Brandon Miller Breaks Down His Lethal Kick to Win the Prefontaine Classic 800m
Brandon Miller ran a season's best of 1:43.68 to win the Prefontaine Classic 800m over Cooper Lutkenhaus and Donovan Brazier.
Video Transcript
How were you able to put together that last 200?
I was just staying patient the whole race.
it was a pretty messy first 600 for me.
I kinda got stuck in the back, and I, I, I just felt everybody passing me, and I'm like looking back, and I'm like, "Okay, am I in last place right now?"
Not used to that spot, so I just had to make sure I just stayed patient, and started picking people off, off one by one, and just build momentum through that last 300.
And I felt good with 150 to go, so I just sent it, and, and trusted in the training Danny's been giving me to hold on, so.
How, how were you able to get together physically from your indoor season to now?
Yeah, yeah.
Indoor season I was hurt, so I wasn't able to go out there and run.
It, it was, it was really fun seeing, Cooper kill it, in the indoor season.
It just motivated me to, to do everything that I needed to do to get back on the track.
And, that's what I did, and everybody's been, you know, going crazy.
And now with the 800 being where it is, it's I'm holding myself accountable each and every day to get better and better so I can compete with these guys, and come out here and win races.
Honestly, it looked like, when you were closing, it looked like Sunset Tour winning the 1500.
Like, how smooth you were, how relaxed you were.
How much has that strength training with the Beast helped you, and especially closing like that?
it's been, it's been really good, man.
I think, so coming off that race last year, Danny said, he rolled home, from here to Seattle in silence.
and he said he took that race really, really hard, as I did.
and you know, not only me and him, but my whole team did, you know?
so the team I built, you know, how can you lose when the team you build around yourself takes losses just as hard as you do?
so took my break, and then just got right back to work.
Danny, put together a different type of training this year.
I've been trying some things out in the off season.
well, the off year, because we got a championship season next year that they have to have the Olympics.
So, he's been working his butt off, so it's making me work, work my butt off too, so.
Is that, was that the emotion that you had after the race when you're just standing there just still, just knowing, seeing what you did?
Is, is that where it really came from?
Yeah, I, I mean, obviously, like, it's emotional out there.
It's a battle, every time you toe the line.
I mean, to be able to, you know, personally, I think this is s- one of, if not the greatest, 800 era, arguably in history, with everything that's happening.
I compare it to, you could compare it to when Steve, Sebastian Coe, and Ovett was running, and Wonatara, all, you know, all those guys.
this is a golden age.
And again, when, whenever you win a big race like that it's very emotional.
but, you know, it's over now, and, you know, those guys are hungry, going into the championship season in USA, so that's where it really counts.
but I'm hungry as well, so.
Training in New Mexico, just tell me how much you would contribute that to your success today.
Yeah, it, it's, it's big.
obviously just that altitude is, it, it really works for me.
I got my team there, and my training partners, and we all just work hard each and every day.
We, we show up and we get the work done, and then we go home.
So, it's a, it's a pattern, and it's a beautiful pattern, so it's been working.
From AAU to high school to Texas A&M, does it feel like everything's coming together at the right time, and, and does it feel like this is, you know, this is your moment?
Yeah, yeah.
I mean, i- it's been a long time coming, so to be able to start getting dubs, is, is really special.
At the end of the day, whenever you can cross that line first against amazing competition like this, it feels amazing.
So I, I'd say so.
But it could be my day today, and somebody else's day tomorrow.
Oh, yeah.
So I gotta continue to work so it can be my day more often.
Getting ready for future meets, we're talking Diamond Leagues.
tell me more about how you're gonna get ready for that.
Yeah, just continue to do what I've been doing.
keep hammering the basics, everything that's got- gotten me here, and keep racing smart, and keep going out there and giving it my best.
Let me see your, your plaque right here.
What, what's going on?
Oh, hey.
Hey.
There we go, Brandon.
Thank you so much.
Congratulations.
Thank y'all so much.
Last thing, just like talking about the importance of it's, you win this race, and now it's just on to the next one.
Like, with how competitive it is, this golden age, like, people are gonna win, people are gonna lose.
What's the importance of just forgetting what you did yesterday and moving on to the next thing and, like, really charging onto your goals?
Yeah, it's a, it's a, it's a short memory, you know what I'm saying?
You, you can't get too high, you can't get too low.
especially in this era of 800 meter running, it's so good that you can't dwell on the past, you know?
Because every day is a new day.
It could be somebody else's day, tomorrow, and it could be your day tomorrow.
And you know, at the end of the day, you just gotta ride the highs and the lows, but you gotta stay level-headed through it all.
and the one who's able to stay the most consistent is the one who's gonna get the most success, so that's what I'm trying to do.
There you go.
Congratulations, man.
Thank you.
Appreciate it.
Appreciate you, brother.
No, thank you.
Thank you
