Evans (in red and black) comes through to beat the field in the qualifying round.                Photo courtesy of Aaron Evans.

University of Georgia sophomore and Bermudian native Aaron Evans ran a lifetime best 1.47.00 secs for 2nd place in the 800m final at the Southeastern Conference Outdoor Championships in Knoxville, Tennessee, on Sunday, May 15.  His time of 1.47.00 is significant as it establishes the new Bermuda 800m record, as well as breaks the University of Georgia record of 1.48.30 by fellow Bermudian Steve Burgess.

Commenting on his performance, Aaron said: “I feel good about the race. At first I was very disappointed with finishing in 2nd place, and then when I saw the time I couldn’t believe it. I was not expecting to run a national record.”

Aaron said it was a long day, noting that his race was scheduled to start at 6.50 p.m. but was delayed until 8.05 due to bad weather. The new record holder believes that if conditions were better, he could have gone faster.

“I don’t remember much about the first part of the race,” Aaron said. But he recalls being in the top four throughout, then making his move with 200m to go. He voiced disappointment in his race strategy, pointing out that he may have made the move a bit too late.

Nonetheless, Aaron brought joy to his parents and the Bermudian track & field fraternity, who, he said, are very proud of him. “My dad came all the way from Bermuda to see me run,” the younger Evans said.

And now, the economics major and former Warwick Academy (Bermuda) student can’t afford to rest on his laurels. Up next is the NCAA Regional where the top 12 finishers for each region will move on to the NCAA championships. “This time of 1.47.00 secs means nothing if I don’t advance,” he said.