Max Burgin has borne the burden of being compared to a young Sebastian Coe or Steve Cram ever since he shattered the under-15 world 800 metres record four years ago. But those lofty comparisons did not look misplaced as he led from gun to tape to destroy a high-class field and win his first national title.
The 20-year-old athlete has worked on his strength and conditioning over the winter after missing last year’s Olympics through injury, and it showed as he ran the finish out of Daniel Rowden and Kyle Langford to win in 1:44.54 in Manchester. It was a heck of a performance, especially in such blustery conditions, but it took so much out of him he was sick by the medal podium.
