WORLDS DAILY: Upset City (Day 6)

A few days ago on the CITIUS MAG CHAMPS CHAT, my dear colleagues on the podcast were lamenting the perceived lack of excitement that comes from a heavy favorite notching a predictable win. Where’s the fun, they asked (somewhat facetiously), in watching the greatest athletes in their event dominate as everyone expects them to?

Well last night, those hoping for upsets got their wish. In both track finals last night, the defending Olympic champion was dethroned. In the discus final, an up-and-coming star set a championship record while the World and Olympic champ finished fourth. And in the women’s high jump, the order of gold-silver from World Indoors was flipped for its outdoor sibling.

The biggest shock of the night came in the men’s 1500m, where Jakob Ingebrigtsen lost a title many assumed he would easily pocket. After losing to Samuel Tefera at World Indoors, this is the second time this year the Olympic champ has been upset at a championship after leading much of the race.

The man to take him down was British 1500m champ Jake Wightman, a talented but relatively under-the-radar miler who entered the meet with a season’s best of 3:32 and had never finished higher than 5th at a global championship. With 180 meters to go, he swung around Ingebrigtsen and managed to grab the inside line around the curve. Surprisingly, the Norwegian had no response, and while he hung on for silver, Wightman won big in 3:29.23, a new personal best. Based on his reaction at the finish, he was just as surprised as the rest of us.

In the 400m hurdles, the “upset” was a little less surprising for anyone who’s watched Alison Dos Santos race all year. The Brazilian has been utterly dominant as his main rivals have battled injuries and COVID, and he continued his dominance with a 46.29 victory, the third-fastest 400H of all time. The other big surprise in this one was how badly reigning World and Olympic champ Karsten Warholm faded after badly stuttering the 8th hurdle, opening the door for D2 legend Trevor Bassitt to lean for bronze in a new PB of 47.39. With Rai Benjamin picking up his third straight silver medal, it was another event where Americans outperformed expectations by putting two on the podium.

The other big news from the oval was some seriously spicy 200-meter semifinals, as five women broke 22 seconds led by Shericka Jackson’s 21.67. One thing to keep an eye on, however, is that Jackson’s run was aided by a 2.0m/s tailwind, whereas Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce ran 21.82 into a 0.1m/s headwind in a later heat. When converting to still conditions, both times equate to 21.81. Throw in reigning world champ Dina Asher-Smith, Olympic champ Elaine Thompson-Herah, and NCAA champ Abby Steiner, and this final is going to be a clash of the titans.

In the men’s race, two titans stood out from the rest as they have all year, with Noah Lyles throwing down a 19.63 heat win and Erriyon Knighton responding with a 19.77 one heat later. Their battle royale is set for Thursday and it might be the most hotly-anticipated matchup of the whole championship.

Today’s program is light on finals, but we’ll get to see our three American steeplechasers take on the world’s best and find out if Valarie Allman can follow up Olympic gold in the discus with a World gold as well. And if yesterday taught us anything, it’s that we should expect the unexpected.

If it seems like the CITIUS MAG Live keeps getting better day in and day out, it’s because it has. Yesterday’s live (nearly three hours total!) brought back the legendary Maurice Greene for more wisdom, gave the fans some post-race insight from Emma Bates, Joe Klecker, Marvin Bracy, and Trayvon Bromell, as well as a guest appearance from track superfan Robert Griffin III. Plus, Chris and Kyle caught back up with their VERY GOOD FRIEND, World Athletics president Sebastian Coe.

You can revisit the best highlights, your favorite interviews, or the whole darn thing below:

SCHEDULE AND TV DETAILS FOR DAY 6 (all times EST):

6:20pm Women’s Javelin Throw Qualification7:25pm Women’s 5000m Heats8:20pm Men’s 800m Heats9:15pm Women’s 400m Hurdles Semi-Final9:30pm Women’s Discus Throw Final9:45pm Women’s 400m Semi-Final10:15pm Men’s 400m Semi-Final 10:45pm Women’s 3000m Steeplechase Final

Once again, there’s only one session of Worlds today, and this time, it’s airing live on the USA Network starting at 7:30pm EST. And you can watch the whole competition via the world feed live on Peacock.

Full timetable and live results | Full streaming details

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

The only final on the track today should be a great one, as four sub-9-minute women line up for battle - not to mention 2017 World champ Emma Coburn, who is out for redemption after a disastrous Tokyo Olympics. All three Americans advanced to the final in this event, so there is a decent chance that someone comes home with a medal.

The favorite in this one has to be Norah Jeruto, the Kenyan-born Kazakh athlete who hasn’t lost a steeplechase in almost 3 years. The big knock on Jeruto might actually be that she ran a bit too fast in her preliminary round, bizarrely choosing to clock a 10-second margin of victory in 9:01.54, the fourth-fastest time in the world run this year (Jeruto has #2 and 4 and Winfred Yavi, who is also in the race, has #1 and 3) when all she needed was to finish top 3 to advance. The prelims were over four days ago, however, so she has had ample recovery time.

Yavi of Bahrain is, on paper, the biggest threat to Jeruto, but you can’t count out the Americans. Coburn and Courtney Frerichs both have multiple global medals to their name for a reason: they perform when it counts. And Courtney Wayment Smith may be a newbie to the international scene but you’d never know it based on the way she’s running. Another wild card is Uganda’s Peruth Chemutai, the surprise Olympic champion in 2021, but she looked shaky in her first-round performance and only advanced on time. No matter who shows up to play, however, it’ll be an entertaining race from start to finish.

What to watch for: Any of maybe 5 women could credibly win this one. Who will it be?

What to tell your friends: “The one with the water” is happening tonight, and it’s a great field. Plus, an American might win!

American hardware hunt: How many medals does the U.S. pick up? My guess is one, but two is not out of the question, and it could come from any of the three Americans in the final.

MUST-WATCH ATHLETE OF THE DAY: DONAVAN BRAZIER (Presented by Hayward Magic)

Today’s “must-watch” is literal: American middle-distance fans will be eagerly - and perhaps anxiously - watching the first round of the men’s 800m to see how reigning world champion Donavan Brazier looks after missing large chunks of the 2022 season due to injury.

In case you forgot, refresh yourself with Brazier’s performance in Doha in 2019. When he’s on, he’s ON- Brazier is the American record holder indoors and outdoors in the event, and the way he ran away from the field en route to his gold in 2019 is something you rarely ever see in the men’s 800m from anyone not named David Rudisha.

But Brazier, like so many phenomenal talents, is extremely injury-prone and as recently as USAs he was nursing a case of bursitis in his foot. So when he steps on the line today, we could get anything from an easy victory to a DNF.

What to watch for: Does Brazer have to work to get out of the first round or does he fly through easily?

What to tell your friends: The best American 800m runner in recent memory is damn near unbeatable when he’s in top form.

If Brazier isn’t healthy: U.S. champ and World Indoor bronze medalist Bryce Hoppel is the best U.S. shot at a medal. Look for him to easily advance with a smartly-timed kick.

TWEET OF THE DAY: Never know who you’ll see on the victory lap

A picture - even a silly one - is worth a thousand words for Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Ryan Crouser and Michael Johnson.

PHOTOS OF THE DAY

A passionate celebration from Ukrainian Yaroslava Mahuchikh, who took silver in the women’s high jump.

Photo captured by: Justin Britton

An intimate moment in front of a crowded stadium for the two American 400-meter hurdle medalists.

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.

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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