Iowa men’s track and field hurdler Jamal Britt primed for big 2021-22 campaign
Britt’s goal for this season is to win a national championship in the 60-meter hurdles.
Iowa hurdlers Gratt Reed, Jamal Britt, and Iowa alum Aaron Mallett compete in the 60m hurdle premier final during the second day of the Larry Wieczorek Invitational on Saturday, Jan. 23, 2021 at the University of Iowa Recreation Building. Reed, Britt, and Mallett finished fifth, second, and first, respectively. Due to coronavirus restrictions, the Hawkeyes could only host Big Ten teams. Iowa men took first, scoring 189, and women finished third with 104 among Minnesota, Wisconsin, Nebraska, and Illinois.
December 14, 2021
Despite all the success he’s enjoyed during his time in the Black and Gold, senior hurdler Jamal Britt is still hungry for more.
The three-time All-American posted a runner-up finish in the 60-meter hurdles at last year’s NCAA Indoor Men’s Track and Field Championships in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
Britt was one hundredth of a second away from a national championship in the 60-meter hurdles. LSU’s Damion Thomas, who beat Britt in Fayetteville, is returning to Baton Rouge for his senior year.
With his runner-up finish last year in mind, Britt is setting lofty goals for himself this season.
“My goal last year was to make the NCAA championships,” Britt said. “To place second was an eye-opener because it wasn’t really something I expected . . . This year, the goal is to try to win a title.”
Britt already holds the University of Iowa record for fastest 60-meter hurdle time. The 7.52-second time Britt ran in Fayetteville shattered Iowa’s previous 7.60-second record. Britt set the old 7.60-second UI record at the 2021 Hawkeye Invitational in February.
“Setting the record was very exciting,” Britt said. “7.52 was a time I didn’t expect to run until my senior year. So, to do that as a junior has me wondering, ‘What time can I get this year?’”
Britt’s impact on the Hawkeyes’ roster goes beyond the track. The senior now views himself as a leader, and he wants to set the standard for the rest of the team.
“I look at myself to be a leader, as someone people look to,” Britt said. “I do my best in terms of execution, so I can set the best example possible . . . I try to help my teammates in any way I can because I want them to be the best version of themselves. And they help me as well.”
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Britt attributes much of the success he and his teammates have had to the culture Iowa director of track and Field Joey Woody has built.
“I’m very thankful to be in a program like this, surrounded by amazing people who want to achieve goals in and outside of our sport,” Britt said.
“Coach Woody has been a champion,” Britt added. “To be around someone like that has helped me succeed.”
Britt and Woody have a very tight-knit relationship. Woody is a former college hurdler himself. The reigning Big Ten Coach of the Year won an NCAA Championship in the 400-meter hurdles at Northern Iowa in 1997.
“He’s a big team guy,” Woody said of Britt. “I mean, it’s phenomenal. He wants to do everything he can to help the team win and be successful . . . and I think that’s why he’s performing the way he is. I can’t say enough good things about the guy.”
“He really cares about his teammates,” Woody added. “He’s just fun to coach.”
Britt did not compete in Saturday’s Jimmy Grant Invitational in Iowa City. Britt is likely to return to the track for the Hawkeye Invitational on Jan. 14