TRACK & FIELD
Men ’ s 100m : Kerley Leads US Sweep Men ’ s 200m : Lyle Roars Again !
In 2016 , SA ’ s Wayde van Niekerk made history when he became the first athlete in history to break 10 seconds in the 100m , 20 seconds in the 200m and 44 seconds in the 400m . Then along came Michael Norman of the USA , who equalled that feat in 2020 . But the most amazing story is that of another US sprinter , Fred Kerley . The 27-year-old focused on the quarter mile from his junior days and won two relay silver medals in the 4x400m ( 2017 World Championships , 2018 World Indoor Championships 2018 ) and a gold in the 4x400m at the 2019 World Championships .
With a best of 43.64 in the 400m from 2019 , Kerley was certainly a threat in the one-lapper , but in 2020 he made a shift down in distance to the 100m and 200m . This is an unusual transition – usually athletes go the other way , moving up , not down , in distance – but it worked for Kerley , as he clocked a personal best 9.84 in the Olympic 100m final last year in Tokyo . In 2022 , Kerley made his intentions clear , winning eight out of 10 races over 100m , and finishing second in the remaining two . Coming into the World Championships , he was odds-on favourite to take the gold , and an almost casual 9.77 in the heats put everyone on the back foot , even though he only managed 10.02 in the semi-final .
The US men ’ s team was on fire in the sprints , and for one athlete in particular it was redemption time . Going into the 2021 Olympic 200m final , Noah Lyles was out-and-out favourite , but he was beaten by Canada ’ s Andre De Grasse , who always seems to medal at a major championship , while US teammate Kenny Bednarek took the silver medal , leaving Lyles with an unexpected bronze , in spite of posting a season best 19.74 . But in Eugene , no one was going to stop Lyles .
He came into the final at the World Champs with a streak of eight straight wins over 200m , and already had the final won as the athletes came around the bend . Once into the home straight , he was still going away as he crossed the finish line in 19.31 . That ’ s then third-fastest time ever in the event , and eclipses the US Record of 19.32 that had stood since 1996 , when Michael Johnson won Olympic Gold in Atlanta . It was redemption for Lyles , made all the sweeter when he posed for a photo with the former US Record-holder .
In the final , fellow Americans Marvin Bracy and Trayvon Brommel got off to blistering starts , leaving Kerley in the blocks , but he did not panic and closed them down in the latter half of the race to win in 9.86 , with Bracy and Brommel coming in second and third with the same time , 9.88 . Multiple World and Olympic Champion Gail Devers succinctly summed up his performance in the commentary : “ When the other two got away to good starts , he didn ’ t panic , he just focused on his race and executed .”
Image : Dover Sykes / Wikipedia
It is no wonder that she is described as a phenom , and McLaughlin is not done yet . Despite the colossal improvement on the 400m hurdles World Record , she said after the race she felt there was still room for her to improve , and the previous World Record-holder , Dalilah Muhammad , agrees . “ I definitely thought 50 was possible , but after that race , I think 49 is possible . It ’ s Sydney .” says Muhammad , whose 51.58 is still the second-fastest ever in the event .
To cap off her championships , McLaughlin ran the anchor leg of the women ’ s 4x400m relay for the United States , and her time ( albeit from a flying start ) was 47.91 . When she took the baton after 1200m , the USA was timed at 2:29.88 . Jamaica was in second on 2:30.61 . That ’ s a lead of 0.73 seconds . When McLaughlin crossed the finish line , the clock read 3:17.79 , and Jamaica won the silver with a time of 3:20.74 . That means that Mclaughlin opened a gap of 2.12 seconds in that final 400m !
Men ’ s 10,000m : Cheptegei Wins Fiery Duel
Middle distance fans were licking their lips for the men ’ s 10,000m , with 25 laps of brutal running on the cards , but in the end there could be only one winner , and a blistering 53-second last lap by World Record-holder and Olympic silver medallist , Joshua Cheptegei , broke the field . It was an emotional victory for the Ugandan , who eight years previously had won the World Under-20 10,000m title on this very track , and in defending his 10,000m title , from the 2019 World Champs , Cheptegei became only the fourth man to achieve this feat , the others being Ethiopians Haile Gebrsellasie and Kenenisa Bekele ( four titles back-to-back each ), and Great Britain ’ s Mo Farah ( three back-to-back ).
It was drama from the first lap when 2018 World U20 Champs 5000m silver medallist , Stanley Mburu was tripped and fell , but the Kenyan quickly got up and rejoined the fray . As the field hit halfway in14:01.32 , Ethiopia ’ s Selemon Barega , the Olympic 10,000m Champion who denied Cheptegei a 5000m / 10,000m double gold in Tokyo , took to the front , but it was Olympic bronze medallist Jacob Kiplimo who opened up the field with a 64-second lap , prompting Cheptegei to move onto his countryman ’ s shoulder .
When the bell came , eight athletes were still in contention , but Cheptegei kept accelerating . The pace was too fast for the rest of the field and the Ugandan retained his World Title . He now owns the World Records for both the 5000m and 10,000m , is the reigning Olympic Champion over 5000m and World Champion over 10,000m . After this win , he said , “ Now I want to continue my dominance in long distance running , and I hope I will manage it .”
McLaughlin ’ s coach , the legendary Bobby Kersee , told NBC ’ s Ato Boldon that McLaughlin would eventually focus on the 400m flat and chase the long-standing World Record of Marita Koch , 47.60 , which has stood since 1985 . She may even try and win the 400m flat / 400m hurdles double at a World Championships or the Olympics , a feat that has never been done before .
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