Aaron Brown’s wide grin after sprinting across the finish line said it all for the three-time Canadian Olympian.
He turned a lightning-quick start in the men’s 200 metres into a wind-assisted winning time of 20.05 seconds on Saturday in Nairobi, Kenya, Brown’s fastest-ever season-opening finish in the outdoor event.
What a battle! ????<br><br>Aaron Brown takes first place in the 200m, with a time of 20.05 at the <a href=”https://twitter.com/WorldAthletics?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@WorldAthletics</a> Continental Tour in Nairobi ???????? <a href=”https://t.co/PxT8wcmDjT”>pic.twitter.com/PxT8wcmDjT</a>
—@CBCOlympics
The Toronto native clocked 20.19 to open his 2014 outdoor campaign at the Gainesville Florida Relay and five years later went 20.20 at the Diamond League season opener in Doha, Qatar.
Last season, the Florida resident didn’t run under 20.05 until the Aug. 3 semifinals at the Tokyo Olympics, where he stopped the clock in 19.99 on the way to a sixth-place finish in the final (20.20).
The three-time defending Canadian champion outlasted Kyree King (20.18) of the United States down the straightaway at the Kip Keino Classic on Saturday, while Isaac Makwala of Botswana was third of seven finishers at the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold event.
Kenya’s Mike Mokamba was disqualified for a false start in Kasarani.
Trio of 200m wins in 2021
In four competitions post-Summer Games, Brown’s fastest performance was 20.12 at the Diamond League’s Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Ore.
The 29-year-old won three 200s in 2021, at Canadian Olympic trials and his heat and semifinal races in Tokyo.
This summer, Brown will look to lower his 20.10 clocking from the 2019 world championships when this year’s event is held in the U.S. for the first time in July at Hayward Field in Eugene.
On May 13, he will take the line in a stacked 200 at the Diamond League opener in Doha, where he will be joined by fellow Canadians Andre De Grasse and Jerome Blake.
It’ll mark the season opener in the 200 for De Grasse, the reigning Olympic champion at the distance after he posted a 19.62 personal best in Tokyo. Blake, 26, posted a 20.04 PB in his 200 opener on April 16 at the USATF Golden Games in Walnut, Calif.
The Doha race, which will be lived streamed at CBCSports.ca at 1:12 p.m. ET, will also feature two elite American sprinters, 2020 Olympic bronze medallist and 2019 world champion Noah Lyles and Fred Kerley, who won Olympic silver last summer.
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