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Tokyo Recap
I have to admit, I didn’t realize just how tough it would be to watch the Olympics live! Here on the West Coast, that meant getting up at 3:00am. Watching the Games. Then a full day of work. Then more track and field. Then bed long enough to get some rest before repeating – for a week and a half. Literally track and field Nirvana. However, my goal of writing something every day, went out the window on Day 3. So, here is my recap of one of the most interesting Games I’ve watched in my lifetime. For the first time ever, I spent almost the entirety of the Olympics…
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It’s Prediction Time – US Trials Relays
This season has been moving along so quickly, that it’s been too fast to keep up with – pun intended. Literally every few days something extraordinary has occurred. Athing Mu, Trayvon Bromell, Allyson Felix, Kenny Bednarek, Gabby Thomas, Terrance Laird, and this is just the tip of the iceberg! It’s now mere weeks from the NCAA Championships and the Olympic Trials – and time to start to spec out who’s going to be taking that trip to Tokyo. So that’s what I’m going to start doing – give my predictions of who I think us young to represent the US at the Games. I’m going to begin a bit differently…
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Doha Review
The 2019 World Championships just concluded. And I have to look at it from two perspectives. From the perspective of location, it was an abject failure. Temperature wise it was so hot that the only time to go out comfortably was midnight. Prompting the walks and marathons to be held – at midnight. And even then athletes were dropping like flies. Too hot for “fans” to attend until local hero Mutaz Barshim competed. Leaving an empty stadium for much of the meet. With athletes taking victory laps in front of no one! And forcing the meet to move to the beginning of October instead of the usual August timeframe –…
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Doha Will Be Remembered for the Four
World Championships are the highlight of the sport. They showcase the best that track and field has to offer. During each one, the absolute best of the best rises to the top to create the meet’s most lasting memories. The inaugural championships in 1983 was the debut of Carl Lewis to the world. The followup in ’87 was the debut of Been Johnson. Ninety one was the most epic long jump competition in history and the fall of the world record. So what will Doha be remembered for? What event(s) and competitor(s) will capture the crowd and our imaginations? After much thought, I’ve come to the conclusion, that this will…
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USATF Championships Review
For four days America’s best track and field athletes got together in Des Moines Iowa to decide who would represent the US at the World Championships. Lots to say, some good, some bad, so let’s start with the bad. I’m not sure what the selection process is for championship sites, and I understand that this meet is going to be held in the summer, but how many times have I seen this meet affected by rain? So on Championship Sunday we’re hit by rain yet again. Now we know USATF’s (*cough * Nike’s) affinity for Eugene where it rains most of the year. And similarly Des Moines where it rains…
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Rollins’ 12.26 Leads Weekend at Nationals
As I thought prior, this was one of the hottest National Championships in a long time – and it was lead by women and youth. Don’t get me wrong, the men got the job done and we’re sending a nice male squad to Moscow. But the women were doing spectacular things everywhere you turned – and none were any more spectacular than Brianna Rollins. Rollins started looking like gold at the NCAA Championships when she screamed collegiate records of 12.47 & 12.39 – but that was just a warm up for Des Moines. This weekend saw her run 12.33w, 12.30w before blazing 12.26 (1.2) in the final for a new…