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Let’s Prepare for LA28
As I write this the 2026 season is basically over. The Diamond League Final is done and the World Ultimate meet is within days of being held. We’re facing a few months of “off-season” training before the 2027 indoor season will begin. With the 2026 season ending, only the 2027 season remains before the Olympic year begins. That gives the sport roughly two seasons to build momentum before Los Angeles 2028. That’s not a lot of time to build an audience in this country, which is why I’m sounding the alarm, now. Currently the sport of track and field is focused on Europe. When you look at the countries that…
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Early Trials Thoughts
It’s about that time. We’re about three weeks until the Olympic Trials. Here in the US that’s what we call our Olympic team selection meet. Other countries call it something else. While still others use a completely different selection process. No matter what it’s called, or how it’s done, by the end of June we will know who will be competing in Paris! As the season has progressed, there has been much talk about the competitions to date and how athletes have looked. All of which is really preparation for the Trials and the subsequent Olympics. So, how do things look as we approach the Trials? It’s been a very…
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Budapest Was As Good As Advertised
Prior to the start of Budapest 2023, I foresaw this as potentially one of the greatest championships ever. The losses of several top athletes didn’t deter me from this thought. Now that the meet has been run and the results are in, I would say that my original assessment was correct. The depth of talent in this sport is greater than it’s ever been. From late 30 year old veterans to young 19 and 20 year olds, I don’t think the sport has ever been better talent wise from top to bottom. Things started quite excitedly as the finals of the mixed relay and women’s 10,000 provided both tragedy and…
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The Best of 202One
We had to wait two years for 202One. The athletes had to adjust to what amounted to the craziest circumstances ever faced in an Olympic build up. After all was said and done however, and the Olympic season was one of the best ever! ! Hats off to the athletes who performed most admirably. Literally every week of the season produced performances that could stand on their own in any year of competition. Leaving me to attempt the nearly impossible. Identify the best athletes of 202One. Don’t get me wrong. There were easily a hundred outstanding races, vaults, throws, jumps over the course of the year. What I’m going to…
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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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The Games Have Arrived!
It’s here. The Tokyo Olympic Games have finally arrived.We’ve had several sports already take place, and now it’s time for the heart of the Olympics, Track and Field, to take to the stage! The world has been waiting for five years, half a decade, for the next week and a half. And while there have been World Championships and other championship meets that have taken place in the time in between, for track and field the Olympics are IT!. It’s the one time every four years that the world actually pays attention to this sport. Many people don’t know that for most of his career, Usain Bolt rarely competed –…
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Were Meets Necessary This Year?
I am a track and field junkie! It’s easily my favorite sport. So I’ve been pleased to have track back to watch. But everyone hasn’t been as excited. I’ve had some people ask me, “why are they running?”. The position being that, a) it’s not safe to be competing right now. and b) what we’ve been watching isn’t really track and field. At least some of the earlier competitions. Valid questions. Having gone through this truncated season, some things worked, and some things didn’t. But, in the long run, I personally think it was necessary. Should we have had meets? Actually a question that’s been asked by many is, should we…
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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…