2016 IAAF World Indoor ChampionshipsMar 22, 2016 by Taylor Dutch
From False Start to World Champion in One Year
From False Start to World Champion in One Year
A year ago, Trayvon Bromell had a devastating false start in the 60m final at the NCAA Indoor Championships. On Friday, the 20-year-old sprinter ran his way
A year ago, Trayvon Bromell had a devastating false start in the 60m final at the NCAA Indoor Championships. On Friday, the 20-year-old sprinter ran his way to victory against the best in the world at the World Indoor Championships in Portland.
“Coming from what happened at NCs to now is still mind-blowing,” Bromell told FloTrack a day after his victory. “I did false start at NCs and now I’m a World Champion in an event that I don’t even know how to perfectly run yet.”
The rounds of the 60m competition at World Indoors built anticipation for a fast championship as Asafa Powell ran 6.44 in the first round and the semifinal, which is a personal best and the fastest 60m run by any man since 2001. Powell’s performance even had audiences speculating on a possible world record assault in the final.
The hype didn’t affect Bromell, however, as the sprinter maintained his focus on getting himself successfully through the rounds without worrying too much about his competitors’ performances.
The result was a personal best of 6.47, 0.03 seconds faster than Powell and a gold medal. Bromell nearly ran a full lap around the Oregon Convention Center in excitement as the results were read out-loud by the announcers.
He is the youngest athlete ever to win gold in the 60m at the World Indoor Championships.
Despite the gold medal that hangs around his neck, Bromell still maintains that the 60m is still not his strongest event and that he has a lot of room to improve.
“Even now I still don’t feel like I’ve perfected it. I don’t feel like I ran my best race of the season because I’m still trying to learn how to run it. It’s such a fast race, just a little slip-up can cause an upset,” he said.
The 60m event is just one lesson that Bromell is taking in stride in a whirlwind year that has included a number of major breakthroughs.
Bromell was just a sophomore at Baylor when he decided to forgo his remaining NCAA eligibility to turn pro and sign with New Balance last fall. At that point in his career, Bromell had earned a bronze medal in the 100m at the World Outdoor Championships, two NCAA titles, a World Junior title and a World Junior silver medal.
He was riding a season which included three sub-10 second performances, notably a wind-legal time of 9.84 (PB) in the 100m semifinal at the USATF Outdoor Championships.
Bromell discussed the possibility of turning pro following last year's USATF Championships.
WATCH: Trayvon Bromell DRIVEN series
Since turning pro at 20-years-old, Bromell has seen immediate success and opportunity on and off the track. The decision to sign a professional contract has afforded Bromell financial opportunity, which is allowing him to give back to the community that raised him. As of right now, Bromell says that he plans to give New Balance gear to the track team of his alma mater, Gibbs High School in St. Petersburg, Florida, and possibly help sponsor a local meet in the area. Bromell hinted at even bigger plans down the road, and shared his inspiration behind the importance of giving back.
“When I was younger, I didn’t have a lot. Me and my mom struggled all our life and a lot of people gave back to us so I always told myself ‘if I make it, if I’m able to be a top sprinter and have all this money, I’m going to give it back’ because when I die, I can’t take it with me,” he said.
“I’ve always been around people with the mindset of ‘you get a blessing like this, you have to give it back.”
Watch the full interview with Bromell below:
“Coming from what happened at NCs to now is still mind-blowing,” Bromell told FloTrack a day after his victory. “I did false start at NCs and now I’m a World Champion in an event that I don’t even know how to perfectly run yet.”
The rounds of the 60m competition at World Indoors built anticipation for a fast championship as Asafa Powell ran 6.44 in the first round and the semifinal, which is a personal best and the fastest 60m run by any man since 2001. Powell’s performance even had audiences speculating on a possible world record assault in the final.
@mauricegreene I think your indoor 60m WR is gone tonight. Watch @officialasafa 6.44 shutting down in round one and see if you agree.
— Ato Boldon (@AtoBoldon) March 18, 2016
The hype didn’t affect Bromell, however, as the sprinter maintained his focus on getting himself successfully through the rounds without worrying too much about his competitors’ performances.
The result was a personal best of 6.47, 0.03 seconds faster than Powell and a gold medal. Bromell nearly ran a full lap around the Oregon Convention Center in excitement as the results were read out-loud by the announcers.
He is the youngest athlete ever to win gold in the 60m at the World Indoor Championships.
#ICYMI: @TrayvonBromell Youngest To Win 60m World Title! #Portland2016 -> https://t.co/EELOyC8Dlr pic.twitter.com/ZbwSN2ij5E
— FloTrack (@FloTrack) March 22, 2016
Despite the gold medal that hangs around his neck, Bromell still maintains that the 60m is still not his strongest event and that he has a lot of room to improve.
“Even now I still don’t feel like I’ve perfected it. I don’t feel like I ran my best race of the season because I’m still trying to learn how to run it. It’s such a fast race, just a little slip-up can cause an upset,” he said.
The 60m event is just one lesson that Bromell is taking in stride in a whirlwind year that has included a number of major breakthroughs.
Bromell was just a sophomore at Baylor when he decided to forgo his remaining NCAA eligibility to turn pro and sign with New Balance last fall. At that point in his career, Bromell had earned a bronze medal in the 100m at the World Outdoor Championships, two NCAA titles, a World Junior title and a World Junior silver medal.
He was riding a season which included three sub-10 second performances, notably a wind-legal time of 9.84 (PB) in the 100m semifinal at the USATF Outdoor Championships.
Bromell discussed the possibility of turning pro following last year's USATF Championships.
WATCH: Trayvon Bromell DRIVEN series
Since turning pro at 20-years-old, Bromell has seen immediate success and opportunity on and off the track. The decision to sign a professional contract has afforded Bromell financial opportunity, which is allowing him to give back to the community that raised him. As of right now, Bromell says that he plans to give New Balance gear to the track team of his alma mater, Gibbs High School in St. Petersburg, Florida, and possibly help sponsor a local meet in the area. Bromell hinted at even bigger plans down the road, and shared his inspiration behind the importance of giving back.
“When I was younger, I didn’t have a lot. Me and my mom struggled all our life and a lot of people gave back to us so I always told myself ‘if I make it, if I’m able to be a top sprinter and have all this money, I’m going to give it back’ because when I die, I can’t take it with me,” he said.
“I’ve always been around people with the mindset of ‘you get a blessing like this, you have to give it back.”
Watch the full interview with Bromell below: