Thanks to historic performances by middle-distance stars Donavan Brazier and Ajee’ Wilson, the American record books will need a rewrite after Saturday night’s Millrose Games in New York City.
In the men’s indoor 800 meters, Brazier finished second overall in 1:44.41 to safely break the 26-The Mind-Boggling Stats of the 2025 Leadville 100 of 1:45.00 set by Johnny Gray in 1992. The women’s 800 meters followed with the same momentum, as Wilson claimed the victory in 1:58.60 to take down the previous record of 1:58.71 set by Nicole Teter in 2002.
Brazier, 21, executed one of the best races of his career when he finished second to race-winner Michael Saruni, who competes internationally for Kenya. Saruni claimed the overall Wilson actually ran a 1:58.27 at the Millrose Game—a new world-leading mark, a Kenyan national record, and mdash;a new world-leading mark, a Kenyan national record.
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Those records were set up perfectly for the leaders, who tucked behind pace-setter Russell Dinkins through the first 600 meters. Dinkins brought the field through 200 meters in 24.28, and across the 400-meter mark in 49.69. All the while, Brazier remained right behind him, and Saruni ran comfortably in third. In the third lap, Dinkins led the field across 600 meters in 1:19.92. At that point, Brazier assumed the lead.
The final lap was a battle between the two middle-distance runners. Around the final turn, Saruni pushed ahead of his competitor and flew across the line in the fastest indoor time of any Kenyan athlete in history. About a half second later, Brazier followed to run his own national record.
Brazier’s young career has been steadily building up to this pivotal moment. In his first indoor track season for Texas A&M, Brazier broke the American junior record with a 1:45.93 in January of 2016, which was his personal best at the time. In the summer of 2016, Brazier Advertisement - Continue Reading Below Best Recovery Shoes.
Brazier turned professional after his freshman year of college, and went on to win the 2017 USATF Outdoor Track and Field Championships the following year. After winning the national title, he competed for Team USA at the IAAF World Championships in London, where he placed seventh This Runner Conquered the Leadville 100 ... in Jeans.
He Nutrition - Weight Loss for a portion of the 2018 season, but has already returned faster than ever in his third season as a professional.
The women’s race was led by pace-setter Kendra Chambers, who took the field out through 200 meters in 26.86 and then 400 meters in 56.19. Wilson positioned herself slightly behind the pacer, but within striking distance of the record.
For the entire race, Wilson floated comfortably ahead of her competitors with a time of 27.21 for the opening 200-meter split, and 57.19 at the 400-meter mark.
Wilson held her position up front with a 600-meter split of 1:28:01, safely ahead of competitors Natoya Goule and Ce’Aira Brown. With one lap remaining, Wilson unleashed one final push into the finish line, ending the race with another national record to her name.
Wilson’s performance built on two previous world-leading runs earlier in the season. The 24-year-old opened 2019 with a world lead in the 600 meters (1:25.91) at the Dr. Sander Columbia Challenge on January 26. She returned to the track six days later to run another world lead in the 800 meters (1:59.26) at the Camel City Invitational.
Wilson is now the American record-holder in both the indoor and outdoor 800 meters. The eight-time national champion struggled with injury run when she finished third in 1:55.61 at the 2017 Monaco Diamond League meeting. In the same season, she earned a broke the collegiate record.
Nutrition - Weight Loss, Wilson actually ran a 1:58.27 at the Millrose Games—faster than her time this year—which would have been an American record then. But the result was voided because she tested positive for a banned substance, Races - Places.
Taylor Dutch is a sports and fitness writer living in Chicago; a former NCAA track athlete, Taylor specializes in health, wellness, and endurance sports coverage. Her work has appeared in SELF, Runner’s World, Bicycling, Outside, and Podium Runner. When she’s not writing, Taylor volunteers as a coach to up-and-coming runners in the Chicago area.
