Christopher Morales Williams is going pro.
The 19-year-old from Vaughan, Ont., announced his decision on Friday after two standout years at the University of Georgia.
Morales Williams emerged as a rising star in athletics this year, becoming the indoor and outdoor NCAA national champion in the men's 400 metres.
He signed a deal with Adidas and made his Diamond League debut on Friday, just hours after his announcement and a few weeks before his first Olympics. The terms of the deal were undisclosed.
"Very exciting. I guess I always look at it, maybe the older you get, the less emotions you have. But because I’m only 19, I’m only a kid, it’s really cool," he said. "Only last year, I didn’t even think I could be good enough to go to a (Division One) school or ever be a pro. I never thought I could be this good."
Morales Williams finished sixth with a time of 45.11 seconds in his pro debut at the Diamond League event in Monaco. American Quincy Hall won the race in a world-leading time of 43.80.
Morales Williams consulted with his father, Raul, and coach Tony Sharpe — a 4x100 Olympic medallist from The Speed Academy in Pickering, Ont., who has trained him since middle school — before deciding to turn pro.
"I just feel as though I've got to go out there, compete with the pros, live out the dream and see what I’m capable of. That’s the only way that I’m going to be able to grow as a person and as an athlete," he said.
Morales Williams plans to remain in Athens, Georgia, to train at the University of Georgia where he'll also continue his studies, working toward a degree in ecology.
"At the end of the day, I still need to get my degree first, right? I do want to graduate, and so that’s the most important thing," he said. "And then after that, we’ll see, start my life as a professional athlete.”
Morales Williams joined the Bulldogs program in the winter semester of the 2022-23 season.
As a sophomore in 2024, he first set the Canadian 300 record on Jan. 13 at Clemson with a time of 32.47. He followed that up with a Canadian indoor 400 record at 46.05 seconds on Jan. 20 in Boston.
He then reset that 400 mark with 45.39 on Feb. 9 at the Clemson Tiger Paw Invitational.
Morales Williams caught the world's attention on Feb. 24 when he set an all-time best mark of 44.49 at the Southeastern Conference indoor championships. The time also qualified him for the Paris Olympics.
However, he was later denied the status of world record holder because a Starter Information System (SIS) was not in operation at the meet, which is a World Athletics requirement.
He closed out the indoor season with a 44.67 showing to win the NCAA indoor title on March 9.
Morales Williams continued blazing the track come outdoor season, grabbing headlines once more at the SEC championships. He ran 44.05 to win the conference title on May 11, which stood as a world-leading time until Hall lowered it in Monaco.
On June 7, he ran 44.47 to claim the NCAA outdoor national title.
"For Christopher, I think, (turning pro) is a natural progression for his athletic career. He’s won indoors, he’s won outdoor NCAAs," Sharpe said.
"A guy like this needs motivation … for him to go back in school and try to repeat, I mean, that’s great but I don’t think that’s the motivation Christopher needs or wants. I think he’s motivated to continue to move upwards and onwards by competing against the best of the best in the world.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 12, 2024.
Abdulhamid Ibrahim, The Canadian Press
