By Kim Holm
USC freshman Michael Norman won the 400-meter dash, beating Oregon senior Marcus Chambers by .04 second on Sunday at the 2017 Pac-12 championships.
Both runners set personal records. Norman finished in 45.15; Chambers finished in 45.19.
“I really had to dig down deep,” said Norman. “He is a great competitor … I just had to stick to my form, and open up to finish strong—hopefully I would get there in time.”
As a freshman, this is Norman’s first Pac-12 championship meet, and has had to deal with the transition between high school and college.
“It’s been a roller coaster,” said Norman. “I had a great routine in high school that worked for high school, but I had to make adjustments as I went.”
Though he’s only a freshman, Norman is no stranger to tough competition. Last year, he placed fifth in the 200 meters at the Olympic trials at Hayward Field. Only the first three finishers qualified in the Olympics in Rio, but Norman’s performance earned him a place as an alternate—and put his name amongst the elite athletes in the world.
Norman ended his high school track career with a win at the Junior Outdoor Championships for the 200, and he also finished first in the World Junior Championships in the 200, and 4×100 relay.
“Of course you have to come to the race with the intent to win, or else you’re not going to win,” said Norman.
In the 400, he ranks seventh all-time among high schoolers with a time of 45.19. He is the only high school runner ever to have posted a top 10 mark in both events.
Norman is looking forward to continuing to PR, and hopefully make it to the NCAA championships this season in June.
“It gives me motivation to come out here and be able to perform like that,” said Norman.
