Justin Braun showed up for his indoor season debut in Virginia looking like he was already in mid-season form.
Now a junior, Braun, from Thomas Worthington, helped open the doors of the beautiful new Virginia Beach Sports Center for the VA Beach Club Opener by putting together a collection of big performances in the 60, the 200 and his marquee event, the 400.
The Numbers
60m
6.94 (Prelims / 4th Place)
6.79 (Finals / 2nd Place -- US No. 2)
200m
21.56 (3rd Place -- US No. 3)
400m
47.82 (1st Place -- US No. 1)
For more context on Braun's trio of top ranked national marks, read Bryan Deibel's feature article:
Meet Coverage -
MileSplit Ohio tracked down Braun once he arrived back to the homeland for his perspective on the launch of his 2021 indoor campaign.
Meet Report by Justin Braun
The VA Beach Club Opener was one of the best meets I've had the chance to be a part of without a second thought. I thought it was very well run, despite the obvious restrictions, and I'd be happy to compete there again.
With that said, the competition was as good as an opening week for track and field could have been. Even with the strong competition on the track we made it a point to have as much fun while keeping a competitive environment and I think because of that our times definitely showed out.
The 400m was a definite highlight for me, as it was my first time touching a banked track in around 2 years and it was a large transition from the 300m tracks I'm used to.
It was amazing to be on the track with great talent this early, including my good friend Jayson Ward. Having three people under 48 seconds in the first week of the season is amazing, not to mention in the same race.
Leaving this meet, my coaches and I are happy with where I am and we know what we need to do moving forward. We continue to hope for a full indoor season to match our large team goals as much as our individual ones.
-- Justin Braun
(Justin Braun shown moments after edging Jayson Ward and Jaylen Barringer in Section 27 of the 400m dash)