Athletics | Aaron Brown, the “chronic thinker”

Aaron Brown is a new man.

For too long in his career, the 31-year-old Canadian sprinter has let his thoughts affect his performances. Being someone who thinks too much [chronic overthinker] like him, he explains to The Press“could be a wrong or a superpower.” For many years, he used to think about the worst, about the consequences of a possible bad performance.

Brown is now the father of two young children who “don’t care” how fast he runs. He has a wife, parents, and sisters who love him “unconditionally.” And friends who will “support him as long as[il va] give your all”.

“As long as I know I can count on all that, there’s no real bottom in the barrel for me. I’m going to pursue my dream and if I don’t get to where I want to get to, I can live with that. As long as I’ve given an honest effort.”

This change in mentality, which is evident in every answer the athlete gives us during our interview, came about during his disappointment in the 100 meters at the Rio Games in 2016. “From that moment on, I just thought to myself: ‘You know what? I already failed spectacularly in front of everyone at the Olympics, so it can’t get any worse than that.’”

In the last Olympic cycle, Brown made a series of “small adjustments” to his training, lifestyle and habits. For example, he spoke with athletes who “are in a position where [il] wants to be” in order to understand what their “secret sauce” is.

In particular, he changed his diet. At the time of our meeting, in December 2023, the athlete had not consumed gluten for three weeks.

“I had a teammate who said he did it and he said he felt a lot better, less swelling and all that. It showed in his performances. He felt good, he reduced the injuries. If you can recover better, you have an advantage, so I’m going to try that.”

Source of inspiration

Another interesting aspect of Aaron Brown’s new version is his message on his social networks. The Ontario native, followed by 77,000 people on Instagram, posts a remarkable amount of motivational videos. He talks about the path to excellence, perseverance, the importance of not complaining and continuing to push.

“A lot of times when you’re a young athlete, you think it’s easy to get to the top,” he said. “You see people having success and you think it just happens, but it’s a process. I try to give back and share my experience to help other athletes understand that no, it’s not easy.”

This way of doing things is also, in a way, a way for him to take responsibility because, naturally, “if you convey a message, you have to follow it.” It’s the least you can do, right? “Otherwise, people will say that you’re an imposter.”

Brown has also been transformed by his new role as a father. With a 3-year-old son and a 9-month-old daughter at home, he now has a “purpose beyond the sport” he plays.

“There are other layers to who we are. When I come off the track and my sneakers are in my bag, and I come home and walk out the door, I’m a dad and a husband. I change hats and it gives me a purpose, a space where I can be a different version of myself and disconnect from the pressure of being a world-class athlete.”

No jealousy

The fact remains that Aaron Brown is one of them, a world-class athlete. He is one of the fastest men in the country. In three Olympic appearances, he has won two medals, a bronze in 2016 and a silver in 2020, in the relay team.

In Paris, he wants to “give as many medals” as he can to the country. Obviously, he would like to add gold to his list of achievements. In an individual event, perhaps?

“I think everything I’ve done in my career has led me to this moment. I feel really strong, I feel wise, and why not go for the glory?”

For several years, Brown has been in the shadow of teammate Andre De Grasse, who has won a medal in every Olympic event he has competed in so far in his career. The Ontarian, however, doesn’t worry about that. He’s not “the type to get jealous or compare himself to others.”

“Everyone has their moment of glory. Mine could be in Paris. When you don’t capture the moment, someone else does.”

“As humans, we all aspire to be the best version of ourselves. If I got this individual medal, it would show that all the work I’ve put in over the years, all the lessons I’ve learned and all the training I’ve done has paid off.”