Miller's post
on Instagram quotes him, "I'm extremely excited to be starting this
new chapter in my career. It's a blessing to be able to work with Bobby Kersee.
Knowing who he is and what he has accomplished with multiple athletes in the
past and present makes me excited about the possibilities of what I can
accomplish moving forward. At the end of the day I just want to thank God for
the opportunity and I am super excited to get started."
He went on to write,
"In order to be the best you have to train with the best! I am happy to
announce that I have become a professional track athlete and will be training
with the legendary Bobby Kersee! I am excited to start this next chapter in my
track and field career."
Miller is
coming off a sophomore year when he moved to 3rd on the collegiate
indoor 800-meter list, breaking the American collegiate record with a 1:45.24
clocking in February. Miller went on to win the national title in March in the
event, then returned to the track shortly after to help Texas A&M win the
4x400 national title from the 2nd of 3 heats of the event.
After a
runner-up finish at the 2021 NCAA outdoor championships where he ran a personal
record (PR) of 1:44.97, Miller finished 3rd this year. After a
disappointing 2021 Olympic Trials that saw him come up short of advancing to
the final, Miller held off a late charge from multiple runners to take 3rd
at the 2022 USA Track and Field Championships. The Top-3 finish earned him a
spot on Team USA for the World Outdoor Track and Field Championships, which was
held for the first time in the United States, at Oregon's Hayward Field.
Americans Miller,
Bryce Hoppel, and Jonah Koech failed to advance past the first of three rounds
in the event, as did fellow American Donovan Brazier, who was given a berth to
fill the field based on previous performances. After making his Team USA debut, on at
least one day at the meet, earned some duties handing out flags trackside to Team USA
teammates who finished in medal position.
Miller was a
sensation long before entering high school competition. Miller was a star at
the youth club level, trained by his mother and former Mizzou track and field
athlete Angela. Miller set age-group world records in the 800-meters, in
the age-13 and age-14 categories. Miller's age-14 mark still stands from the
summer of his 8th-grade year (2016), an amazing 1:51.23.
At Burroughs,
Miller was solid for a couple of seasons of cross country, but a superstar in track
and field. He competed in events ranging from the 200 and 4x200-meter relay to
the 1600-meters. The single and two-lap races are where he shined the brightest.
He led the Bombers to the Class 3 state track and field title as a freshman in
2017, winning the 800 and 4x800.
As a sophomore
in 2018, Miller broke the nearly 40-year-old state meet record in the 800-meters,
running 1:49.55. He also won the 1600-meters in 4:23.00. After a win at the
Festival of Miles in the high school 800, Miller won the Brooks PR Invitational.
Miller winning a race at the 2018 MSHSAA Class 3 Track and Field Championships. Chris A. MO.MileSplit.com
Miller, who
also played basketball at John Burroughs, had his junior track season cut short
in the first meet of the year, tearing his hamstring in the open 200-meters. Miller
returned to competition in the fall of 2018, running cross country again and placing 40th in Class 3 on a chilly day at the final state meet at
Oak Hills in Jefferson City. Miller's senior track campaign was wiped out by
the Covid-19 pandemic. Although he was able to race once, winning the Illinois
Meet of Champions in the summer with a new (PR) of 1:49.35.
Mu arrived at
Texas A&M at the same time as Miller, with an even better resume in the long sprints than him. Mu still owns 6 age-group world records, one in the conventional 800-meters, and 5 others in the less frequently held 500 and 600-meters. After a 2021 NCAA indoor national title in the 4x400 and 2nd-place
individual 400 finish indoors, Mu broke the collegiate record in the one-lapper
and won the national title outdoors. That strategy of racing mostly 400s and a few 800s
soon paid off.
After the 2021 NCAA outdoor championships, Mu turned professional,
signing with Nike, just before the 2021 Olympic Trials in June of that year. Mu won the 800 at Trials to make Team USA for the Covid-19 postponed 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo in July and August 2021. The New Jersey native and
daughter of immigrants from South Sudan won the gold in Japan in the 800-meters and the
4x400-meter relay. Mu defended her global
championship, winning the World Outdoor Championships 800 in Oregon this past July.
Kersee has
trained many of the all-time great track and field athletes, including his wife
and East. St. Louis, Il. native Jackie-Joyner Kersee. Florence Griffith-Joyner,
East St. Louis native Dawn Harper, and Allision Felix are just a few of the
greats to train with Kersee.
Miller's
announcement doesn't include any mention of sponsors yet, but Miller, who doesn't turn 20 until
next June, should have multiple shoe companies and other businesses wanting to
team up.
