 and 2020 Summer Olympics, and the 2022 World champion. Brown has also won two World bronze medals as part of Canada's 4×100 m relay teams in

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment ...

and

2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the April ...

. As an individual, Brown is the

2018 Commonwealth Games The 2018 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XXI Commonwealth Games and also known as Gold Coast 2018, was an international multi-sport event for members of the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth that were held on the Gold Coast, ...

silver medalist in the

200 m The 200 metres, or 200-meter dash, is a sprint running event. On an outdoor 400 metre racetrack, the race begins on the curve and ends on the home straight, so a combination of techniques is needed to successfully run the race. A slightly ...

and won several junior championship medals early in his career.

Career

Junior success and London Olympics

Brown attended

Birchmount Park Collegiate Institute , motto_translation = Truth Conquers All , founded = 1964 , schoolboard = Toronto District School Board , district = South-east , superintendent = Brendan BrownePeter Chang , trustee = Parthi Kandvel , scho ...

until 2010, and committed to the

University of Southern California , mottoeng = "Let whoever earns the palm bear it" , religious_affiliation = Nonsectarian—historically Methodist , established = , accreditation = WSCUC , type = Private research university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $8. ...

(USC) on a track scholarship. In 2009 Brown won the

silver medal A silver medal in sports and other similar areas involving competition is a medal made of, or plated with, silver awarded to the second-place finisher, or runner-up, of contests or competitions such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, e ...

in the 100 m at the World Youth Championships in

Brixen Brixen (, ; it, Bressanone ; lld, Porsenù or ) is a town in South Tyrol, northern Italy, located about north of Bolzano. Geography First mentioned in 901, Brixen is the third largest city and oldest town in the province, and the artistic and ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

with a time of 10.74 into a headwind of 1.2 m/s. Prezel Hardy of the US took the

gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile ...

and

Giovanni Galbieri Giovanni Galbieri (born 8 January 1993) is an Italian sprinter. Biography He won the bronze medal over 100 metres at the 2009 World Youth Championships in Athletics The 2009 World Youth Championships in Athletics is the sixth edition of the IA ...

the bronze. The 2010 track season saw Brown suffer through several injuries, including in a dramatic 200 m final at the 2010 Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations (OFSAA) meet. One month later, at the World Junior Championships, Brown, after a disappointing fifth-place finish in the 100 m, fought hard, clawing his way to a bronze-medal finish in front of the home crowd in the men's 200 m in a personal-best time of 21 seconds flat. Shōta Iizuka of Japan took the gold in 20.67 seconds, with Aliaksandr Linnik of

Belarus Belarus,, , ; alternatively and formerly known as Byelorussia (from Russian ). officially the Republic of Belarus,; rus, Республика Беларусь, Respublika Belarus. is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by ...

grabbing the silver in 20.89. Brown finished just 0.02 ahead of fourth-place

Wayde van Niekerk Wayde van Niekerk (South African English: , ; born 15 July 1992) is a South African track and field sprinter who competes in the 200 and 400 metres. In the 400 metres, he is the current world and Olympic record holder, having set the recor ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring count ...

, who was clocked in 21.02. In 2011, Brown placed third in the men's 100 m dash at the

Canadian Track and Field Championships The Canadian Track and Field Championships is an annual outdoor track and field competition organized by Athletics Canada, which serves as the Canadian national championships for the sport. The most recent edition of the event took place in Montrea ...

held 24 June in

Calgary, Alberta Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Canadian Prairies, Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population ...

. Brown had a time of 10.39 in the finals to finish in third place behind winner

Sam Effah Sam Effah (born December 29, 1988) is a Canadian sprinter. In July 2010, Effah became, what was then, the fourth fastest Canadian ever after running a 10.06 in the 100 metre. At the 2009 Canada Games Effah won the gold medal in the 200 m. ...

10.23 and Jared Connaughton 10.31. Brown had an outstanding freshman season, reaching the

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges and ...

semifinals in the 100 m dash and posting a best legal time of 10.38. Brown finished a successful season winning silver with the men's 4×100 metres relay team and won individual bronze in the 100 m at the

2011 Pan American Junior Athletics Championships The 16th Pan American Junior Championships were held in Miramar, Florida, United States, at the Ansin Sports Complex on July 22 to 24, 2011.

hosted in

Miramar, Florida Miramar is a city in southern Broward County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 134,721. It is a principal city of the Miami metropolitan area, which is home to approximately six million people. History Miramar wa ...

, United States at the

Ansin Sports Complex Ansin Sports Complex is a multi-sport complex located in Miramar, Florida. The track and field venue is one of only four Class 2 internationally certified tracks in the United States. Major competitions * 2011 Pan American Junior Athletics Champ ...

. Brown qualified to Canada's team for the 2012 Summer Olympics, where he placed third in his heat in the men's 200 m with a time of 20.55. He placed fourth in the semifinals with a time of 20.42.

World medals and Rio Olympics

Brown attended 2013 World Championships in Athletics. Competing in the

100 m 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit (measurement), unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment ...

, he qualified second in his heat with a time of 10.15. He ran the same time in the semifinals but only had the thirteenth-fastest time, meaning he missed the final. He also ran with the Canadian 4×100 m relay team, winning a bronze medal while running at 37.92 with Gavin Smellie, Dontae Richards-Kwok, and Justyn Warner. At the

2015 World Championships in Athletics The 2015 IAAF World Championships ( zh, 第十五届世界田径锦标赛), the fifteenth edition of the IAAF World Championships, were held from 22 to 30 August at the National Stadium in Beijing, China. Forty-three nations won medals, 144 of ...

, Brown ran a 10.03 wind assisted at +2.1 m/s in the heats of the

, though in the semifinals he ran 10.15, missing the final again. Team Canada repeated their bronze medal win in the relay, running a 38.13 with

Andre De Grasse Andre De Grasse (born November 10, 1994) is a Canadian sprinter. A six-time Olympic medallist, De Grasse is the reigning Olympic champion in the 200 m, and also won the silver in the 200 m in 2016. He won a second silver in the 4×100 r ...

Brendon Rodney Brendon Rodney (born 9 April 1992) is a Canadian sprinter. As a member of the Canadian men's relay team, he is a two-time Olympic medallist in the 4 × 100 metres relay, taking silver in 2020 and bronze in 2016. He is also the 2022 World champ ...

, and Justyn Warner. Brown continued to set faster and faster times as his career progressed. In 2016 Brown ran a 9.96 in the 100 m joining

in the sub-10 second club. Brown beat

Tyson Gay Tyson Gay (born August 9, 1982) is an American track and field sprinter who competes in the 100 and 200 meters. His 100 m personal best of 9.69 seconds is the American record and makes him tied for the second fastest athlete over 100 m ...

in the preliminaries at the Star Athletics meet in

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, a ...

while running the 9.97. In the final, he finished second to Marvin Bracy, who ran a 9.94 in front of Brown's 10.01. He participated as part of Canada's Olympic team in

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of the same name, Brazil's List of Brazilian states by population, third-most populous state, and the List of largest citi ...

. In his initial sprint distance of the

100 metres The 100 metres, or 100-meter dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, the dash is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been contest ...

he ran 10.24 in the heats and did not advance into the semifinals. While he did advance to the semis in the

with a 20.23, his 20.37 there did not get him into the final race. Brown was part of the 4 x 100 m relay team, which finished third in their heats. In the final, the team initially appeared to have come agonizingly close to a medal, having placed 0.02 seconds behind the third-place United States team and setting the national record. However, the American team was disqualified for an improper baton pass, handing the bronze to Canada and Brown. He ran together with anchor De Grasse,

, Akeem Haynes, and Mobolade Ajomale, who only ran in the heats.

Commonwealth silver and Tokyo Olympics

In the year following the success in Rio de Janeiro, Brown struggled, despite a promising gold medal win for Canada's 4x200 m relay team at the 2017 World Relay Championships. After a false start at the 100 m final of the 2017 Canadian Championships, he was disqualified and thus only sent to race the

at the

2017 World Championships in Athletics Seventeen or 17 may refer to: * 17 (number), the natural number following 16 and preceding 18 * one of the years 17 BC, AD 17, 1917, 2017 Literature Magazines * ''Seventeen'' (American magazine), an American magazine * ''Seventeen'' (Japanes ...

. Upon arrival in London for the championship, he was one of many athletes to contract

norovirus Norovirus, sometimes referred to as the winter vomiting disease, is the most common cause of gastroenteritis. Infection is characterized by non-bloody diarrhea, vomiting, and stomach pain. Fever or headaches may also occur. Symptoms usually deve ...

. He recorded the fastest time in his heat but was disqualified as a result of a lane violation. He also competed in the 4x100 metres relay. Missing their anchor Andre De Grasse, the Canadian relay team ultimately placed sixth in the finals. Following these disappointments, Brown dedicated his 2018 season to focusing on the

, to be held in Gold Coast. Named to Canada's team for the Games, specifically to compete in the

, Brown initially placed third in the event final with a time of 20.34. However, second-place finisher Zharnel Hughes was then disqualified for jostling eventual gold medalist Jereem Richards, resulting in Brown winning the silver medal. This was the first major individual medal of Brown's senior career, which he credited with removing "that chip on my shoulder this year." He went on to enjoy success on the

2018 Diamond League The 2018 Diamond League was the ninth season of the annual series of outdoor track and field meetings, organised by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF). It is the second edition to feature the new championship-style syst ...

, running the 200 mm in a sub-20 second time (19.98) for the first time at the

Bislett Games The Bislett Games is an annual track and field meeting at the Bislett Stadium in Oslo, Norway. Previously one of the IAAF Golden League events, it is now part of the Diamond League. History The first international athletics meeting at Bisl ...

Oslo Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of ...

. He won the

Golden Spike Ostrava Golden Spike ( cz, Zlatá tretra) is an annual athletics event at the Městský Stadion in Ostrava- Vítkovice, Czech Republic as part of the IAAF World Challenge Meetings. It was first organized in 1961. The history of the meeting was interru ...

over reigning World champion Ramil Guliyev. Despite being defending gold medalists in the 4x200 at the 2019 World Relay Championships, the Brown and the Canadian relay team failed to advance out of the heats in the 4x100 m relay, attributed in part to an awkward baton exchange from Gavin Smellie to Brown. Competing on the

2019 Diamond League The 2019 Diamond League was the tenth season of the annual series of outdoor track and field meetings, organised by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF). It featured fourteen meetings, with the final two meetings serving ...

, he won back-to-back gold medals in the 200 m at the Diamond League Shanghai and the

BAUHAUS-galan BAUHAUS-galan, formerly known as DN-Galan is an annual, international athletics meeting that takes place at the Olympic Stadium in Stockholm. Previously it was one of the five IAAF Super Grand Prix events until 2010, and has since been part of ...

in Stockholm. He ran a new personal best time of 19.95 in the 200 m at the

Athletissima Athletissima is an annual athletics meeting in Lausanne, Switzerland. Previously one of the five IAAF Super Grand Prix events, it is now part of the Diamond League. The first edition was held on 8 July 1977 in the Stade Pierre de Coubertin. In 1 ...

in Switzerland, and went on to win both the 100 and 200 m events at the Canadian Championships. Competing at the

2019 World Athletics Championships The 2019 IAAF World Athletics Championships () was the seventeenth edition of the biennial, global athletics competition organised by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), since renamed World Athletics. It was held bet ...

Doha Doha ( ar, الدوحة, ad-Dawḥa or ''ad-Dōḥa'') is the capital city and main financial hub of Qatar. Located on the Persian Gulf coast in the east of the country, north of Al Wakrah and south of Al Khor, it is home to most of the c ...

, Brown qualified for the finals of both the

and

, finishing eighth and sixth. In a disappointing finish, the Canadian relay team did not advance to the 4x100 m final despite having the eighth-fastest overall time due to their running in the faster of the two heats. The

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identified ...

resulted in the cancellation of much of the international athletic season in 2020 and the 2020 Summer Olympics in

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...

being delayed by a full year. Brown opted not to contest the

in Tokyo, instead aiming to maximize his chances in the

. He placed first in his heat, and then won his semi-final with a season's best time of 19.99, advancing to his first individual Olympic final. He placed sixth in the final with a time of 20.20. Brown raced with a photo of his family under his bib, remarking afterward, "I run for Canada. I run for my fans. But most importantly, I run for my wife and son." Brown, Jerome Blake,

and Andre De Grasse then went on to the 4x100 m relay, where they won a second consecutive bronze medal. On 18 February 2022,

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...

was stripped of its silver medal in the men's 4×100 m relay after the

Court of Arbitration for Sport The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS; french: Tribunal arbitral du sport, ''TAS'') is an international body established in 1984 to settle disputes related to sport through arbitration. Its headquarters are in Lausanne, Switzerland and its c ...

confirmed

CJ Ujah Chijindu "CJ" Ujah (born 5 March 1994) is a British athlete, specializing as a sprinter. The lead-off runner of the Great Britain 4 × 100 metres relay team that won both the World title in 2017 and the European title in 2016 and 2018, he also ...

’s doping violation. Canada was upgraded to silver.

World Championship gold

Competing on the

2022 Diamond League The 2022 Diamond League was the thirteenth season of the Diamond League, an annual series of outdoor track and field meetings, organised by World Athletics. The competition was a revision to the top level athletics series since the Diamond League ...

, Brown won his first ever 100 m title at the

British Grand Prix The British Grand Prix is a Grand Prix motor race organised in the United Kingdom by the Royal Automobile Club. First held in 1926, the British Grand Prix has been held annually since 1948 and has been a round of the FIA Formula One World C ...

. At the

2022 World Athletics Championships The 2022 World Athletics Championships was the eighteenth edition of the World Athletics Championships. It was held at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, United States, from July 15–24, 2022, with the country hosting that competition for the f ...

Eugene, Oregon Eugene ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is located at the southern end of the Willamette Valley, near the confluence of the McKenzie and Willamette rivers, about east of the Oregon Coast. As of the 2020 United States Census ...

, he advanced to the final of the

, finishing eighth. He said that it was "encouraging" to have made the final, given his emphasis on the

. In the 200 m, Brown experienced a mishap in his heat when his starting block became unhinged from the track, causing him to fall, but the heat was restarted and he qualified to the semi-final. In turn, he qualified to the World 200 m final for the second time. Brown finished in seventh place. In advance of the 4×100 m relay, the prospects of the Canadian team were called into question with anchor runner De Grasse's struggles with

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickl ...

infection shortly before the championships. However, the Canadian team qualified for the finals with the third-fastest time in the heats, only 0.01 seconds out of second. In the final, the Canadians staged a major upset victory over the heavily favoured American team to take the gold medal, aided by smooth baton exchanges while the Americans made multiple fumbles, breaking the national record Brown had previously helped set at the Rio Olympics. This was Canada's third gold in the event, and the others being consecutive Donovan Bailey-era wins in

1995 File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The Great Hanshin earthquake strike ...

and

1997 File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic'', the highest-grossing movie in history at the time; ''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; Comet Hale-Bopp passes by Earth and becomes one of ...

. The result "stunned" the heavily American crowd at

Hayward Field Hayward Field is a track and field stadium in the Northwestern United States, northwest United States, located on the campus of the University of Oregon in Eugene, Oregon. It has been the home of the university's Oregon Ducks track and field, t ...

, though De Grasse noted, "there's a lot of Canadian flags out there, a lot of fans cheering us on." Reflecting on the historic win with his teammates, Brown said "I trusted these guys. We had the right spacing. I love these guys, and I'm so proud. I worked so hard this championship, and to end it off like this is icing on the cake." Brown was initially named to the Canadian team for the

2022 Commonwealth Games The 2022 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XXII Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Birmingham 2022, was an international multi-sport event for members of the Commonwealth of Nations that took place in Birmingham, England bet ...

but withdrew after the World Championships, with

Athletics Canada Athletics Canada or AC (french: Athlétisme Canada) is the national governing body of athletics in Canada, which includes track and field, cross-country running, road running, and race walking. Athletics Canada is involved in many aspects of the ...

citing a need "to properly recover and prepare for the rest of the season."

Personal best

Honours

In 2012 Brown was awarded the

Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal The Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal (french: Médaille du jubilé de diamant de la reine Elizabeth II) or The Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal was a commemorative medal created in 2012 to mark the 60th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's ...

Personal life

His father, Ian, is from Jamaica, and his mother, Sonia, is from England. He's his parents' only son and the second of their three children. Brown married his college sweetheart Preeya Brown in February 2020, and their son Kingsley was born on January 26, 2021.

References

External links