Curtis Beach is Still Finding his Way on the Track, But Will Miss Home Town Nationals

By Adam Kopet

A year ago, Curtis Beach was set to move from the multi-events to the 400-meter hurdles. He ran the 600 meters at the 2017 USATF Indoor Championships.

It was a big shift for the man who placed fourth in the heptathlon at the 2016 IAAF World Indoor Championships. He finished only nine points away from a medal.

However, after a season that saw him run only the 19th best time in the US over the 400-meter hurdles, Beach opted to return to the multis, according to Rick Wright of the Albuquerque Journal.

Beach had hoped to compete in front of friends and family in Albuquerque at the 2018 USATF Indoor Championships, but an Achilles' injury has forced him to withdraw.

His future in track is still uncertain. He is not ready to jump back into the decathlon, an event that requires significantly more training than the indoor heptathlon.

Instead, Beach has his sights set on racing the 800 in 2018, an event he has shown natural talent for, despite training for other events most of his career. He ran 1:47.36 in 2017, a personal best, while focusing on the hurdles.