Olympic Trials Video

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EUGENE, Ore. – Former George Mason standout David Verburg is headed to the Olympics.

Verburg qualified for Team USA by finishing third in the 400-meter dash of the U.S. Olympic Trials on Sunday at Hayward Field. The Lynchburg, Va., native will represent the United States at the 2016 Summer Olympics, which run Aug. 5-21 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The top three runners in the finals made the U.S. Olympic Team.

Verburg graduated from George Mason in 2013 after a decorated four-year career for the 11-time NCAA All-American in indoor and outdoor track.

On Sunday, the 25-year-old ran a time of 44.82, just behind Gil Roberts (44.73). Two-time Olympic gold medalist LaShawn Merritt won the race with a time of 43.97.

“I wanted it more than anybody,” Verburg told NBC after the race. “I made sure I kept my composure. I'm going to Rio!”

Verburg advanced to the finals after posting the fastest time in the preliminaries on Friday and registering a time of 45.19 in the semifinals.

“It actually hasn't sunk in yet," Verburg told reporters after making the team. "I have tried to let it sink in. I've wanted to be an Olympian since I started running track. I missed it in 2012. I cried. I've never been so happy to finish third in my life. That was the whole goal. Since September I've been thinking about it. In the back of my mind, the closer it got to July, the more I was like, 'Rio. I've got to make the team.'

“For me to come out here from a small school and a small stature and still make one of the hardest teams in the world to make and become an Olympian, after that no one can take that away from me. How many people can say that they are an Olympian for USA Track and Field?"

The big stage is nothing new for Verburg, who finished seventh in the 400 at the 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials. Just last year, he won the 400 at the 2015 USATF Championships in Eugene. He set a personal best with a time of 44.41 in the semifinals and then defeated Merritt in the finals by three hundredths of a second for the gold medal.

His finish at USATF qualified him for the 15th IAAF World Championships last August and he reached the semifinals in Beijing. He has represented Team USA on several occasions. In 2014, in Poland, he took fourth in the 400-meter dash 2014 IAAF World Indoor Championships. He has also been a member of two gold-medal winning 4x400-meter relay teams – at the 2013 World Championships in Moscow and the 2015 World Championships in Beijing. 

During his time at Mason, he was a seven-time All-American in indoor track and four-time All-American in outdoor track. In 2012 and 2013, he finished fourth in the 400-meter dash at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships to earn USTFCCCA First-Team All-American honors both times. He was also a member of the 2012 4x400-meter relay team that earned First Team All-American honors for finishing seventh. 

He was twice named the Colonial Athletic Association Male Athlete of the Year and was tabbed the 2010 CAA Rookie of the Year. He was a four-time CAA champion in the 400-meter dash, never losing the conference title during his career. He also won conference championships in the 200-meter dash and the 4x400-meter relay (twice). He was also a seven-time IC4A champion in the 400 and 4x400.