By Citius Mag Staff
June 10, 2023
Georgia freshman Will Sumner won the 2023 NCAA Outdoor 800m title in a stunning 1:44.26. He negative split the race with a 51-second final lap.
Here’s what you need to know:
– Sumner’s performance should not come as a total shock as he ran 45.78 for 400m and 1:46.53 as a high school senior, which was No. 3 on the all-time U.S. high school boys list. He had immediate success as a freshman and won the NCAA indoor and outdoor 800m titles. He was seventh in the 800m at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships back in March.
– At the NCAA Championships, he ran a personal best of 1:46.00 for the fastest time of the semifinals and saved his best for the final, where he won by more than a full second over Texas’ Yusuf Bizimana.
– The time now puts Sumner at No. 5 on the all-time NCAA list behind Michael Saruni (1:43.25 from 2018); Donavan Brazier (1:43.55 from 2016); Moad Zahafi (1:43.73 from 2022) and Emmanuel Korir (1:43.73 from 2017).
How it happened:
Sumner took the race wire-to-wire and split 53.12 for the first lap. The official split for the second lap was 51.15s.
Here’s what he said after the race:
– “It was a matter of trusting my training and trusting my coach and all of the training that we’ve been putting out through the fall and winter and spring. It all comes together at the end of a season for moments like this.”
– “I didn’t really expect anyone to take it. That’s why I wanted to go and position myself in the front. I could’ve done a little bit more to make it a bit more honest but I wanted it to be as relaxed as I could be. 53 ended up being the number I guess.”
– “Coach told me last week, after my last workout before coming here, ‘You’re in 1:44 shape.” And I believed him. It’s just a matter of belief and going out and doing it.”
What happens next?
Sumner is now the fastest American of the year and should be considered a contender to qualify for his first-ever U.S. senior team for the World Championships in Budapest. Sumner competed at the World U20 Championships last summer and won gold medals in the 4x400m relay and mixed 4x400m relay.
Our take:
"The difference between a good runner and a great runner is the ability to change gears. Going fast is not enough – how you go fast matters. Will Sumner went 53.1, 51.1 to run 1:44.25 and win the NCAA 800m title as a freshman.
Sumner is about as talented as you’d expect a high schooler capable of posting a 1:46 to be. But at times as a collegian so far, he’d run into trouble because he wasn’t accustomed to having so many others around him. The solution is to lead.
If Will runs that same exact race for the next six championship rounds, then he’ll likely end up with a global medal. That’s easier said than done, but still, he’s shown he can do it at least once!" – Kyle Merber
Citius Mag Staff
