Trayvon Bromell’s Journey to the Olympics

This weekend, Trayvon Bromell made the United States Olympic team after placing second behind Justin Gatlin in the 100-meter final this weekend with a personal-best time of 9.84 seconds, though his journey hasn’t always been easy.

Bromell has always had doubters. At 5-9, 157 pounds, he is considered small for a sprinter. (In comparison Usain Bolt is 6-5, 205 pounds and Justin Gatlin is 6-1, 183 pounds) In high school, he injured both knees, his forearm, and his hip. Any of of those injuries could have ended his career, but he went on to be a star at Baylor.

Before Bromell became a professional athlete in the fall of 2015, he had two incredible seasons on the Baylor track team. His list of accomplishments at Baylor is astounding. Bromell holds the Baylor school record in the 100 meters with a 9.76 and two indoor school records with a 6.54 in the 60 meters and a 20.19 in the 200 meters. In 2014, he tied the world junior record by running a 10.01. For a list of all the accomplishments Bromell achieved while at Baylor, click here.

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Though he didn’t have any injuries while at Baylor, Bromell was hampered by an injury this year at an importune time. In May, he suffered an Achilles sprain and pulled out of every race until the Olympic trials. Some wondered if he could heal in time to make it on the team, but he quickly proved them wrong by having the fastest time of any runner (9.94) in the first round of the trials. He improved with each round, posting a 9.86 in the semifinals and a 9.84 in the finals.