It was a heartbreaking watch. There he was, 22 and in his final NCAA outdoor season, hoping to add to his scintillating indoor NCAA title, and then it all came to an end. A DNF in the NCAA West Regionals meant that USC star Garrett Kaalund wouldn’t be able to compete for the title. Two months later, Noah Lyles pulled himself back just after the curve, and Garrett Kaalund soared to a fairytale ending.

The 22-year-old became the first man not named Noah Lyles to win the 200m USATF Outdoor Championship title in two years. The Olympic champion was chasing after a three-peat, but unfortunately pulled up with an apparent injury halfway through. Lyles ended up jogging to the finish line, ending up in last place with 50.88.

Meanwhile, Kaalund simply didn’t stop. The USC star crossed the line with 20.04 on the clock, finishing well ahead of Brandon Hicklin (20.29) and Maximilian Thomas (20.29). It was Kaalund’s fastest time in the 200m outdoor since June 2025, when he clocked 19.96. In the thirteen months since then, the 20-year-old has finished a 200m outdoor race only three times.

He took gold at the Mt. SAC Relays in April and then ran the second fastest 200m in the prelim at his first senior USATF Championship meet. In fact, Kaalund even beat Lyles to the punch, crossing the line 0.05 seconds faster than the Olympian did in his heat. It certainly had tongues wagging, even if the 22-year-old’s performances aren’t all that surprising.

After all, Garrett Kaalund did win the 200m indoor NCAA title in March. What makes it impressive is the fact that he became the first man to break sub-20 in over 30 years. To put that in perspective, since Frank Fredericks registered 19.92 in 1996, nobody has come close to that mark. Elijah Hall-Thompson hit 20.02 in 2018, Divine Oduduru clocked 20.08 in 2019, and then Kaalund arrived.

The reigning 200m NCAA indoor champion and one of the fastest collegiate-level athletes. Even then, few expected him to go from winning the indoor 200m title with 20.56 to becoming the second man in history to break sub-20 in a year. Now, he’s a US champion for the first time and sees it as a new start to his season.

“I mean, it kinda just feels like a rejuvenation of the outdoor season,” Kaalund said after the race (via NBC). “Just coming in here, kinda just ready to just train myself against the best. I wasn’t really looking towards no medals.

“I kinda just wanted to see where I was and what adjustments I can make in order to kind of get to that second level.”

However, those that know him know exactly what he was aiming for. Now, with a national title to his name at just 22 years old, the spotlight has shifted to how Kaalund reached this point so quickly. And USC assistant coach Emanuel explained that talent alone didn’t build the breakthrough; rather, it was the daily habits he brought.

Emanuel reflects on Garrett Kaalund’s work ethic

Going into the 2026 NCAA Indoors season, Garrett Kaalund walked in as the reigning 200m short-track champion. He also won bronze in the NCAA 200m Outdoor Championships, and yet somehow the 22-year-old’s name was nowhere to be seen on the Bowerman Award watchlist. For the unversed, the award celebrates amazing men’s and women’s athletes at the collegiate level.

Despite his accolades, Kaalund didn’t make the cut, but that didn’t seem to deter him. It even spurred him on, as by the end of the indoor season, the USC star was everywhere. He clocked 19.95 to win another indoor title and set things up perfectly for the outdoor season. However, injury struck and hit him hard, forcing a DNF in what was his last chance at an NCAA Outdoor title.

It forced Garrett Kaalund to take a step back and hold off on his plans for the future. Then came his chance at the USATF Championships, and Kaalund took it. Given his work ethic, that is no surprise to anyone. USC assistant coach Emmanuel revealed that Kaalund is simply obsessed with improving.

“When he steps on the track, he’s going to give you 100% — nothing less, nothing more, but always 100%,” Emanuel told the Daily Trojan. “He’s watching film. He’s asking me questions. He’s calling me.

“He’s texting me at night, ‘What did I do wrong?’ He’s a perfectionist, and so I think those qualities rub off on other people because [they] want to know why he’s so good.”

Noah Lyles’ exit changed the outcome of the race. But Kaalund still had to seize the opportunity against a national-caliber field, and he did so emphatically. After seeing his NCAA outdoor season end without a finish, the 22-year-old walked away from Eugene as a US champion, a storybook ending.