Justin Braun Reflects On Big Day At Ohio Preview

By now you're likely already aware of what Justin Braun pulled off this past Saturday during the Ohio Championship Preview.   

If not, let's fill you in on his day of work which consisted of a trio of pr's: a 6.85 showing in the 60 and a 21.85 mark in the 200 for a pair of runner-up finishes. Yes, those 2nd's alone speaks to the considerable depth that this invitational attracts on an annual basis, as another national talent, Trei Thorogood out of Freedom (Woodbridge, VA) was narrowly first through the line in both contests (in 6.84 and 21.77, respectively). 

But let's get back to Braun. No one was going to stand in his way of claiming the meet title in his signature event, the 400, and that was made very clear and very early. He traversed the quarter-mile distance on SPIRE's 300m track in 47.84. The impressive clocking represents a OH No. 1, a US No. 2, a brand new Thomas Worthington school record and, as noted previously, a new personal best time. Mind you the pr stands for indoor competition only, as you might recall him muscling out that 46.76 mark last year at the state meet, where, as a freshman, he took down a loaded field of veterans for the win.   

Braun has proven to be must-see every time he steps on the track, so tune-in when he's on the line and don't get too caught up in those shiny new pr's that we've discussed, as they're not likely to last for very long.  

We had an opportunity to debrief with Justin following his big performances and in typical Braun fashion, we got a humble, team-first-based breakdown.  

Here's what he had to say:  

"Leading up to this SPIRE meet, focusing on the drive phase of my race and finish was a very important consideration between me and my coaches. Coming to the conclusion that positioning was going to be a large factor in this race, as we knew it was a very quick field. Come the time of the race I was feeling kind of unsure due to running the 60m prelims and the finals directly before. But I went out as planned, hitting the second curve I was just trying to stay loose and not break form, the rest is history." 

"Thankfully the weather has been relatively kind, so we haven't had to miss any training so finishing strong isn't an issue. Honestly, I've had to modify my goals for this season on account of me hitting this time so early. The time I hit was supposed to be at indoor state or NBN. So I'll obviously be trying to repeat my state title and if possible take a shot at the state record. I'm not sure anyone knows what to really expect right now but the whole team is looking very strong and we're all very excited."   

Thomas Worthington coach, Bill Darling shared his insight on the sophomore sprinter:  

"Justin is a great competitor who continues to surprise us. He's a special talent. I don't set goals for him, but I know he sets goals for himself, and works hard to go after them. As coaches, we just want him to enjoy this experience, as every athlete should. It will be fun to see how far he can go."