NBC Olympics Coverage | Olympics Schedule | Verburg Feature

FAIRFAX, Va. – Five-time world champion David Verburg is set to make his Olympic debut.

The former George Mason standout will run for Team USA in the Olympics in the first round of the 400-meter dash on Friday night in Rio. The 25-year-old from Lynchburg, Va., will run out of lane three in the sixth of seven heats. His heat is expected to begin around 8:45 p.m. (EST) and can be watched on NBC and NBCOlympics.com.

The top three finishers in each heat, plus the next three fastest times overall (for a total of 24), advance to the semifinals on Saturday night. The semifinals, which will consist of three eight-runner heats, begin at 8:30 p.m. on Saturday. The eight-runner final will start at 10 p.m. on Sunday.

For Verburg, his goal is simple – end up on the podium.

“My goal going into Rio is to medal individually,” he said earlier this summer. “I believe if I get in the final I can get top three. I run to my competition. Whatever race I'm in I'm always competitive. I feel like if I get to the final I can medal. I feel like there is a good chance.”

This won't be Verburg's only chance to medal in these Olympic Games. He will also run on the 4x400-meter relay team. The United States is favored to win the event, which will run Aug. 19-20.

Greg Haughton is the only former Mason men's track and field standout to land on the podium. The sprinter helped Jamaica to bronze in the 4x400 at both the 1996 and 2000 Olympics. He also won bronze in the 400 at the 2000 Olympic Games.

The Mason men's track and field program has produced 24 Olympians, but Verburg is only the second to compete for the United States. Mason alum Rob Muzzio finished fifth for Team USA in the decathlon in the 1992 Olympic Games.

In July, Verburg finished third in the 400 with a time of 44.82 at the U.S. Olympic Trials to land a spot on Team USA. But he won't be a stranger to the international stage.

Since 2013, he has competed for the United States in two International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) World Outdoor Championships, two IAAF World Relays Championships and a IAAF World Indoor Championship.

He has helped Team USA win gold every time – a total of five world championships. At the 2014 IAAF World Indoor Championships in Poland, he helped the U.S. set the indoor world record in the 4x400. He ran the second leg and moved Team USA into the lead and ultimately to the gold medal as they ran a world-record time of 3:02.13.

Verburg also owns an individual gold, winning the 400-meter dash at the 2015 USA Track & Field Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Ore. He ran a personal-best time of 44.41 in the semifinals and then edged out two-time Olympic gold medalist and 4x400 relay teammate LaShawn Merritt in the finals.

Verburg was an 11-time NCAA All-American at Mason from 2010-13. He finished fourth in the 400 at the NCAA Outdoor Championships his junior and senior year. He was a seven-time Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) champ, winning the 400 all four years. He was a two-time CAA Male Athlete of the Year and earned CAA Rookie of the Year honors in 2010.

After graduating from George Mason in 2013 with a degree in sports management, Verburg has been running professionally for Adidas. He lives in Gainesville, Fla., and is trained by Florida head coach Mike Holloway.