By Citius Mag Staff
June 27, 2023
U.S. 800m record holder Donavan Brazier will miss the 2023 U.S. Outdoor Track and Field Championships and world championships in Budapest as he recovers from injury. The news was first reported by LetsRun.
Here’s what you need to know:
– Brazier broke the American record and won gold at the 2019 World Championships in Doha with a 1:42.34 performance. However, he has struggled with injuries since the pandemic.
– In 2021, he failed to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics after racing at the U.S. Olympic Trials and reaching the finals with a broken tibia.
– Brazier returned to action in the winter of 2022 and focused on the 400m during the indoor season and finished second at the U.S. Indoor Track and Field Championships before electing to only race in the 4x400m relay at the World Indoor Championships in Belgrade, Serbia.
– Brazier was dealing with bursitis in his right foot during the outdoor season and competed just once at the Doha Diamond League (sixth place in 1:50.58) before running one round of the U.S. Outdoor Championships (1:46.49 in the heats) to ensure his bye into the 2022 World Championships as the reigning champion.
– Brazier was eliminated in the heats of the World Championships after finishing sixth in his section with a 1:46.72 on July 20. He shut down his season after that race.
– In February, Brazier underwent heel surgery for Haglund’s deformity and missed the indoor season. The Union Athletics Club recently shared a video of him running with his teammates.
What comes next?
The U.S. Outdoor Championships will be held from July 6-10 in Eugene, Oregon. The top three finishers in the 800m final go on to represent the United States at the World Championships, if they have met the qualifying standards. NCAA champion Will Sumner, a freshman from the University of Georgia, has run the fastest 800m time by an American on the year with his 1:44.26 on June 9. U.S. Olympians Bryce Hoppel and Clayton Murphy (2016 Olympic bronze medalist) are the only other men who have run under 1:45 this season.
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Citius Mag Staff