Bryshon Nellum has quite a story. It begins with Nellum as a record-setting high school sprinter with big expectations awaiting him on the college level, but when he was shot in October of 2008 everything changed. His dreams were temporarily derailed, but a miraculous recovery coupled with a determination and work ethic that could rival any, he fought back to not only be a dominant collegian but also a U.S. Olympic team member and silver medal winner. The 2013 Pac-12 Championships and NCAA Championships remain on Nellum's to-do list and victories this weekend will help him close out another chapter of his life the right way. Nellum dominated the track scene as a prep athlete, winning back-to-back state titles in both the 200m and the 400m dash, the first athlete in the state of California to do so. He was arguably the best high school sprinter in the country, looking to break records, win titles, and forge a legacy of success in his collegiate career at USC. That was five years ago. His story ended up being dramatically different from what he imagined, but as Nellum approaches his final home meet as a Trojan, the legacy he leaves behind is unlike any other.Â
The U.S. Olympian, closing ceremonies flag-bearer, and Pac-12 champion sprinter has accomplished much in his five-year career. At the Pac-12 Championships this weekend, he is looking to wrap up his time as a Trojan with potentially three more Pac-12 titles. Nellum is set to run the 200, 400, and 4x400 relay this weekend at Katherine B. Loker Stadium. It will be only the fifth time Nellum has run in a collegiate 200 race in the past five years.Â
"I'm excited to run the 200 because I haven't really gotten a chance to run it in college," says Nellum. "I loved running it in high school, so to come back and really run it in college after all these years, I'm ready to see what I can do."
It's taken three years for Nellum to return to his beloved 200 for a variety of reasons. For one, he had consecutive summer surgeries in 2010 and 2011 to remove lingering bullet fragments in his leg. Invasive surgeries wipe the slate clean when it comes to building the leg strength necessary to sprint at the collegiate level. Also, as Nellum explains, it's taken this long for his muscles to be ready for the rigor that is the 200m dash. The shorter distance requires a faster firing of the leg muscles and Nellum says that by focusing first on the 400 he was able to ultimately build up the strength necessary for the 200.Â
"I've been doing both for a long time now and I've been good at both. I love both of them. It's hard to decide which one I'm better at. The 400 definitely hurts more. Sometimes after running the 400, the 200 seems easier because it's a shorter distance and it hurts less. I'm starting to like the 200 a lot but I can never get enough of running the 400," says Nellum.
On Sunday, Nellum hopes to finish his collegiate career the way he started, the best at both the 200 and the 400. If he doubles this weekend, he will be only the second male sprinter in Pac-12 history to win the title in both the 200 and 400m in the same year. He is determined to make this a season unlike any other. Not hindered by injury or distraction, Nellum is ready to focus on doing what he does best. Run.Â
"I just have to go out there this weekend and run my best, put a good time out there, and leave my legacy. I need to go out there and do what I was born to do," says the senior.Â
This season he set a new personal record in the 200 running 20.37 in the USC/UCLA Dual Meet, the fastest collegiate time in the country. He is one of only three collegians to run the 200 in under 20.50 this season. This weekend, Nellum will face Colorado's Joe Brown, whose fastest time this season is 20.52, and Washington's James Alaka, the two-time defending Pac-12 Champion in the event. In the 400, Nellum will line up next to his nemesis, Oregon's Mike Berry, once again. Berry, the 2011 Pac-12 400m Champion, led the 400 last year in Eugene until the final 100m stretch. It was at that point that Nellum unleashed his closing speed, catching Berry and beating him down the stretch to steal the title on Berry's home turf. This year Berry gets to challenge Nellum on his ground. "Mike is a good friend of mine. He's a great competitor. Whenever we line up on the track there's nothing too serious between us. We bring out the best in each other."
Nellum's lifetime PR in the 400 is 44.80 which he ran last year at the Olympic Trials in Eugene. He went on to finish ninth in the individual 400m in London, the top finish for an American in the race, and win a silver medal with the 4x400 team. Nellum is fourth on USC's all-time 400m list and is currently ranked third in the country as a collegian in the 400. Â
Three seasons, three surgeries, and lots of memories stand between Nellum and the October night when he was shot in the leg and his dreams of a storied running career looked doubtful. It's been a frustrating road of rehabilitation, pain, and endless hours on the track but with the end of his collegiate career in sight, Nellum is grateful his story has played out the way it has.
"The past five years at USC have been a life-changing experience. I've been through a lot and I can say that I am leaving USC as a better man and a more mature individual," he says.Â
In many ways, his identity as an athlete these past couple of years has come from what has transpired off the track. He's fought the negative perceptions others have had after the shooting, has struggled to get back to his prominence as one of the nation's top sprinters, and battled the mental hardship of repetitive injuries and surgeries. As his final collegiate races near, Nellum thinks he's finally left the trauma of his sophomore year behind, but will never forget how the same adversity has shaped him.Â
"I'm definitely looking toward the future now and leaving all the bad things in the past. I will never forget what happened because it's important to understand where I came from and what's made me who I am. I take those experiences and keep them with me. But I also look to the future because there are greater and better things ahead for me."
Nellum's story sounds like the script of a Hollywood blockbuster, but he's currently missing a somewhat critical piece. The sprinter has never really achieved success at the national collegiate level, finishing 12th in the 400m at the NCAA Championships last year. He has helped USC's 4x400 team place fifth and second in the last two NCAA Championship meets but in his senior season, it's time for Nellum to leave his individual mark. He says everything is peaking at the perfect time for these final two, most significant meets. In his words, it's about time for a breakthrough.Â
"I think we're on the right track to what I wanted to accomplish this year," says Nellum. "My body is healthy and I finally get the chance to go out and compete with a healthy season. I'm still waiting on a breakthrough. This year has been consistent but now it's time for me to have a breakthrough and I think it's coming real soon."
Catch Bryshon Nellum at the Pac-12 Championships this Saturday and Sunday. The men's 400m final will take place Sunday at 2:20 and the 200m final will be at 3:55. The meet closes with the 4x400 relay at 5:45.
