After posting strong times at the USATF Championships in Sacramento this past weekend, three more former Aggies clinched their spots in the IAAF World Championships, which will be held Aug. 4-13 in London.
Donavan Brazier, Shamier Little, and Ameer Webb will join eight other current and former A&M athletes who have already clinched their place in the World Championships.
“We had big days across the board with our collegiate kids and with our post-graduates,” Texas A&M head coach Pat Henry told 12thMan.com. “We’ve also had some people around the world that did well this weekend. I’m extremely pleased with efforts of our kids, they did a great job.”
In order to punch his ticket to London, Brazier outlasted Eric Sowinski to capture first place in the 800m, posting a time of 1:44.14. This time was merely six tenths of a second slower than the collegiate record-setting time he posted at the 2016 NCAA Championships.
“When Sowinski went out and took the lead I knew I just had to put myself in the best position which was right in his shoulder and the plan was to sit until I felt he started to slow down and get tired, so when I noticed him getting tired, I knew I had to make a big move to take the lead,” Brazier said. “When I took it I knew I just had to hang on for the next 200m. I kept looking on the scoreboard in front to see how much of a lead I had and with 50m to go I saw I had a gap and I knew I just had to bring it home.”
Little earned her spot in the World Championships after running a career-best 52.75 in the 400m hurdles. For comparison, the world record for the 400m hurdles event is 52.34 and the Olympic record is 52.64, a testament to Little’s blazing time. Additionally, Little’s time of 52.75 is the ninth best on the all-time world list.
After competing in the Rio Olympics in 2016, Webb posted a time of 20.09 in the 200m at the USATF Championships, winning the U.S. title and earning him a place in the World Championships.
The eight other Aggies that will be joining them are Aaliyah Brown (4×100 relay), Simone Facey (100m and 4×100), Jazmine Fray (800m), Shavez Hart (100m, 200m), Fred Kerley (400m, 4×400), Ioannis Kyriazis (Javelin), Fabrice Lapierre (Long Jump), and Lindon Victor (Decathlon).
Though they will all be representing Texas A&M, they will all attend the IAAF games representing their respective native countries. Brazier, Brown, Kerley, Little, and Webb will all be competing for the United States, Facey and Fray will be running for Jamaica, Hart will be competing for the Bahamas, Kyriazis for Greece, Lapierre for Australia, and Victor for Grenada.
Though reaching the World Championships is a feat in itself, these athletes have their sights set on placing high and helping their countries. The athletes will undergo rigorous training skills before leaving for London. However, they will now take a couple of days off to recover before hitting the track again.
“After I go home to see family and come back to College Station, it’s back to the track with some good weeks of training leading up to London to make sure my body’s in top shape for when I put on that USA jersey,” said Brazier.