Chris Borzor reflects on his Olympics 100-meter dash performance

Chris Borzor, of North Baldwin, was reflecting on his performance in the Paris Olympics last week while still enjoying the sights and sounds of the City of Love.

The 25-year-old represented his native Haiti in the 100-meter dash on Aug. 3, but did not qualify for the second round after finishing in fifth place in the eighth and final preliminary heat, with a time of 10.28 seconds.

On Aug. 9, Borzor, who gained prominence for his sprinting at Uniondale High School and then at the University of Cincinnati and the University of Southern California, told the Herald that he had fulfilled a lifelong dream despite the outcome.

“I feel good,” he said. “It was a blessing trying to qualify for the second round. I was happy with it — I can’t get mad because I’m just blessed to be here. I tried my best, but next time I’ll be way more prepared and ready.”

Borzor went up against a couple of the world’s fastest men in his heat, including 2021 Olympic silver medalist Fred Kerley — who went on to win the bronze medal in the 100 on Aug. 4 — and Great Britain’s record holder in both the 100 and 200 meters, Zharnel Hughes.

“They are some really good sprinters,” Borzor chuckled. “Coming into the race, I knew I had to give it my best, but it was a tough heat to qualify for because I had some of the fastest runners in the whole world.”

A member of the class of 2018 at Uniondale High, Borzor excelled in the 100, 200, and 400 meters as well as the long jump. As a senior, he finished fifth in both the 100 and 200 in the New York State Public High School Athletic Association Track and Field Championships.

While running for Cincinnati, he met Nadine Faustin-Parker, who had run for the Haitian national team in 2000, 2004 and 2008. She was his undergrad coach.

Faustin-Parker set up an interview for Borzor with Haitian team officials, at which he expressed his interest in running for the team. Last June, in the North American, Central American and Caribbean Athletics Association New Life Invitational in Nassau, Bahamas, he broke the Haitian national record in the 100 with a time of 10.14, earning him a spot on the country’s Olympic team.

Although his mindset was to win, Borzor had something else in mind: his country.

“The goal out here is to come out and win, but I knew it would be difficult,” he said last week. “But to go out there and just put on a show for my country, just to be able to represent — I did that.”

Asked what was next, Borzor said he planned to take a month off to give his body a break before resuming training for the World Athletics Championship in Tokyo next year.

Reflecting on his journey, Borzor encouraged aspiring athletes to stay committed to their goals.

“If you want to go to the Olympics, definitely pursue that,” he said. “Don’t give up; work hard like I’ve been doing, and anything is possible. That’s how I see it.”