Brandon Miller John Burroughs 800m
Brandon Miller made a name for himself around the world in track in field even before he started high school. Miller set the 800-meter age group world records as a 13- and 14-year-old. Miller ran 1:56.41 as a 13-year-old at the 2015 AAU Junior Olympic Games. That mark was bettered by 4/100ths of a second in 2020 by a Japanese boy. Miller ran 1:51.23 as an 8th-grader at the 2016 AAU Junior Olympic Games to set the still standing 14-year-old age group world record. Miller also ran 4:25.02 for a full mile as an 8th-grader at the Festival of Miles.
Miller on 14-yr-old age group 800m record and first state track meet before the 2017 meet
Miller kept it going in high school at John Burroughs. Miller won the 800-meter Class 3 state title in 1:50.84 as a freshman before going 1:49.87 at the AAU Junior Olympic Games. Miller also ran on the winner 4x400 and 4x800 Burroughs relay squads to help them to the team title. He was flown to Seattle to compete in the Brooks PR Invitational whereas a freshman he placed 3rd in the 800 in 1:51.91.
As a sophomore in 2018, Miller won the Class 3 1600-meters in a PR of 4:23, before breaking one of the oldest state records. Miller ran 1:49.55 to break friend Charles "CJ" Jones Class 3 meet record and Bill Rainey's overall meet record of 1:49.89. He won the Festival of Miles 800 in 1:50.03 before winning the Brooks PR meet in 1:51.85.
He capped his sophomore campaign with another AAU Junior Olympic title, running 1:50.14 for Ultimate Speed Academy Track Club and ahead of 4th-place finisher Cade Flatt, who just moved to 2nd in the prep 800 list as a high school senior in 2022.
Cold and windy conditions kept Miller from earning cross country All-State honors as a junior in 2018, where he finished 50th in Class 3.
After basketball season was over, Miller kicked off his junior school season with some variety, a 19-3'' long jump. Then in his second meet of the season, Miller ran 47.42 to win his conference 400-meter title. Later in the meet, Miller ran what maybe another world record, though the kind no one desires. In the 200-meter dash, Miller pulled badly injured his hamstring. He did manage to get up and finish the race. Miller hobbled across the finish line in 2:55.50. It's hard to imagine a slower 200-meter dash in world history.
The injury robbed Miller of his junior season and a long, arduous recovery process followed. In December of 2019, Miller had fully recovered and signed to compete collegiately at Texas A&M. Three months later the Coronavirus hit the U.S. and put life on hold. The 2020 Missouri school season was cancelled. Miller competed at the Illinois Meet of Champions in late July. He ran 1:49.35 for the win. That was it though. Chances to compete in 2020 were few and far between.
Miller missed nearly all his junior and senior seasons, two of the most anticipated in Missouri high school history. Gone were the chances to put his name among the fastest in U.S. high school history. No opportunities to earn national titles or represent Team USA at a Pan Am Junior Games of World Junior Championships.
Miller looking back on 2017 Fr year and ahead to 2nd state meet, 2018
Miller would try to make his mark on the college scene for the Aggies at Texas A&M for coach Pat Henry. Miller missed qualifying for the NCAA Indoor Championships as a freshman by one spot on the indoor performance list, with a PR of 1:48.94. He did get to experience the meet as an alternate for A&M's 4x400.
During the 2021 outdoor season, Miller dropped his PR to 1:47.33 midway thru the season. Then he ran 1:46.06 to take first in the 800 prelims at the SEC meet. He ran 1:45.95 to win the final and put him in the sub 1:46 club and among the favorites for the NCAA title. At the NCAA championships, nearly won a national title, taking 2nd in 1:44.97 to prove he was world-class.
The performance also made him a contender for the U.S. Olympic Team. However, the word stage would have to wait. Miller was 18th in the prelims to advance to the semis but came up short of the finals after taking a disappointing 15th in the semifinals.
Miller returned to Texas A&M for his sophomore year, and with the goal of breaking the NCAA record in the 800-meters. In the SEC finals, Miller ran 1:45.24 on his home track to win a second straight SEC indoor title, break former teammate Devin Dixon's American Collegiate record and move to 3rd on the All-Time collegiate list, behind only Michael Saruni and Paul Ereng.
Ereng's mark came at the University of Virginia in 1989 for Head Coach Fre Binggeli, the Fulton native, Westminster College grad and former SEMO coach, who would eventually leave Virginia to return to Missouri and join MSHSAA as the cross country and track and field administrator. Ereng had won the 1988 Olympic gold medal in the 800 before breaking the collegiate indoor mark. As a coach at UTEP, Ereng would coach fellow Kenyan Michael Saruni to the 2nd fastest collegiate 800 indoors ever, right behind him on the all-time list.
At NCAA's Miller ran to an easy victory in 1:47.19. Less than an hour later he split 45.45 to lead the Aggies to first in the 4x400. Outdoors Miller ran the 4x4 often and even the 1500-meters in 3:56.90. He captured another SEC 800 title and advance to NCAAs in the 800 and 4x400.