Marvin Bracy may win a gold medal at a World Championship. One or two years ago, the sentence may not have made sense. But since deciding to forego his NCAA eligibility and signing a deal with adidas, Bracy’s track and field career has taken off on a world-class level. 

On the bright side, his football career did make him Vine famous.

He heads to Sopot, Poland with the third fastest time on the year with a 6.48 recorded at the U.S. Indoor Championships. He is the fastest man in the field as James Dasaolu (UK) and Jimmy Vicaut (France) have withdrawn with injuries. 

Bracy raced overseas for a few low-key races last summer, but did manage to pick up wins against the likes of Jeff Demps. Earlier in the year, he faced international competition by racing in Moscow, where he finished third behind Yuniel Perez and the ageless Kim Collins. 

In Albuquerque, Bracy proved he is ready for a championship stage that requires rounds by running 6.60 in the heats, 6.51 in the semifinals and then 6.48 for the crown. In his last race at sea-level, Bracy clocked a 6.50 at the Millrose Games. The only downside to that performance was the fear of a false start as runners were called back twice before the race took off and Bracy won. 

The 20-year-old star just needs to keep his excitement in check and avoid pulling a move like Usain Bolt’s 100-meter start at the 2011 IAAF World Outdoor Championship. 

At the Millrose Games, I asked Bracy about having a target on his back and he was more than welcoming to the pressure. 

Challengers 

Trell Kimmons was just .01 seconds behind Bracy in Albuquerque. He’s ready to finally get on the podium after fourth place finishes at the 2012 and 2010 World Indoor Championships. 

The two men that finished ahead of Kimmons are Nesta Carter (Jamaica) and Dwain Chambers (UK). 

Carter finished second behind Dasaolu in Birmingham on Feb. 15 with a time of 6.53 for his only indoor race of the year. 

Chambers may be 35-years-old, but he continues to post sub-6.65 times on the year. He has run the 60-meter dash eight times on the year with a season’s best of 6.52 coming in Praha on Feb. 25. This is his fastest year since 2010, when he ran 6.48. If Chambers gets fired up, look out. 

Tosin Ogunode of Qatar enters with a 6.50 performance at the NAU Invitational, which marks an Asian indoor record. He was originally born in Nigeria.

Chris Chavez is a staff writer for Flotrack. He once beat Joey Fatone of NSYNC in a half-marathon. Feel free to to reach him with any questions, comments, or feedback on Twitter or by email.