David Verburg

Verburg at the 2016 Olympics
Personal information
Nickname(s)	Davy Crocket, Sanka
Nationality	American
Born	(1991-05-14) May 14, 1991 (age 31) Gainesville, Florida, U.S.
Education	E. C. Glass High School
Alma mater	George Mason University
Height	5 ft 6 in (168 cm)
Weight	154 lb (70 kg)
Sport
Country	United States
Sport	Athletics (track and field)
Event(s)	400 meters, 800 meters
College team	George Mason University
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)	400m - 44.41 (2015)[1] 800m - 1:50.70 (2017)
Medal record Men's athletics Representing the  United States Olympic Games 2016 Rio de Janeiro 4×400 m relay World Championships 2013 Moscow 4×400 m relay 2015 Beijing 4×400 m relay World Indoor Championships 2014 Sopot 4×400 m relay World Relay Championships 2014 Nassau 4×400 m relay 2015 Nassau 4×400 m relay World Junior Championships 2010 Moncton 4×400 m relay NACAC Under-23 Championships 2012 Irapuato 400 m 2012 Irapuato 4×400 m relay

David Verburg (born May 14, 1991) is an American track and field athlete who specializes in the 400 meters. He holds gold medals in the 4 × 400 m relay from the 2016 Olympics; the 2013 and 2015 World Championships; and the 2014 Indoor World Championships.

Personal

David Verburg was born on May 14, 1991 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. He attended high school at E. C. Glass High School in Lynchburg, Virginia, graduating in 2009.^[2] He attended George Mason University, earning his degree in Sports Management in 2013.^[2]

Athletics

High School & College career

Verburg holds the 400m dash record at his high school, E.C. Glass. with a time of 47.15 seconds. He ran track in college for the George Mason Patriots where he was a four-time outdoor and seven-time indoor All-American.^[3]

International career

In 2010, Verburg gained his first International experience at the IAAF World Junior Championships in Moncton, Canada, winning Gold in the 4×400 meter relay.^[4][5]

Verburg was a double gold medalist in the 400 meter dash and 4×400 meter relay at the 2012 NACAC Under-23 Championships in Athletics in Irapuato, Mexico.^[6][7]

At the 2013 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships Verburg finished sixth in the 400 meter dash.^[8] The top six finishers were eligible to run in the 4×400 relay at the 2013 World Championships in Athletics and as such Verburg was selected to the U.S. team for the World Championships.^[9]

In the same year, Verburg ran in both the heats and the finals of the 4×400 meter relay at the 2013 World Championships in Moscow, Russia. His team won a gold medal and set a world leading time of 2:58.71.^{[10][11][12][1]}

At the 2015 World Championships, Verburg ran in the finals of the 4×400 meter relay, winning gold and again setting a world-leading time of 2:57.82.^[13][1]

Animal rights

Near the end of October 2018, Verburg ran into traffic at an intersection in Clermont, Florida to rescue a turtle that wandered into traffic. Becoming a viral video on social media, Verburg was a guest on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. In 2019, Verburg would launch the Golden Tortoise Rescue Foundation in his home state of Florida. Due to his views on animal rights, Verburg also has a vegan diet.