By Kyle Merber
May 20, 2026
From Tokyo to Terre Haute and pretty much everywhere in between, there was a lot of track to process this weekend. As certified Time Doesn’t Matter guys here at the Lap Count, the temptation is to focus solely on the weekend’s victors at NCAA conference meets and Diamond League openers. But interestingly, one common theme this weekend was that many top runners who lost races all over the globe kinda ended up with the better narrative.
Maybe calling them “big losers” in this section’s header is overkill—we were just trying to capture your attention… These athletes only lost by a little, which makes them “regular losers,” but we wanted to give a moment of appreciation to six athletes for some great racing this past week that may have been overshadowed by their competitors who actually landed on the top of the podium.
Tate Taylor: The American U20 record holder made his first international business trip, foregoing the Texas state championship to instead compete at the Seiko Golden Grand Prix in Tokyo. The high school senior needed more than a permission slip to attend this meet; he needed a passport. Despite a substantial time zone difference and a few nights away from mom’s homecooking, the precocious star excelled, finishing second in the 100m and running 10.04 (+0.6). If ever there is a moral victory in defeat, it’s traveling to the other side of the world and only losing to the Olympic champion. Also making the trip was Taylor’s fellow high schooler and training partner Jake Odey-Jordan, who finished third in the final, although he actually beat Taylor and set a PB (10.07) in the prelims.
Timothy Cheruiyot: When you’re 30, you (hopefully) don’t feel that old, but when you’re the former World Champion, entering your 12th year on the circuit, then it feels like you’ve been around a lifetime. The 1500m specialist previously tested the deeper waters of a 3000m in 2023 when he ran 7:36 to finish 5th at the Doha Diamond League. But a few years later, his return to the distance has given reason to believe he might have a fair shot at a second act in his career. In what was the deepest 3000m ever (14 guys under 7:30), Cheruiyot finished fourth in a significant PB of 7:27.24.
Tsige Duguma: The 2024 Olympic silver medalist over 800m was technically around in 2025, but she wasn’t always around the front. Well, in 2026, it appears she’s returning to form. After testing the 1500m waters with a 4:03 debut during the indoor season, the Ethiopian standout returned to the event on the DL circuit and knocked her second swing out of the park. It’s not so much that her time of 3:55.71 is exceptional, it’s that the athletes she finished ahead of are: the reigning World Championship silver and bronze medalists, among others.
Devynne Charlton: In the immortal words of Adam Sandler, “Happy learned to putt… uh-oh!” That’s the sentiment we’re feeling after seeing the 3x World Indoor Champion and world record holder over the 60m hurdles break through with a personal best of 12.38 (+0.4) in her first 100m hurdles race of the season. The Bahamian star had a previous best of 12.44 and has finished 6th at the last two Olympics, so it’s not like she hasn’t been competitive. But if those last few hurdles come together like they did in China then she could be joining training partner Masai Russell (the race’s winner) on the medal stand soon.
Kena Tufa: If your first reaction was “who?” You’re probably not alone. That’s because Tufa, the 20-year-old Ethiopian steeplechaser who took fourth in Shanghai, just improved her personal best by a whopping 32 seconds to become the 17th woman in history under 9 minutes. Tufa had shown signs of potential for those paying very close attention, finishing second at the Kip Keino Classic last year and winning the Ethiopian Championships in March, but to the wider world outside hardcore African distance fans, she’s a complete unknown. Not for long, if her current trajectory holds.
Trent McFarland: It feels like McFarland has been hovering on the cusp of a breakout all year. He took third in the mile at NCAA indoors, ran 3:33.17 and 3:52.73, and anchored Michigan to a 9:14.80 DMR (#2 all-time). Simeon Birnbaum got the better of McFarland at Big Tens by about half a second in a kicker’s race, but McFarland had to do a LOT of work on the final lap to get up on Birnbaum’s shoulder with 200m to go. If McFarland starts that lap in the right spot and then unleashes his kick, it’ll be a much closer race and the positions could easily end up flipped. He is a winner here not for his performance, but for the lesson learned.
The most memorable quote from the forgotten pre-West Wing Aaron Sorkin show Sports Night is “if you’re good enough to come in second place, then you’re good enough to be disappointed in it.” It sure feels like the lessons these athletes picked up from their races have the potential to lead to a lot of winning in the weeks, months, and years to come.
Kyle Merber
After hanging up his spikes – but never his running shoes – Kyle pivoted to the media side of things, where he shares his enthusiasm, insights, and experiences with subscribers of The Lap Count newsletter, as well as viewers of CITIUS MAG live shows.
