Amari Brown, 17, of Milwaukee Mustangs Track Club (WI) and Milwaukee Rufus King High School, will compete in her third consecutive AAU Junior Olympics. Brown ran both the 100m and 200m in 2017 and 2018. This time around, she's aiming for either a win or a top-two finish after coming very close in her previous tries--she has finished third in the 200m and fourth in the 100m before. Brown is currently one of the most dominant runners in Wisconsin, as she ended her junior year in high school with state titles in the 100m (11.64) and 200m (23.40). Both times finished the season as No. 1 in the state. Brown appears to be set to run in the 100m and 200m at the AAU Junior Olympics. And a win in the 100m is definitely a possibility for the fast-rising sprinter, who is US No. 8 among high school juniors with a time of 11.62. But the 200m is where she has a real shot at making some headlines, as she is US No. 10, with just 0.30 seconds separating herself from the US No. 3 time.
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Who: Amari Brown
Age Group: 17-18
Events: 100 meters, 200 meters
Where: AAU Junior Olympics, Greensboro, North Carolina
When: July 29-August 3
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WATCH LIVE: AAU JUNIOR OLYMPICS
Breakdown: Brown is rolling right now. The Rufus King junior just won the 100m and 200m at the AAU Region 14 Qualifier, and did so in a relatively comfortably outing, too--a plus-0.18 second margin in the 100m and plus-0.68 second margin the 200m. In fact, the last time Brown lost a race in the 100m was back on May 4. And in the 200m? She's undefeated this season.
It's undeniable that Brown is one of the best juniors in the nation; she falls into the top eight for the 100m and 200m in her grade. She'll have about a month off from racing in-between her last meet and the upcoming AAU Junior Olympics. While she looks to be on the outside looking in on the 100m field, it wouldn't be surprising at all if Brown were able to seriously contend. She ran 11.62 at the Region Qualifier three weeks ago, which is a lifetime PR and is an improvement from her state title time in late May, albeit only 0.02 seconds. The 200m, though, is where Brown is a very good bet to be in play with the leaders. This could be the year Brown finally cracks the top two at the AAU Junior Olympics.
Note:
If you have an athlete headed to the AAU Junior Olympics with national title aspirations and has a good story to tell, email cory.mull@flosports.tv.