Chris Robinson, a 25-year-old American sprint runner and hurdler, won the men’s 400-meter hurdles title at the 2026 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in New York with a personal best time of 47.61 seconds. In the same year, he won the world title as part of the American 4×400-meter relay team at the 2026 World Athletics Indoor Championships.
Before becoming one of the best in the world, Robinson went through an unusual period of being a middle distance runner, before making himself known as a dual flat and hurdle runner. After his career at South Plains College, he made an important step at the University of Alabama, becoming the first NCAA champion in the hurdles in 2023. Robinson saw how intense the competition in American athletics was during the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials, when he finished fourth and therefore failed to qualify for the Olympic Games.
In an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda, Chris Robinson talked about exercising every day with Alison dos Santos, the mental strength required to rival Rai Benjamin and Karsten Warholm, the disappointment of missing out on the Olympics by one position, his main goal of breaking the world records in both the 400 meters and 400-meter hurdles.
Chris Robinson on training with Alison dos Santos, chasing Rai Benjamin, and breaking down the hurdles elite
1. Rai Benjamin, Karsten Warholm, and Alison dos Santos have pushed the 400-meter hurdles into historic territory. How has their standard altered how athletes approach the event?
Chris Robinson: A lot of athletes can get intimidated, to be honest. But for me, that has never been an issue, and I think they could tell you that themselves. I’ve raced them a couple of times, and I told them: in order to take the crown, I got to kill the king.
At the time, Rai was the king, but now it’s Alison dos Santos. Alison and I train together every single day, so we push each other to the limit. I’m just waiting on the next opportunity to line up and race them again.
2. Looking ahead toward future championships and the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, who do you view as your toughest competition across the hurdles and the flat 400m?
Chris Robinson: For the 400 hurdles, of course you have the “Big Three” [Benjamin, Warholm, and dos Santos]. But I’d be wrong if I didn’t include Matheus Lima and Ezekiel Nathaniel—those guys are right there. But at the end of the day, I still like me over all of them.
For the flat 400, Quincy Hall is definitely at the top right now, along with my little brother from Alabama, Samuel Ogazi, who produced the world lead. Those are going to be very tough competitors, and I’m ready to get on the track and battle.
3. What are your primary targets over the next two-year championship cycle?
Chris Robinson: The ultimate goal is to get to the Olympics and break the world record. I’m trying to go out there and do what dos Santos did, but even better. The thing is, I want both world records—the 400m hurdles and the flat 400m. I want to show people that I can step onto the track in either discipline and be the best in the world.
The depth of USA Track & Field: 2024 Olympic Trials heartbreak and 2026 World Indoor gold
4. What makes the United States 400-meter hurdles environment so unforgiving compared to other nations?
Chris Robinson: America just has a far deeper margin of athletes. There are so many greats that USA Track & Field can’t just hand roster spots to anybody. It wouldn’t be fair to just pick a handful of names when our 15th-place athlete at US Trials would probably go to another country and be their national champion.
It can be a win-lose scenario. At the 2024 Olympic Trials, I got knocked out of making the team by just one spot [finishing 4th]. If I represented any other country in the world, I would have been in that Olympic final in Paris. But that’s American track and field—we have the best athletes in the world, and the times speak for themselves.
5. You bounced back on the global stage by helping Team USA win gold in the 4×400-meter relay at the 2026 World Indoor Championships. How does preparing for a national relay differ from an individual race?
Chris Robinson: Preparing for a national relay is almost second nature — it’s a natural instinct, especially when you’re already competing at a world-class level individually. In a relay, the individual pressure fades and it becomes about having fun. We come together as a team with one objective: to show the world that Team USA is the best.
6. Looking toward the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, what areas must you refine between now and then to contend for individual gold?
Chris Robinson: I just have to continue to show up and execute every single day. When I get to 2028, I know I’ll be ready. On the track, my immediate goal is making the World Championship team in the 400m, the 400m hurdles, the 4x400m relay — or all three. Off the track, it’s about growing my brand, expanding my fan base, and getting more eyes on the sport.
Hurdle mechanics, stride patterns, and race-film study with Khaleb McRae
7. The 400-meter hurdles requires precision and rhythm alongside pure speed. How significantly do technical analysis and sports science impact your race?
Chris Robinson: For me specifically, technique and rhythm make a massive difference. It can be easy to lose your stride pattern during a race, and once you get off-rhythm, it’s extremely difficult to recover. Technical precision plays a huge role in determining how fast you can run over ten hurdles.
8. How do you preserve your stride pattern when heavy lactic acid sets in down the homestretch?
Chris Robinson: What my coach and I are working on right now is cleaner speed distribution and race management. The goal is distributing my energy evenly over the first seven hurdles so I can finish the final 100 meters stronger than I have over the past couple of seasons.
9. How do you utilize video analysis to pinpoint technical adjustments?
Chris Robinson: My training partner Khaleb McRae and I watch film constantly. We study old races from legendary hurdlers, and we break down recent 400-meter indoor wins from guys like Quincy Hall and Noah Williams. We analyze their race models: Where are they making their moves? What is their cadence through each split? Then we figure out how to translate those cues into my race to make my execution sharper.
10. You compete in both the flat 400m and the 400m hurdles. How do you balance the physical toll of training for both?
Chris Robinson: Primarily, I train as a 400-meter flat runner, and then I work on hurdle technique on the back end of those workouts. Because the 400-meter hurdles is the more taxing event on the body, I limit hurdle repetitions during the competitive season and build the heavy technical foundation during the preseason.
11. Do weather and climate conditions affect your preparation differently across the flat 400m and the hurdles?
Chris Robinson: In my experience, it’s largely the same. Weather conditions don’t drastically alter my approach. I haven’t competed in high-altitude environments like Nairobi yet, which I’ve heard is distinct, but for standard outdoor conditions, the race execution remains uniform.
From distance running to Alabama history: The roots of an NCAA champion
12. You began as a distance runner before picking up hurdles in high school. What drew you to the 400-meter hurdles, and how did that background shape you?
Chris Robinson: Back in middle school and high school, I had a teammate named D’Angelo Cherry and D’Vario Bryan, who was the US number one athlete in the 300-meter hurdles. Watching them made hurdling look fun, so I wanted to experiment with it and see how far it could take me. Coming from distance running gave me an aerobic engine, which made handling the physical demands of the long hurdles much easier.
13. In 2023, you became the University of Alabama’s first-ever NCAA individual champion in the 400-meter hurdles. What did that milestone teach you about transitioning from college to the pro circuit?
Chris Robinson: Winning that title reinforced that I’m always going to be one of the best among my peers, and it confirmed that I have what it takes to be one of the greatest ever. I carried that confidence through high school and junior college at South Plains—I always believed in my talent. Winning Alabama’s first title was another major stepping stone toward proving that I belong on the world stage.
14. Who were your role models growing up, and how did they influence your career?
Chris Robinson: My role models were my mom and my older brother. My older brother was a standout multisport athlete who had colleges offering to pay for his education, and watching him inspired me to do the same. Being at home with my younger brothers, I wanted to hold down the fort and be a stepping stone for them to attend college. Now, seeing them pursue their goals while I compete professionally has been a blessing.
15. If you could have played any other sport professionally, what would it have been?
Chris Robinson: If I could go back, I would have played football. When I was in college, I actually asked my track coach if I could go out for football. He looked at me and said, “Yeah, if you don’t want to run track anymore!” So I told him, “All right, never mind!” Football players make significant money, but track has provided me with an incredible life, and I’m blessed to compete in this sport.
Chris Robinson on track economics, social media branding, and giving back to the community
16. While track and field produces world-class performances, many professionals struggle to build sustainable careers. What needs to change financially in sponsorship, prize money, and media visibility?
Chris Robinson: To help the sport financially, it comes down to eyeballs. Just like any other major sport, revenue follows attention. That starts with athletes going into communities, putting their faces out there, and building personal followings that bring new viewers to the track. I’m grateful to sponsors like Adidas who invest in us, but athletes must also take ownership of building visibility.
17. Elite athletes are now expected to build personal brands online alongside competing. How do you balance social media with training?
Chris Robinson: It depends on your support team. If you have a solid team around you pitching creative concepts, all you have to do is execute. It can be challenging for athletes who work second jobs while training, but for me, I carve out dedicated time after practice to handle my content without letting it interfere with my recovery.
18. You frequently speak about empowering youth in your community. How are you using your platform and business ventures to create opportunities?
Chris Robinson: This weekend, I’m hosting an event back in Georgia where I’ll be speaking to high school football and track teams at a black-tie gala. My goal is to give high school athletes greater media exposure so college recruiters can discover them. On social media, I’ve started sharing advice on how to navigate the college recruiting process, what questions to ask, and how to find the right academic and athletic fit.
19. What role should elite athletes play in guiding the next generation of track talent?
Chris Robinson: It’s about sharing your authentic story and showing kids what is possible. If you want to achieve something, you can do it, but you have to truly commit to the work and understand the sacrifices required to reach the elite level.
20. What is your final message to your fans and the Sportskeeda audience?
Chris Robinson: Thank you for all the support so far. Stay tuned to the life of Chris Robinson because there is so much more coming—clothing lines, podcasts, digital content, and collaborations across the board. Chase your dreams, choose yourself every day, and never stop working to become the best version of you.
Edited by Shyam Kamal
