June 26, 2021
9:35pm: Trevor Bassitt, just off his senior season at Ashland University, finished 8th in the 400 meter hurdles at the Olympic Team Trials in Eugene, OR. Simply making it to the final, competing against the USA’s top athletes, vying for a chance to represent his country in Tokyo as part of the hardest team to make…well, that was not enough.
11:05pm: Bassitt took to Twitter to make a statement. He drew his line in the sand. 10 words. “I will never miss another USA team in my career.”
In this sport nothing is a given. To put that out there for everyone to see, to latch onto, to remember, to live on in perpetuity in the annals of Twitter’s seemingly endless feed. Trevor’s statement was bold.
Well, as Virgil first told us in the Aeneid, fortune favors the bold.
Oh yeah, he also told us to not forget. The last three words of the Tweet? “Mark it down” Bold.
February 26-27, 2022
Bassitt’s first opportunity to make good on his statement came at the USA Indoor Championships in Spokane, WA. With the 400 hurdles not being contested indoors, Trevor runs the flat 400. He does so, “to get conditioning and 400m sprint work in since I can’t do the 400 Hurdles indoors.” 2 laps around a 200 meter track.
Still donning the bright yellow Ashland singlet, Bassitt was fresh from a collegiate career in which he set the record books ablaze, charting the NCAA D2 record in the 200 and 400 meters, and earning six NCAA Championships among numerous All-American honors. He made his way through the preliminary round, winning his heat 46.27, earning the Big Q and a chance to take on the defending world outdoor 800 meter champion in the final, Donavan Brazier.
In the final, Bassitt came off the line like a man on a mission. From lane 5, he nearly immediately made up the stagger on Brazier running in lane 6. After the first 200 meters, he was shoulder to shoulder with Noah Williams. Going wide to make his move, Trevor kept just off Williams’s shoulder until the back straight, after which point, he could not be caught, winning his first USA Championship with a time of 45.75.
1 for 1 USA Teams
March 18-19, 2022
As is often the case, winning the USA Championship earns an athlete a spot in the coming World Championships. For the 2022 indoor season, Bassitt had a date in Belgrade.
Through the Heats and Semis, both run on the same day 8 hours apart, Trevor continued to set Big Qs (now favorably known as “Big Q Energy” for those following along with @trevorbassitt30 on Twitter).
Onto the Final, the last of three races run in the span of less than 36 hours. All that was left of the 2022 indoor season was set in front of him, just 400 meters away. At the end of those two laps? A silver medal and a personal best time of 45.05.
1 for 1 World Medals
June 23 – 26, 2022
The next opportunity to make a team, the USATF Outdoor Championships from Eugene, OR and historic Hayward Field.
Being outdoor season, Bassitt is back to his home event, the 400 meter hurdles.
After an active outdoor season, his first in a pro kit after officially finishing up his career as an Ashland Eagle, the heats of the 400mH came on the second day of the championships. The draws in the heats and semis both placed him in the race with Rai Benjamin, considered by many as the world’s best in the event.
What’s that term again that we keep seeing after each of Trevor’s race? Oh yeah, we saw it again. Big Q Energy, or BQE. From the heats to the semis, he posted runner-up finishes, just behind Benjamin.
Another final. Another chance to make the team.
After the gun, he quickly found himself in 6th place after the third hurdle.
Remember how we mentioned before that he runs the 400 indoors to get sprint work in? Well, here is where that comes in play. When watching Bassitt race, there is not a moment you can count him out.
By the fifth hurdle, he was in 5th place. Sixth hurdle, 4th place. By his clearance of the seventh hurdle, Trevor was in podium position. At the finish line, he was once again just behind Benjamin, earning a USA Championship silver medal, and a new huge personal best time of 47.47.
2 for 2 USA Teams
July 16-19, 2022
The Oregon22 World Championships are here.
A chance once again to prove himself against the best in the world, wearing the red, white, and blue, USA across his chest.
The heats and semis saw more of the magical Bassitt BQE.
To call the podium a tough one to make would be an understatement. Between Rai Benjamin, Karston Warholm, and Alison Dos Santos, it seemed as though many felt there was one question on the night: how would these three men split the podium? Not even entertaining the thought of another athlete breaking through. Well, maybe there were some believers out there.
The World Championship final. Lining up in lane 8. 400 meters. 10 hurdles. A chance to shock the world.
From the start through the ninth hurdle, Bassitt was running between 5th and 6th place. Dos Stanos and Benjamin ahead with a tight cluster of 4 men vying for that final podium position as they reach the 10th hurdle.
Coming off the final hurdle, France’s Wilfried Happio was in bronze medal position, and appeared to be just ahead and out of reach to the finish line. But, with each step, Bassitt just got closer. As both men lunged across the finish line, they were only separated by .02 seconds.
When the official results flashed on the scoreboard, Hayward Field erupted.
Trevor Bassitt. Bronze medal. New personal best of 47.39.
2 for 2 World Medals
Trevor Bassitt called his shot.
