by Deji Ogeyingbo
Bromell’s 9.84 in Rome Reminds Us Why We Still Believe
By all accounts, Trayvon Bromell wasn’t supposed to be here.
Not on top of the Diamond League podium. Not outleaning a field packed with global medalists. And certainly not running 9.84 seconds to post the fastest 100m in the world this year. But there he was in Rome, turning heads and stopping clocks last Friday.
It was the kind of performance that makes you sit up, not just because of the time, but because of who ran it, and what he’s been through. Bromell’s win at the Golden Gala Pietro Mennea was his first time leading the world in four years. A lot has happened in that time. Setbacks, surgeries, slow races, near-retirements. Few sprinters survive the physical toll of this sport, let alone come back from multiple injuries with their speed intact. Bromell is trying to do just that and, for one night at least, he succeeded.
There was a time not long ago when 10.87 looked more likely than 9.84. That’s what he ran last year. His name was slowly falling out of the big conversations. People talked about Noah Lyles, Kishane Thompson, Akani Simbine, Fred Kerley, Letsile Tebogo, Christian Coleman, and Kenny Bednarek. Not Bromell. Not anymore.
And yet, here he is again.
Bromell’s Rome victory was defiant. He blasted out of the blocks and never gave anyone a chance. He left the rest of the field behind after just 60 meters and the rest of the race was a perfect demonstration of why he’s an incredibly good runner.
What stood out wasn’t just the time. It was how clean the race was. He looked in control from start to finish. His transition phases, often an issue when he was chasing form, were smooth. His final ten meters were composed. This wasn’t a lucky break. It looked like a man who knew exactly what he was doing.
Bromell has always had talent. He burst onto the scene in 2015 as a teenager, taking bronze at the World Championships in Beijing. By 2016, he was an Olympic finalist and one of the most promising sprinters in the U.S. Then came the injuries. First the Achilles, then the hamstring, then another setback just when he thought he was back. At one point, he told reporters he couldn’t jog, let alone sprint.
But over the last year, something’s shifted.
Bromell went back to his college coach, Michael Ford. He started working with a therapist. He leaned more into his faith, often referencing it in interviews. He said he had to start thinking differently, not just about his body, but about his purpose.
“It’s a blessing to come out here and put God first,” he said after the race in Rome. “And go out there and execute.”
His mindset is different now. He’s still ambitious, but he doesn’t try to control the outcome. “I’ve always had the mindset that I was the best,” Bromell told FloTrack. “But now I realize anything can happen on the day. So I just prepare as best as I can and leave the rest.”
It sounds simple, but it takes a lot for a sprinter, especially one who’s been injured, to think that way. To stop chasing ghosts of your former self and start embracing the athlete you are today.
The data backs up his form. In April, he ran 20.55 in the 200m in Texas. Then he clocked 9.91 in Clermont, Florida. Those times hinted at progress. But it wasn’t until Rome that everything came together. His 9.84 was clean, legal (+1.1 m/s wind), and confident.
Now comes the real test: consistency.
The U.S. trials are only weeks away. The men’s 100m is brutal. Alongside Bromell, there is Kenny Bednarek, there’s Christian Coleman, who’s starting to find form. Noah Lyles is the World and Olympic Champion, too. Only three make the team.
And that’s before we even get to the World Championships.
Still, if Bromell’s body holds up, you have to think he’s got a shot. This is a man who knows what rock bottom feels like. That kind of knowledge has its own power. Maybe that’s why he looked so calm after the race in Rome. He’s not running with pressure anymore. He’s running with clarity. He has nothing left to prove. But maybe, just maybe, he’s not done showing us.
