WORLDS DAILY: Murphy's Law of Relays (Day 10)

Anything that can go wrong in a relay will go wrong in the final.

The 4x100m relay might be the most exciting and anxiety-inducing event in all of track and field. Trying to pass a baton among four different humans all running over 20 miles per hour without slowing down, tripping up, or leaving the legal exchange zone is no easy task, and there’s a reason why so often having the four fastest times does not add up to a gold medal.

We saw that in both 4x100ms last night, when both teams featuring 100m and 200m medalists were stymied by a challenger that was, on paper, far slower. American fans were treated to the friendly side of a stunning upset in the women’s race, when a team with only one 100m finalist beat the team that swept the podium. USA took down Jamaica handily thanks to a stunning final two legs from Jenna Prandini and Twanisha “Tee Tee” Terry. The Jamaicans were stuck with silver, much to the delight of the home crowd.

Then the Americans got a taste of their own medicine in the men’s race, as a nearly-botched final exchange between Elijah Hall and Marvin Bracy-Williams opened the door for Canada’s Andre De Grasse, who didn’t even make the 100m final, to run away with the victory. In the mixed zone, Noah Lyles tried to look on the bright side, pointing out that many American 4x100m teams in recent years never even got a medal, but it was clear the result was disappointing to everyone.

The women’s 5000m was another big day for Ethiopia as Gudaf Tsegay came back from her silver-medal finish in the 1500m to upgrade to gold this time around in 14:46.29. In the javelin, Anderson Peters defended his title from 2019 with three throws over 90 meters (no one else broke 89). And there was a sad moment in the men’s decathlon as Damien Warner, the heavy favorite, went down in the final event of Day 1, the 400m, with a pulled hamstring.

Which brings us to today. I can’t believe Worlds 2022 is almost over… it’s flown by! But we have a day chock-full of finals to close out the weekend in style, including the men’s 5000m, the women’s 100m hurdles, and the women’s 800m. We’ll close it out with the 4x400m relays, which the U.S. should sweep handily… but we can’t take anything for granted. That’s the thrill of a championship where anything can happen - and has!

CITIUS MAG Live continues to entertain and delight, and yesterday’s session with Cooper Teare, Sinclaire Johnson, and Courtney Frerichs was no exception. Today we’re going out with a bang - as of right now, we are expecting to be joined by the one and only Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce. Based on her entertaining and hilarious interviews all week, you won’t want to miss this one. You can tune in here at 1pm - save this link!

You can catch up on today’s episode here:

SCHEDULE AND TV DETAILS FOR DAY 10 (all times EST):

9:15am Men’s 35km Race Walk Final

12:35pm Men’s 110m Hurdles (Decathlon)1:30pm Men’s Discus Throw (Decathlon)3:15pm Men’s Pole Vault (Decathlon)

8:05pm Men’s Javelin Throw (Decathlon)8:10pm Women’s 100m Hurdles Semi-Final8:25pm Men’s Pole Vault Final8:50pm Women’s Long Jump Final9:05pm Men’s 5000m Final9:35pm Women’s 800m Final10:00pm Women’s 100m Hurdles Final10:20pm Men’s 1500m (Decathlon Final Event)10:35pm Men’s 4x400m Relay Final10:50pm Women’s 4x400m Relay Final

For the final time, you can watch CNBC from 8:00pm-9:00pm EST, and then back on NBC from 9:00-11:00pm EST. And as always, you can catch all the sessions on Peacock!

Full timetable and live results | Full streaming details

MUST-WATCH EVENT OF THE DAY: WOMEN’S 800M (Presented by Hayward Magic)

Can anyone beat Athing Mu in an 800m?

The last time it happened was February 14, 2020. That was 2 1/2 years and 18 races ago (counting rounds), when Mu was 17 years old and still in high school. Now, she’s the reigning Olympic champion, the 2x U.S. champion, the 2022 world leader, and the 8th fastest woman in history. Oh yeah, and she’s still only 20.

But the field assembled to try and dethrone the queen is formidable. It features Tokyo silver medalist Keely Hodgkinson of Great Britain, up-and-coming Kenyan star Mary Moraa, and Mu’s own teammates, World Indoor champ Ajee’ Wilson and Tokyo bronze medalist Raevyn Rogers. Five women in the field have run under 1:57. You just don’t see that every day.

Mu looked like her usual supremely comfortable self in the early rounds of the competition, whereas most of her rivals had to hustle hard to secure their spots. She’s gotta be the favorite, but nothing is guaranteed in this sport, and to get the gold, she’ll have to withstand the onslaught of attacks from start to finish.

What to watch for: Mu will almost certainly run near the front, and Rogers will bring up the rear and then kick hard. Keep an eye out for where Ajee’ Wilson slots into the mix early to see which strategy she applies.

What to tell your friends: The Olympic 800m champion faces her toughest test yet.

Another U.S. sweep?: It’s certainly possible, but Tokyo silver medalist Keely Hodgkinson is a formidable opponent, so I wouldn’t bet big on it.

MUST-WATCH ATHLETES OF THE DAY: KENI HARRISON AND JASMINE CAMACHO-QUINN (Presented by Hayward Magic)

Since 2016, Keni Harrison has been one of the best athletes the world has ever seen to never win a global title. She missed the Olympic team in the 110m hurdles in 2016 and proceeded to set the world record of 12.20 later that summer. Then she won five straight U.S. titles from 2017-2022, but her highest finishes at the 2019 World Championships and Tokyo Olympics were both second place. All that could change today, but to do so, she’ll have to go through Jasmine Camacho-Quinn.

Camacho-Quinn had her own share of bad luck in 2016, getting DQed from the Olympic semifinal in Rio. But in 2021 she was on another level, capping off an undefeated season in the hurdles with Olympic gold. This year, she's had a nearly perfect season, but Alaysha Johnson beat her at a race in May. Unfortunately for Johnson, she and reigning world champ Nia Ali both got tripped up by hurdles in their first round races and didn’t advance to today’s semifinal (and final), clearing the path for a true head-to-head battle.

What to watch for: Two of the titans of the event go head to head for the second year in a row. Will it be a repeat of Tokyo or will Harrison flip the script?

What to tell your friends: The Olympic champ vs. the world record holder. Who you got?

Go Cats: Although they didn’t overlap in college, both Keni Harrison and Jasmine Camacho-Quinn (along with Sydney McLaughlin) competed for the University of Kentucky. Call it Hurdles U!

TWEET OF THE DAY: Jasmine calls it

CITIUS MAG sprints expert Jasmine Todd was very confident in her former teammate Jenna Prandini’s ability to hold it down on the third leg, and ultimately it was part of the successful strategy that brought Team USA the gold.

PHOTOS OF THE DAY

Decathlete Kyle Garland of Team USA is fired up in the men’s high jump.

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 4pm 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 are meeting at Washburne Park (East 21st Ave & Agate Street) and go for some easy miles. We aim to start these runs at 8:30 am each day. Today and tomorrow, we have the team from SOS Hydration on hand to provide free samples of their top-tier drink mix. You can also use the code CITIUS20 online for a 20% discount.

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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