Aaron Brown sprints to 2nd in 200 metres, topping Canadian relay teammates in Botswana
Toronto athlete also placed 4th in the 100 at Gaborone's National Stadium
Aaron Brown picked up where he left off last season over 200 metres on the track.
The Toronto sprinter crossed the line in 20.00 seconds in a slight headwind, finishing second to local favourite Letsile Tebogo (19.87) in Saturday's men's race at the Botswana Golden Grand Prix. Liberian-American sprinter Joseph Fahnbulleh, the 2022 NCAA Division 1 champion in the 200, was third in 20.14.
Brown's time in his first 200 of the season is his fastest since a 19.99 effort on Aug. 3, 2021 in the semifinal round of the Tokyo Olympics.
"[Saturday's] race felt strong but I feel like it was just the beginning for me this season and I have a lot of room for improvement," Brown, whose personal best is 19.95, told CBC Sports.
The 30-year-old, who lives and trains in Florida, went 20.02 last Sept. 8 in Zurich, where he was second in the Diamond League Final.
"I took the confidence from [that race] and applied that to my training and races for 2023," said Brown, tied with American Christian Coleman for the fifth fastest men's outdoor 200 in 2023. "So far it is working, and I am looking forward to doing even better things this season."
WATCH | Brown top Canadian in Botswana 200 metres:
Brown described Tebogo as an "up-and-coming superstar" with the skills to be a standout in the sport for a long time.
"His mental fortitude and work ethic will be the determining factor for how high he is able to rise," the Canadian said.
Brown added the uber talented Fahnbulleh "will be someone I will have to battle with if I intend to compete for medals in the upcoming years, along with Tebogo."
Brown's reigning world champion 4x100m relay teammates were also in Saturday's race at the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meet — Brendon Rodney was fifth (20.28), Jerome Blake sixth (20.39) and Andre De Grasse seventh (20.41).
For Rodney, who hails from Etobicoke, Ont., it represented his quickest legal time since the 200 final on July 10, 2016 at the national championships/Rio Olympic trials in Edmonton and eighth fastest time ever among Canadian men.
Before Saturday, the 31-year-old was the only Canadian relay team member to run the distance this season, having clocked 20.42 for fourth place earlier this month at the Miramar Invitational in Florida. He also posted PBs in the 60 (6.57) in February and 100 (10.17) the following month in Kingston, Jamaica.
WATCH | Breaking down Canada's 4x100 relay win at 2022 worlds:
Strength will improve with race sharpness
Brown noted he felt the added strength from implementing 400-metre base training into his program the past few months in hopes off pushing through the early-season rust quickly in the 100 and 200. He won the 400 in a personal-best 45.84 at the Florida Relays on April 1, one week before a non-legal 9.97 in the 100 at the Miramar Invitational in Florida.
"I felt like I had more strength [on Saturday] from running that 400 earlier," he said, "and it's only going to improve with more race sharpness and training."
Brown, De Grasse, Blake and Rodney won world championship gold last summer in the 100 relay, upsetting a stacked United States team for Canada's first major title in the 4x100 since Donovan Bailey, Bruny Surin, Glenroy Gilbert & Robert Esmie at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.
They could reunite, Brown said, to race June 9 at the Meeting de Paris — one of 15 events on the 2023 Diamond League professional track and field calendar — or reconvene at a relay camp before the Aug. 19-27 World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary.
Earlier Saturday, Brown was fourth in the 100 at National Stadium in Gaborone, stopping the clock in 10.06. Tebogo, a two-time world U20 gold medallist in the 200, was second in 9.91.
WATCH | Kenya's Omanyala beats Brown, Blake in 100m:
I want to continue lining up with the best 200-metre runners in the world to test myself under pressure.— 4-time defending Canadian champion Aaron Brown
On May 5, the four-time defending Canadian champion in the sprint double will join Blake and De Grasse in the 200 at the Doha Diamond League season opener.
De Grasse was fourth in Qatar a year ago, clocking a 2022 season-best 20.15 to beat Brown (fifth in 20.18) and sixth-place Blake (20.25).
"I just want to continue working on my execution and lining up with the best 200-metre runners in the world to test myself under pressure," Brown said. "Of course, a sub-20 [time] will be the target."
De Grasse was plagued for much of the 2022 racing season with a foot injury and two bouts of COVID-19. In December, the six–time Olympic medallist announced he had changed coaches and working with Irishman John Coghlan.
Coghlan boasts a strong resume, having moved from Dublin to Orlando in 2020 to work with Puerto Rico hurdler Jasmine Camacho-Quinn. At the Tokyo Games, Camacho-Quinn won the 100 hurdles to deliver Puerto Rico's first Olympic gold in track and field.
"We're still trying to get to know each other and get on the same page. But so far, so good," De Grasse told CBC Sports earlier this year.
For more stories about the experiences of Black Canadians — from anti-Black racism to success stories within the Black community — check out Being Black in Canada, a CBC project Black Canadians can be proud of. You can read more stories here.
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