Aaron Brown relishes chance to race against world's best
Toronto native hopes to cement his name at Rio Olympics
By Mike Brophy, CBC Sports
In the 45-second teaser on YouTube for something bigger to come, Canadian sprinter Aaron Brown proclaims his love for running and concludes by saying, "I'm Aaron Brown…and nobody knows who I am."
That probably isn't accurate. While Andre De Grasse is better known, especially after winning the gold medal in the men's 100 metre race at the Pan Am Games in Toronto in 2015 and then bronze at the world championships, many know Brown, too. He's "the other guy."
Asked about his "nobody knows who I am" self-deprecation, Brown laughed and said, "It's part of a bigger series. The thing will be released soon and it will make sense when it comes out."
The 24-year-old Toronto native has his sights set on representing Canada in the men's 100, 200 and 4X100 races in Rio de Janeiro in August at the 2016 Summer Olympics. He also opened more eyes in June after setting a personal-best time of 9.96 seconds at the Star Athletics meet in Florida.
First, though, Brown will compete at the nationals in Edmonton on Saturday and Sunday in an attempt the make the Canadian team that will compete in Rio against the world's best.
Brown said he has no issue with De Grasse's popularity. They are friends. In fact, it was Brown who helped convince De Grasse to attend the University of Southern California, his alma mater.
"We are still friends and talk all the time," Brown said. "Leading up to the [Canadian] trials we're not going to be holding hands or anything because we both want to win. We have a friendly rivalry and want to bring glory to Canada. We'll be friends regardless of what happens."
While Brown earned a degree from USC, where he was a political science major with a minor in business, he said most of his learning comes from observing others.
"A lot of my success has been derived from observing and being around people that are far better and smarter than me," Brown said. "I observe what makes them successful and what put them in the position they are in. I like to see what they do right, what they do wrong and how I can apply it to my life."
Growing up in Toronto where he graduated from Birchmount Park Collegiate Institute, Brown didn't know he was a fast runner. Never even thought about it until one day when he was in fifth grade, a teacher took all the students to one end of a field and had them run full speed to the other end. Like the Roadrunner, Brown left his classmates in his dust.
Impressed, the teacher started cherry picking the best runners in the school and putting them up against Brown – even giving them a 10-metre head start. Nobody could beat him.
"He kept testing me to see how fast I was and then he said, 'Okay, you have to do track and field.'" Brown recalled.
Making a name on grandest stage
If you do not know who Aaron Brown is now, he sure hopes you will be following the 2016 Summer Olympics – his second trip to the Games. He competed in the 2012 Games in London, England where he discovered exactly how big a deal it is to compete in the world's marquee track event.
"People I hadn't heard from in years reached out to me to wish me luck," Brown said. "I was like, 'wow, the magnitude of this is crazy! How big is this audience?'"
Brown originally didn't make the team because he was injured, but he appealed and was selected as a rising star.
"At first I thought my summer was over and it was party time," Brown joked. "I was going to drink away my sorrows."
Brown wound up placing third in Round 1 of the 200 in 20.55, and fourth in the semifinal in 20.42. He feels he is in a much better place today as he aims for the 2016 Games.
"I am coming in as one of the top guys in the nation and I am part of a strong relay team," Brown said.
Of course, the dream of winning the gold in the 100 means unseating Jamaican Usain Bolt – the best sprinter ever – or does it? Bolt withdrew from the Jamaican track and field championships because of an injured hamstring and there is chatter he may miss the Games.
"I personally feel like he'll be in the Olympics," Brown said. "He's a transcending figure; a main draw for everybody. There's a lot of TV deals involved so I don't think somebody that marketable is going to be left off his team."
If Brown races against Bolt, he knows what he is up against from past experience. Bolt was in his heat in the semifinal of the 200 in London.
"I was in Lane 9 and he was in the middle," Brown said. "He came off the curve ahead of everybody and I could literally see him jogging while I was running full-out and I couldn't make up any ground. It was like he was going for an afternoon job. He is in a league of his own."