HERE’S THIS MONTH’S collection of short takes on generally off-track activities that have gone/will go a long way towards shaping the way the sport is headed.
Sub-4:00 For Women?
A new study asserts that with innovative pacing, a runner the caliber of WR holder Faith Kipyegon might be able to break the 4:00 barrier in the mile.
The pacing would involve one runner in front of the athlete and two behind, to create an optimal aerodynamic model. The pacers would need to switch out for fresh ones at halfway, a move reminiscent of the drafting plan that Eliud Kipchoge used in the 1:59 Challenge marathon project.
The study, published by the Royal Society, was authored by a group of 4 including former U.S.-ranked steepler Shalaya Kipp. “Our calculations suggest that Kipyegon could run ~3:59.37 with drafting provided.”
Of course, the replacing of pacers with fresh bodies is a move that goes against current rules, and just like Kipchoge’s 1:59:41, any resulting performance would be relegated to the exhibition category.
Bolt Unhappy With Lyles
All the big talk is part of the show, fans of Noah Lyles insist, but apparently the man who ran 9.58 and 19.19 is starting to get irritated.
On a recent podcast, WR holder Usain Bolt said, “I remember when he just came out and he said, ‘Usain Bolt who?’ I was like, ‘Bro, stop it.’
“If you don’t know who Usain Bolt is, you’re in the wrong sport. So stop acting. Put some respect on my name. Every time he talks he says he wants to break my record, so stop it.
“He said he didn’t mean it like that, but I respect everybody and understand you’ve got to aim high and you want to break records. But I would never disrespect anyone. I would never say anything bad about these guys before me because they’re the guys who really built the platform and then we add to it, make it greater and compete.”
Lyles vs. The NFL?
The proposed match race between Noah Lyles and NFL speedster Tyreek Hill is apparently still on. Full details will be announced at a later date though Lyles told Tiara Williams of @_realtalkwithtee on Instagram that the race will be over 60 meters with a blocks start. Both are still publicly poking at each other, in an apparent bid to raise interest in the event.
According to Lyles, “I’m not here to play around. I’m dead serious about this. I’m going to bring everything I got for this.”
Hill has said that Lyles “should be scared” of him.
“Track & field has a great reputation inside of the Olympics,” Lyles told NBC. “But in the marketing sense, when it comes to the U.S., it’s just fallen short a few too many times.”
Lyles says the match will bring more relevance to the sport and is promising fans will get a good show. “I’m more thinking about, ‘Dang, I have an opportunity to break the World Record along with beating Tyreek,’ So Tyreek better be ready, because if a World Record gets dropped on his head, he ain’t gonna be able to hear nothing.”
A New Look At USATF High-Performance
“To centralize and further strengthen the organization’s medal attainment efforts on its path to the LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games,” USATF has announced the reorganization of its High-Performance Department.
Michael Nussa has been named General Manager Of High Performance and Wallace Spearmon will be General Manager Of International Teams, Athletes & Coaching Services. Both will report to Robert Chapman, who will be Chief Of High Performance Operations.
Says CEO Max Siegel, “The USOPC has put its faith in us to deliver at LA28, and this model helps ensure strong accountability and a centralized structure.”
In a possibly related move, USATF has apparently dismissed both of its national relay coaches, Mechelle Freeman and Mike Marsh.
WADA Suit Against USADA Goes Away
Has peace broken out in the ongoing war between WADA and USADA? The two anti-doping organizations have been battling for a year over WADA’s handling of 23 Chinese swimmers, who were allowed to compete in the Tokyo Olympics after positive drug tests.
Now WADA has dropped its defamation lawsuit against USADA, but no one is making friendly noises yet. WADA says it is convinced the suit would have succeeded but dropped it in “the interest of moving on.”
Travis Tygart, USADA’s CEO, says the dropping of the suit is “complete vindication” for USADA. Last month USADA said that it fully supported the U.S. government withholding its overdue $3.6 million payment to WADA.
WADA’s latest stance: “It is futile to argue with somebody who is unwilling to accept clear evidence, whose only goal is to damage WADA and the global anti-doping system, and who has no desire to find a resolution.”
Lots Of Wild Cards For Nanjing
WA announced the winners of its World Indoor Tour, each of them getting a Wild Card entry into the World Indoor in Nanjing, China. This year’s winners:
Women: 60—Patrizia van der Weken (Luxembourg); 800—Tsige Duguma (Ethiopia); 3000/5000—Freweyni Hailu (Ethiopia); PV—Molly Caudery (Great Britain); TJ—Leyanis Pérez Hernández (Cuba); SP—Chase Jackson (US).
Men: 400—Brian Faust (US); 1500/Mile—Samuel Pihlström (Sweden); 60H—Wilhelm Belocian (France); HJ—Luis Castro Rivera (Puerto Rico); LJ—Mattia Furlani (Italy).
It was also announced that since the ’20 World Indoor was postponed, WIT winners from ’19 and ’20 could also get a pass into Nanjing, provided they made the world top 50 list in their event in ’24.
Big Names In U.S. Women’s Tripling Step Down
And just like that, the U.S. women’s TJ scene has changed dramatically, as two steady national team members have coincidentally chosen to announce their retirements.
Two-time Olympic finalist Keturah Orji, 29, also won 8 NCAA titles for Georgia in the triple and long jump. In her blog she cited a variety of reasons including declining performance and a desire to focus on other challenges in life. She concluded with, “If it drains you more than it uplifts you, it’s time to let it go.”
Tori Franklin, the bronze medalist at the ’22 Worlds, also made a pair of Olympic teams. Now 32, she admits, “My heart was shattered after the Paris Olympics.” She says she has new life goals now, including a desire to pursue speedskating. “It’s time for me to begin a new chapter.”
Streaming USATF Indoor No Piece Of Cake
Fans looking for the usual streaming service for the USATF Indoor Championships had to scramble a bit, as it wasn’t until the day before that USATF announced a new deal.
In the past, USATF.tv had been integrated with Runnerspace, and fans needed a subscription there in order to watch whatever events were not part of the broadcast package with NBC/Peacock. However, that contract ran out at the end of ’24, and a new arrangement only emerged at the last minute.
Now USATF.tv is connected with Joymo, a service based in Norway that offered Day 1 USATF action for $9.99 pay-per-view.
Hurdler Grant Holloway was among those who weren’t pleased, posting, “If you plan to watch the USATF Indoor Champs, consider waiting for it to be posted on Twitter or YouTube instead of paying for the PPV. It’s surprising that we can’t watch our own championships live, which is definitely an area that needs improvement.”
World Road Champs Exits U.S.
Catching many by surprise, WA has decided to move its World Road Running Championships from San Diego to another as-yet-undetermined site.
According to the WA statement, “World Athletics is currently talking to other potential hosts and expects to announce another location shortly. We would like to thank the San Diego25 team for their work over the last few months and hope we are able to find another opportunity to host a World Athletics event in San Diego in the future.”
No reason was given, though various sources talking with Ken Stone of the The Times of San Diego indicate the issue was likely financial, despite the San Diego organizers securing a $3 million title sponsor for the September event.
The USATF Long Distance Running Committee issued a response, saying in part, “We are optimistic that the championship will go on at a different location, and TBD date later in 2025. There are no other changes at this time, including to our upcoming USATF Championships and selection events.”
Sportswashing Comes To Track?
Saudi Arabia, which has recently invested major funds into golf, soccer and tennis ventures, is now reportedly looking at track & field and is in discussions with WA about possible partnerships.
WA has confirmed that it is in talks with SURJ Sports Investments, an offshoot of Saudi Arabia’s public investment fund, about possibly establishing a new company to manage the sport’s commercial rights. Reuters has reported the deal could be worth $635 million.
Said a WA rep, “We are delighted to be in this position even if not all discussions end in a partnership. Where partnerships are agreed, we announce them.” It is thought that pressure from Grand Slam Track among others is one of the factors that has WA seeking new opportunities.
Put It All On 37-Red
Michael Johnson is betting that fans will be so intrigued with Grand Slam Track matchups that gambling will be a part of the picture. The organization has signed with Stats Perform to be its exclusive global data and betting rights distributor.
The worldwide company uses AI heavily as part of its sports data operation, and had contracts with the Premier League, Women’s Tennis Association and the International Basketball Federation.
Says GST president Steve Gera, “In addition to co-investing into the development of data and betting infrastructure for the sport, Stats Perform is also ensuring that all of our athletes, partners, and stakeholders enter this space with the highest level of knowledge, education, and integrity.”
Benjamin Has Grand Slam Reservations
One of the big-name holdouts from Grand Slam Track, Rai Benjamin shared his concerns about the meets in a recent podcast with Vernon Norwood and Noah Lyles. The 400H gold medalist says the prospect of running two races over three days is a tough sell.
“If they consider changing the structure, then it makes sense, because if you want me to come out and run 44-low and then come back the next day and run 46, 47 [for the hurdles], like, ‘Bro, what am I going to do for the rest of the week?’
“You never know what might happen. I might run 44 today and be sore tomorrow, and I got to go hurdle? And now I’m at risk to get hurt in April. I don’t get paid to run Grand Slam, like you know what I mean? I get paid to win medals at major championships.
“Let’s just take the money out of it. Everybody’s main goal is to win a medal. No one’s going to remember, ‘Oh, he won Grand Slam in 2025. But you know what everyone remembers? You winning a gold medal, or medaling at World Championships in 2025.” ◻︎
