Michael Bingham
Photo by: Brian Westerholt/Sports On Film
Wake Forest Sports Hall of Fame 2020 Class: Michael Bingham
6/10/2020 2:00:00 PM | Track and Field
The Wake Forest Sports Hall of Fame recently held its annual meeting and selected the newest members of the Hall of Fame. The new inductees will be introduced one per day this week exclusively on GoDeacs.Com.
Michael Bingham is fast. Really fast. He is Wake Forest's school record-holder in both the indoor and outdoor 400 meters. He is the only Wake Forest track athlete to win an NCAA indoor national championship.
Then why did it take him nine years to run 400 meters? We'll get to that.
In the Wake Forest track and field record book, it would be hard to find an athlete whose name appears more than Bingham's. He owns the top five indoor 400 meter times in school history. He is the outdoor record holder in the 400 meters. And versatile? Bingham won the grueling decathlon (10 events over two days) at the ACC Championship as a freshman in 2005. Not only can he sprint, but he can high jump, pole vault and throw the shot put and javelin.
As for earning All-ACC recognition, Bingham ranks third in Deacon history with seven first team All-ACC honors. He is a four-time ACC individual champion and added four more ACC relay titles. In fact, Bingham was a key ingredient to the four fastest indoor 400 meter relay times in school history.
Speed, versatility and excellence as well as perseverance are what helped Michael Bingham earn election into the Wake Forest Sports Hall of Fame induction class of 2020. He will be one of six new inductees that comprise the 47th Hall of Fame induction class. The date of the induction is pending while the world deals with the Covid-19 pandemic.
"I am a son, husband, father, brother, nephew, and friend," said Bingham recently. "Some would say that I am talented. I may be all of those things, but my accomplishments weren't inevitable. To be honest, they were not supposed to happen nor predestined. It was not luck. In other words, which my family reminds me of all the time, I'm not special. I'm the same kid born in Sylva with a population of 2,500 to a Southern mother and a British father.
"In case you have not noticed, there were many "I's" just mentioned. -- achievement is often framed this way. However, there are a lot of people and experiences that helped me achieve all my accomplishments. It took a village to achieve all the success in my life. With a lot of rides to-and-from practice, mentoring and coaching, frank discussions that included laughter, tears and forgiveness, I never did anything alone.
"This special Wake Forest Sports Hall of Fame recognition is shared with my coaches, Scott Hall and Mike Wood, mentor Dwight Lewis, and my family and friends who provided motivation. Between all the serious discussions, laughter, tears and countless memories, I am indebted to them for all they have done to support me.
"Wake Forest is a wonderful place and no matter how far I travel, it will always be home. It's not the buildings that make it special, it is the people. I extend my sincere gratitude and I am very thankful for the entire Hall of Fame Committee, former Athletic Director Ron Wellman, new A.D. John Currie and all of the supporters who keep our current student-athletes thriving.
"This recognition is a true honor and I am hopeful I can continue to make our University community proud."
Bingham didn't arrive at Wake Forest without accolades. He was born in Sylva, N.C. and grew up near downtown Burlington. He earned a scholarship to attend the prestigious McCallie School in Chattanooga, Tenn. where he twice won the state championship in the decathlon, becoming the first prep athlete in Tennessee to eclipse 7,000 points in the event. Bingham also won state titles in the 110 meter hurdles, the 300 hurdles, the 200, and 400 meters as well as the triple jump.
He made his impact on the Demon Deacon track immediately after stepping on campus in 2004. After dethroning the defending champion in the decathlon at his first ACC Outdoor Track Championship in 2005, he went on to win the USATF decathlon that summer.
Despite his great success in the multi-events, Bingham and his coaches decided to have him focus on his greatest strength, sprinting. He won the 200 meters at the ACC Outdoor Championship in 2006 and established himself as one of the top track and field athletes nationally. Bingham won his second ACC title as a member of the 2006 indoor 4x400-meter relay team as he teamed with Brent LaRue, Willie Idlette and Eric Seely. That quartet would make it a habit of winning the 4x400 at nearly every meet in which Wake Forest competed, adding the 2006 ACC Outdoor title as well.
Bingham continued to set school records and pile up ACC championship trophies. He won the ACC Indoor 400 title in 2007 and finished fifth at the NCAA Championships.
Bingham redshirted the 2008 indoor and outdoor seasons at Wake Forest in order to prepare for earning a berth in the 2008 Olympic games in Beijing.
Bingham's father, Norris, holds citizenship in Great Britain, and Michael gained his British citizenship prior to attempting to qualify for Great Britain's Olympic team. Michael finished third in the 400 meters at the Aviva National Championships in July, thus earning him a spot on the 4x400 meter relay team.
At Beijing, the Brits finished fourth with Bingham running the third leg. He took the baton in sixth place and moved up into fourth. The U.S. won the title with an Olympic record time of 2:55.39, followed by the Bahamas and then the Russian Federation.
Bingham and the Brits left Beijing disappointed with their finish. But over the subsequent years, allegations of doping by Russian athletes reached international proportions. Eventually it was announced that Denis Alexeev, a member of the Russian relay team, had used steroids.
It took years but the Russians were forced to vacate their third place finish, allowing Bingham and his teammates Andrew Steele, Robert Tobin and Martyn Rooney to claim the bronze medal.
After it became official, Great Britain spared no expense in honoring its medal-winning relay team. Bingham and his teammates were awarded their medals in July 2017 during the London Anniversary Games held at London Stadium.
"Better late than never," Bingham told Bob Sutton of the Burlington Times News in 2017. "It was amazing."
But the nine-year delay was disappointing.
"It takes the glory away (not receiving the medals at the Olympics). You don't know the trajectory that might have been different in my career."
Only four Demon Deacons have earned medals in the Olympic Games. Bill Masse was the first with a gold medal in baseball in the 1988 Seoul Games. Tim Duncan earned a bronze in 2004 with the men's basketball team in Athens. And Chris Paul owns a pair of golds with men's basketball at the 2008 Beijing Games and the 2012 London Games.
Following the Olympics, Bingham returned to Wake Forest and continued to excel. He became the ACC Performer of the Year at the 2009 ACC Indoor Championships, winning the 400 meters and helping the 4x400 relay team win gold. After qualifying for the NCAA Indoor Championships at Texas A&M, he didn't just win the race, he did it with a time of 45.69, the fastest time in the world at the time. Bingham became the only Wake Forest athlete to win an NCAA Indoor Track national championship, joining past NCAA Outdoor Track national champions Andy Bloom and Michelle Sikes. Both members of the Wake Forest Sports Hall of Fame, Bloom won the shot put and discus in 1996 and Sikes claimed the 5,000 meters in 2007.
It was Bingham's third All-American honor and he would add a fourth just months later when he took second in the 400 meters at the 2009 NCAA Outdoor Championships.
He continued to compete professionally until he retired in 2015. He was as competitive at the end of his career as he was at the start, earning relay gold medals at the Commonwealth Games and the European Championships in his final season.
Today Michael Bingham serves as the co-owner and co-founder of Alamance Academy, a behavioral health company specializing in mental health assessments and therapy for adolescents and adults.
Put Michael Bingham on a track today, even at age 34, he'll cover those 400 meters in far less than the nine years it took him to rightfully be awarded his Olympic medal. His legend will live on in perpetuity, much like the Olympic flame.
Michael Bingham is fast. Really fast. He is Wake Forest's school record-holder in both the indoor and outdoor 400 meters. He is the only Wake Forest track athlete to win an NCAA indoor national championship.
Then why did it take him nine years to run 400 meters? We'll get to that.
In the Wake Forest track and field record book, it would be hard to find an athlete whose name appears more than Bingham's. He owns the top five indoor 400 meter times in school history. He is the outdoor record holder in the 400 meters. And versatile? Bingham won the grueling decathlon (10 events over two days) at the ACC Championship as a freshman in 2005. Not only can he sprint, but he can high jump, pole vault and throw the shot put and javelin.
As for earning All-ACC recognition, Bingham ranks third in Deacon history with seven first team All-ACC honors. He is a four-time ACC individual champion and added four more ACC relay titles. In fact, Bingham was a key ingredient to the four fastest indoor 400 meter relay times in school history.
Speed, versatility and excellence as well as perseverance are what helped Michael Bingham earn election into the Wake Forest Sports Hall of Fame induction class of 2020. He will be one of six new inductees that comprise the 47th Hall of Fame induction class. The date of the induction is pending while the world deals with the Covid-19 pandemic.
"I am a son, husband, father, brother, nephew, and friend," said Bingham recently. "Some would say that I am talented. I may be all of those things, but my accomplishments weren't inevitable. To be honest, they were not supposed to happen nor predestined. It was not luck. In other words, which my family reminds me of all the time, I'm not special. I'm the same kid born in Sylva with a population of 2,500 to a Southern mother and a British father.
"In case you have not noticed, there were many "I's" just mentioned. -- achievement is often framed this way. However, there are a lot of people and experiences that helped me achieve all my accomplishments. It took a village to achieve all the success in my life. With a lot of rides to-and-from practice, mentoring and coaching, frank discussions that included laughter, tears and forgiveness, I never did anything alone.
"This special Wake Forest Sports Hall of Fame recognition is shared with my coaches, Scott Hall and Mike Wood, mentor Dwight Lewis, and my family and friends who provided motivation. Between all the serious discussions, laughter, tears and countless memories, I am indebted to them for all they have done to support me.
"Wake Forest is a wonderful place and no matter how far I travel, it will always be home. It's not the buildings that make it special, it is the people. I extend my sincere gratitude and I am very thankful for the entire Hall of Fame Committee, former Athletic Director Ron Wellman, new A.D. John Currie and all of the supporters who keep our current student-athletes thriving.
"This recognition is a true honor and I am hopeful I can continue to make our University community proud."
Bingham didn't arrive at Wake Forest without accolades. He was born in Sylva, N.C. and grew up near downtown Burlington. He earned a scholarship to attend the prestigious McCallie School in Chattanooga, Tenn. where he twice won the state championship in the decathlon, becoming the first prep athlete in Tennessee to eclipse 7,000 points in the event. Bingham also won state titles in the 110 meter hurdles, the 300 hurdles, the 200, and 400 meters as well as the triple jump.
He made his impact on the Demon Deacon track immediately after stepping on campus in 2004. After dethroning the defending champion in the decathlon at his first ACC Outdoor Track Championship in 2005, he went on to win the USATF decathlon that summer.
Despite his great success in the multi-events, Bingham and his coaches decided to have him focus on his greatest strength, sprinting. He won the 200 meters at the ACC Outdoor Championship in 2006 and established himself as one of the top track and field athletes nationally. Bingham won his second ACC title as a member of the 2006 indoor 4x400-meter relay team as he teamed with Brent LaRue, Willie Idlette and Eric Seely. That quartet would make it a habit of winning the 4x400 at nearly every meet in which Wake Forest competed, adding the 2006 ACC Outdoor title as well.
Bingham continued to set school records and pile up ACC championship trophies. He won the ACC Indoor 400 title in 2007 and finished fifth at the NCAA Championships.
Bingham redshirted the 2008 indoor and outdoor seasons at Wake Forest in order to prepare for earning a berth in the 2008 Olympic games in Beijing.
Bingham's father, Norris, holds citizenship in Great Britain, and Michael gained his British citizenship prior to attempting to qualify for Great Britain's Olympic team. Michael finished third in the 400 meters at the Aviva National Championships in July, thus earning him a spot on the 4x400 meter relay team.
At Beijing, the Brits finished fourth with Bingham running the third leg. He took the baton in sixth place and moved up into fourth. The U.S. won the title with an Olympic record time of 2:55.39, followed by the Bahamas and then the Russian Federation.
Bingham and the Brits left Beijing disappointed with their finish. But over the subsequent years, allegations of doping by Russian athletes reached international proportions. Eventually it was announced that Denis Alexeev, a member of the Russian relay team, had used steroids.
It took years but the Russians were forced to vacate their third place finish, allowing Bingham and his teammates Andrew Steele, Robert Tobin and Martyn Rooney to claim the bronze medal.
After it became official, Great Britain spared no expense in honoring its medal-winning relay team. Bingham and his teammates were awarded their medals in July 2017 during the London Anniversary Games held at London Stadium.
"Better late than never," Bingham told Bob Sutton of the Burlington Times News in 2017. "It was amazing."
But the nine-year delay was disappointing.
"It takes the glory away (not receiving the medals at the Olympics). You don't know the trajectory that might have been different in my career."
Only four Demon Deacons have earned medals in the Olympic Games. Bill Masse was the first with a gold medal in baseball in the 1988 Seoul Games. Tim Duncan earned a bronze in 2004 with the men's basketball team in Athens. And Chris Paul owns a pair of golds with men's basketball at the 2008 Beijing Games and the 2012 London Games.
Following the Olympics, Bingham returned to Wake Forest and continued to excel. He became the ACC Performer of the Year at the 2009 ACC Indoor Championships, winning the 400 meters and helping the 4x400 relay team win gold. After qualifying for the NCAA Indoor Championships at Texas A&M, he didn't just win the race, he did it with a time of 45.69, the fastest time in the world at the time. Bingham became the only Wake Forest athlete to win an NCAA Indoor Track national championship, joining past NCAA Outdoor Track national champions Andy Bloom and Michelle Sikes. Both members of the Wake Forest Sports Hall of Fame, Bloom won the shot put and discus in 1996 and Sikes claimed the 5,000 meters in 2007.
It was Bingham's third All-American honor and he would add a fourth just months later when he took second in the 400 meters at the 2009 NCAA Outdoor Championships.
He continued to compete professionally until he retired in 2015. He was as competitive at the end of his career as he was at the start, earning relay gold medals at the Commonwealth Games and the European Championships in his final season.
Today Michael Bingham serves as the co-owner and co-founder of Alamance Academy, a behavioral health company specializing in mental health assessments and therapy for adolescents and adults.
Put Michael Bingham on a track today, even at age 34, he'll cover those 400 meters in far less than the nine years it took him to rightfully be awarded his Olympic medal. His legend will live on in perpetuity, much like the Olympic flame.
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