Chris Bailey & Jacory Patterson Both SMASH Sub-44 PBs! | 2026 Brussels Diamond League Post-Race Interview
Chris Bailey and Jacory Patterson are officially moving past the 44-second mark! After an electric Men's 400m race in Brussels, Patterson (3rd, 43.78) and Bailey (4th, 43.97) react to hitting massive new personal bests, managing the mental toll of the regular season, and why they are peaking at the perfect time.
Video Transcript
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Incredibly kind of intangible.
It was, it felt like it didn't have to be on some spiritual sort of level but you could touch on that if you want I've been chasing sub-44 for the longest.
And so, I mean, I just had confidence today that I would go out here and-- As my agent and, you know, one of my fellow colleagues said, today will be my Well, yesterday was my last day being a 44 guy, so.
I'm glad I was make, able to make that happen today.
Come out here and execute a good race and, you know, get ready for next week That probably makes me only talk to two and a half people now because she's in Paris right now.
So she went over summer time leave.
But now she's going freelance.
She came around isn't running the relay, she's, she's out there on the track seeing everything, feeling that's very special for me to witness Exactly what Chris said.
Like, nah, yeah, coming in, just came in with a lot of confidence.
I know this time of the year, it's a time where we start to peak.
So just came in with a good-- I had a good feel about today.
Just went out there and ran, honestly I believe he likes his moments alone.
Obviously he prefers to meddle himself, obviously prefer spending most of your competitive confidence by yourself too um- But I mean, they just let me know, shit, let both of us know that we ready.
We ready.
You know?
I mean, we noticed I was gonna be a fight when we stepped back here on the track with these guys, so, you know, we just got to put forward our best foot an-and execute And what she does is so unique compared to other sprinters who do the same thing Yeah, sure.
I literally said, soon as we walked off the track, I said, "Hey, Chris."
I said, "We ready" Mm-hmm.
Oh, yeah Stanned each other up.
So it's just good momentum going into Ultimate next week for sure Before I move on, sorry, I wanna throw another quick question in.
Again, PR not ideal conditions.
What did you say about your fitness right now especially with how tight money can be from sometimes training versus competition?
Yeah Yeah, well, I feel like it saying like, like the fitness is there.
You know, like, feel like trying not get too caught up in like regular season races 'cause like a lot of those races, you loaded.
Like, you're not gonna peak for Silesia Diamond League and London Diamond League.
Like, we wanna peak now.
So I mean, we ready Yeah.
I mean, piggybacking off of what he said, i-that's something that I had to learn when he said, not focusing on the regular season racing because that was something I was just so caught up in.
And, to come so close to forty-three in Paris, it kinda was, you know, mentally playing a toll on me or taking a toll on me.
But, I don't know, today I just felt ready and, you know, my support system including JB, like, they let me know- My brother, man I'm built for this.
So to come out here and run a PR, I mean, I'm just great, happy, and ready for next year or next week Yeah, I must say damn Swag, swag, swag How has today felt different for y'all?
I dunno.
I think it's 'cause it's the end of season.
Yes.
I mean- Crunch times ...yeah.
This championship racing, so you know, just, it's a different atmosphere, different levels of, of adrenaline.
So no, we, we just prepared Feel like the NFL always says, off year this year.
Why is it so important for both of you guys to make sure you execute at stake station?
World rankings and that money Fuck them.
Feel like just- That's it.
Yep ...just being competitive, like it's just our, in our competitor nature to wanna Shit, we wanna beat Kevin and Shippey.
He- Yep ...he doing his thing right now, but hey, all we can do is just keep doing us for real Mm-hmm.
I feel like this race just reinforces the United States dominance in the four hundred, especially on the men's side.
You know, last year it was only Xavier that was in that final.
What do you guys, have coming up for next year?
For next year?
Yeah.
Oh, I mean, I know we plan to do the same thing we did last year.
Yeah.
Be there.
Try to make every final.
He did it, I didn't.
I fell short, but wipe the s- slate clean next year and we, we all there.
We want us all there.
All three people that make that final at USAs or get top three in that final at USAs, I mean, we all expect to be in that final in Beijing.
So, you know, we're just preparing for it.
Yeah You always talk about these moments of like falling short, sometimes they just reveal themselves.
How does that really change your mindset moving forward comparing to like former lows?
Both of you.
I would say it, it depends on the person.
I'm typically not one to like really dwell on I won't say bad performances.
I don't feel like I had any bad performances this year.
But some of the performances I had didn't match up to the competition that I was going against.
And so, you know, just all about, you know, reviewing that, that race or whatever and, you know, just mentally preparing and physically preparing for the next week Yeah.
I feel like short term memory is important, especially in tracks, 'cause like, you know, one week you can have a good reas-race, one week you have a bad race.
But like, I feel like that's where your support system come in as well.
Like, just like that reassurance that you know you still got it.
It's just some weeks may pop more than others, you know?
So you gotta make sure you have short term memory for sure Yeah.
And then my last question for both of you guys.
What do you need to do between now and Budapest to make sure you lower that PB further?
Recovery Rest Recovery Both Rs.
Rest and recovery .
Yeah, that's it.
That's it That's it Okay.
See you guys in Budapest.
Thank you
