One of the best sprinters in the world won’t be at Budapest this year to defend his world championship title.
Michael Norman announced on Tuesday that he would not be competing at the World Championships in Budapest, and would be ending his 2023 season to get ready for the 2024 Olympic Games that will be held in Paris.
“Unfortunately I will not be defending my title at the 2023 World champs,” Norman announced on Instagram. “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.”
Norman won the gold medal in the men’s 400m last year at the World Championships in Oregon. He was also a member of Team USA’s 4×400 meter relay team that took home the gold at the championships. This season, he decided to put his focus on the 100m with the hopes of making the team in that event.
Norman battled through injuries this season that caused him to withdraw from some meets as he recovered. He also made a coaching change in the middle of the season, and is now coached by John Smith after being previously coached by Quincy Watts.
The World Championships are set to kick off on Saturday.
