Dream Olympic Marathon Matchup

The two fastest men in the world have not matched up in an Olympic Marathon since 1972*. We finally have a chance for another matchup of that magnitude this year in Paris between Kelvin Kiptum and Eliud Kipchoge, but a few things have to go right. The first step is for both runners to make it through their spring marathon buildups injury free; the Kenyan selection committee has shown in the past that it will not save a spot based on status in hopes that a runner will recover in time for the games.

After that, the powers that be must select both runners to represent the team in Paris, and while that may seem like the obvious choice, Mary Keitany’s exclusion from the 2016 team (a four-time World Major winner and second fastest woman in history at the time) serves as a cautionary tale. Athletics Kenya already made headlines early last month when they released a ten-man shortlist for the team. Both Kiptum and Kipchoge were on it, but missing was three-time major marathon champ Evans Chebet, who hasn’t lost a marathon since 2021. Unfortunately in Chebet’s case, it seems like the injury that caused him to pull out of the 2023 New York City Marathon may be more serious than it first seemed.

For those wondering why Kenya doesn’t have a trials race to avoid any controversy, it’s an idea that has been floated before, but has never stuck. Kiptum has already said that he hopes he and Kipchoge both get selected, and has emphasized the importance of teamwork for those that get the nod for Paris.

*More than 50 years ago in Munich, Australian world record holder Derek Clayton finished in 13th, while Great Britain’s Ron Hill placed sixth.

Fewer Injuries, Please

2023 was unfortunately a year where many of the sport’s top stars missed a significant chunk of time due to injury. After winning the World 1500m title, Jake Wightman certainly did not have the encore he imagined, sitting out the whole season with a foot injury after racing just once in January. Months later, another top Brit, Eilish McColgan, was forced to postpone her marathon debut in London due to a nagging knee injury that ultimately ended her season prematurely.

At the U.S. Championships in June, it was more of the same. After failing to qualify in their respective events, top sprinters Trayvon Bromell and Abby Steiner announced season-ending surgeries to deal with Achilles problems. Meanwhile, America’s top distance star Grant Fisher announced that he had suffered a femoral stress fracture.

In the weeks leading up to the World Championships in August, injuries once again reared their ugly head with world record holders Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone and Jacob Kiplimo scratching from the championships and ending their track seasons. The issues weren’t limited to the oval as reigning Olympic and World Champion triple jumper Pedro Pichardo, who hadn’t competed since May, announced he wouldn’t jump in Budapest – and he hasn’t done so since.

And then there is 2019 800m World Champion Donavan Brazier, who never even got to set foot on a track to race in 2023 after dealing with a litany of injuries over the past few years.

One thing that everyone can agree on heading into 2024 is that healthy stars are good for the sport. The hope is that there are fewer major injuries on the horizon, not just for the fans who love to watch their favorite athletes race, but for the athletes themselves who have been held back from doing what they love.

A Happy Athing Mu

In 2023 Athing Mu raced in just four meets. In her 2022 gold medal season, she raced 11 times. In 2021 – a year that saw her go from college freshman to Olympic champion – 19 times. It’s not a question, but rather a fact, that the sport is better when Athing Mu is racing; she is one of track and field’s most charismatic stars. Mu can’t be criticized for struggling with the pressure that skyrocketing to the top of the sport as a teenager put on her, but it resulted in a roller coaster season for her, both on and off the track.

Switching to work under the tutelage of coach Bobby Kersee – whose experience lies mostly in working with sprinters – and simultaneously flirting with a move up to the 1500m was a decision that drew disapproval from fans. The outcry intensified when Mu’s team publicly discussed the possibility of passing on the World Championships despite having a bye into the competition as the reigning champion. Coach Kersee took the brunt of the public criticism, allowing his star to stay out of the spotlight all year.

The 800m specialist quieted skeptics when she was the U.S. runner-up in the 1500m, but even her bronze medal in Budapest was categorized as a disappointment after back-to-back golds. At Mu’s final race of the year however, we saw a glimpse of what the 2024 version of herself could look like. At the Prefontaine Classic, serving as the Diamond League final, Mu not only beat the other two members of the “big three” that finished ahead of her at worlds, but she did it in American Record fashion, running the fastest 800m we’ve seen in over five years.

Most importantly though, the 21-year-old crossed the finish line with a smile on her face, threw the tape up in the air, and let out a screech of joy. As she celebrated with each and every woman she had just outdueled, the contagious, ear-to-ear smile of Athing Mu was back for the first time all year. If this is the version of Mu we get in 2024, records of all kinds will be on alert every time she takes the track – which we just hope will happen a little more often.

Continued Success For Top American Sprinters

The marketing campaign was obvious as soon as last year’s World Championships in Budapest concluded. The United States of America has the “fastest man in the world” and the “fastest woman in the world” heading into an Olympic year, a proclamation that NBC has already been touting for months in advertisements for the Paris Games.

Not only are Noah Lyles and Sha’Carri Richardson two of the fastest sprinters on the planet, but arguably the most charismatic in the sport today. Over the past few years, Lyles has become the most publicly recognized sprinter male since Usain Bolt’s retirement. And with Richardson’s on-track accomplishments coming to match the splash made by her off-track swagger and setbacks, she’s reached bonafide, track-transcending star status as well.

The goal of trying to grow the sport of track and field in the United States starts with the casual fans, and there is nothing that they are more likely to be hooked by than two 100m finals with a big American personality as the favorite. Consider this: the U.S. hasn’t won a the gold medal in both the men’s and women’s 100m at the same Olympics – without later having them stripped* – since the games were on home soil in Los Angeles forty years ago. Come August, if Lyles and Richardson can repeat their performances of last summer, we won’t have to wait until the games return to the “City of Stars” in 2028 for it to happen again.

*The U.S. won both gold medals in 2000, but Marion Jones later had hers stripped after admitting to using performance enhancing steroids. Similarly, the U.S. is currently credited with both golds in 1988, but Carl Lewis was the runner up in the final. Only later was he upgraded to first after Canadian Ben Johnson was disqualified for anabolic steroid use. Winning gold after the fact just doesn’t have the same impact as crossing the line first on race day.