Brazier returned to action outdoors, but needed several meets to return to top shape.[9] He placed third at the SEC outdoor championships in 1:46.19, half a second behind Mississippi State's Brandon McBride.[8] At the NCAA outdoor championships in Eugene Brazier won his semi-final in a personal best 1:45.07.[9] The final was a rematch between Brazier and McBride; McBride led for most of the way, but Brazier passed him with 150 meters to go and won in 1:43.55.[10] The time was a new collegiate record,[11]American Junior and NACAC junior record and world junior (U20) leader;[12] the previous American junior outdoor record was Jim Ryun's 1:44.3/1:44.9y, set exactly fifty years earlier on June 10, 1966.[13]
Professional
Brazier turned professional after his NCAA victory, signing an endorsement deal with Nike and forgoing his three remaining years of collegiate eligibility.[14][15] Brazier finished 19th in 800 meters at 2016 USATF Olympic Trials in 1:48.13.[16] Donavan Brazier reconnected with his coach from Texas A&M University (Grenada’s top 400 m runner Alleyne Francique).[17] At the 2017 National Championships, he followed Eric Sowinski's early kick into a breakaway position and held his pace as Sowinski faded to win his first national championship, thus qualifying for the World Championships.
Wesley Vasquez and Donavan Brazier in the 600 meters race at the 2020 Gyulai Memorial in Szekesfehervar, Hungary
On August 29, 2019, Brazier set a new 800 meter personal best of 1:42.70 en route to winning the Diamond League meet in Zurich, Switzerland. In this race, Brazier demonstrated phenomenal finishing speed by overtaking Botswanan runner Nijel Amos in the last 30 meters, who had attempted the race at world record pace.[18]
On October 1, 2019, Brazier won the 800 meter at the World Championships in Doha, Qatar. His time of 1:42.34 was a championships record and a new American record, surpassing Johnny Gray's 1:42.60 from 1985.[19] At the end of the season, Brazier was selected for the Jesse Owens Award.[20]
On February 8, 2020, Brazier set the American indoor 800 meter record in a time of 1:44.22. He opened his 2020 season, in a 1500 meters 2020 world lead of 3:35.85. In August he ran another 2020 world lead in the 800 meters of 1:43.15.
On February 13, 2021, Brazier ran 1:44.21 in the 800m at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix in New York City to lower his own American indoor record in the event by .01.
Brazier has been in a relationship with Ally Watt; however, they broke up sometime in early 2020s.[21]
Notes
^"American collegiate record" refers to the best collegiate indoor mark by an American athlete, Derek Peterson's 1:45.88; Brazier missed Paul Ereng's overall NCAA indoor record (1:44.84) by more than a second.[7]
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