Berea (Ohio) senior Donovan Robertson stunned the field Sunday when he ran the 60-meter hurdles in a national-record time of 7.57 seconds during the Brooks PR Invitational in Seattle.
The previous record of 7.6 seconds by Wayne Davis of Southeast Raleigh (Raleigh, N.C.) had stood since 2009.
Donovan Robertson, Berea
Photo courtesy of Bob Cistolo
The 6-foot, 155-pound senior, who had run a personal-record 7.77 during the qualifying round, told MaxPreps, "It was truly a great feeling. I never really did (expect a record). I like to set small goals, one at a time.
"In the 60 hurdles there is no room for error. It's one of the shortest races out there. The key is the first hurdle. First one to get to the first hurdle usually wins. I believe I had the best start of my life and it definitely helped. After the first hurdle, I started to pull away and I felt a little alone."
Robertson calls himself "A perfectionist. It's definitely a huge advantage and a little bit of a flaw. I remember every detail of every race. Maybe I'm a little too much of a perfectionist where I never really am happy with my race."
However, when asked if he was pleased with his record race, he quickly replied, "I couldn't be happier."
The personable teenager, who never previously had been on the West Coast, noted that he also "made some great friends. The whole thing was just a great experience. This weekend was so much fun that if I had come in dead last I'd still be happy," he insisted.
His coach, Ryan Nigro, watched the race online.
"I didn't expect it (the record) this early," Nigro said. "He ran 7.78 (in an earlier meet) and wasn't pushed. He runs to his competition. When he saw that competition, he ran a flawless race. I felt that he ran the best race of his life. He's not your prototypical 110-meter hurdler, but he's got sprinter's speed.
"He's a coach's dream. He comes to practice with a great work ethic and he's always prepared. He's also a great technician. He studies himself and is really focused in. He's a good student of track and field. He's just a workhorse."
One of Nigro's favorite stories revolved around last year's state district and regional track meets, which both were postponed by bad weather conditions.
"He had to run six or seven races on one day (on two occasions) and still was able to set records," Nigro said. "That's not something an average athlete can do."
The Ohio State University recruit, who owns six school records, is the reigning Gatorade Ohio Track & Field Boys Athlete of the Year. He concedes the target is on his back for all future races, but he's going to continue to seek his goals of setting state records in the 110- and 300 hurdles.
If he breaks the state record in the 110 hurdles (13.3 by Chris Nelloms), he also will own that national record.
"I was a little skeptical of that (surpassing Nelloms) at first, but since last night anything could happen," he said with growing confidence.
There were several other outstanding performances in the Brooks PR Invitational.* Dior Hall of
George Washington (Denver) won the girls 60 hurdles in a national sophomore record time of 8.28.
* Senior Shayla Sanders of
Boyd Anderson (Lauderdale Lakes, Fla.) captured the girls 60-meter dash in 7.21 - No. 2 all-time.
* Levonte Whitfield, a junior from
Jones (Orlando, Fla.), nipped Tatum Taylor of
O'Dea (Seattle) with a time of 6.71 to win the boys 60 in a photo finish.
* The boys 400 also was a barn burner as Najee Glass of
St. Peter's Prep (Jersey City, N.J.) won in 46.06. He barely edged Aldrich Bailey of
Mansfield Timberview (Arlington, Texas), who was timed in 46.07. Their efforts are No. 2 and 3, respectively, all-time.
* Trinity Wilson, a senior from
St. Mary's (Berkeley, Calif.), took on the pros Sunday during the U.S. National Indoor meet in Albuquerque, N.M. The lone high school entry, she finished 10th in the 60 hurdles with a time of 8.25. She had hoped to lower her personal record of 8.23.
She told MaxPreps, "I was expecting to run faster, because I was with pros. I'm OK with it right now."
