The moment your hard work starts to pay off
One of Brown’s favorite moments in his career is fairly simple compared to what he’s been through, but it’s one he cites when asked about it.
“We were in Boston,” Brown said, referring to the indoor Grand Prix in February where Lyles ran the 60m. “We had been working on starters and all this stuff. It was minus thirty and it was freezing all weekend. My dog died in the night and we had to euthanize him.”
“So it was a very tough weekend for me, but my husband was very supportive and told me ‘You have to be with them, they need you. You have to do your best.'”
“I wasn’t sleeping at all and we went to a game in Boston and Noah had some discomfort in his groin area. Sometimes athletes get a little uncomfortable and I realized they’re focused and they’re going to run incredible runs. I felt that way with Noah It’s that, even though he’s worried about his groin, he’s still going to run great. We’ve gotten to the point where I can prove to him that he’s OK and he can run, and the coach asked me. “Can he?” “running?'”
“I told him, yeah, no problem. We tried it, no problem. It was just a little troublesome and then it calmed down. He warmed up, did the first set, it went well, he came back and we were on the groin Did more practice. Then “he was getting ready for the final and I looked at the coach on the other side of the court and we made a ‘yeah, okay’ gesture to each other. “
“I don’t remember what he said, but it was off the cuff, something to the effect of better be good or something like I’ve got to earn my spot. Just kidding, you know. I said, ‘Shut up and run.’ Bar.'”.
“He ran a personal best in the 60m (6.51 seconds), which was something he hadn’t done in a long, long time. Coming back to find his people. The YouTube people were there and I remember him coming over and giving me a hug . I said something like, ‘So I can keep my job?'”
“He never swore, but he said ‘Of course, damn it!'” He gave me a hug that felt like it was splitting me in half. “
“It was like, ‘We get it, we’re going to do great things together.’ It was special. It wasn’t just a hug, it was a moment where we both knew we were going to do something amazing.”
Brown paused.
“I don’t think people realize the sacrifices that today’s athletes make and the time they spend away from home and not doing the things that everyone else does — everyone who plays sports at a high level makes those sacrifices.” Leaving Home time, routine, food, being able to sleep in your own bed, things like that. I’ve spent more time in hotel beds than my own this year, but we’re on a mission. We have something to do. “
“We’re going to break this record.”