In the past calendar year, Baylor's two-time defending Big 12 400m champion Wil London made a world team, battled injury and came out the other side with a fire burning brighter than ever.

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"I don't see myself going slower than 44.7," the junior said of this Sunday's Big 12 Outdoor Championship 400m final.

His season's best is already 44.73, a time that ranks No. 2 in the NCAA this season.

Watch Wil London run that mark at the Michael Johnson Classic:

A hamstring flare-up prevented the 20-year-old from competing in the open event at the indoor conference meet, so he just opted for the 4x400m relay. There, he had to swallow placing second to a TCU relay anchored by Derrick Mokaleng, who later took seventh at the NCAA Indoor Championships while London failed to make the final.

Instead of racing for a national title, London watched USC's Michael Norman storm to a new world indoor record of 44.52 en route to his first NCAA crown.

"It wasn't anything I didn't expect," London said of Norman's record. "He went out there and handled business. He's been great since high school. It didn't give me [any] extra fire because I know what I can do."

For most athletes, a 44.52—indoors, no less!—might give them pause in their own abilities to compete for the win.

But London is not most athletes. 

8️⃣ days till I’m back home with this same energy for the Big12 Outdoor Championship! First meet was a statement now it’s time to seal the deal! Go online and purchase your tickets now!??✊? pic.twitter.com/QNTR99Ulxt

— Wil London III (@Wil_WL3) May 4, 2018

His personal best is even faster, the 44.47 he clocked last summer to take third at the USATF Outdoor Championships and earn a spot on the Team USA world squad. 

Although he admits to being timid during the rounds of his individual race in London—his journey would end in the semi-finals—he said helping Team USA bring home silver in the 4x400m relay was a huge highlight.

"I wasn't really confident in my open [400] at the time," he said of his first senior-level World Championships experience. "I was still a little shocked I had run that fast at the Trials. That was my first time running 44 and, personally, I didn't think I could run that fast again and have enough left for the rounds. So my highlight was definitely running first leg in the finals of the 4x4; being in the last race of the World Championships and being able to give [the baton] to Gil Roberts in first place was a great feeling."

The experience of racing and succeeding against professional athletes as a teenager expanded London's perspective on the sport, which was especially helpful when rehabbing his hamstring this winter. 

"There's a bigger picture that I look at now," he said. "It's not just looking at conference or regionals; I'm focused on nationals. I'm gonna win us a national championship this year. That's the only thing I have my mind on."

Part of the newfound perspective also comes from maturity. London is now a captain for the young Bears' squad, a new status that took some getting used to. 

"At first, I wasn't as vocal," he said. "But I realized that sometimes everything is overwhelming for [freshmen], like when they see guys they saw on TV and get nerve-wracked and think they can't beat them. I tell them, 'So what? You're a freshman. You could surprise yourself and win.' 

"I had a great freshman year. I stepped up on the track and just said, 'Why not? Why can't I be the champion?'"

London's relationship with Baylor's Director of Track & Field and 400-meter coach Clyde Hart also evolved over the past two years. Hart is widely regarded as one of the best—and, perhaps, the best—400m coach in the world, having mentored Michael Johnson and Jeremy Wariner, multiple-time Olympic gold medalists and two of the fastest men in world history over a quarter-mile.

"When I came to Baylor, Jeremy and Michael—the first thing they told me—was to listen to everything [Coach Hart] has to say. 'He'll tell you the right things to do to win a national title' and so far, I haven't won one but I've been learning. I'm a little hard-headed and didn't understand everything at first as a freshman—not kicking it in on the curves and trying to wait til the last 100m—but we've created a great bond together and I can say he's the greatest 400m coach that's ever lived."

Go show out this weekend @Wil_WL3 I know If Big12s were at @BaylorTrack when I was running I would have acted a fool on the track. Handle up. ???

— Jeremy Wariner OLY (@Jwariner) May 7, 2018

You already know I’m about to put on a show! They ain’t ready for how I’m about to act this weekend!??✊? https://t.co/tLHC4bue9D

— Wil London III (@Wil_WL3) May 7, 2018