At the beginning on Saturday, the world track and field championships, Michael Norman will not defend his 400m crown.
The following statement was made on Norman’s social media: “After an extremely frustrating season, I’ve decided to step away from track for the remainder of the 2023 season in order to refocus for the 2024 Paris Olympics.”
On July 6, Norman competed in his most recent race at the USA Track and Field Outdoor Championships, finishing ninth in his 100-meter first-round heat.
Norman stated before that race that he had experienced “setback after setback” this season, including tendinitis. Additionally, in May, he changed coaches from Quincy Watts to John Smith (who guided Watts to the Olympic 400m gold in 1992).
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When asked on July 6 if he intended to use his 400m bye at the world championships as the reigning champion, Norman responded, “We’ll see.”
Prior to the season, Norman stated that he was switching from the 400m to the 100m, but that he intended to use his 400m bye into worlds “in a world where things go absolutely terrible” in the shorter distance.
The fastest man in the 400m this year is from the Bahamas, Steven Gardiner. Gardiner, the 2019 global champion and gold medalist from the Tokyo Olympics, missed the global championships in 2017 because of a tendon issue.