Harvard has a New Track Star: Amari Turner

On Feb. 7, the Harvard track team had plenty to celebrate. Their meet in Lowell, Massachusetts, had gone exactly as planned, with Fabiola Belibi ’26 winning the 60-meter hurdles the day before, and the team firing up after Arpad Kovacs ’29 broke the school record with a time of 46.56 in the Men’s 400-meter. But the fireworks weren’t over yet. Amari Turner ’27 would cap off a great weekend for the Crimson with a school record in the 200-meter sprint with an impressive time of 20.77, marking a major spark in Turner’s career. Turner had taken a break from running during his freshman and sophomore years at Harvard. Upon his return, he is quickly becoming a star for the Harvard program. 

After taking a gap year following his freshman year, Turner did not run competitively upon returning, as he no longer met the athletic credit requirement. Thus, 2026 is his first official season. Despite the hiatus, Turner’s confidence never wavered: “I knew that I had this in me for a while,” he said in an interview with the “Independent.” 

With his recent success in the Ivy League competition, Turner’s patience is finally paying off. “I felt good, obviously, happy, but just kind of felt relieved and proven to myself that I do belong on the team, and now that people can understand and witness what I can do instead of just seeing it at practice,” he said.

Turner has always been a star in the making. A native of Sanford, Florida, Turner attended Seminole High School, where he was a standout track athlete. His school record-breaking time of 20.77 seconds in the 200-meter in Feb. 2026 wasn’t even his fastest time in a competitive event—he logged a 20.66 in May of 2023 when he was a senior in high school. 

This early success helped fuel Turner’s confidence heading into his first competitive indoor season. When he broke the 200-meter record in February, he earned Ivy League Athlete of the Week honors in recognition of his achievement. Just a few weeks later, he capped off his indoor season with gold, winning the 200-meter race at the Ivy League Championships in New York with a time of 21.21 seconds. 

With only one year left at Harvard, Turner is in a unique position, considering he has only competed for one season at the collegiate level. However, he doesn’t let the threat of time scare him. In fact, he uses it as motivation. “I know that I don’t have too much time left, so I want to make every single meet, every single competition count,” Turner said. 

What Turner has learned from the uncommon timing of his career could be valuable to those similarly feeling rushed. “Originally, every meet I was trying to swing for the fences and overperform, and do too much to try to get it all back in one meet.” With experience, Turner gained insights that improved his strategy, and with that came the titles. “I slowed it down, really just breathed, relaxed, and let it come naturally,” he said.

Despite all Turner and the rest of the track team have accomplished, their season is only halfway done, with the outdoor season set to begin on Mar. 19. Although the indoor portion has proven successful for Harvard, there’s definitely eagerness to move outdoors and continue their success. “I’m looking forward to continuing where I’m at now and where I’m leaving off for indoor going into outdoor,” said Turner.

Though it is far off, the team already has its eyes set on bigger and better things. “I want to do well, go to Nationals, run fast, and have an actual outdoor season because it’s been so long,” Turner admitted. 

Turner’s story is a very unique one within the Harvard athletics department. It’s incredibly difficult to rebound after setbacks in sports, especially in the collegiate environment. Often, it can feel like athletes have such a short window to prove themselves. Turner has taken that challenge head-on, quickly proving himself in his first competitive season for Harvard. 

There’s a lot to learn when looking at Turner’s story. It’s easy to feel behind at Harvard—athlete or not. The competitive nature of the campus environment often feels overwhelming. In that atmosphere, many Harvard students find it difficult to stay on track. Internal comparisons can be detrimental to one’s mindset. It’s difficult to silence the voice that insists everyone around you is doing so much more. 

Turner’s path to track and field success certainly isn’t a traditional one. But, exactly because of its peculiarity, it can teach so much about accepting a late start; that it’s never too late to make your mark on Harvard, or the world.

Asher Meron ’29 (ashermeron@college.harvard.edu) is comping the “Independent.”