Bromell explains selfless act at Kasarani, opens up on the season that has been

World over, professional athletes gifting their fans something personal like the jersey they just played in or a ball is common, as a show of appreciation for their support.

 At the Kip Keino Classic, one lucky athletics enthusiast who had braved the strict Covid-19 protocols and the Kasarani afternoon heat to wait on the final race of the day, the men’s 100m, was rooting for Trayvon Bromell and came prepared.

Carrying the biggest placard on the stadium, he had a message for Bromell, mind you Kenya’s Ferdinand Omanyala and multiple Olympic and world medalist Justin Gatlin were on the same field, but the fan's focus was clear, he wanted Bromell attention and he got it. The fan’s message was simple, he wanted the sprinter’s spikes. 

Another race another record! Omanyala sets new African 100m record

“(Sic) Growing up, me and my coach was at a meet and ask one of track and fields previous WRH for an autograph. He looked at us and kept it moving. I made a promise to never do that. I never forgot that moment,” Bromell revealed, having made his fan’s day granting his wishes. 

Bromell ran the fastest time this year, a quick 9.76 seconds, lowering his previous time to finish ahead of home sprinter Omanyalla who set a new national and African record in 9.77 seconds. 

“This season had a lot of ups and downs. I have been out of the sport for so long and to come back and have the season that I had in the beginning and not make it to the final at the Olympics took its toll on me. I doubted myself and it made me question a lot of things, not my trainer or anything like that but my purpose here. Winning at Kip Keino just proved that I am supposed to be here,” said Bromell after his victory that made him the sixth fastest man in history. 

The 26-year old was favourite to take the 100m Olympic gold in the absence of Usain Bolt, after sealing his ticket to Tokyo with a 9.80 seconds performance at the US trials but was left stunned when he didn’t even make the Olympic final. He had gone to the Olympics with the year’s best time of 9.77 seconds. 

After taking it somewhat easy in the heat and finishing third in his semi-final, 0.001 of a second behind Nigeria’s Enoch Adegoke, Bromell missed the final. The third semi-final at the Olympics saw the four fastest men, including eventual champion Italian Marcell Jacobs, qualify for the final and leave Bromell out in the cold. 

“I just had to believe in myself and stay focused for this comeback after the Tokyo disappointment, which is one of the hardest things for an athlete to do. I had to understand that I am just as good as anyone else when it comes to running 100m. The atmosphere at the Kip Keino was great. I gave out my spikes to a fan in the end and it is a blessing to be able to support the people that care about me in the sport. It is my way of giving back,” offered Bromell. 

The American exploded onto the athletics scene in 2015, when he ran a personal best time of 9.84sec for the 100m before his 20th birthday, the fastest time ever run by a teenager over the distance, before later claiming bronze at that year’s World Championships in Beijing. 

He won gold in the 60m at the World Indoor Championships in Portland in 2016, but suffered disappointment at the Rio Olympics that year, only finishing in eighth place in the final won by Bolt. 

He later suffered a torn achilles in the final of the 4x100m relay, leaving the stadium in a wheelchair which marked the start of an injury nightmare that saw him miss two full years of competition. However, he has been in scintillating form in 2021. 

“(Sic) I may not have grabbed the Gold in Tokyo but where I come from, I’ve already won,” he wrote on his social media platforms. “I pray that I can continue to show you all that no matter what you go through, no one on this earth can control your fate. 

“5 years ago I was under surgery, 2017-19 I was home watching track from the couch. Now it’s 2021 and I’m the 6th fastest in history. I’m a keep fighting because I want y’all to keep fighting. Never give up!”