CORAL GABLES, Fla. -- Artie Burns’ latest sprint down the track broke a 38-year old American Junior record.
Burns, a Miami, Fla., native, ran a blazing 7.68 in the 60-meter hurdles at the Don Kirby Elite Invitational, setting a new American junior record. Burns bested the 7.70 ran by Washington’s Robert Gaines in 1976 and South Carolina’s Jason Richardson in 2005. The World Junior record is 7.55 set by China’s Liu Xiang in 2002.
“Artie is just touching the surface of what he is capable of in the hurdles,” Miami (Fla.) director of track and field/cross country Amy Deem said. “He is getting better each practice and it is showing in the meets.”
Burns has been an impressive freshman hurdler for Miami. He made a big impact from the first time he stepped on the track as a Hurricane, running a 7.80 in the 60 hurdles at the Doc Hale Virginia Tech Elite Meet. The 7.80 earned him a second-place finish at the meet and moved him into second on Miami’s all-time 60 hurdle list.
The 7.68 Burns ran in Albuquerque, N.M., ranked in the top five times in the NCAA this season. It also moved him closer to Miami’s 60 record holder, Devon Hill (7.55).
Burns has the fastest under-20 time in men’s 60 hurdles in the NCAA. He has posted four of the five best times in the country this year.
The rapid success should come as no surprise to anyone who has followed Burns’ track career. He was a three-time Florida state 3A 110 hurdle champion for Miami Northwestern High School. Burns also won the 300 hurdles at the 2013 3A State Meet and had the fastest 110 and 300 hurdles times in the nation during his junior season at Northwestern.
The gifted hurdler has benefitted greatly from working with Deem and Miami men’s sprints coach Devin West. Burns will look to continue to climb the record books next weekend at the ACC Indoor Championships.
