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The eighth day (July 22) of the World Athletics Championships 2022 saw US sprinter Michael Norman clinch the gold medal in the 400 Metres category. This is his first individual gold in the said category at an international event.
The American completed the distance in a span of 44.29 seconds. He was followed by Kirani James (Grenada) and Matthew Hudson-Smith (Great Britain) who completed the race in 44.48 and 44.66 seconds, respectively.
Michael Norman and his journey so far
Michael Norman’s performance is a massive leap from the World Athletics Championships 2019, held in the Khalifa International Stadium. Back then, he had secured the twenty-second position in the 400 Metres category by covering the distance in 45.94 seconds.
He secured a gold medal in the 4x400 Metres Relay at the 2020 Summer Olympics held in Tokyo in 2021. Unfortunately, he missed out on a medal in the 400 Metres category, finishing fifth after Steven Gardiner (first), Anthony Zambrano (second), Kirani James (third), and Michael Cherry (fourth).
2022 has been a good season for the American sprinter. He secured a gold medal in 400 Metres in the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships the previous month. Incidentally, the tournament was held at the Hayward Field Stadium, the same place where the current World Athletics Championships 2022 is being held.
The young athlete hails from a family that has competed in various track and field events. His mother, Nobue Saito Norman, broke multiple junior high school sprint records when she was back in Japan. His father, Michael Norman Senior, and his older sister, Michelle Norman, also ran the track.
Michael Norman and Rai Benjamin are training partners and are known to train under legendary sprinter Quincy Watts.
In an interview with Reuters in 2019, Norman commented:
“The way he describes and breaks down the 400 makes it easy for me to kind of execute what he wants me to do.”
Here are all the medals won by Norman in tournaments so far:
- US Junior Championships (2015) – Silver (200 Metres)
- US Junior Championships (2016) – Gold (200 Metres)
- World U20 Championships in Athletics (2016) – Gold (200 Metres and 4x100 Metres Relay)
- USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships (2022) – Gold (400 Metres)
- USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships (2019) – Silver (400 Metres)
- US Olympics Trail (2021) – Gold (400 Metres)
- Olympic Games (2021) – Gold (4x400 Metres Relay)
- NCAA Division I Indoor Championships (2018) – Gold (400 Metres and 4x400 Metres Relay)
- NCAA Division I Championships (2018) – Gold (400 Metres and 4x400 Metres Relay)
