Michael Granville

Michael Granville is a retired American 800 metres runner. He is known for being the National High School record holder in the race. Running for Bell Gardens High School set the record of 1:46.45 in the trial round of the 1996 CIF California State Meet at Cerritos College in Norwalk, California. He went on to win the state meet the following day, but after setting the record he claims he just "dogged it."^[1] He had won the race two years earlier and was upset into second by Aaron Richburg, in a major surprise the year before.^[2][3]

Granville also holds the indoor 800 metres record and set the class record at 800 metres at all four levels of high school; 1:51.03 as a freshman, 1:48.98 as a sophomore and 1:47.96 as a junior. He is reputed to have run the race around 1:56 in 8th grade. He also won the prestigious Arcadia Invitational multiple times.

Granville was trained by his father, on grass at nearby Bell Gardens Middle School, separate from the rest of his team. His father felt training on grass "makes you work harder."^[4]

The 1:46.45 qualified Granville to run in the United States Olympic Trials, skipping his high school graduation, a few weeks later where he advanced to the quarter finals behind the previous High School record holder George Kersh.^[5]

After high school, Granville went to UCLA where, without his father's coaching, his times did not improve. He did, however, win two national championships as a member of the school's 1999 4x400 metres relay and distance medley relay teams.

References

1. ^ http://www.flotrack.org/coverage/235221-US-AthleteCoaches-Interviews/video/176544-Michael-Granville-800m-High-School-National-Record-Holder
2. ^ http://www.dyestatcal.com/ATHLETICS/TRACK/stateres.htm
3. ^ http://www.talk.dyestat.com/showthread.php?t=85326
4. ^ http://articles.latimes.com/1994-05-22/sports/sp-60793_1_bell-gardens
5. ^ http://www.usatf.org/usatf/files/69/695a8112-b7a0-4b9d-9dbb-8b4bca22677c.pdf

External links

IAAF profile for Michael Granville