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Eleven-year-old Jamir Brown was on the top of the world. At the AAU Junior Olympic Games in 2017, Brown entered the 80-meter hurdle event and took gold by two-tenths of a second.

As Michele Jones-Loring, Brown’s club coach at Jersey Heat Track Club, remembers it, an impassioned Brown had a post-race interview. He told the reporter that track was his passion. In that moment, nothing could tear him down.

But Brown’s next several years of track were filled with detours. In middle school, he picked up an injury that kept him out for a season and lingered into his freshman year of high school. In his sophomore year, Brown got injured again. Colleges were suddenly hesitant to recruit him because of his injury history, Jones-Loring said.

So, Brown competed at the Division III level at Rowan University (New Jersey) for one season before transferring to Syracuse. And even through two injuries, he’s evolved into a key performer for the Orange. Notably, During the Nittany Lion Challenge on Jan. 17, he set the fastest 60-meter time in the Atlantic Coast Conference, earning him ACC Track Athlete of the Week.

“I believe he will be in the Olympic games in the future,” Jones-Loring said.

Brown was first introduced to the sport at age 4. His older sister was looking for a new track club after their family moved to Irvington, New Jersey. The family discovered Jersey Heat, and Brown’s parents signed his sister up. Brown soon joined the club, following his older siblings’ footsteps.

“I watched my sister and my brother doing it (and track) just came naturally to me,” Brown said.

Brown’s work ethic immediately impressed Jones-Loring. Working out with older kids allowed her to train him by his ability rather than his age.

Brown began racing competitively in AAU Track and Field at age 6, running the mile, half mile and long jump. His competitiveness became increasingly apparent.

“(Brown) didn’t want to hear that he won his heat but didn’t win the race overall,” Jones-Loring said. “That wasn’t an acceptable option.”

Even as one of the younger athletes on the team, Brown’s focus and positive attitude inspired older and more experienced teammates. Jones-Loring described Brown’s perseverance through injury as a “beacon” for teammates who otherwise might have given up on themselves.

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At age 11, Brown reached an early-career zenith with his AAU National Championship win. But, a year after his triumph, Jones-Loring noticed Brown seemed off at a spring practice.

Despite Brown’s insistence he could shake off any uncomfortability, Jones-Loring told him to see a doctor. The diagnosis of a groin injury ended his season.

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Brown moved to Riverside, New Jersey, on the opposite side of the state. Away from where he’d run track his entire life.

At Riverside High School, Brown played football rather than cross country because his parents encouraged it. But Brown had made it clear his passion lay on the track, not the turf field, and ran track in the spring.

Yet, injuries got in the way. Consequently, Brown was sidelined for part of his freshman season. An injury sustained during football his sophomore football season forced him to miss the ensuing 2022 track campaign.

Brown went through rehab again and recovered in time to compete in his final two years of high school. By the time he committed to Division III Rowan University and began running, he made an immediate impact. He took the Division III national title in the 110-meter hurdles and became the D-III Metro Region Track Athlete of the Year.

That resume captured the interest of many DI schools, including Syracuse.

Jones-Loring accompanied Brown on his tour of SU’s campus. Initially, Jones-Loring, who is a student at SU, didn’t believe joining the Orange would be the right move for Brown. She was skeptical about how well Brown would fit into the culture. SU track coach Dave Hegland thought the opposite about Brown.

“He has been a great teammate on the team, he’s (a) real diligent and hard worker, he raises the level of people around him,” said Hegland. “He’s been a real supportive guy.”

Making the jump from D-III to D-I was initially stressful for Brown, admitting he felt “a little lost.” However, the close-knit team made it easier for Brown to become comfortable in his new setting.

Since, he’s shown his worth in Division I. His Nittany Lion Challenge performance solidified him among the top hurdlers in the conference.

Still, Jones-Loring believes he can go even faster.

“He ran very relaxed…and he held back a little bit,” Jones-Loring said about his ACC-best run. “He will go faster. He thrives off a competition.”

Jones-Loring believes Brown was being cautious due to his injury history, not wanting to re-aggravate any injury. Brown said he’s still nervous before every race.

“I’ve been doing it (track) for so long, and I don’t want to ever disappoint myself,” Brown said.

Both Brown and Hegland concede Brown can improve his strength. Once he does get stronger, Jones-Loring hopes he can unlock new heights to his game with the hope of reaching the pro level. And maybe even the Olympic level.

“I believe he will get there,” Jones-Loring said, referring to the Olympics.

And if he can, he’ll surely top that feeling from his nationals win nearly 10 years ago.

Published on February 24, 2026 at 11:55 pm
Contact Jamie: jquinn13@syr.edu