Vernon Norwood is out?! Just a day ago, the 33-year-old had the fans impressed as he clocked a sub-45 to outrun the 17-year-old track and field sensation, Quincy Wilson. In the 400m heats at the USATF Championships, the Olympian comfortably marked a win with a 44.78 run, while the high schooler finished fourth. But a huge shocker came when Norwood was outrun in the 400m finals, leaving a crater-sized disappointment among fans. What went down? A lot…

The final of the 400m at the USATF Championships took place today. The team that would represent the USA at the Tokyo World Championships in the 400 meters was decided today, and Vernon Norwood failed to be part of it. And the fans? They are like, “It’s a shame that Vernon Norwood just missed individual 400m team. He’s so consistent.” He started from lane number 7, slow and steady and in focus. Even the commentators had an eye on him as they said, “He’s in 7th, but doesn’t have a lot of folks to chase. But there’s some people chasing him down right now, including Deadmon right behind him in the white.” Little did everybody know what was about to come. 

It looked like Vernon might have claimed the win, a podium looked guaranteed until the last curve of the race. Khaleb McRae looked like he was in the lead, Jacory Patterson was coming from behind, ahead of the 33-year-old, who looked to be at number 3. But then came the curve, and the dynamics changed. Patterson outran everybody ahead for the win. “Jacory Patterson trying to deliver himself his first US title outdoors. And he’s going to do it with style,” announced the commentator as he won the race in 44.16s.

Norwood had locked in a tough battle with Khaleb McRae to the very end, and it wasn’t quite clear which one of them could claim the third position behind Chris Bailey. But the athlete with the second fastest 200m run this season took a narrow win in 44.45s. Norwood finished 2 hundredths of a second behind.

Now the fans are shocked and disappointed because Nernon Norwood is a name that everybody would love to see at the World Championships in Tokyo. But unfortunately and fairly, we would not see him race the 400m as now in September in Tokyo. A shocking and disappointing day for fans.

Track and Field world shocked by Vernon Norwood’s USATF exit

Vernon Norwood’s exit from the USATF means that he won’t be there at the individual events at the worlds. That is not digestible to the track world right now. A fan commented, “WHAT is the point of a Worlds team without Vernon Norwood?”. That is a fair reaction given that he comes with a lot of experience. He could have been not only a great runner for the team but also a guide.

One user also said, “McRae just about beating Vernon Norwood to p4! Nonetheless, another relay shift for Norwood!” and another fan resonated with them in a little frustration, saying, “Jesus f- Christ Vernon Norwood did you just miss the individual team by milliseconds again?!? WHY?!?!? #USATFOutdoors” World Athletics rules allow each country to name up to six athletes in the 4×400 relay pool, and they must include all individual 400 m qualifiers (up to four). Norwood’s strong history in relays and his 4th-place finish make him a top choice for the relay pool.

So even though he didn’t make the individual 400m team, he’s very likely going to Worlds as part of the 4×400m relay squad. Another user took to the comments to say, “Vernon Norwood you are killing me bro 😭😭😭😭😭 you and Trayvon Bromell”. Bromell had walked into the USATF Championships as one of Justin Gatlin’s favorites. Though he also finished fourth in the finals of the 100m with a time of 9.84 seconds. So many disappointments at the championships for the fans. What is your opinion on Norwood’s loss?