This section needs expansionwith: A lot of major championship and Diamond League results for Brazier are missing or not mentioned. See the achievements section for examples.. You can help by adding to it. (August 2025)
Brazier returned to action outdoors, but needed several meets to return to top shape.[9] He placed third at the SEC outdoor championships in 1:46.19, half a second behind Mississippi State's Brandon McBride.[8] At the NCAA outdoor championships in Eugene, Brazier won his semi-final in a personal best of 1:45.07.[9] The final was a rematch between Brazier and McBride; McBride led for most of the way, but Brazier passed him with 150 meters to go and won in 1:43.55.[10] The time was a new collegiate record,[11]American junior and NACAC junior record and world junior (U20) leader;[12] the previous American junior outdoor record was Jim Ryun's 1:44.3/1:44.9y, set exactly fifty years earlier on June 10, 1966.[13] Brazier's American and NACAC junior record stood until 2025, when Cooper Lutkenhaus ran 1:42.27.[14]
Professional
Brazier turned professional after his NCAA victory, signing an endorsement deal with Nike and forgoing his three remaining years of collegiate eligibility.[15][16] Brazier finished 19th in the 800 meters at the 2016 USATF Olympic Trials in 1:48.13.[17] Donavan Brazier reconnected with his coach from Texas A&M University (Grenada’s top 400 m runner Alleyne Francique).[18] At the 2017 National Championships, he followed Eric Sowinski's early kick into a breakaway position and held his pace as Sowinski faded to win his first national championship, thus qualifying for the World Championships.[citation needed]
Wesley Vasquez and Donavan Brazier in the 600 meters race at the 2020 Gyulai Memorial in Szekesfehervar, Hungary
On August 29, 2019, Brazier set a new 800 meter personal best of 1:42.70 en route to winning the Diamond League meet in Zurich, Switzerland. In this race, Brazier demonstrated phenomenal finishing speed by overtaking Botswanan runner Nijel Amos in the last 30 meters, who had attempted the race at world record pace.[19]
On October 1, 2019, Brazier won the 800 meter at the World Championships in Doha, Qatar. His time of 1:42.34 was a championships record and a new American record, surpassing Johnny Gray's 1:42.60 from 1985.[20][21] At the end of the season, Brazier was selected for the Jesse Owens Award.[22]
On February 8, 2020, Brazier set the American indoor 800 meter record in a time of 1:44.22. He opened his 2020 season in the 1500 meters, running a world lead of 3:35.85.[23] In August he ran another world lead in the 800 meters, with 1:43.15.[24]
On February 13, 2021, Brazier ran 1:44.21 in the 800 meters at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix in New York City to lower his then-American indoor record (since broken by Josh Hoey in 2025) in the event by .01 seconds.[25] The same year, Brazier had surgery to repair a fractured tibia.[26]
At the 2022 World Athletics Championships, Brazier was eliminated in the first round of the 800 meters. He later underwent achilles surgery to repair a Haglund's deformity, which required two follow-up surgeries. At the end of 2023, he left the Nike Union Athletics Club and coach Pete Julian. In 2025, Brazier began to receive workouts from Mike Smith.[26]
On June 7, 2025 at the TOAD Fest in Nashville, Tennessee, Brazier won the 800 meters in 1:44.70. It was his first race since 2022, due to recurring injuries and a coaching change.[27] On June 16, 2025, he won the 800 meters at the Portland Track Festival in a time of 1:43.81.[28] On July 19, 2025, he finished sixth in the 800 meters at the London Athletics Meet, in a season's best time of 1:43.08.[29][30] On August 3, 2025, Brazier won the 800 meter final at the 2025 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, in a new personal best of 1:42.16, thus qualifying for the 2025 World Championships in Tokyo, Japan.[31]
Personal life
Brazier has been in a relationship with Ally Watt and got engaged on February 24, 2025.[32][33]
↑ "American collegiate record" refers to the best collegiate indoor mark by an American athlete, Derek Peterson's 1:45.88; Brazier missed Paul Ereng's overall NCAA indoor record (1:44.84) by more than a second.[7]
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Gold
