WORLDS DAILY: Redefining What's Possible (Day 9)

Two years ago, the concept of a sub-52 second 400m hurdles was unheard of. Then Sydney McLaughlin came along. In 2021, she broke the world record first at Trials with a 51.90, then lowered it to 51.46 in Tokyo. When she broke the record for the third time in her season opener this spring, this time a 51.41, people began to talk about sub-51. Times that were - and still are - considered elite for the flat 400m now seemed achievable in the hurdles as well.

But still Syd managed to surprise us all. Not by breaking the world record (we’ve come to expect that at this point) but by obliterating her own previous best by such a wide margin that it completely redefines what we thought was possible. McLaughlin ran 50.68, an astonishing 0.73 seconds faster than her previous best and nearly one full second ahead of the fastest time run by anyone else in the world. From the moment the gun went off, it was clear she meant business as the normally-patient hurdler was aggressive over the first 3 hurdles, even making up the stagger on eventual bronze medalist Dalilah Muhammad by 150 meters. While still smoother than anyone in the world in the home straight, the strain was evident as she powered to the finish line to try and beat every past version of herself.

It’s clear she’s the greatest of all time. The only question remaining is when she’ll ever find her ceiling.

In the flat 400ms, the theme of the evening was “gold things come to those who wait.” Shaunae Miller-Uibo, who’s a double Olympic champion event but never finished higher than second at a World Championships, finally got her gold medal with a commanding 49.11 victory. You can’t help but think that if a certain someone were able to do the double, she’d have been pushed to an even faster time… (hint, hint: whoever’s writing the schedule for Budapest). Michael Norman hasn’t waited quite as long for his gold, but as the talented sprinter has been in the conversation for a title since 2019 but never quite put it together on the big stage, it was great to see him come home with a win in front of the home crowd as well.

One beautiful moment that may have flown under the radar for some casual fans is four-time Olympian Kara Winger winning the silver medal in the women’s javelin, her first global medal in her final throw of her final season of an 18-year career. Winger has been to 10 global championships and won 9 U.S. titles, but she’s never won a medal on the global stage until last night, in her final Worlds before retiring. Talk about a fairytale ending.

We also got a preview of today’s main event yesterday with the qualifying rounds of the men’s and women’s 4x100m relays. In both events, the U.S. teams picked up heat wins and world-leading times, but don’t be fooled: the Jamaican team did not any of their three medalists from the 100m and still have to be considered the favorites on the women’s side. On the men’s side, the team that swept both the 100m and the 200m have to be considered the extraordinarily heavy favorites, but the American men have had all kinds of relay woes in recent years. In 2019, however, they got the stick around cleanly and set an American record in the process, and this year’s team looks to be a cut above the last.

Tonight, we’ll also get finals in the women’s 5000m, the men’s 800m, the men’s triple jump, and the men’s javelin throw. Make sure you savor every moment because we only have two days left!

Don’t forget that if you’re in Eugene, you can join us in person for some track talk and easy miles at our last two group runs, today and tomorrow at 8:30am meeting at Washburne Park. We’ve had great crews all week and even some surprise guests, like marathon 8th-placer Keira D’Amato, pop in to say hi! Hope to see you there.

CITIUS MAG Live continues to entertain, educate, and delight, as we had fantastic chats yesterday with 400m hurdles silver medalist Rai Benjamin, comedian and track superfan Michelle Wolf, NCAA champ Joe Fahnbulleh, and more. You can watch the replay here and make sure to tune in at 1pm EST today and tomorrow for the last few shows with the biggest names in the sport!

SCHEDULE AND TV DETAILS FOR DAY 9 (all times EST):

12:50pm Men’s 100m (Decathlon)1:40pm Men’s Long Jump (Decathlon)2:20pm Women’s 100m Hurdles Heats3:00pm Men’s Long Jump Qualification3:10pm Men’s Shot Put (Decathlon)

7:10pm Men’s High Jump (Decathlon)8:10pm Women’s 4x400m Relay Heats8:40pm Men’s 4x400m Relay Heats9:00pm Men’s Triple Jump Final9:10pm Men’s 800m Final9:25pm Women’s 5000m Final9:35pm Men’s Javelin Throw Final9:55pm Men’s 400m (Decathlon)10:30pm Women’s 4x100m Relay Final10:50pm Men’s 4x100m Relay Final

We’ve got three different TV windows today, as the meet is on NBC from 2:00-3:00pm EST, 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 5000M (Presented by Hayward Magic)

The final of the women’s 5000m features Letesenbet Gidey, the 10,000m champ from last weekend, Gudaf Tsegay, the silver medalist in the 1500m, as well as U.S. champ Elise Cranny, her training partner Karissa Schweizer, and Olympic champ Sifan Hassan. And the crazy thing is, none of them might win as Ethiopia’s Dawit Seyaum has looked lethal in this event all season.

Team tactics may come into play as the U.S., Ethiopia, and Kenya all have three women in the 15-athlete final, and in particular, the Ethiopians may try to take it out hard to drop the fast kickers like they did (with mixed results) in the 1500m final. If they don’t step up, Great Britain’s Eilish McColgan may try and replicate her prelim performance, where she led much of the early laps, but if she can’t keep the hammer down all the way, far more women will be in the mix over the bell lap.

What to watch for: A bunch of heavy hitters from the 10,000m and the 1500m come back to slug it out in one event.

What to tell your friends: The trademark distance event of track and field is stacked this year and the Americans have never been better

U.S. medal chances: With three women in the final, they’ve got a shot. But it’s an uphill battle for sure.

MUST-WATCH ATHLETE OF THE DAY: DAMIAN WARNER (Presented by Hayward Magic)

Damian Warner, the 2021 Olympic champion in the decathlon from Canada, is in the prime of his career and has plenty of good competition to push him to higher point totals and even threaten the world record. He’s one of only four men ever to surpass the 9,000 point mark in the decathlon, but one of the men ahead of him on the list, Frenchman Kevin Mayer, is the world record holder and is entered in the competition as well.

Warner got the better of Mayer at the Tokyo Olympics, but he’s never won a World Championships. This could be his year if all goes well today and tomorrow. On Day 1, Warner will probably run up the point totals in the 100m, the long jump, and the 400m, but he’ll need the cushion tomorrow when Mayer will almost certainly throw the javelin way farther than him.

What to watch for: The Olympic champ has 3 world medals, but no golds. Can he go back-to-back.

What to tell your friends: Remember Ashton Eaton? This is the new Ashton Eaton.

Don’t miss the 100m: Warner is damn near world-class in the short sprint events, and it’s crazy to watch a multi athlete run a 100-meter dash that could almost stand on its own in an open event.

TWEET OF THE DAY: Putting greatness into context

Sydney’s 400m hurdle time today would’ve also placed her seventh in the final of the flat 400m 20 minutes earlier.

PHOTOS OF THE DAY

Mike Norman loves the fans, and the fans love Mike Norman.

Photo captured by: Johnny Zhang

Kara Winger finally gets her victory lap.

Photo captured by: Justin Britton

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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