Donn Cabral

At the Foot Locker National Cross Country Championship, Cabral finished 21st with a time of 15:57.

He also won the 72nd New England Cross Country Championships at Ponaganset High School with a 5K race time of 15:29.

Glastonbury finished second to Danbury High School in the team competition.

Donald Cabral (born December 12, 1989) is an American cross country and track runner from Connecticut who went on to star at Princeton University.

He has been most successful in the steeplechase, but has also been a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) All-American in cross country and the 5000 meters, as well as the Ivy League champion at the 3000 meters.

After watching patriotic flag waving during the 1996 Summer Olympics, Cabral requested that his father wave the American Flag during one of his swim meets as a six-year-old.

In his first Manchester Road Race at age 12, Cabral's parents placed him in the starting position with the runners who run at an 8–9 minute per mile pace, but he complained, "How am I going to win from back here?"

At Glastonbury High School in Glastonbury, Connecticut, Cabral excelled in track and cross country.

He was a two-time State Open and New England cross country champion.

He was also the indoor track Connecticut 2 mile champion.

He ran the fastest high school 1500 meters in the country during his senior year.

He also established state records in the 5,000 m (14:32.60) and the 2 mile run (8:56.35).

As a freshman, Cabral was the second slowest runner on the soccer team.

He tried out for track to work on his speed.

At first he ran the 400 meters in 68 seconds.

By the end of the spring, he broke 10 minutes in the 2 mile and was considering joining the cross country team instead of participating in his usual fall sport, soccer.

In the summer of 2005, the cross country coach sent him a letter of encouragement.

During his sophomore year, he won the boys Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference (CIAC) class LL indoor track 3200 meters race and placed third in the New England Championships two mile race.

In his senior season, Cabral won the 2007 boys CIAC State Open Cross Country Championships.

He also won the New England Cross Country Championships.

Cabral placed second in the 10,000 meters (30:50.28) at the 2008 USA Junior Track & Field championships, qualifying him for the at the IAAF World Junior Championships in Poland.

During his Princeton running career, Cabral was a three-time NCAA All-America in the steeplechase, two-time outdoor NCAA All-America in the 5000 meter, two-time cross country NCAA All-America, and one-time indoor NCAA All-America in the 5000 meter.

In his second time running the event, he won at the 2010 Penn Relays.

That year he was the Ivy League outdoor 10,000 meter and steeplechase champion and the indoor runner-up in the 3000 meters and 5000 meters.

He finished second at the NCAA championships with a time of 8:38.90.

As a junior in 2010–11, he placed 34th at the November 22, 2010 NCAA Men's Cross Country Championship, earning All-American recognition for his top-40 finish.

Then, he repeated as the Ivy League outdoor 10,000 meter and steeplechase champion and became the indoor champion in the 3000 meters and 5000 meters.

He is a former American collegiate steeplechase record holder and was the 2012 NCAA steeplechase champion.

He competed in the 2012 Summer Olympics and 2016 Summer Olympics in the steeplechase.

At Princeton, Cabral was an eight-time NCAA All-American and ten-time individual Ivy League champion.

He was a long distance running champion in high school for Glastonbury High School, winning two Class LL championships as a sophomore and then open state and New England championships as a junior and senior.

Early on, Cabral showed interest in Olympic competition and high caliber racing.

As a senior, Cabral became the 2012 NCAA champion in the steeplechase after having been the runner-up to Matt Hughes in the two prior NCAA steeplechase championships.

As a freshman, Cabral endured a plantar fascia tear while waterskiing and did not compete in cross country.

He did not compete in the steeplechase until his sophomore season at Princeton.

At the Foot Locker National Cross Country Championship at Balboa Park in San Diego, Cabral finished 8th with a time of 15:19, which tied the best ever finish by a Connecticut runner.

In May, his 4:09.80 became the best mile time of the school year for an American high schooler.

He finished third in the CIAC Cross Country Open Championships and 19th in the New England Championships.

His cross country performance earned him the Class LL championship that year.

As a junior, Cabral won the CIAC Cross Country Open Championships.