Donavan Brazier (born April 15, 1997) is an American

middle-distance runner Middle-distance running events are track races longer than sprints, up to 3000 metres. The standard middle distances are the 800 metres, 1500 metres and mile run, although the 3000 metres may also be classified as a middle-distance event. The 1 ...

. He holds the American junior record and American record in men's

800 meters The 800 metres, or meters ( US spelling), is a common track running event. It is the shortest commonly run middle-distance running event. The 800 metres is run over two laps of an outdoor (400-metre) track and has been an Olympic event since the ...

and won the gold medal at the 2019 World Championships.

Athletics career

Youth

In 2014, his

junior year A junior is person in the third year at an educational institution; usually at a secondary school or at the college and university level, but also in other forms of post-secondary educational institutions. In United States high schools, a juni ...

at Kenowa Hills High School, Brazier won the 800 meters at the New Balance national scholastic championships in 1:48.61; his time was a new Michigan state record. His times continued the drop in his senior year; he ran a 45.92 split on a 4 × 400 meters relay and improved his 800-meter best to 1:47.55, placing him fourth on the all-time national high school list. Brazier ran 1:47.55 in June 2015 at 800 meters at

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a port, seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the county seat, seat of King County, Washington, King County, Washington (state), Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in bo ...

Brooks PR. Brazier competed in the 800 meters at 2015 USA Junior Outdoor Track and Field Championships but was disqualified. In summer 2015, Brazier attempted to earn an opportunity to represent United States on his first national team as a junior (U20) at

2015 Pan American Junior Athletics Championships The 2015 Pan American Junior Championships was the eighteenth edition of the biennial track and field competition for under-20 athletes from the Americas, organised by the Association of Panamerican Athletics. It was held in Edmonton, Alberta ...

to compete in the 800 m.

Collegiate

After graduating from high school after the 2015 season Brazier went to

Texas A&M University Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, or TAMU) is a public, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System in 1948. As of late 2021, T ...

, where he was coached by former top runner

Alleyne Francique Alleyne Jeremy Francique (born June 7, 1976) is a retired Grenadian athlete who specialized in 400 metres, his personal best being 44.47 seconds set in 2004. He is the 400m two time world indoor champion in 2004 and 2006. He won his first worl ...

and head coach Pat Henry. He ran 1:45.92 in his collegiate debut race on January 16, 2016, breaking

John Marshall John Marshall (September 24, 1755July 6, 1835) was an American politician and lawyer who served as the fourth Chief Justice of the United States from 1801 until his death in 1835. He remains the longest-serving chief justice and fourth-longes ...

's American junior indoor record by almost two seconds; the time was also a NACAC junior indoor record, and missed the American collegiate record by only 0.05 seconds. He won the 2016 SEC indoor championship in 1:46.08, but failed to finish his heat at the NCAA indoor championships due to a back injury. Brazier returned to action outdoors, but needed several meets to return to top shape. He placed third at the SEC outdoor championships in 1:46.19, half a second behind Mississippi State's Brandon McBride. At the NCAA outdoor championships in

Eugene Eugene may refer to: People and fictional characters * Eugene (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Eugene (actress) (born 1981), Kim Yoo-jin, South Korean actress and former member of the sin ...

Brazier won his semi-final in a personal best 1:45.07. The final was a rematch between Brazier and McBride; McBride led for most of the way, but Brazier passed him with 150 meters to go and won in 1:43.55. The time was a new collegiate record, American Junior and NACAC junior record and world junior (U20) leader; the previous American junior outdoor record was

Jim Ryun James Ronald Ryun (born April 29, 1947) is an American former Republican politician and Olympic track and field athlete, who at his peak was widely considered the world's top middle-distance runner. He won a silver medal in the 1500 m at the ...

's 1:44.3/1:44.9, set exactly fifty years earlier on June 10, 1966.

Professional

Brazier turned professional after his NCAA victory, signing an endorsement deal with Nike and forgoing his three remaining years of collegiate eligibility. Brazier finished 19th in 800 meters at 2016 USATF Olympic Trials in 1:48.13. Donavan Brazier reconnected with his coach from

( Grenada’s top 400 m runner

). At the 2017 National Championships, he followed Eric Sowinski's early kick into a breakaway position and held his pace as Sowinski faded to win his first National Championship, thus qualifying for the World Championships. On August 29, 2019, Brazier set a new 800 meter personal best of 1:42.70 en route to winning the Diamond League meet in Zurich, Switzerland. In this race, Brazier demonstrated phenomenal finishing speed by overtaking Botswanan runner

Nijel Amos Nijel Carlos Amilfitano Amos (born 15 March 1994) is a Motswana middle-distance runner who competes in the 800 metres. He won silver at the 2012 Summer Olympics, which was Botswana's first ever Olympic medal. Early life Nijel Amos is from M ...

in the last 30 meters, who had attempted the race at world record pace. On October 1, 2019, Brazier won the 800 meter at the World Championships in Doha, Qatar. His time of 1:42.34 was a championships record and a new American record, surpassing

Johnny Gray John Lee Gray Jr. (born June 19, 1960) is a retired American world class 800 meter runner from the mid-1980s to the late 1990s and the holder of the 600m world best. A four-time-Olympian (1984-1996) in 1985 he set the US record of 1:42.60 at a ...

's 1:42.60 from 1985. At the end of the season, Brazier was selected for the Jesse Owens Award. On February 8, 2020, Brazier set the American indoor 800 meter record in a time of 1:44.22. He opened his 2020 season, in a

1500 meters The 1500 metres or 1,500-metre run (typically pronounced 'fifteen-hundred metres') is the foremost middle distance track event in athletics. The distance has been contested at the Summer Olympics since 1896 and the World Championships in Athleti ...

2020 world lead of 3:35.85. In August he ran another 2020 world lead in the

of 1:43.15. On February 13, 2021, Brazier ran 1:44.21 in the 800m at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix in New York City to lower his own American indoor record in the event by .01.

Personal Bests

Personal life

Notes

References

External links

* * *
Donavan Brazier – Kenowa Hills High School
at DyeStat.com * {{DEFAULTSORT:Brazier, Donavan 1997 births Living people American male middle-distance runners Sportspeople from Grand Rapids, Michigan Texas A&M Aggies men's track and field athletes Track and field athletes from Michigan United States collegiate record holders in athletics (track and field) World Athletics Championships athletes for the United States World Athletics Championships medalists World Athletics Championships winners Diamond League winners USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships winners USA Indoor Track and Field Championships winners