It wasn’t quite the record-breaking performance of yesteryear, but Michael Norman’s effort at the California Interscholastic Federation state track meet this past weekend was impressive nonetheless.
One year after setting state records in both the 200- and 400-meter dashes at the state meet as a junior, the Vista Murrieta (Calif.) runner won both events again as a senior, and then ran legs on the winning 4×100- and 4×400-meter relay squads, leading the Broncos to a state championship as a team. Norman was a member of the American Family Insurance Preseason ALL-USA Boys Track and Field Team and seems a shoo-in to make the team next month.
“I tried to stay relaxed and pump my arms all the way through,” Norman told The Los Angeles Times on Saturday. “I didn’t feel too much pressure. I’m just taking it one step at a time. The main objective right now is to do well here and defend my titles.”
A year after winning the 200 in a blistering 20.30 seconds — the fastest time ever recorded at a meet sanctioned by the National Federation of High School Associations — and the 400 in 45.19, Norman won the 200 in 20.42 and the 400 in 45.77. He also ran the first leg on the 4×100 relay that won in 40.32 and took the Broncos from fourth place to first with a 44.9 split on the anchor leg of the winning 4×400 relay that broke the tape in 3:14.97. So, yeah, he’s still fast, in case you were wondering.
The returning Gatorade National Boys Track & Field Athlete of the Year, Norman’s top times in the 200 (20.23 at the Southern Section Masters Meet) and 400 (45.51 at the Arcadia Invitational) both rank as the nation’s fastest among prep competitors in 2016. His 4×100 team’s time at the state meet and his 100 time at the Mt. SAC Relays (10.27) respectively rank second and fifth nationally.