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Where is US Sprinting Headed?
The US scored a huge medal haul in Rio – something always expected, but not always materialized. The expectations are always there because of our purported sprint and hurdle prowess. I say purported because in Rio it was our middle and long distance crew that led the way, as our sprint and hurdle crew has gotten a bit long in the tooth. We scored some "speed" medals, but not the haul we accumulated a decade or more ago. Where we were once THE single dominant power in the speed events, the New Millennium has seen vast improvement from the Caribbean nations. In addition, more recently a resurgence from Africa, Canada,…
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Olympic Trials Part 2 – Tough on Vets
This was one tough meet! Youngsters had a great time – perhaps too young to realize they should be nervous or afraid. Here it was veterans and favorites that fell prey to injury, nerves, bad luck, and age. I knew going in that this was going to be a transition meet – a changing of the guard. But some of those that fell were certainly unexpected. Let’s start by talking about the kids. A year ago Candace Hill was the talk of the sport, following her sterling 10.98 HSR in the 100 and her double victory at World Juniors. She and high schooler Kaylin Whitney both turned pro and looked…
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US Sprint Future on Display in Eugene
The World Junior Championships closed out a near week long run Sunday in oft rainy Eugene – yes rain struck yet another big meet here. And while I continue to have my own thoughts about making this remote northwest corner of the country the focus of the sport here in the US, one thing that did become clear is that US sprint fortunes look better than they have for a couple of decades! First my two biggest beefs of the meet. One, it’s Eugene. Yes they know how to put on a meet. They should, playing in the back yard of Big Daddy Nike they get the backing to practice…
