Brian Brown (high jumper) facts for kids
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Men's athletics | ||
Representing the  United States |
||
| Goodwill Games | ||
| Bronze | 1998 Uniondale | High jump |
Brian Brown (born January 9, 1967) is a former American track and field athlete. He was a very good high jumper. His best jump was 2.34 meters (about 7 feet, 8 inches) in 1990. He won the national championship in 1989. He also won a major college title in 1990.
Brian competed for the United States three times in big world events. These included the 1989 IAAF World Cup and the 1997 World Indoor Championships. He also competed at the 1999 World Championships. In 1998, Brian won a bronze medal at the Goodwill Games.
After he stopped competing, Brian became a coach and organizer. He worked at Drake University and the University of Missouri. His wife, Natasha Kaiser-Brown, is also a former athlete and coach.
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Brian's High Jump Career
Brian Brown was born in New Iberia, Louisiana. He went to high school there. He won the state high school high jump championship in 1982 and 1983. After high school, he studied at Northwestern State University. He was 6 feet, 2.5 inches tall (about 189 cm). He played for the Northwestern State Demons basketball team. He also competed in track and field.
Brian competed in high jump at the NCAA level. This is for college athletes. He competed from 1987 to 1990. In 1987, he finished fifth outdoors. In 1988, he was third at the NCAA Indoor competition. He was fifth again in 1989. Then, in 1990, he won the NCAA Men's Division I Championship. This is where he set his personal best jump of 2.34 meters.
Brian first competed internationally in 1989. He went to the Universiade in Germany. However, he did not record a valid jump there.
Peak Performance and Challenges
The year 1989 was a very strong year for Brian. He jumped 2.32 meters outdoors. This happened at the 1989 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. He even beat another great jumper, Hollis Conway. Brian also represented the U.S. at the 1989 IAAF World Cup. He finished sixth there.
After 1990, Brian's performance started to decline. He placed fifth at the 1992 U.S. Olympic Trials. But he often did not make the finals at national championships. In 1993, he had a serious injury. He hurt a ligament in his jumping leg. This stopped his career for a while. He had surgery and was able to compete again.
After a two-year break, Brian returned in 1996. He was in better shape. He was ranked as the sixth best jumper in the U.S. He also placed seventh at the 1996 U.S. Olympic Trials.
World Competitions and Medals
In 1997, Brian made two U.S. world teams. He jumped 2.31 meters indoors in February. He placed third at the USA Indoor Track and Field Championships. This earned him a spot at the 1997 IAAF World Indoor Championships. He did not make it past the qualifying round there.
He jumped 2.31 meters outdoors again in Iowa. He was third nationally at the 1997 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. This time, he was selected for the 1997 World Championships in Athletics. Again, he did not reach the final. That year, he was ranked eleventh in the world based on his jump height.
Brian had one more successful year in 1998. He was runner-up at the U.S. Indoor championships. Then he was third at the 1998 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. He tied with Hollis Conway. He represented the United States at the 1998 Goodwill Games. This is where he won his only international medal. He earned a bronze medal. He finished behind world record holder Javier Sotomayor and teammate Charles Austin.
His best jump of 1998 was 2.30 meters. He achieved this at a big meet called Weltklasse Zürich. This placed him in the top 25 globally. He tried to keep competing. But his best jumps in 1999 and 2000 were lower. He then decided to retire from the sport.
Life After Competing
Brian married Natasha Kaiser-Brown, who was also an American track athlete. They both became college athletic coaches. Brian worked at Drake University. He was the organizer of the Drake Relays meet for eleven years. This is a very famous track and field event. He left Drake in 2016. He then became an assistant athletic director at the University of Missouri.
While at Drake Relays, Brian helped bring world-class athletes to the college meet. He also raised money through company sponsorships. Brian earned his master's and doctorate degrees at Missouri. His daughter, Elle Brown, also attends the University of Missouri. She is a member of the college basketball team.
International Competitions Summary
Brian competed for the United States in several important international events:
- In 1989, he competed at the Universiade in Germany. He also competed at the World Cup in Spain, where he placed 6th.
- In 1997, he was at the World Indoor Championships in France. He also went to the World Championships in Greece.
- In 1998, he won a bronze medal at the Goodwill Games in the United States.
National Titles
- Brian Brown won the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in high jump in 1989.
See also
- List of high jump national champions (men)
