“I DIDN’T KNOW IF IT WAS REAL or not,” says Chris Robinson of his 44.15 world leader in the 400 in Gainesville in April. “It was very surreal in the moment.”
Once he caught his breath, the 4th-placer in the Trials 400H says it all made sense: “I always knew how talented I was, plus I train with one of the best 400m runners in the country, Khaleb McRae [7th in the Trials 400]. So I see where he is at and where I am at, and I know that we aren’t too far off each other.”
Most importantly, the 44.15 is an indication that Robinson, the ’23 NCAA champion in the 400H, is on the right track now after a slow start last fall. He says it doesn’t radically change his goals for the season, which are aimed at going over the hurdles, though it may change his approach “a little.” He explains, “I definitely have a broader option now, and I have more opportunities, so I’m happy with that.”
(After his interview for this article , Robinson added a 48.92 hurdles win at the Drake Relays.)
The flat 400 at the Tom Jones Memorial came two weeks after Robinson competed in the first Grand Slam Track event in Jamaica. There he placed 6th in the hurdles at 49.21 and came back for 2nd in his section of the 400. In a wind-challenged race, he ran a PR 45.54.
“It was OK for the beginning of the season,” he says. “For the 400H, I didn’t get a proper warmup, so I’m definitely looking to drop that time. The 400 was a good race. The wind just got me in the back end. It was all I could ask for.
“The Grand Slam, when I saw it, I was like, ‘This is literally made for me.’ I think I’m one of the best people who can do both events, and I thought it could give me the opportunity to train and show that.”
Blaine Wiley, who coached Robinson at Alabama, agrees. “As we were wrapping up last year, we were talking about how money is so hard to come by as a pro. My advice was, ‘You need to be the guy that not only runs 47 in the 400H, but can also run 44 seconds in the 400m. There’s only a few guys in the world that can do that, so that sets you apart.’”
The auspicious beginnings to the ’25 season owe a lot to how Robinson’s senior season at Alabama played out. He ran a PR 47.95 at the Jones Memorial and then went undefeated until the NCAA. He ran 47.98 but lost there to Texas Tech’s Caleb Dean. Then he came to the OT, where he ran neck-and-neck with CJ Allen and Trevor Bassitt down the homestretch only to slip to 4th in the final strides.
“I can’t lie,” he says. “I went to almost like a depression afterwards, just because it had been so close. It definitely hurt me way more than you probably think it would. Especially being knocked right out, and I felt like I should have been there.”
He ran one more race, a half-hearted 48.96 for 2nd at the Holloway Pro Classic. He took in Paris on TV. “I was definitely watching. And I was definitely happy with Rai [Benjamin] coming out on top.” Unavoidably, it brought with it some “What if?” thoughts.
“It literally hit me. I don’t think there was anybody else from the U.S. in the final. I feel like I would have been there. And I definitely would have been in that top 3, top 4 spot.”
He says he’s reaping the benefits of that disappointment now. “It put a fire in my heart and gave me the opportunity to show the world what I can do later on.”
Then Robinson set out to get his future as a pro sorted. He first went to Houston, and the fit wasn’t right. In January, he found himself in Atlanta, working with Nat Page, the Georgia Tech assistant who himself was a world-class 400 hurdler. “I think I’m pretty set right now. Pretty good where I’m at and comfortable.”
The transition in coaches from Wiley to Page hasn’t been difficult, says Robinson. “I feel like he listens to my feedback and goes based off how I’m feeling. And I think we have great teamwork and it’s good for the two of us. I can stay focused on my race.”
Robinson’s road to the top of the lists is a bit unconventional. He started with cross country. “My middle school coach said everybody gets on the team without having to try out. That was the only sport you didn’t have to try out for. So I was like, ‘OK, I’ll go do cross country.’ So I did it for about four years. I always wanted to do the hurdles, but in middle school, my coach was like, no, I’m a distance guy. So I focused on everything from the 8 to the 3200 until I got to high school.”
He eventually ran a 1600 best of 5:09, and a 2:04.27 for 800. He begged his coaches to let him try the hurdles. There he showed better promise, and by his senior year he got down to 37.96 in the 300H, plus a 49.17 for 400. He was not a superstar by a longshot. Most of the recruiters focused on his teammate, Jabari Bryant, who made our High School All-America team that year.
Robinson signed with Louisiana Tech but got there to find that the coaching staff had turned over. “It was basically a whole new coaching staff, a whole new program. And it was just quite an adjustment, especially coming out of high school. And a lot of everything was on me, to be honest. It was kind of hard.”
He ran a 400 best of 48.11 indoors before the pandemic hit. Then he started looking at transferring. The coach who had recruited him had gone to South Plains, so Robinson opted for the JC route and followed him. He won the JUCO hurdle title in ’21 with a 51.32. The next year he hit bests of 46.57 and 49.18. He moved to Tuscaloosa next, and his first year working with Wiley gave him the NCAA title in 48.12.
That crown was something that Robinson had on his wish list. “Ever since I got to JUCO, my biggest thing was practicing. And that’s what I was doing from JUCO until I got to Alabama. And I could say that [NCAA title] was just something that wasn’t right there on my résumé yet.”
On Instagram, Robinson (@chris.robinson._) calls himself “The Anomaly.” It comes from a conversation he once had with Benjamin. “I told him I was going to be the first American to dethrone him. And he was like, ‘You know, a lot of people say that.’
“And I was like, ‘I hear that. I hear that. But I’m the anomaly. I’m the one who’s actually going to be different.’
“I also call myself The Anomaly because I came from so much… bad, and I’m the one who made it out. I want to show everybody that it’s OK to come from somewhere that’s not supported or come from nothing and get to something. All you got to do is just focus and stay along your path and have faith. Be driven by it.”
Robinson’s drive doesn’t stop at track. He is launching a company called Cu2 Apparel and is also working on a podcast. “It features a lot of athletes that are not in the spotlight as much. And also post-grads giving more looks on what’s life looking like after college for most athletes, and what’s their take on it.”
He’s a busy guy. “I like to keep my brain working.” His top focus, make no mistake, is getting on the U.S. team for Tokyo. Of that process, he says, “Once you get into it and you keep going and you trust in the process, it starts to roll into action and align with what’s supposed to be happening. So right now, my first pro season is going probably better than most.”
