WORLDS DAILY: The Highs and the Lows (Day 4)

The World Championships giveth, and the World Championships taketh away.

Virtually every moment of triumph at a global championship is paired with its dark, devastating twin as some competitors thrive and others struggle. We saw the highs and the lows of track and field on full, visceral display last night in Eugene as dreams came true and hearts were broken.

The biggest and most wrenching display came in the final of the men’s 110-meter hurdles, where before the race even started, Olympic champ Hansle Parchment tweaked a hamstring in warmups and had to withdraw. Then came the double-shot heard ‘round the world as a false start by 1/1000th of a second cost Devon Allen a shot at a global medal. Allen, whose father passed away shortly before his race at USAs, is a fan favorite in Hayward because he competed at the University of Oregon. The automatic false-start rules are uncompromising - if the sensors in your blocks detect that you left faster than 0.10 seconds after the gun was fired; you’re gone. Allen’s reaction time was 0.099. Virtually every track fan agrees that it’s a rule that costs the sport far more than it gives, and perhaps yesterday’s drama will spur change.

The field finals also saw highs and lows even as Americans finished at the top of the podium, where Sandi Morris was forced to settle for silver behind her training partner Katie Nageotte. Morris, who is the World Indoor champion, now has 4 global silvers but has never won a title outdoors. Nageotte navigated a tough spring season but delivered when it counted, leaping 4.85m to follow up her Tokyo gold with another title in Eugene.

Ryan Crouser finally hit the last achievement that has been evading him over the last 7 years, as he added a World Championships gold in the shot put to his two Olympic golds with a 22.94m throw, 5 centimeters ahead of 2019 champ Joe Kovacs. Crouser is an Oregon native and even though he’s already accomplished so much in the sport, bringing this particular gold home was clearly special.

The U.S. got a sweep out of Sunday’s action, but not the one many would’ve expected when the day began. Thanks to Josh Awotunde’s big PBs of 22.24m and 22.29m in the final, Team USA went 1-2-3 in the shot put. As an aside, the field event setup at Hayward should be replicated around the world, as it places the oft-overlooked throwers in the center of the action and the crowd responds accordingly.

The cruelty of the track gods was on full display in the semifinal of the men’s 1500m, where the first heat was absurdly stacked, containing the entire Tokyo podium the World Indoor champion, the NCAA mile champion, and 3:47 miler Olli Hoare. That semi ultimately may have been more stacked than the final will be, as Hoare and 2017 1500m finalist Johnny Gregorek will be watching from the stands.

In the morning session, Joshua Cheptegei of Uganda flipped the script on his rivals after finishing second in the 10,000m in Tokyo, claiming his second straight World title in 27:27.45 thanks to a 53.4 final lap. Grant Fisher was the top American in 4th, achingly close to the medals as he was only 0.17 seconds off the podium.

There was also some serious national pride on display during the men’s marathon, where Ethiopia went 1-2 in commanding form led by Tamarit Tola’s 2:05:35 championship record. Tola used a blistering 28:22 10k from miles 19 to 25 to drop the field and bring home the gold, and his countryman Mosinet Geremew outkicked the rest for the silver.

Today’s competition stands to be just as emotional, beginning with the women’s marathon featuring defending champ Ruth Chepngetich of Kenya and a trio of American medal contenders in Emma Bates, Sara Hall, and Keira D’Amato. Then the heptathletes finish up their two-day competition, where Nafi Thiam of Belgium looks to sow up her fourth global title and 2022 NCAA champion Anna Hall is in the medal hunt. And we’ll close out the evening with two entertaining distance finals, the men’s steeplechase and the women’s 1500m. No matter what happens, you’re going to be feeling a lot of feelings if it’s anything like yesterday.

CITIUS MAG Live continues to be one of the highlights of our championship experience and yesterday we chatted with Vernon Norwood fresh off his bronze in the mixed 4x400m relay and Alicia Monson not-so-fresh after a tough 10,000m on Saturday. Alicia brought along her On Athletic Club teammates Sage Hurta, Morgan McDonald, and Geordie Beamish as well. You can watch the replay below:

SCHEDULE AND TV DETAILS FOR DAY 4 (all times EST):

9:15 am Women’s Marathon Final

12:35pm Women’s Long Jump (Heptathlon)1:50pm Women’s Javelin Throw (Heptathlon)

8:05pm Men’s 200m Heats8:10pm Women’s Discus Throw Qualification8:45pm Men’s High Jump Final9:00pm Women’s 200m Heats9:20pm Women’s Triple Jump Final9:55pm Women’s 800m (Heptathlon Final Event)10:20pm Men’s 3000m Steeplechase Final10:50pm Women’s 1500m Final

Today’s an easy one to watch - if you have the USA Network or Peacock. All the TV action will be on USA, and world-feed coverage of all competition sessions will stream live on Peacock. Don’t change that channel! Chris will probably kill me for saying this… but you should probably just skip The Bachelorette this week.

Full timetable and live results | Full streaming details

MUST-WATCH EVENT OF THE DAY: WOMEN’S 1500 METERS (Presented by Hayward Magic)

Sometimes, watching greatness can get a little boring when it becomes predictable. When one athlete is so far above the field that a win is practically a foregone conclusion, it’s less fun to watch. Tonight’s 1500m final will not be boring, however.

While on paper, Faith Kipyegon is the heavy favorite to pick up her 4th global title and second in two years, she’s got her work cut out for her. 10 of the 13 women in the race have personal bests under 4 minutes, and the slowest personal best in the 13-person field is Cory McGee, who’s looked phenomenal throughout the season, at 4:00.34. This field is fast from top to bottom and there are at least half a dozen women with a credible shot at a medal.

Kipyegon’s biggest threat will likely come from Ethiopia, either from world indoor record holder Gudaf Tsegay or either of her two compatriots in the final. But don’t be surprised if Tokyo silver medalist Laura Muir tries to push the pace from 700 meters out or more, as she’s done in championship medals in the past. Either way, the combination of a talented field and a ton of fast kickers means the pace in the final could end up blistering.

What to watch for: Kipyegon will likely hang out off the shoulder of the leader until 300 meters to go. When she makes her move, see how quickly the others in the field react, because once she goes, she’s not coming back.

What to tell your friends: The greatest female miler of our era (and maybe ever) is gunning for her 4th global title.

Will an American medal: Neither of the two Americans in the final, Cory McGee and Sinclaire Johnson, have won a global medal yet, but both have been in fine form this season. If the pace is a little slower - closer to 4:00 than 3:50 until the last lap - they could take down some big names with a strong kick.

MUST-WATCH ATHLETE OF THE DAY: YULIMAR ROJAS (Presented by Hayward Magic)

As I said in the CITIUS MAG podcast preview, it would take an act of God for Yulimar Rojas to not win the women’s triple jump. The indoor and outdoor world record holder hasn’t lost a global championship - Worlds and Olympics, indoors and out - since 2016, when she won silver in Rio at 20 years old. She also has the farthest personal best in the field by almost a full meter.

Rojas is absolutely electric to watch, and when she jumps, you get the distinct sense that every fiber of her DNA was designed to do this. Her 6-foot-4 frame flying down the runway and then through the air once, twice, three times, is like watching poetry in motion. She’s also energetic and intense in between jumps, running around and celebrating the good ones and throwing her arms up in frustration after the bad ones. You can’t take your eyes off her when she’s in action - nor should you.

What to watch for: Does the GOAT break her own world record?

What to tell your friends: Simone Biles. Tiger Woods. Eliud Kipchoge. Yulimar Rojas. Any conversation about the most dominant athletes in their discipline has to include the triple-jump queen.

Pretend you’re an expert: Notoriously, Rojas’s second phase of her jumps is not fantastic - she doesn’t get nearly as much height with her “skip” compared with her beginning or end of her jump. If it looks like she’s getting higher off the ground in the second phase than normal, that’s probably going to be a big attempt.

TWEET OF THE DAY: Some seriously speedy fans

Ethiopian marathoners can really move - and so can their fans. As one of the greatest marathon nations in the world, Ethiopia probably brings a handful of staff, family members, and fans to any given championship who could probably do pretty well in the race itself!

PHOTOS OF THE DAY

A big hug between friends, competitors, teammates and rivals as Grant Holloway and Trey Cunningham celebrate a U.S. 1-2 in the men’s 110-meter hurdles.

Photo captured by: Justin Britton

Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce’s trademark hair in full flight following her unprecedented 5th global title in the women’s 100m.

Photo captured by: Johnny Zhang

FOLLOW ALONG WITH CITIUS MAG:

CITIUS MAG LIVE AT WORLDS: Every day of the World Championships, we will invite athletes, coaches and fellow media members to kick back for fun interviews with Chris Chavez, Kyle Merber, and ESPN SportsCenter host John Anderson. Today’s show will air live at 5:30 pm EST with a whole new group of entertaining guests.

CHAMPS CHATS ON THE CITIUS MAG PODCAST DAILY: The CITIUS MAG team of Chris Chavez, Kyle Merber Jasmine Todd, and Katelyn Hutchison unpack all of the day’s biggest surprises and offer up their insights and analysis from being at Hayward Field and interviewing athletes each day.

DAILY MORNING RUNS: If you’re in Eugene, catch some miles with The CITIUS MAG team in partnership with Garmin and Tracksmith Running. We’ll have giveaways, coffee and treats for people in town. On most days, we will meet in front of the CITIUS MAG House at 1981 Moss Street and go for some easy miles along Pre’s Trail, the Amazon Trail. We’ll also have a special day at Dorris Ranch. We’ll plan to start these runs at 8:30 am each day.

Tracksmith is a presenting sponsor of CITIUS MAG’s coverage of the World Championships. CITIUS MAG Newsletter readers get a special offer only during the World Championships. Visit Tracksmith.com and use code WORLDS at checkout for 20% off. That’s for all readers - whether you’re new to Tracksmith, or if you’re like me and already have a whole wardrobe in your closet. New customers who spend $150 or more can receive a free Van Cortlandt Singlet in Navy. Go to Tracksmith.com/vcpromo to add your singlet to your cart. When your total cart from other items has reached or exceeded $150, the price will reduce to $0 in cart.

In addition to our content, Tracksmith partnered with Puma to produce a six-episode podcast series with Pushkin Industries as best-selling author and Revisionist History podcast host Malcolm Gladwell explores the story of the 1960s San Jose State Track and Field team that excelled on the track but also led the protest at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City. “Legacy of Speed” features conversations with athletes, journalists, coaches, and documentarians who made it happen. Listen to Legacy of Speed on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your shows. Get tickets to his live show in Eugene here.

Hayward Magic has a lot slated for the World Championships with Demitra Carter returning with her mini mic for Tiny Talks on the track, Real Talks interviews with Tiara Williams, always-entertaining content from the 2 Black Runners Podcast, and a few other surprises throughout the week. Tap into Hayward Magic's coverage of the action in Eugene. Follow them on Instagram: @HaywardMagic.

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