Tyri Donovan: “Injury was the best thing that happened to me”

The British athlete sealed a memorable win at the London Stadium, marking a full-circle moment after years of battling injury

Thirteen years ago, Tyri Donovan was watching the magic of the London 2012 Olympic Games unfold. The sight of world-class athletes racing around the track at London Stadium lit a fire in him. Last weekend, Donovan returned to that same venue – no longer as a spectator, but as a winner.

In what felt like a full-circle moment, Donovan stormed to victory in the men’s national 400m hurdles race at the Diamond League meet on Saturday, July 21. Not only did he top a competitive British field, but he also matched his personal best time of 48.46 seconds while running in front of 60,000 spectators.

As he was warming up for his event, the national anthem rang out across the stadium during a special ceremony honouring the British 4x400m men’s relay team from the 1997 World Championships [Roger Black, Iwan Thomas, Jamie Baulch, Mark Richardson and Mark Hylton], who were elevated from silver to gold following the disqualification of the USA team.

The moment served as a reminder to Donovan of where he was and what it meant—setting the tone perfectly for the performance that followed.

His time of 48.46 places him among the top three British 400m hurdlers this year, with only Alastair Chalmers (48.30) and Seamus Derbyshire (48.42) having gone faster in 2025. Crucially, the result saw Donovan dip under the qualifying standard for the World Championships in Tokyo.

The 26-year-old’s success is particularly significant in light of the challenges he has faced. Donovan’s career was disrupted in 2019 by a prolapsed disc – an injury that forced him into an extended spell away from the track. Instead of stepping back entirely, he focused on recovery and self-education, spending time learning more about the mechanics of his own body to better understand how to rebuild.

That period of rehabilitation paid off last season, when he made a successful return by winning the English National Championships. Since then, his progress has been steady and focused. Balancing full-time work with elite training has been no easy task, but Donovan, who runs for Windsor, Slough, Eton and Hounslow AC, has benefitted from a strong support system. Coach Marina Armstrong has played a central role in guiding his return to form, with additional mentorship from fellow athletes she has also coached, including Jessie Knight, Chris McAllister, and…