Matthew Centrowitz Jr. facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Matthew Centrowitz

Centrowitz wins the 1500 m at the 2018 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships
Personal information
Nationality	American
Born	(1989-10-18) October 18, 1989 (age 35) Beltsville, Maryland
Height	5 ft 9 in
Weight	133 lb
Sport
Country	United States
Sport	Track and Field
Event(s)	1500 meters
College team	Oregon Ducks
Turned pro	Nov. 2011
Achievements and titles
World finals	2011 Daegu 1500 m, 3 Bronze 2013 Moscow 1500 m, 2 Silver 2015 Beijing 1500 m, 8th 2017 London 1500 m, 37th (h) 2019 Doha 1500 m, 8th
Olympic finals	2012 London 1500 m, 4th 2016 Rio de Janeiro 1500 m, 1 Gold 2020 Tokyo 1500 m, 15th (sf)
Personal best(s)	Outdoor 800 m: 1:44.62 (New York 2015) 1500 m: 3:30.40 (Monaco 2015) Mile: 3:49.26 (Portland 2021) 5000 m: 13:00.39 (Beaverton 2019) Indoor 1000 m: 2:17.00i (Boston 2015) Mile: 3:50.63i (New York 2016) 3000 m: 7:40.74i (Portland 2016)
Medal record Men's athletics Representing the  United States Olympic Games Gold 2016 Rio de Janeiro 1500 m World Championships Silver 2013 Moscow 1500 m Bronze 2011 Daegu 1500 m World Indoor Championships Gold 2016 Portland 1500 m Pan American Junior Championships Gold 2007 São Paulo 1500 m

Matthew Centrowitz Jr. (born October 18, 1989) is an American middle-distance runner. He is best known for running the 1500 metres race. Matthew won a gold medal in this event at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

He also earned a bronze medal at the 2011 World Championships. Later, he won a silver medal at the 2013 World Championships. Centrowitz has won the 1500 m race five times at the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships.

When he was in high school, Centrowitz won a gold medal at the 2007 Pan American Junior Championships. He ran for the University of Oregon in college. There, he became the NCAA champion in the 1500 m in 2011. The university honored him by adding him to the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame in 2021. Centrowitz has been a professional runner for Nike since 2011.

Matthew Centrowitz's Early Life and Youth Sports

Matthew Centrowitz was born in Beltsville, Maryland. His father, Matt Centrowitz, was also an Olympian and a track coach. Matthew's mother is from Guyana. His sister, Lauren Centrowitz, is also a talented runner. She even qualified for the Olympic Trials in 2012.

Centrowitz was a star runner at Broadneck High School in Annapolis. In 2007, he ran a 2-mile race at the Nike Outdoor Nationals. His time of 8:41.55 was one of the best high school times that year. He also set a record at the Penn Relays in April 2007 for the mile, finishing in 4:08.38. That same year, he set a Maryland state record for the 1600 meters. He also won a gold medal at the Pan American Junior Championships in Brazil.

College Running Career

Centrowitz ran for the University of Oregon from 2007 to 2011. He was named an All-American seven times during his college career. In 2009, he helped his team break an NCAA record. They ran the 4 x mile relay in 16:03.24, setting a new best time.

In 2011, Centrowitz won the 1500 meters at the Pac-10 championships. He also won the NCAA Men's Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships for the 1500 m. In November 2011, Centrowitz decided to become a professional runner.

Professional Running Career

Winning Bronze in Daegu (2011-2012)

Centrowitz after winning bronze in the 1500 m at the 2011 World Championships in Daegu, South Korea.

In 2011, Centrowitz joined the Nike Oregon Project. His coach there was Alberto Salazar. Centrowitz won the 1500m at the 2011 USATF Outdoor Championships. He then earned a bronze medal in the 1500m at the 2011 IAAF World Championships.

In 2012, Centrowitz competed in the IAAF World Indoor Championships in Turkey. He finished seventh in the 1500m final. On July 1, 2012, he made the United States Olympic team for the 1500 m. At the 2012 London Olympic Games, he finished fourth in the 1500m race. He just missed a bronze medal by a tiny amount of time. Later that year, he won the Fifth Avenue Mile race.

Silver Medal in Moscow (2013-2015)

Centrowitz (right) and Nick Willis (left) in the final stretch of the Wanamaker Mile in 2015.

In 2013, Centrowitz started his outdoor season at the Penn Relays. He then won the USATF Outdoor 1500m championship for the second time. This win allowed him to compete at the IAAF World Championships in Moscow. There, he won the silver medal in the 1500m race.

During the 2014 outdoor season, Centrowitz improved his personal best times. At a Diamond League meet in Monaco, he ran the 1500 meters in 3:31.09. This was almost a full second faster than his previous best.

Olympic Gold in Rio (2016)

Centrowitz (third from right) in a semi-final of the 1500 m at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

On February 20, 2016, Centrowitz won the Millrose Games men's indoor mile. He finished in 3:50.63, just ahead of Nick Willis. A month later, on March 20, 2016, Centrowitz won the 1500 meters at the World Indoor Championships. This meant he had an unbeaten indoor season.

Centrowitz attended a Baltimore Orioles baseball game after winning a gold medal in the 2016 Summer Olympics.

On August 20, 2016, Centrowitz competed at the 2016 Olympic Games. He won the 1500 meters race in 3:50.00. He was the first American to win this event since 1908. The race started slowly, which was part of his winning strategy.

Recent Years (2017-Present)

In January 2019, Centrowitz joined the Bowerman Track Club. He was coached by Jerry Schumacher.

In 2021, Centrowitz qualified for his third Olympics in the 1,500 m. Before the Olympics, he ran a special mile race to prepare. Even though his pacers stopped earlier than planned, he still set a new personal best of 3:49.26.

Centrowitz competed in the 1500 m at the 2020 Summer Games in Tokyo. He easily made it through his first race. However, in the semifinals, he placed ninth and did not make it to the finals. This meant he could not defend his Olympic title.

Centrowitz was added to the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame in 2021. In May 2022, he had surgery for an ACL injury from the year before. Before this injury, he had made every outdoor World Athletics Championships and Olympic team from 2011 to 2021. In late 2022, he announced he had left the Bowerman Track Club and was coaching himself.

Centrowitz placed tenth in the 1,500 m final at the 2023 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. In March 2024, Centrowitz shared that he would retire after the 2024 outdoor season. On June 21, 2024, he announced he was pulling out of the 2024 U.S. Olympic trials due to an injury.

Centrowitz won the J.P. Morgan Corporate Challenge in Chicago on May 8, 2025. He ran for Alyeska Investment Group and finished the 3.5-mile course in 17:17.

Personal Life

Matthew Centrowitz married Lyndsay Centrowitz on October 3, 2023. Their first child, Luka, was born on November 10, 2024.

Achievements

All information is from his World Athletics profile.

Year	Competition	Venue	Position	Notes
Representing the United States
2007	Pan American Junior Championships	São Paulo, Brazil	1st	1500 m	3:56.63
2011	World Championships	Daegu, South Korea	3rd	1500 m	3:36.08
2012	World Indoor Championships	Istanbul, Turkey	7th	1500 m	3:47.42
	Olympic Games	London, United Kingdom	4th	1500 m	3:35.17
2013	World Championships	Moscow, Russia	2nd	1500 m	3:36.78
2015	World Championships	Beijing, China	8th	1500 m	3:36.13
2016	World Indoor Championships	Portland, United States	1st	1500 m	3:44.22
	Olympic Games	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil	1st	1500 m	3:50.00
2017	World Championships	London, United Kingdom	37th (h)	1500 m	3:48.34
2019	World Championships	Doha, Qatar	8th	1500 m	3:32.81
2021	Olympic Games	Tokyo, Japan	10th (sf)	1500 m	3:33.69

See also

In Spanish: Matthew Centrowitz para niños