At Portland Track Festival at Griswold Stadium in Oregon on Sunday evening, a former American middle-distance star re-established himself as a major 800m threat. The 2019 800m world champion, Donavan Brazier of Grand Rapids, Mich., ran his fastest race since 2020, clocking 1:43.81 to win the in a Marco-Arop-style negative split–52.7 and 51.0.
The performance marks a major step forward following a three-year hiatus due to a string of injuries and multiple foot surgeries.
Brazier’s return has stirred up excitement across the sport. In 2019, not only did he win the world title, but he also set the North American 800m record of 1:42.34–a mark that stood until 2024, when Arop broke it. That same year, Brazier claimed the Diamond League title in Zurich. In 2020, the 28-year-old also set the U.S. indoor record of 1:44.22, which Josh Hoey surpassed in early 2025.
At Sunday’s race, Brazier pulled away from the field with ease, winning by nearly two seconds. “It was a real warm welcome back,” Brazier told media post-race. “It’s been a long time coming. It’s been surreal because, you know, when you’re in the trenches of this whole recovery process, you don’t ever think you’ll kind of make it out at some points.”
A promising return
Brazier, who trains with Swoosh Track Club under coach Mike Smith, made his official return to the track just last week at the TOAD Fest in Nashville, Tenn., where he won in 1:44.70. Before that, he hadn’t raced since the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Ore., where he clocked 1:46.72 in heats and did not advance. Since then, he’s undergone three foot surgeries.
Now, if he continues on this trajectory, chipping away at his time with each performance, Brazier puts himself in the running for a medal on the world stage.
“The way that I left the 800m, it was in different shape than it is now,” Brazier told media. “I have a lot of great guys to compete with in American 800m running, specifically. It’s gotten so great these last few years, so I’m just trying to keep up with these guys at this point. I wasn’t probably the most pleasant person to be around these past three years, but I’m grateful for everyone who stuck around and has been supporting me the whole time.”
Click here for Portland Track Festival results.
