Welcome,
Now I know most people reading have never run track and field. But many don't realize that the track and field world championships includes the marathon. (and no, they don't run the marathon on the track).
Typically, I don't "recap" significant events, as this newsletter is more about the thing that pops into my head versus journalism and recapping. But this was a big deal, and it was held in the USA for the first time.
While I can never relate to losing a world championship medal, I can relate to the hardship of running.
Bad days.
Good days.
And so can you!
Keep in mind that this is brief. It won't cover every single event...otherwise, substack would probably tell me the email is too long (which has only happened when I interview other people). These are some of the highlights or events I was personally intrigued by.
So What Happened?
Men's 200 meters
Noah Lyles’ record-breaking run leads another American sweep in the men’s 200. The USA men won 1-2-3 in the 100, 200, and 400. Talk about a sweep. Noah has talked about his struggles over the past few years, and it was great to see him having fun during the meet.
What this taught me: It was not a perfect training cycle for any, but they preserved it. it
Mens' 110 hurdles:
Grant Holloway won gold in 13.03 seconds. Grant is the defending champion and also a Chesapeake native. Sadly it was overshadowed by Devon Allen getting DQued for false starting by .001. Many argue that it could have been an error, but his DQ held up.
I don't know enough about the research to comment, but people more familiar, including coaches, and people of the sport of various countries, agree the research is outdated.
Women's 100 Meter Hurdles:
Nigeria’s Tobi Amusan set a world record of 12.12 in the semi-finals. She ran a 12.06 in the finals, but it was "wind-aided" and won't count. When I watched the semi-finals, I had to replay it two more times to absorb what I saw. It looked fast, but it did not destroy the world record fast.
Women's 400-meter hurdles:
Can anyone look past the women's 400-meter hurdles? Sydney McLaughlin ran 50.68 (which broke her world record by .73 seconds). She has broken her world record four times in the last 13 months.
This video of her family cheering is fantastic. For real, I never get tired of family videos cheering. Sydney is now worlds above anyone else in the 400 meters. Will she transition into a flat 400? I hope so.
Women's 100 meters:
I did not know much about Fraser-Pryce until this meeting, but her attitude is contagious. They won 100 (and silver in the 200) and always looked happy doing it. She found a new fan in me, and I'm sure many people.
Women's 200 meters:
I also can't bypass the epic 200 m with Sharicka Jackson winning in 20.45. The women's 200 record is in jeopardy, and that's been around since 1988.
The women's Jamaican team always looks like they are having fun. They have shown race after race; you can compete at the highest level and still enjoy yourself.
Women's 800 Meters:
Athing Mu won the first US gold medal in outdoor 800. It was much closer than most thought, with Keely Hodgkinson coming in a close second.
What this taught me: Athing Mu can have off days? At just years old and from New Jersey, Mu is rarely challenged, and this race was much closer than most anticipated. But yes, all athletes can have off days, even the pros. Every time I watch a championship meet or race, I am reminded that pro athletes have off days too.
Men's 1500 meters:
In a big upset, Great Britain’s Jake Wightman wins the 1,500 meters. this was another highlight of The world for me. This might have been the biggest upset of the entire meet. His dad was a commentator at the meet!
Men's Steeple:
The Olympic champion Soufiane El Bakkali won the world championship and was a flagstick at the end. Plus, after several injuries, it's good to see Evan Jaguar back competing with a 6th place finish.
Also, we need to talk about the photographer standing in the middle of the track. He was filming another event and didn't realize the steeple was going on. You can watch here.
Women's 1500 meters:
Kipyegon is the 1500 queen, and we love to see it. Even at her Fifth World Championship win, she ran her fastest 1500. I don't think Kipygon gets enough credit because she wins almost everything she competes in. You can read more about her here.
Women's Steeple:
Even though it was 90 degrees, Jeruto broke the championship record. Emma Coburn had an off day; instead of making excuses, she wrote, it was an off day.
What this taught me: Everyone has off days. Heck, I even wrote about it in last week's newsletter! It's ok.
Men's 5000 meters:
I won't lie, this broke my heart, and it's still unclear precisely what happened to Grant Fischer. He was in contention for a medal, and with 100 meters to go, and it's unclear whether he hit the rail and fell or was spiked and fell. Either way, he fell and was knocked out of finally winning a medal. The 1500-meter Olympic champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen won gold (which was also shocking).
I think we are going to see Jakob Ingebrigtsen winning a lot of championship-style finals. Why? He has a better kick than almost anyone. If he can hold onto the pack until the last lap, he should be able to outkick anyone in the field...which means maybe we will see a more challenging run 5000. The pack will have to run hard to drop him early into the race, so he's unable to kick and win in the last lap.
You can watch the final lap here.
Women's 5000:
Gudaf Tsegay won gold. I was extremely happy for her that she was able to hold off Sifan Hassan. Sifan is not in peak shape right now, but Tsegay and her teammate lead up front controlling most of the race. When Sifan surged, I worried they would lose out on a medal, but Tsegay matched and gritted out the win.
It wasn't the best showing on the American side, with none having "great" days. Infield and Cranny said it couldn't be that day when Schweizer pulled out with a calve strain. :
Women's Marathon:
The women's marathon is probably one of my favorite events. Why? I can kind of (LOL) relate to running hard on the roads. Gebreslase won the race in 2:18.11, beating Radcliffe’s 2:20:57.
I found the coverage of the winners to be lacking as the attention turned to team USA running 5-7-8. Too bad marathoning doesn't get a team score! I was excited for Keira D'Amato, who finished 8th. Most people know, but she was only called a couple of weeks ago to run when Molly Seidel had to pull out.
What this taught me: Sometimes, you're stronger than you think. I'm not saying run marathons on minimal training (which Keira was still running a lot), but training cycles don't have to be perfect for you to do well.
Women's Javelin:
Kara Winger finally got a world championship medal in the javelin. She was in fifth place and, on the last attempt, had her best toss of the day (64.05 meters), which moved her to second place, and she got a silver medal.
What this taught me: Never count yourself out! This meet also really taught me how dangerous the javelins could be. I thought the javs might end up in the stadium sometimes during the meet.
Men's Shotput:
Led by Ryan Crouser, Team USA sweeps the shot put. I love watching shot put. As someone with minimal upper body strength, I am more amazed by just how far they throw. US men's shot put is good. This meet marked the first time any country had swept the podium. Ryan Crouser won, followed by Joe Kovacs, throwing 75 feet, 1¼ inches, and Josh Awotunde, throwing 73 feet, 1¾ inches.
Women's Shotput:
Chase Ealey claimed the first women's shotput gold! She is dominant! Ealey has won every outdoor meet she’s entered since winning silver in the indoor world championships in March.
Women's 4X100 Relay:
In a huge upset, the US women won the 4X100 meter relay. This is interesting because Jamaica went 1-2-3 in the women's 100 meters. But relay isn't just about speed; they are about cohesion and good handoffs.
Men's 4X100 relay:
Similarly, the US men went 1-2-3 in the men's 100, and Jamaica beat them. The team said their handoffs weren't as clean. It's better than the DQ of last time, but it's clear they wanted gold (then again, who doesn't want gold?).
As mentioned, this is not all of the results and nowhere close. These few piqued my interest, and you can see the full results here.
What is Keeping Me Entertained?
Obviously Worlds. I rarely recap event posts (maybe this, Olympics, and Olympic Trials), but it's been a fun few weeks, and I think we can all learn from professional athletes.
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