Track and field every now and then has this underrated gem that just pop up and showcase their untapped mettle, putting the sport on the global map. 26-year-old Michael Norman is one such firebrand athlete we’ve happened upon. Michael Norman recently spoke about his track and field tale as he clearly remembered his junior self in 2015 when he had lined up against Noah Lyles and Christian Coleman in the 200m event. Now, fast forward to 2024: Noah is the world champion in both the 100m and 200m, and Christian Coleman remains the global leader in the 60m short track event.

Meanwhile, Michael Norman is having his moment in the 400m event after being crowned world champion. He is all set to continue in the same event in the coming days. So what worked for a sprinter like him who used to consider Noah Lyles his arch-rival? In the 400m event, Michael Norman has no chance to counter Noah, as the latter has not competed in the event for a while. But the same event gave Norman a reason to continue, and that too, by accident. Will this be the perfect springboard for him to set the stage for what’s to come? What does this serendipitous chain of events lead to? Will these testing waters prove to be his litmus test come the behemoth games?

Michael Norman relishes the time that settled him in the 400m event 

In the last two years, Michael Norman tried multiple events. In 2022, he won the world champion title in the 400m event. The next year, he focused on challenging Noah Lyles in the 100m. However, in 2023, he avoided the 400m event like the plague. But this time, Norman is not ready to look beyond the 400m. As he mentioned in his interview with the Olympics. com, his coach preferred the event for him while Norman “took too long to make a decision.”

However, he had options beforehand to choose. In the same conversation, the 26-year-old athlete displayed the entire decision-making situation commenting: “My coach was like: ‘You have a couple options. You can either run three 200s or run one 400 race’.” Norman became numb after hearing the names, failing to keep patience in thinking correctly. However, it has been a problem for him since his early days. The situation once reached such a level that the USC alum had to write PATIENCE in several spaces in front of his eyes. Thankfully, his childhood coach Quincy Watts knows the hard truth. 

In such a way, Michael Norman has stepped into the 400m event for this season. And he will continue to show color in the event up to the Paris Olympics. Furthermore, the situation also has some roles to make him comment, “I wouldn’t say I necessarily picked to run the 400, the 400 picked me.” He was also quoted saying that the 400m is kind of his bread and butter. As per Olympics.com  -“I would love to be the first person to run 42 [seconds].”His last year’s ups and downs could add more insights to the situation. But before delving into that, it might be pertinent to go through the toughest track stars who blazed the stomping grounds with their 400m foray and where Michael Norman actually stands in the grand scheme of things. 

A disruptive 2023 session to put things into perspective 

In 2023, Michael Norman announced to shift to the 100m event, targeting an Olympics berth. However, his fate didn’t accompany him well. His form put him nowhere compared to the 100m American heavy hitters. In the US Championships in the Hayward Field, his rivals Noah Lyles and Christian Coleman edged him to 8th position. Furthermore, Norman’s tendonitis made the situation far more painful for him. Well, that wasn’t the end of his suffering. 

In May 2023, Michael Norman parted ways with his long-time coach, Quincy Watts, the Olympic champion in the 400m event. Rather, he moved to John Smith, Watts’ coach to change his track and field luck. Yet only a heartbreak was on his side. Soon he decided to undo things. That defiant decision has been proving beneficial for him. 

Moving to this year, Michael Norman has participated in two 400m races so far and he has won both while showing dominance. His victory in the LA Grand Prix came against Kirani James, the 3-time Olympic medalist in the 400m event. Now, Norman is looking forward to claiming his glory in the 400m event in the Paris Olympics.