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Donavan Brazier is officially back! The former world champion in the 800 finally made his triumphant return to track and field after nearly three years away from the sport at Toad Fest in Nashville and came remarkably close to the fastest time in state history.
It was an impressive performance, period. It was even more impressive after such a long hiatus.
Brazier, 28, hails from Grand Rapids, Michigan. He ran track and field at Texas A&M and holds the American junior record in the men’s 800 meters. He also won the gold medal at the 2019 World Championships in Doha with a personal best of 1:42.34.
Although Brazier is of elite standing at the 800-meter distance, his career took an unexpected turn over the last few years. Most of his races in 2021 and 2022 were run in spite of an Achilles/heel injury. His last professional race prior to this past weekend took place on July 20, 2022. He underwent surgery on his Achilles tendon to repair a Haglund’s deformity not long thereafter.
The initial procedure required a follow-up in early 2023 to clear out some remaining scar tissue. That didn’t fix the underlying issue either. Brazier underwent a second, even more extensive surgery to repair the Haglund’s deformity in July of 2023.
Not only was Brazier slowly working his way back to the track at the end of 2023, he decided to leave his club and switched coaches. 2024 allowed him to get acclimated to his new coach and to return to form. At no point did he get back on the track for an official race in the first five months of 2025.
That leads us to Saturday. Donavan Brazier got back on the track at Toad Fest in Brentwood. It was his first race in 34 months— almost three full years. It was like he never left.
Brazier won the race and ran 1:44 for the first time since February 2021 at New Balance Indoor Grand Prix. His time on Saturday was just .02 seconds off the fastest 800 in Tennessee history.
Like he never left.
— FloTrack (@FloTrack) June 8, 2025
After 3 years away from racing, former World Champion Donavan Brazier returned to racing at Toad Fest in Nashville and dropped a 1:44.70.
The time is just .02 seconds off the fastest ever run in the state of Tennessee. pic.twitter.com/5YoNFqJeGF
Craig Engels was thrilled for him.
As you could imagine, the man himself was also pretty excited with the result.
Donavan Brazier is officially back. The former world champion completely changed the entire landscape of track and field, especially in the 800, with his latest run. Everybody in the event should be on notice!