WORLDS DAILY: Off With A Bang (Day 2)

Day 1 of the 2022 World Athletics Championships delivered on all the hype it promised. The favorites flexed their dominance, the rivalries began to percolate, and one of the all-time greats said goodbye.

The first track final of the competition was the mixed-gender 4x4000m, and although Team USA ultimately underperformed a bit, finishing third in 3:10.16 thanks to strong anchor legs by the Dominican Republic and the Netherlands, Allyson Felix still picked up her 19th global medal, expanding her record-setting haul. The 36-year-old mom split 50.15, her fastest 400m of the season, to keep USA in contention and add to a collection that now includes 13 golds, 3 silvers, and 3 bronzes.

The most intriguing splits from the mixed-gender 4x400m were Marileidy Paulino of the Dominican Republic, who ran 48.47 on the second leg of her relay and Femke Bol of the Netherlands, who split 48.95 to anchor the Dutch team to a silver medal. Paulino will contend for a medal in the open 400m, whereas Bol will attempt to break up the American 1-2 in the 400-meter hurdles, and both women are clearly entering their specialty events in top form.

In most of the qualifying events today, the Team USA stalwarts performed up to expectations, with most favorites easily advancing to the finals. The two names that stood out were Katie Nageotte, the Olympic champion who put injury concerns to rest by easily making the final in the women’s pole vault, and Evan Jager, whose comeback season keeps going as he easily qualified for the final in the men’s steeplechase. The U.S. medal hopes in the men’s and women’s hammer throw, men’s and women’s shot put, and women’s 1500m all successful navigated the early rounds of the competition, so there will be plenty to cheer for in the coming days for American track and field fans.

Over on CITIUS MAG Live, Chris Chavez, Kyle Merber, and John Anderson welcomed an entertaining and well-informed stable of guests that included Bryce Hoppel, Hellen Obiri, Maurice Greene, and Fernando Palomo. You can watch the whole Day 1 show on Youtube here.

SCHEDULE AND TV DETAILS FOR DAY 2 (all times EST):

1:30 pm Women’s Triple Jump Qualification1:35 pm Women’s 3000m Steeplechase Heats2:10 pm Women’s High Jump Qualification2:25 pm Men’s 110m Hurdles Heats3:00 pm Men’s Hammer Throw Final3:20 pm Women’s 10,000m Final4:20 pm Men’s 400m Hurdles Heats

8:10 pm Women’s 100m Heats9:00 pm Men’s 100m Semi-Final9:20 pm Men’s Long Jump Final9:25 pm Women’s Shot Put Final9:30 pm Men’s 1500m Heats10:05 pm Women’s 1500m Semi-Final10:50 pm Men’s 100m Final

You’re going to have to flip between channels today: the races will be broadcast on CNBC from 1:30-3:00 pm EST, NBC from 3:00-5:00 pm EST, CNBC from 8:00-9:00 pm EST, and NBC from 9:00-11:00 pm EST. In addition to the TV broadcast, world-feed coverage of all competition sessions will stream live on Peacock.

Full timetable and live results | Full streaming details

MUST-WATCH EVENT OF THE DAY: MEN’S 100 METERS (Presented by Hayward Magic)

Team USA put on a clinic in the first round of the men’s 100m.

All four of the Americans entered in the event won their preliminary heat and none of them looked like they had to work particularly hard to do so. Marvin Bracy, Fred Kerley, Trayvon Bromell, and Christian Coleman are making a compelling case for filling out 50% of the 100-meter final with Team USA kits, and we’ll find out today whether they can deliver on the promise they teased in the first round of the competition.

The truly eye-popping result from Friday was Kerley in heat 2, who casually dropped a 9.79 in the first round, an unheard-of statement so early in the three-round event. The U.S. champion has a personal and season’s best of 9.76, but if the prelims are any indication, that’s not going to last for long.

His chief rival may come from his own team, as Trayvon Bromell looked just as cool and collected winning his heat in 9.89. With Olympic champion Marcell Jacobs returning from injury and two-time 100m Olympic medalist Andre DeGrasse not up to his 2021 form, the battle for the gold may come down to two (or three or four) Americans on their home turf.

What to watch for: Kerley has now run under 9.80 three times this year, but only three men in history have broken 9.70. Will tomorrow see a fourth?

What to tell your friends: No matter where you find yourself Saturday night, get someone to throw track on the TV around 10:45 pm EST to see the world’s fastest man.

Who’s the dark horse: Oblique Seville of Jamaica looked comfortable winning his preliminary heat in 9.93 over Jacobs. Seville, only 21 years old, has a season’s best of 9.86 and should be in the mix for the medals.

MUST-WATCH ATHLETE OF THE DAY: SIFAN HASSAN (Presented by Hayward Magic)

Few athletes in track and field have the versatility and range that Sifan Hassan has shown over her 11-year professional running career. The 29-year-old ran her personal bests of 1:56 for 800m and 65:15 for the half marathon 14 months apart, elite times at race distances that conventional wisdom tells us require totally different talents and training. But Hassan’s rare combination of top-end leg speed and aerobic strength has served her well: she’s picked up 7 global medals and counting at distances ranging from the 1500m to the 10,000m.

After a long break from racing after the Tokyo Olympics, where she won two golds and a bronze, Hassan will be back in action today in the final of the women’s 10,000m in an attempt to pick up her third straight global gold in the event. Only four women have won multiple World/Olympic titles, and only one woman has more than two: Tirunesh Dibaba, who many consider the greatest 10,000m runner of all time, has 5 gold medals (3 from Worlds, 2 from the Olympics).

Hassan was also briefly the world record holder in this event, but she only held it for two days as Letesenbet Gidey broke her 29:06 mark by 5 seconds to set the current world record. Gidey doesn’t have Hassan’s raw speed, however: in 10 head-to-head battles on the track, the Ethiopian prodigy has only gotten the better of Hassan in 1 race both women finished. In 2019, Gidey made a bold move for the win from 1,000 meters out, but Hassan reeled her in and blew past her with 200m to go.

Hassan’s sole tuneup for this race was an unremarkable 15:13 tempo-effort 5,000m down the road in Portland last weekend, so it’s hard to know what kind of fitness she truly has at the moment. In races, she rarely looks comfortable, often ping-ponging around in the middle of the pack until the final laps, arms flying akimbo when she unleashes her kick. But don’t let looks deceive you - all indications suggest that, if she’s anywhere near top form, the competition is in serious trouble.

What to watch for: Does the Dutch star make it three straight 10k golds?

What to tell your friends: The greatest female distance runners of our time are going head-to-head and the final lap is going to be CRAZY.

Who you shouldn’t sleep on: If anyone stops Hassan’s quest for gold, it’ll probably be Letesenbet Gidey, her teammate Ejgayehu Taye, or two-time 5,000m world champ Hellen Obiri of Kenya.

TWEET OF THE DAY: Team USA is Confident

After all three American women - Elle St. Pierre, Cory McGee, and Sinclaire Johnson - easily advance to the semifinal of the women’s 1500m, McGee is confident that all three women will be in medal contention in the final as well.

PHOTO OF THE DAY: Jager is Back

Evan Jager is in full flight coming off the water jump in his 3000m steeplechase prelim. The American record holder and two-time global medalist is putting together a compelling second act after missing the 2021 Olympics with a soleus injury.

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 Vin Lananna (who previously served as the President of TrackTown USA and helped bring these World Championships to Eugene, Oregon) and 2021 Olympic shot put silver medalist Raven Saunders.

Watch a clip from our interview with two-time World Champion and two-time Olympic silver medalist Hellen Obiri here.

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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