'Healthy and fit,' Aaron Brown eager for 1st podium finish at Diamond League Final

While Aaron Brown prepared in April for his seventh season on the Diamond League track and field circuit, he envisioned being on the start line in the 100 and 200 metres for the first time at the season-ending event. This week, the healthy and fit sprinter imagines a top-three finish at Letzigrund Stadium in Zurich.

The Toronto native secured his spot in the 200 at the two-day Diamond League Final with a third-place finish in Brussels last Friday, the last of 12 global competitions for athletes to accumulate points to battle for glory in Switzerland. While his time of 20.22 seconds won't raise eyebrows, it was run into a strong headwind of -2.9 metres per second.

"I believe I would have run under 20 seconds and possibly a personal best had we had a [slight tailwind]," Brown told CBC Sports on Monday. "That bodes well for my fitness and also speaks to how I've learned to be adaptable to unforeseen circumstances as a professional."

Brown clocked a personal best of 19.95 in legal wind on July 5, 2019 in Diamond League action in Lausanne, Switzerland, about 225 kilometres southwest of Zurich. The 30-year-old, without a sub-20 performance in 2022, went a season-best 20.03 in winning the 200 on June 26 in Langley, B.C., to complete the sprint double at a fourth consecutive Canadian championships.

"I am eager to reach the top three," said Brown, who was fourth in the 200 in each of his previous four appearances in the Diamond League Final. "I still feel healthy and fit [after a long season]. Beyond the opportunity for high-level success at a major world championship or Olympic final, the Diamond League Trophy represents the biggest prize of the season.

"The fields get deeper each season so being in a position to vie for it