Photo by: Joshua Mills
World 400m leader Bralon Taplin races at 300m in Boston Grand Prix
Feb 10, 2018 | Track and Field
Aggie alum Bralon Taplin, the current world leader in 2018 at 400 meters with a time of 44.88 seconds, will race over 300m on Saturday during an IAAF World Indoor event held in Boston.
Last season Taplin produced a time of 31.97 in the 300m, which ranks No. 6 on the all-time world list.
In Boston, with the 300m scheduled for 5 p.m. (CT) on NBC Sports Network, Taplin will face a field which includes LSU alum Vernon Norwood, the 2015 NCAA 400m champion, along with Jareem Richards and Renny Quow of Trinidad & Tobago.
Richards, who competed at Alabama, was the bronze medalist in the 200m at the 2017 IAAF World Championships while Quow was a bronze medalist in the 400m at the 2009 World Championships.
Three other Aggie alums will be racing in Boston as well with Donavan Brazier in the 800m, Shamier Little in the women's 400m, and Deon Lendore in the men's 400m.
Following his indoor performance last year, Taplin posted an early outdoor leading time of 45.08. However, he missed the rest of the season due to an injury.
"When I think about 2017 I just get a blank image," noted Taplin. "I forget 2017, but I also feel like I was forgotten in 2017. This year is about rewriting history. My goal is to become a walking legend."
In two races so far this indoor campaign Taplin has produced world leading times of 45.48 and 44.88 on the Gilliam Indoor track during Olympic development races. His agenda this season, as he represents Grenada, is to win a World Indoor title in March followed by Commonwealth Games gold during April in Australia.
"For me 2016 was a bad World Indoors," said Taplin. "I had the fastest time in the world and placed fourth. So World Indoors this season is more of a redemption. I kind of have the mindset of running fast times is best in non-championship years, but when there is a championship meet the most important thing is to win. If you win with a fast time, or with a slower time, you still win. Winning is the most important thing at a championship.
"After World Indoors in March, I'm going to Commonwealth Games in April. I'll have a month in between those two meets, so I'm looking to drop a fast time during the time between those meets. Then the target at Commonwealth is to win."
The drive to rehab and recover from the injury, as well as having the mindset of redemption from a previous World Indoor performance combines to ignite Taplin's desire to excel in this sport.
"He's a talented guy, and is working hard," noted Texas A&M head coach Pat Henry. "I think he gave away a world championship in 2016, he probably should have won indoors. Now he is more mature and has an opportunity to be very successful this year. The 44.88 proves he is ready to run. Now if he is ready to run between his ears on the day that really counts, that's the challenge.
"Bralon wants to run every weekend, but we have to temper that a little bit. For him, it's what he thinks and how he lines up on that day. That's where he's gotten older a bit more mature. He's had some serious failures as a result of that and it's set him back. This is a year he has to get that turned around."
An essential part of the recovering process for Taplin was having a training partner in teammate Deon Lendore, who posted a 45.85 in a separate 400m section when Taplin ran 44.88 during the Charlie Thomas Invitational.
"When I was in college, I had been injured and one of the major people in my life who was helping me get back on track was Deon," said Taplin. "We carry over that teammate aspect even now that we are out of college. He's a stand-up guy. Now, with him coming back, I'm trying to return that favor. I want him to run fast, just like he wanted me to run fast."
While there are a pair of goals on the horizon over the span of the next couple of months, Taplin's desire for having a legacy in the sport is the primary focus.
His recent 400m time of 44.88, which moved him to No. 5 on the all-time world list, was produced on the same weekend the Millrose Games were taking place in New York City. Taplin set the Millrose meet record of 45.35 in 2016, but didn't receive an invitation for the 2018 race, where the winning time was 46.46.
"I didn't like last year, when I was injured, and there was nobody talking about Bralon Taplin," he noted. "I've been training and put in years of work. When I get injured, and I'm out of racing for a season, nobody spoke about me.
"Kirani James (an Olympic and World Champion) was injured last season as well, but he's a walking legend and was still being mentioned while he wasn't racing. I want that same clout, I want to be mentioned for future years."
Last season Taplin produced a time of 31.97 in the 300m, which ranks No. 6 on the all-time world list.
In Boston, with the 300m scheduled for 5 p.m. (CT) on NBC Sports Network, Taplin will face a field which includes LSU alum Vernon Norwood, the 2015 NCAA 400m champion, along with Jareem Richards and Renny Quow of Trinidad & Tobago.
Richards, who competed at Alabama, was the bronze medalist in the 200m at the 2017 IAAF World Championships while Quow was a bronze medalist in the 400m at the 2009 World Championships.
Three other Aggie alums will be racing in Boston as well with Donavan Brazier in the 800m, Shamier Little in the women's 400m, and Deon Lendore in the men's 400m.
Following his indoor performance last year, Taplin posted an early outdoor leading time of 45.08. However, he missed the rest of the season due to an injury.
"When I think about 2017 I just get a blank image," noted Taplin. "I forget 2017, but I also feel like I was forgotten in 2017. This year is about rewriting history. My goal is to become a walking legend."
In two races so far this indoor campaign Taplin has produced world leading times of 45.48 and 44.88 on the Gilliam Indoor track during Olympic development races. His agenda this season, as he represents Grenada, is to win a World Indoor title in March followed by Commonwealth Games gold during April in Australia.
"For me 2016 was a bad World Indoors," said Taplin. "I had the fastest time in the world and placed fourth. So World Indoors this season is more of a redemption. I kind of have the mindset of running fast times is best in non-championship years, but when there is a championship meet the most important thing is to win. If you win with a fast time, or with a slower time, you still win. Winning is the most important thing at a championship.
"After World Indoors in March, I'm going to Commonwealth Games in April. I'll have a month in between those two meets, so I'm looking to drop a fast time during the time between those meets. Then the target at Commonwealth is to win."
The drive to rehab and recover from the injury, as well as having the mindset of redemption from a previous World Indoor performance combines to ignite Taplin's desire to excel in this sport.
"He's a talented guy, and is working hard," noted Texas A&M head coach Pat Henry. "I think he gave away a world championship in 2016, he probably should have won indoors. Now he is more mature and has an opportunity to be very successful this year. The 44.88 proves he is ready to run. Now if he is ready to run between his ears on the day that really counts, that's the challenge.
"Bralon wants to run every weekend, but we have to temper that a little bit. For him, it's what he thinks and how he lines up on that day. That's where he's gotten older a bit more mature. He's had some serious failures as a result of that and it's set him back. This is a year he has to get that turned around."
An essential part of the recovering process for Taplin was having a training partner in teammate Deon Lendore, who posted a 45.85 in a separate 400m section when Taplin ran 44.88 during the Charlie Thomas Invitational.
"When I was in college, I had been injured and one of the major people in my life who was helping me get back on track was Deon," said Taplin. "We carry over that teammate aspect even now that we are out of college. He's a stand-up guy. Now, with him coming back, I'm trying to return that favor. I want him to run fast, just like he wanted me to run fast."
While there are a pair of goals on the horizon over the span of the next couple of months, Taplin's desire for having a legacy in the sport is the primary focus.
His recent 400m time of 44.88, which moved him to No. 5 on the all-time world list, was produced on the same weekend the Millrose Games were taking place in New York City. Taplin set the Millrose meet record of 45.35 in 2016, but didn't receive an invitation for the 2018 race, where the winning time was 46.46.
"I didn't like last year, when I was injured, and there was nobody talking about Bralon Taplin," he noted. "I've been training and put in years of work. When I get injured, and I'm out of racing for a season, nobody spoke about me.
"Kirani James (an Olympic and World Champion) was injured last season as well, but he's a walking legend and was still being mentioned while he wasn't racing. I want that same clout, I want to be mentioned for future years."
Players Mentioned
Middle Dist.
/ Track and Field
Sprints
/ Track and Field
Hurdles
/ Track and Field
Sprints
/ Track and FieldSEC Championships Preview: Pat Henry
Wednesday, February 25
NCAA West Preview: Pat Henry
Tuesday, May 27
Pluckers Playmakers: Episode 5
Wednesday, May 07
44 Farms Preview: Pat Henry
Thursday, April 10
