Who is Michael Norman? Everything about the former World Champion aiming for his first individual Olympic medal in the 400m at the Paris Olympics

Michael Norman is an American track and field athlete who recently qualified for the men's 400m finals at the Paris Olympics 2024. This comes following his second-place finish in the semifinals of the event on Tuesday, August 6.

Running in the third semifinal heat of the event, the 2022 World Championships gold medalist over 400m registered a time of 44.26 seconds which placed him just behind Great Britain's Matthew Hudson-Smith and was enough to take him to the finals of the event scheduled to be held on Thursday, August 8.

This will be Norman's second individual Olympic final of his career and he will be looking to make this opportunity count and add an individual Olympic gold medal to his name after a fifth-place finish at the Tokyo Olympics three years ago.

Here's some details about the 26-year-old former World Champion, Michael Norman:

Michael Norman: Early Years and Family

Norman at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris (Image via Getty)

Norman was born in the city of San Diego, California, on December 3, 1997. His father has Afro-American roots while his mother is of Japanese descent.

Michael Norman: School and College details

Norman at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris (Image via: Getty)

Michael Norman completed his high school at Vista Murrieta High School in California, where he competed in various track and field tournaments for his school and won numerous accolades. Following that, he studied at the University of Southern California where he competed for the university's track and field team, the USC Trojans.

Michael Norman: Overview of his professional track and field career

Norman at the 2018 NCAA Division I Championships (Image via GETTY)

During his high school days at Vista Murrieta, Norman broke the US high school record in the men's 400m during the 2015 CIF California track and field meet with a time of 45.19 seconds.

Competing for USC Trojans, Norman also won gold in the 400m at the 2018 NCAA Division I Track and Field Championships in Eugene. He was also a part of the university team that won the 4x400m relay event at the tournament.

He has also clinched a gold medal at the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in 2022. In the same year, he competed at the World Athletics Championships in Doha and won the 400m world title with a run time of 44.29 seconds. Norman was also part of the US Olympic 4x400m relay team that clinched the gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics.