World Champs Day 8: Womens 400-Meter Hurdles.
The 24-year-old was looking to win gold in the 400 meters at the 2022 World Athletics Championships against a loaded field that includesd world record holder Wayde Van Niekerk of South Africa, 2012 Olympic gold medalist Kirani James of Grenada, and rising star Champion Allison of the U.S. And in a close contest, Norman took home gold on the Hayward Field track in Eugene, Oregon, with his time of 44.29.
Now that he has won gold on the big stage, here are five things you should know about the American quarter milert.
Norman has the need for speed...racing
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below Running in the Cold. Actually, Norman just likes fast cars. Back in 2018, Norman was in Monaco for an awards ceremony. He told the Orange County Register that he rented a red Ferrari 480 Spider, although he didn’t disclose how fast he was driving.
“I drove it through the tunnel,” he told Reid, continuing to refer to the iconic part of the Monaco Grand Prix F1 course. “Drove along the harbor, drove to Nice.”
Norman has said Running Shoes - Gear.
He comes from a track and field family
Norman isn’t the only member of the family with a World Athletics Championships Results. His mom, Nobue Saito Norman was a Japanese sprinter, his father, Michael Norman Sr. ran track, while his older sister Michelle competed for the University of Utah, and then the University of California, Irvine.
His mother U.S. Wins the Medal Count at World Championships Shoes & Gear.
Norman is coached by Olympic sprint legend
Norman is coached by the legendary 400-meter specialist Quincy Watts. Watts won the gold medal at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, Spain in the 400 meters, running a time of 43.50. He was also a member of the 1993 World Championship 4x400 meter relay squad that not only won the gold medal in the event, but set the current world record in the event.
Watts is now the Director of Track and Field and Cross Country at the University of Southern California (USC), after serving as an assistant coach for eight years prior to the promotion.
“The way he describes and breaks down the 400 makes it easy for me to kind of execute what he wants me to do.” Norman said in a 2019 interview with Reuters.
He trains with Rai Benjamin
One of Norman’s training partners happens to be one of his closest friends, Rai Benjamin. Benjamin competes in the 400-meter hurdles, and has won three silver medals since 2019, as well as two gold medals as a member of the 4x400-meter relay teams at the 2019 World Championships and 2020 Olympics.
Benjamin, who has the American record in the 400-meter hurdles, has been Norman’s teammate since they competed at USC.
Historical range in the sprints
Norman has done something that only one other athlete in history has accomplished, and that is running sub 10 seconds in the 100 meters (9.86), sub 20 seconds in the 200 meters (19.70) and sub 45 seconds in the 400 meters (43.45).
The only other athlete to accomplish this is Wayde Van Niekerk (9.94,19.84, 43.03), who is the current world record holder in the 400 meters.
Dominique Smith is a sports journalist who covers track and field. A graduate of UCF in Orlando, he aims to elevate running by bringing a creative aspect and approach to the stories that he tells. He’s also the host of the Lactic Acid Podcast, which aims to bridge the gap between the fans and the athletes.
