Britton Wilson (born 13 November 2000) is an American track and field athlete specializing in the 400 meters hurdles and 400 meters. She finished fifth in the 400 m hurdles at the 2022 World Athletics Championships, her major championship debut. Wilson became the North American indoor record holder for the 400 m dash with a time of 49.48 seconds, set on March 11, 2023, in Albuquerque.
She was the first North American woman to break the 50-second barrier and now the third woman ever under 49.50 s in the indoor 400 m. At the same meet in March 2023, she was part of the mixed nationality women's team that set the fastest indoor performance in history in the 4 × 400 m relay with 3:21.75. At the time, her split of 49.19 s was the fastest indoor split in world history. Wilson is a two-time individual NCAA Division I champion.
Career 2021–2022 Initially a student at the University of Tennessee, Wilson switched to University of Arkansas in 2021 after suffering mental health issues. The change to Arkansas proved a catalyst to her most successful season as she won the 400 meters hurdles at the NCAA Division I Outdoors in June 2022 representing the Arkansas Razorbacks in a time of 53.86, finishing nearly a whole second ahead of second-placed Anna Hall. Prior to this Wilson had won both the 400 m hurdles and 400 m dash at the SEC Championships as well as helped the Razorbacks to third in the 4 × 400 m relay with a split time of 48.60, the fastest ever single lap in collegiate history.
She finished second in the 400 m hurdles to world record holder Sydney McLaughlin at the 2022 USATF Championships as McLaughlin broke her own world record. Wilson ran a personal best time of 53.08 as runner up. She was named in the American squad for the 2022 World Athletics Championships, where she placed fifth in the final in a time of 54.02 s.
2023–present Wilson's 2023 indoor season started with a collegiate indoor record in the 600 m with a time of 1:25.16, beating Athing Mu's previous best set in 2021. On March 11 at the NCCA Division I Indoors in Albuquerque, New Mexico (at altitude), she broke the North American indoor 400 m record by over half a second with the second-fastest mark on the respective world all-time list of 49.48 seconds, a time that would have been a world indoor record before February 19 when Femke Bol achieved 49.26 s. It was the fastest ever run by a collegian indoors or out as Wilson's mark bettered Mu's NCAA outdoor record (49.57). She added title for the 4 × 400 m relay with a 49.19 s anchor, the fastest indoor split in world history.
Britton showed no mercy to the collegiate record book about a month later again and eventually broke Mu's outdoor record too, clocking 49.51 s at the Tom Jones Memorial in Gainesville, Florida. She lowered her record to 49.13 seconds at the SEC Championships in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, a further month later, on May 13, to move up to fourth / eighth / 17th on the U.S. / NACAC / world all-time lists respectively. The 22-year-old won also the 400 m hurdles in 53.28 s just an hour later to achieve the best ever one-day such double.
Competing at the 2023 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, in Eugene, Oregon, she finished second in the final of the 400 m. A few days later on July 10, Wilson announced she would forego the rest of her NCAA eligibility and had signed a professional contract with Adidas. She was selected for the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest in August 2023.
On 12 July 2025, having missed a year of racing due to a stress fracture, she won the 400 metres in 50.54 seconds at the Ed Murphey Track Classic, a World Athletics Continental Tour Silver event, in Memphis, Tennessee. She qualified for the final of the 400 metres at the 2025 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, running 50.25 seconds in her semi-final, before placing sixth in the final in 50.88 seconds. She was subsequently selected for the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Japan, where she ran in the women's x 400 metres relay.
Achievements Personal bests EventTimeVenueDateNotes400 m hurdles53.08Eugene, OR, United StatesJune 25, 2022400 meters49.13Baton Rouge, LA, United StatesMay 13, 2023, 4th U.S. all time4 × 400 m relay split48.60Oxford, MS, United StatesMay 14, 2022fourth leg, 1st collegiate all time400 meters indoor49.48 Albuquerque, NM, United StatesMarch 11, 2023 North American record, 2nd all time4 × 400 m relay indoor split49.19 iAlbuquerque, NM, United StatesMarch 11, 2023, fourth leg, 1st all time600 meters indoor1:25.16 iFayetteville, AR, United StatesJanuary 13, 2023800 meters indoor2:02.13 iFayetteville, AR, United StatesFebruary 17, 2023
International competitions 2019Pan American U20 ChampionshipsSan José, Costa Rica5th400 m hurdles58.192022World ChampionshipsEugene, OR, United States5th400 m hurdles54.02(sf: 53.72)1st4 × 400 m relay3:17.79 (49.39 split)2023World ChampionshipsBudapest, Hungary46th (h)400 m53.872025World ChampionshipsTokyo, Japan1st (heats only)4 × 400 m relay3:22.53 (50.65 split)
National championships Representing Central Virginia T&F Club / Mills E. Godwin High School2016NSAF Indoor NationalsNew York City5th400 m57.02NSAF NationalsGreensboro, North Carolina1st400 m54.302017NSAF Indoor NationalsNew York City3rd400 m53.25NSAF NationalsGreensboro, North Carolina7th400 m53.7725th (h)4 × 100 m relay48.181st4 × 200 m relay1:39.582018NSAF Indoor NationalsNew York City6th400 m54.70(h: )USATF U20 ChampionshipsBloomington, Indiana5th400 m hurdles57.952019NSAF Indoor NationalsNew York City2nd400 m52.72NSAF NationalsGreensboro, North Carolina1st400 m hurdles56.7731st4 × 200 m relay1:42.73USATF U20 ChampionshipsMiramar, Florida1st400 m hurdles56.36Representing Tennessee Volunteers2021NCAA Division I Indoor ChampionshipsFayetteville, Arkansas12th4 × 400 m relay3:36.60US Olympic TrialsEugene, Oregon25th (h)400 m hurdles59.95Representing Arkansas Razorbacks2022NCAA Division I Indoor ChampionshipsBirmingham, Alabama6th400 m51.521st4 × 400 m relay3:27.23NCAA Division I ChampionshipsEugene, Oregon1st400 m hurdles53.863rd4 × 400 m relay3:23.69USATF ChampionshipsEugene, Oregon2nd400 m hurdles53.082023NCAA Division I Indoor ChampionshipsAlbuquerque, New Mexico1st400 m49.48 1st4 × 400 m relay3:21.75 (49.19 split)NCAA Division I ChampionshipsAustin, Texas7th400 m hurdles55.922nd400 m49.64USATF ChampionshipsEugene, Oregon2nd400 m49.79Representing Adidas Sources:Britton Wilson profile – Athletic.netBritton Wilson profile – TFRRS
References
External links
Arkansas Razorbacks bio Tennessee Volunteers bio