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THE BEST OF THE 2023 U.S. OUTDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS
THE BEST OF THE 2023 U.S. OUTDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS
CITIUS MAG
July 15, 2023
If last weekend is any indication, Hayward Magic is as alive as it’s ever been!
CITIUS MAG brought a full squad out to Eugene last weekend for our on-site coverage at America’s best annual track meet. We recorded more than 160 interviews in the mixed zone with athletes such as Gabby Thomas and Yared Nuguse. (You can watch all of them on our YouTube channel here.) The CITIUS squad also hosted daily live shows that recapped the highlights and surprises from each of the four days of the meet. (You can rewatch the live shows here or listen to them on the CITIUS MAG podcast feed here.) Mid-distance legends – or washed-up runners? Take your pick! – Kyle Merber, Mac Fleet, Pat Casey, Will Leer, and Garrett Heath also sat down to record a live 1500m prediction show in a laidback format that we may use for other events in the future.
The next time we’re bringing the full CITIUS MAG team to a meet for on-site coverage will be for the World Championships in Budapest in August, and we can hardly wait. USAs served as a preview for what’s to come on the world stage next month, so we know we’re in for a treat in Hungary. But to tide us over, let’s unpack all of last week’s action…
USATF Outdoor Championships
A Championship meet filled with upsets, tight finishes, and record-breaking times… what more could you ask for? We published recap articles for each day of USAs, but here are a few highlights that we can’t help but keep gushing about in the newsletter:
• Comeback hero: After battling injuries all season, Rai Benjamin defended his national title in the 400m hurdles in 46.62, breaking his own meet record in the process.
• A new steeple queen in town: Krissy Gear won the 3000m steeplechase in a huge personal best + World Championships Standard of 9:12.81, breaking Emma Coburn’s winning streak at the U.S. Champs in the process.
• Storybook ending: Although he never made an NCAA final, Tracksmith’s Cravont Charleston claimed victory in the 100m in 9.95.
•10,000m déjà vu: The top three finishers in the women’s 10,000m – Elise Cranny, Alicia Monson, and Natosha Rogers – finished in the same order in the 5000m two days later. Elise Cranny won the 10,000m and 5000m in 32:12.30 and 14:52.66 respectively.
• Collegiate runner of the meet: BYU’s Kenneth Rooks had his work cut out for him after falling early on in the 3000m steeplechase, but popped back up and chipped away to win the race in a personal best of 8:17.19
• A photo is worth MORE than a thousand words: If you haven’t seen the finish line photo of the women’s 1500m yet, where have you been? Nikki Hiltz took the win in 4:03.10 with Athing Mu, Cory McGee, and Sinclaire finishing just milliseconds behind them.
More Content From The Past Week:
Recommended Reads
Here are some of our favorite articles from the U.S. Championships:
Listen This Week: Woody Kincaid After Winning The 2023 USATF Outdoor 10,000m Title
Chris runs it back with Woody Kincaid in this week’s episode on the CITIUS MAG podcast. Last weekend, Kincaid won the U.S. 10,000 meter title for the second time in three years. His 28:23.01 victory was highlighted by a 54.76s final lap and a 26.43 closing 200m. Later in the meet, he finished ninth in the 5000m, which he lends further context to in the episode. This is Woody’s first time on the show since switching coaches from Jerry Schumacher and the Bowerman Track Club last year to Mike Smith. You can listen to the episode here and read Kincaid’s notable quotes here.
This Weekend’s Coverage:
We won’t be covering any meets in-person this weekend, but we’ll still be reporting the biggest moments of the weekend remotely. The Silesia Diamond League on July 16 will play host to world-class matchups, so you’ll definitely want to set aside your Sunday morning + afternoon for this one! You can read our full preview of the meet here.