By Chris Chavez
July 10, 2023
EUGENE – Arkansas star Britton Wilson, the NCAA record holder in the 400m, has signed a professional contract with adidas. On Saturday afternoon, she qualified for her second world championship team with a runner-up finish in the women’s 400m final.
Here’s what you need to know:
– Wilson announced that she decided to forego the remainder of her eligibility after the NCAA Championships in June. She signed with HSI Sports Management.
– On Saturday afternoon, Wilson finished second in the USATF Outdoor Championships final in 49.79s. Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone won in 48.74, which is the second-fastest performance in U.S. history. Talitha Diggs, who also just turned pro and signed with adidas, ran a personal best of 49.93 to finish third.
– She wrapped up a remarkable year with the Razorbacks that included the 400m indoor American record (49.48s), the outdoor collegiate record in the 400m (49.13) and indoor 600m (1:25.16), the fastest-ever indoor 4x400m split.
– Wilson’s 400m personal best puts her at No. 5 on the U.S. all-time list, Only Sanya Richards-Ross, McLaughlin-Levrone, Valerie Brico-Hooks and Chandra Cheeseborogh have run faster. She is the third-fastest woman in the world for 400m in 2023.
– She was named a finalist for the 2023 Bowerman Award.
– Last year, Wilson contested the 400m hurdles at the world championships in Eugene, Oregon and finished fifth in the final. She was also a member of the gold medal-winning women’s 4x400m relay team.
What she said:
"When I switched from cheer and gymnastics to only track – and my focus was only track and field – that’s when I knew it could be a possibility. My high school coach told me I could be a scholarship athlete. From there, I was like, ‘I want to go to the Olympics. I want to be a professional.’ That’s when it became a goal and now that it’s coming true, it’s surreal."
Chris Chavez
Chris Chavez launched CITIUS MAG in 2016 as a passion project while working full-time for Sports Illustrated. He covered the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro and grew his humble blog into a multi-pronged media company. He completed all six World Marathon Majors and is an aspiring sub-five-minute miler.
