FAIRFAX, Va. – Former George Mason standout David Verburg can add an Olympic gold medal to his repertoire.

The United States won gold in the 4x400-meter relay at the Rio Olympics on Saturday night with a time of 2:57.30. Though Verburg did not compete in the finals, he will receive a gold medal for helping Team USA reach the final. The 25-year-old from Lynchburg, Va., ran the anchor leg of the 4x400 relay on Friday in the opening round as the U.S. finished second in its heat to advance to the final.

“Even though I didn’t run in the final due to injury,” Verburg said, “I am proud to say I am an Olympic champion.”

Arman Hall, Tony McQuay, Kyle Clemons and Verburg competed in the opening round on Friday, finishing second in its heat with a time of 2:58.29. On Saturday, the team of Hall, McQuay, Gil Roberts and LaShawn Merritt captured the gold, edging out Jamaica.

Verburg is the first former George Mason men’s track and field standout to win an Olympic gold medal. He is only the second Patriot to medal, joining Greg Haughton, who three times earned bronze for Jamaica as a member of the 4x400-meter relay team (twice) and in the 400 during the 1996 and 2000 Olympics.

The Mason men’s track and field program has produced 24 Olympians, but Verburg is only the second to compete for the United States. Mason alum Rob Muzzio finished fifth for Team USA in the decathlon in the 1992 Olympic Games. 

Verburg graduated from Mason in 2013 after a decorated career in which he earned NCAA All-American honors 11 times. He finished fourth in the 400 at the NCAA Outdoor Championships his junior and senior year and won seven Colonial Athletic Association championships (winning the 400 all four years). He was also a two-time CAA Male Athlete of the Year and earned CAA Rookie of the Year honors in 2010.

This wasn’t his first time on an international stage. Since 2013, he has competed for the United States in two International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) World Outdoor Championships, two IAAF World Relays Championships and a IAAF World Indoor Championship.

He has helped Team USA win gold every time for a total of five world championships. At the 2014 IAAF World Indoor Championships in Poland, he helped the U.S. set the indoor world record in the 4x400. He ran the second leg and moved Team USA into the lead and ultimately to the gold medal as they ran a world-record time of 3:02.13. 

This was Verburg’s first Olympics. He earned his spot on Team USA by finishing third at the U.S. Olympic Trials last month. He also competed in the 400-meter dash in Rio, reaching the semifinals last week.