Christopher Belcher

Raised in Sayville, New York, Belcher attended Sayville High School. During his 3 varsity seasons, he won the state championship at the 55 m and was ranked 8th nationally. He also won the Division 1 100 m dash state championship race his junior year. Belcher also competed and won the high school 55 m dash at the 2013 Millrose Games.[1]

In 2013, Belcher signed with Monroe College; In his freshman year, he placed 3rd in the 100 m at the 2014 NJCAA Division I Championships behind Odean Skeen and Andre De Grasse.[2][3] In 2016, Belcher transferred to NCAA Division I school North Carolina A&T.[4] At A&T, Belcher was the 100 m, 200 m, and 4 × 100 m relay champion at the 2016 MEAC Championships, breaking meet records in all three events.[5] He then went on to compete at the 2016 NCAA Division I Championships in the 100 m, but did not qualify for the finals.

Following his success in 2016, Belcher then went on to defend his 100 m and 200 m titles at the 2017 MEAC Championships. In the 100 m finals, Belcher broke the meet record that he set the previous year with a time of 10.04 s.[6] Belcher, along with teammates Rodney Rowe, Caleb Gabriel, and Joel Thomas defended their title in the 4 × 100 m relay with a time of 39.44 s, breaking their own MEAC championship record from the previous year.[6] During the semifinals of the 2017 NCAA Division I Championships, Belcher broke the 10-second barrier with a personal best time of 9.93 s.[7] Belcher went on to finish 3rd in the 100 m, 5th in the 200 m, and 3rd in the 4 × 100 m relay.[2]

Belcher qualified for the 2017 USA Championships in the 100 m. At the event, Belcher ran his last amateur race in the semifinals. Deciding to forego his final year of NCAA eligibility, he signed a professional contract with Nike.[8] In the finals of the 100 m, Belcher finished 3rd behind Justin Gatlin and Christian Coleman, qualifying for the World Championships in London.[9] In London he made it through the heats but was unable to advance through the semis.