Michael Norman (sprinter)

Michael Norman Jr. (born December 3, 1997) is an American sprinter. He holds the world best time in the indoor 400 meters at 44.52 seconds.[10] In 2016, he became the world junior champion in both the 200 meters and 4×100 meter relay.[11]

Michael Norman
Personal information
Full nameMichael Arthur Norman Jr.
NationalityAmerican
Born (1997-12-03) December 3, 1997
San Diego, California, United States
Height6 ft 1 in (185 cm)[1]
Weight171 lb (78 kg)[1]
Sport
SportTrack and field
Event(s)Sprints
College teamUSC Trojans (2017-2018)[2]
TeamNike[3]
Coached byQuincy Watts[3] and Caryl Smith Gilbert[4]
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)100 m: 9.86 (2020)[5]

200 m: 19.70 (2019)[6]
400 m: 43.45 (2019)[7][8]

4×400 m relay (split): 43.06 (2018)[9]
Medal record
Men’s athletics
Representing the  United States
World Junior Championships
2016 Bydgoszcz200 m
2016 Bydgoszcz4×100 m relay

Norman first gained international attention as a high school senior after he defeated reigning USA champion Justin Gatlin in a semi-final heat of the 200 meters at the 2016 Olympic Trials.[12] He eventually placed fifth in the final and did not qualify for the Olympic team. However, he secured two gold medals at the World Junior Championships later that summer, highlighted by a championship record of 20.17 in the 200 meters.[11]

A four-time NCAA champion, Norman set or helped set collegiate records in every NCAA final he ran in 2018. This includes his world best time in the indoor 400 meters and an unofficial world record in the indoor 4×400 meter relay when he anchored the USC Trojans to a winning time of 3:00.77.[13]

Throughout his career, Norman has won numerous awards including the Gatorade Player of the Year awards for track and field in both 2015 and 2016, and The Bowerman in 2018.[14][15][16] Norman graduated from the University of Southern California in May 2019 and currently competes professionally for Nike under his college coaches Quincy Watts and Caryl Smith Gilbert.[3]

Biography

Norman was born to a Black American father and a Japanese mother in San Diego, California.[17]

High School

As a high school junior, Norman broke the NFHS record in the 400 meters with a time of 45.19 seconds at the 2015 CIF California State Meet held at Buchanan High School on June 6, 2015.[18][19] His time is the fastest 400 meters run by a U.S. high school athlete against other high school-aged athletes, along with Aldrich Bailey who also ran 45.19 seconds in Lubbock, Texas on April 28, 2012.[20]

On June 6, 2015, Norman had arguably one of the most impressive one-day performances by a high school athlete. The Vista Murrieta High School junior started his day at the 2015 CIF California State Meet by completely separating from the field on the first leg of the 4×100 meter relay, a performance that PrepCalTrack editor Rich Gonzalez described as "jaw-dropping."[19] In his second event of the day, Norman ran 45.19 seconds in the 400 meters, a time that ranked #6 all-time for U.S. high school athletes and tied the NFHS record.[21] Norman came back to win his second individual state title in the 200 meters with a time of 20.30 seconds, a time that also ranked #6 all-time for U.S. high school athletes.[22] Just one hour later, Norman was back on the track with his team for the 4×400 meter relay and produced yet another memorable performance by splitting roughly 44.9 seconds on the anchor leg to bring Vista Murrieta from 7th place to 3rd place in the event.[23] With a total contribution of 21.5 points out of the 37 points scored, Norman led his school to its first-ever state title in any sport.[24] Also worth noting is that, including the preliminary rounds from the previous day, Norman ran 7 races within 28 hours at the CIF California State Meet and still produced some of the top marks in the history of high school athletics.

On June 13, 2015, Norman competed in the Adidas Dream 100 meters at the Adidas Grand Prix at Icahn Stadium. With this being his first competitive race in the 100 meters, Norman shocked some of the most talented U.S. high school 100 meter runners by winning the race in 10.36 seconds (-0.5 m/s).[25] On June 27, 2015, Norman set a California state record in the 200 meters at the 2015 USA Junior Outdoor Track and Field Championships at Hayward Field by running 20.24 seconds, and in doing so equaled the #5 all-time mark for U.S. high school athletes in the event.[26] This race also ranked Norman #8 all-time on the U.S. junior (under-20) list and #10 all-time on the world junior list. Norman's placement in this race qualified him to compete at the 2015 Pan American Junior Athletics Championships, but he decided to forgo his spot on the United States team to avoid extending his competitive season by another month. Norman's times from the 2015 season in both the 200 meters and 400 meters made him eligible to compete at the 2016 United States Olympic Trials.[27]

On June 30, 2015, Norman was named the Gatorade Player of the Year for his achievements in track and field. He is only the 28th non-senior to win the Gatorade Player of the Year award in the 30-year history of the program across all sports and the first male sprinter to win the honor as a non-senior.[28]

College

On March 10, 2018, Norman competed at the NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships and ran an American and collegiate record in the 400 meters with a world best time of 44.52 seconds.[29] Later that day he, along with the rest of the USC Trojans 4×400 meter relay team, broke the American and collegiate record in a world best time of 3:00.77.[30] Both of the 400 meters and 4×400 meter relay performances were faster than the official world records, but they were not ratified due to various technical reasons, including teammate Rai Benjamin having not been cleared by the IAAF to represent the United States yet.[31][32] On June 8, 2018, Norman ran a 2018 world leading time in the 400 meters with a time of 43.61 seconds at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships. This time ranked him as the 6th fastest 400 meter runner in history.

To cap off his collegiate career, Norman was named winner of The Bowerman for the 2018 track and field season.[33] He was the first USC Trojan to win the award. His teammate Rai Benjamin was also one of the three finalists.

Professional career

Michael Norman made his pro debut on June 30, 2018 at the 2018 IAAF Diamond League in Paris, winning the (non-scoring) 200 m in a personal best time of 19.84 s, ahead of his USC teammate Rai Benjamin who finished second in 19.99 s.[34][35]

Statistics

Information from World Athletics profile or Track & Field Results Reporting System unless otherwise noted.[36][37]

Personal bests
Event Time Competition Venue Date Notes
100 m9.86 (+1.6 m/s)AP Ranch High Performance Invite #2Fort Worth, Texas (Athletic Performance Ranch)July 20, 2020WL
200 m19.70 (+0.7 m/s)Golden GalaRome, Italy (Stadio Olimpico)June 6, 2019WL, MR
200 m (indoor)20.75Tyson InvitationalFayetteville, Arkansas (Randal Tyson Track Center)February 11, 2017
400 m43.45Mt. SAC RelaysTorrance, California (Murdock Stadium)April 20, 2019WL, MR, FR
400 m (indoor)44.52NCAA Division I Indoor ChampionshipsCollege Station, Texas (Gilliam Indoor Track Stadium)March 10, 2018WB, NR, NCAAR, FR
4×400 m relay (split)43.06NCAA Division I West PreliminarySacramento, California (Hornet Stadium)May 26, 2018#3 all-time
4×100 m relay38.88USC Power 5 ChallengeLos Angeles, California (Loker Stadium)March 24, 2018
4×200 m relay1:24.53Arcadia InvitationalArcadia, California (Arcadia High School)April 10, 2015

MR

4×400 m relay2:59.00NCAA Division I ChampionshipsEugene, Oregon (Hayward Field)June 8, 2018NCAAR, FR
4×400 m relay (indoor)3:00.77NCAA Division I Indoor ChampionshipsCollege Station, Texas (Gilliam Indoor Track Stadium)March 10, 2018WB, NR, NCAAR, FR

Progression

National competition record
YearCompetitionVenuePositionEventTimeNotes
Unattached
2015 USA Junior Championships Eugene, Oregon (Hayward Field) 2nd 200 m 20.24 PB [38]
2016 Clovis, California (Veterans Memorial Stadium) 1st 20.15 CR, PB [39]
U.S. Olympic Trials Eugene, Oregon (Hayward Field) 20th 400 m 46.21 [40]
5th 200 m 20.14 PB [40]
Representing the USC Trojans
2017 NCAA Division I Championships Eugene, Oregon (Hayward Field) 4th 400 m 44.88 PB
13th 4×400 m relay 3:05.80
USA Championships Sacramento, California (Hornet Stadium) 7th 400 m 44.80 [41]
2018 NCAA Division I Indoor Championships College Station, Texas (Gilliam Indoor Track Stadium) 1st 400 m 44.52 WR, AR, NR, NCAAR, FR
4×400 m relay 3:00.77 WB, NR, NCAAR, FR
NCAA Division I Championships Eugene, Oregon (Hayward Field) 400 m 43.61 WL, NCAAR, FR, PB [42]
4×400 m relay 2:59.00 NCAAR, FR, WL
USA Championships Des Moines, Iowa (Drake Stadium) -- 200 m DNS [note 1] [43]
Representing Nike
2019 USA Championships Des Moines, Iowa (Drake Stadium) 2nd 400 m 43.79

International competition record
YearCompetitionVenuePositionEventTimeNotes
Representing the  United States
2016 IAAF World U20 Championships Bydgoszcz, Poland (Zdzisław Krzyszkowiak Stadium) 1st 200 m 20.17 CR
4×100 m relay 38.93 WU20L
2019 World Championships Doha, Qatar (Khalifa International Stadium) 22nd 400 m 45.94

200 m

400 m

Notes
  1. Qualified for the final but did not start.

References
  1. "Michael Norman". teamusa.org. USOC. Retrieved July 21, 2020.
  2. "2018 Track & Field Roster". usctrojans.com. Retrieved 2 July 2019.
  3. Sully, Kevin (August 3, 2018). "Michael Norman Signs Professional Deal With Nike". flotrack.org. FloSports, Inc. Retrieved January 11, 2019.
  4. "Female Coaches in Profile". iaaf.org. SPIKES. March 2018. Retrieved 14 January 2019.
  5. "AP Ranch High Performance Invite #2". NTX Timing. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
  6. "Michael Norman edges Noah Lyles in Rome 200m". nbcsports.com. NBC Sports. 6 June 2019. Retrieved 6 June 2019.
  7. "61st ANNUAL MT. SAC RELAYS". Mt. SAC Relays. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
  8. Testerman, Jordan. "2019 Mt. SAC Relays - Michael Norman - 400 Meter Dash - 43.45". YouTube. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
  9. @FloTrack (2018-05-28). "43.06! Michael Norman records the second fastest 4x4 split in world history!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  10. Jordan, Roy (March 10, 2018). "NORMAN BREAKS WORLD INDOOR 400M RECORD AT NCAA INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS". iaaf.org. IAAF. Retrieved July 2, 2019.
  11. Mills, Steven (July 30, 2016). "RISING SPRINT STAR NORMAN CHOOSES 'STEP-BY-STEP' APPROACH TO THE NEXT LEVEL". iaaf.org. IAAF. Retrieved July 2, 2019.
  12. Elliott, Helene (July 8, 2016). "Michael Norman is one to know after 200-meter semifinal heat win". latimes.com. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 2, 2019.
  13. Gretschel, Johanna (March 20, 2018). "It's Bullshit That USC Doesn't Have The 4x4 World Record". flotrack.org. FloSports, Inc. Retrieved July 2, 2019.
  14. "2014-2015 GATORADE NATIONAL BOYS TRACK & FIELD PLAYER OF THE YEAR". gatorade.com. Retrieved 2 July 2019.
  15. "2015-2016 GATORADE NATIONAL BOYS TRACK & FIELD PLAYER OF THE YEAR". gatorade.com. Retrieved 2 July 2019.
  16. Mayforth, Tyler. "Michael Norman Wins The Bowerman In 2018". ustfccca.org. Retrieved 2 July 2019.
  17. "Japanese-American sprinter aims for golden glory in 2020". the-japan-news.com. June 22, 2019.
  18. Jones, Brandon (June 15, 2015). "California runner sprints up the charts at CIF state meet". NFHS.org.
  19. Gonzalez, Rich (June 6, 2015). "Norman joins Thomas atop dash lore @ CIF-State Finals! – 1 Nat'l Fed. Record + 5 U.S. Leaders + 345 EPI Elites!". PrepCalTrack. Retrieved 2016-07-09.
  20. "Track And Field - Boys". NFHS.org. Retrieved 2016-07-09.
  21. "2015 CIF State Finals - Michael Norman - 400 Meter Dash - 45.19". YouTube.
  22. "2015 CIF State Finals - Michael Norman - 200 Meter Dash - 20.30". YouTube.
  23. "2015 CIF State Finals - Vista Murrieta Boys - 4x400 Meter Relay - 3:14.81". YouTube.
  24. Galluzzo, Steve (June 6, 2015). "Michael Norman blazes to a pair of wins at state track meet". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2016-07-09.
  25. "2015 adidas Grand Prix - Michael Norman - Dream 100m - 10.36 (-0.5 m/s)". YouTube.
  26. "Junior Men's 200m Final - USATF Junior Outdoor Track and Field Championships 2015". USATF.tv.
  27. Lee, Kirby (June 27, 2015). "TRACK: Norman sets record in defeat". The Press-Enterprise. Riverside, CA. Retrieved 2016-07-09.
  28. "Gatorade National AOY Finalist Spotlight: Michael Norman, Boys track and field". USA Today High School Sports. July 13, 2015. Retrieved 2016-07-09.
  29. https://www.iaaf.org/news/report/ncaa-indoor-championships-2018-norman-400-wor
  30. https://www.flotrack.org/articles/6302302-the-mondo-effect-several-us-records-just-got-a-lot-tougher
  31. Goe, Ken. "Yes, USC should own the world indoor record in the men's 4x400: Oregon track & field rundown". oregonlive.com. The Oregonian. Retrieved January 12, 2020.
  32. "World Records". worldathletics.org. World Athletics. Retrieved January 12, 2020.
  33. "Michael Norman Wins The Bowerman In 2018 ::: The Bowerman: The Nation's Top Award for Collegiate Track & Field Athletes". The Bowerman. Retrieved 2018-12-31.
  34. Rowbottom, Mike (July 1, 2018). "Norman and Benjamin the latest starts to shine in the IAAF Diamond League". iaaf.org. IAAF. Retrieved January 23, 2019.
  35. Zaccardi, Nick (June 30, 2018). "Abderrahman Samba runs second-fastest 400m hurdles ever (video)". nbcsports.com. NBC. Retrieved January 23, 2019.
  36. "ATHLETE PROFILE Michael NORMAN". worldathletics.org. World Athletics. Retrieved January 12, 2020.
  37. "MICHAEL NORMAN USC". tfrrs.org. Track & Field Results Reporting System. Retrieved April 19, 2019.
  38. "2015 USATF Junior Outdoor Championships - Results - FULL". usatf.org. USATF. June 28, 2015. Retrieved April 19, 2019.
  39. "2016 USATF Junior Outdoor Championships - Results". usatf.org. USATF. June 26, 2016. Retrieved April 19, 2019.
  40. "2016 U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Track & Field - Results". usatf.org. USATF. July 10, 2016. Retrieved April 19, 2019.
  41. "2017 USATF Championships - 6/22/2017 to 6/25/2017 - Hornet Stadium, Sacramento, Calif. - Results". usatf.org. USATF. June 25, 2017. Retrieved April 19, 2019.
  42. Chavez, Chris (June 8, 2018). "Michael Norman breaks 400 meter collegiate record in 43.61". si.com. Sports Illustrated. Retrieved January 24, 2019.
  43. "2018 USATF Championships - 6/21/2018 to 6/24/2018 - Drake Stadium - Results". usatf.org. USATF. June 24, 2018. Retrieved April 19, 2019.

Videos
Achievements
Preceded by
Wayde van Niekerk		 Men's 400 meters season's best
2018, 2019		 Incumbent
Awards
Preceded by
Christian Coleman		 Men's The Bowerman
2018		 Succeeded by
Grant Holloway
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