Centrowitz was born in Beltsville, Maryland, the son of Beverly and two-time Olympian Matt Centrowitz, who was the head track coach at American University. His father is of half Jewish and half Irish ancestry, and his mother is from Guyana.
Running career
High school
He grew up in Arnold, Maryland, and was a track star at Broadneck High School in Annapolis. His negative split 8:41.55 win in the 2-mile race at the Nike Outdoor Nationals is considered one of the best races in prep history and was also the best high school time of 2007. His time of 4:08.38 for the mile at the Penn Relays in April 2007 established a meet record. He also went on to set the Maryland state record over 1600 meters in 4:04.09 that same year. He also won a gold medal at the Pan American Junior Championships held in São Paulo, Brazil in 2007 in the 1500m run.
College
Like his father, Centrowitz ran for the University of Oregon. In 2009, Centrowitz's split of 3.59.53 helped break the NCAA 4 x mile record on May 10 with fellow Oregon teammates, Andrew Wheating, Shadrack Kiptoo-Biwott, and Galen Rupp, shaving a little more than a second off of the old record with a 16:03.24. In 2011 Centrowitz won the 1500 meters in the Pac-10 and the NCAA Men's Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships. He'd previously won the 1500 in the Pac-10 three times. On November 29, 2011, he announced his decision to turn professional, forgoing his participation on the University of Oregon team.
Professional
His decision to turn professional resulted in his becoming a Nike-sponsored athlete, and he joined the Nike Oregon Project, where he was coached by Alberto Salazar. Centrowitz outkicked Bernard Lagat and Leo Manzano at the 2011 USATF Outdoor Championships in the 1500m. His 2011 season is sometimes described as "The Perfect Season", where he won the NCAA Championship and went on to win the national championship in the 1500m. He went on to get a bronze medal in the 2011 IAAF World Championships in Athletics in the 1500m behind Asbel Kiprop and Silas Kiplagat, both of Kenya. When 2012 came around, he qualified for the IAAF World Indoor Championships in Istanbul, Turkey by getting second in the national indoor 1500m championship, behind Leo Manzano and in front of his teammate, Galen Rupp. He would go on to finish 7th in the World Championship Indoor 1500m final, with a time of 3:47.42. On July 1, 2012, Centrowitz qualified for the United States Olympic team in the 1500 m. He finished in fourth place in the 2012 London Olympic Games in the 1,500 meter race, missing the bronze medal by.04 seconds with a time of 3:35.17 minutes. He won the Fifth Avenue Mile ahead of Bernard Lagat that September. During the 2013 indoor season, his first race was at the Seattle UW Indoor Preview, where he won the 800m. He was second at the Millrose Games Wanamaker Mile. He was first at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix mile. At the USATF Indoor Championships, he was fourth in the 800m and 8th in the mile. To kick off his outdoor season, he took part in the Penn Relays USA vs. The World, where his team got fourth in the DMR with a time of 9:19.33. He was sixth at the Oxy High Performance meet in the 1500m. He was tenth in the Prefontaine Classic Bowerman Mile, setting a personal best of 3:51.79. He won the USATF Outdoor 1500m championship for the second time this year, which qualified him for the IAAF World Championships in Moscow, Russia. On August 16, 2013, at the 14th IAAF World Championships in Moscow, Russia, Centrowitz ran 3:35.95 to place second and automatically qualify for the Finals in the Men's 1500m run, where he won the silver medal with his 3:36.78 performance. Centrowitz spent the 2014 outdoor season lowering his PRs. At the Diamond League meet in Monaco, he achieved a nearly one second personal best in the 1500 meters best by clocking 3:31.09, which ranked seventh in United States history at the time. On July 12, 2014, Centrowitz made his seasonal debut in the 800 meters in Glasgow. He finished in 4th place, running a 1:46.12. On February 20, 2016, Centrowitz won the Millrose Games men's indoor mile in 3:50.63, edging out Nick Willis. On March 20, 2016, Centrowitz won the 1500 meter at the World Indoor Championships wrapping up an unbeaten indoor season. baseball game after winning a gold medal in the 2016 Summer Olympics. On August 20, 2016, Centrowitz competed at the 2016 Olympic Games, where he won the 1500 meters race in 3:50.00, becoming the first American to win the event since Mel Sheppard in 1908. The race "got off to an unusually slow start" for tactical reasons; the first four finalists in the T13 1500m men's final at the 2016 Summer Paralympics all finished faster than Centrowitz. In January 2019, Centrowitz moved to the Bowerman Track Club under the coaching of Jerry Schumacher.
Personal life
Centrowitz's sister, Lauren Centrowitz, is also an elite runner. She completed her bachelor's at Stanford University in 2009, and received a master's degree from American University in Justice, Law, and Society in 2012. Lauren qualified for the Olympic Trials, also in 2012.
