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.
No Team USA For World Juniors
In early April, USATF issued a shocking press release, which said in part, “After careful consideration concerning both the domestic & international athletics calendar, consultation amongst the internal team, advice of security consultants and relevant government authorities, it has been decided that USA Track & Field will not be sending a Team to the 2024 World Athletics Under-20 Championships in Peru…
“We understand that this decision may be disappointing for those who were looking forward to participating, but we have the responsibility to prioritize the safety and security of all involved.”
The release went on to say the decision was made “after deliberation over the course of several months.” USATF said it considered “safety, event date and competitive readiness.” T&FN thinks Indy got it wrong.
Bach Thinks Coe Got It Wrong
Speaking of getting it wrong, there has been no shortage of criticism of WA for its decision (covered elsewhere in this issue) to pay Olympic gold medalists.
Said IOC head Thomas Bach: “International federations must treat all their member federations and their athletes equally and try to close the gap between the privileged and the less privileged or underprivileged.”
Bach, a medal-winning fencer back in the day, admits that he was paid by the German Olympic Committee. He thinks national Olympic committees should be the ones to freely decide on athlete prizes as motivation, not the federations.
“Each pillar of the Olympic movement has its role to play. It is very clear what the responsibility of an international federation is and what the responsibility of a national Olympic committee is.” Track athletes, needless to say, are quite happy with their federation’s groundbreaking move.
Monson’s Season Ends Early
Double American Record holder Alicia Monson will miss the remainder of the ’24 season after tearing a meniscus in training in March. “Attempting to run through it until the Olympic Trials and Olympics would be dangerous (if not impossible),” she posted.
“Having this track season end when it had just been getting started sucks. I’ve been working toward the opportunity to compete at another Olympics for the USA, so sitting this one out is going to hurt.”
The 25-year-old Wisconsin alum continued, “But, I know watching my friends and competitors this season will serve as inspiration as I return to running. Taking the time to heal properly will benefit the rest of my career (and life). I’m leaning on my patience, skills, and people helping me to make sure I do it right.”
WADA Changes EPO Methodology
Aussie 800 star Peter Bol spent 7 months of ’23 provisionally suspended after an EPO positive, but deeper digging into his testing cleared him. After a WADA review, testers will alter how they test for the endurance drug.
According to the Sydney Morning Herald, “The WADA review was not of Bol’s case specifically but explored the broader method of testing for EPO, which world scientific experts still criticise as being ‘subjective, old-fashioned and unsophisticated.’”
A WADA spokesman said the review found the overall analytical method for testing for EPO was still valid but recommended changes to how laboratories carried out the tests. One of those changes was to require double-checking of samples using other scientific methods if the first method detected a positive result.
Big-Money Dashing For Women
Venture capitalist Alexis Ohanian says that his firm Seven Seven Six is investing in women’s track with the 776 Invitational at the end of September and aims to modernize the sport and its fandom. The prize money will be $60,000 for 1st, $25,000 for 2nd and $10,000 for 3rd in each event.
“Most important is this had to be the largest purse in the history of women’s track & field,” says Ohanian, co-founder of Reddit and husband to Serena Williams. “Why? Because one, I was shocked when I found out what the current highest one was [$30,000 for a final event in the Diamond League]. And two, there is a healthy tension that exists, which is the prize money should be directly correlated or related to the sort of scale and scope of the event itself.”
Ohanian says the goal is to announce all committed athletes, in addition to the location of the event, before the Olympics.
Money For New Track League?
Michael Johnson’s planned new track league (Last Lap, March) is apparently doing well in the funding department. Winners Alliance, the for-profit arm of the Professional Tennis Players Association, was the lead investor and will be the league’s operating partner. Johnson says he has secured more than $30M from investors and strategic partners.
Johnson’s league, which has not yet announced a name, will include a series of events during the normal track season, limiting the number of events and athletes. Competition is scheduled to begin in ’25.
Another Russian Ban Leads To Montaño Medal
It has been a long time coming, but it appears that Alysia Montaño is going to receive the bronze for her ’12 run in the London 800.
The American originally finished 5th, but moved up a spot in ’17 when “winner” Mariya Savinova was bounced. Now teammate Ekaterina Poistogova has also fallen afoul of the testers and Montaño will be moved up to bronze position.
“A stab in the gut, in the heart, really,” is how she describes her supposed moment of triumph to CNN. “I kind of felt a sinking feeling, to be honest.”
She wants to recoup some of the financial losses she incurred by being denied an Olympic medal, and one of her current sponsors, Clif Bar, has already agreed to pay an undisclosed bonus even though she partnered with the company after the London Olympics. ◻︎