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Lap 114: Sponsored by OLIPOP

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Remembering Tori Bowie 🤍

8/27/90 - 5/2/23

Last week track fans learned the devastating news of the tragic passing of Tori Bowie. As a six-time global medalist, Bowie had a huge impact on the sport in performance alone, but her joy and humility shined through in the way she spoke about competing. There were many wonderful tributes that poured out from her friends, fellow athletes, coaches, and fans alike. Watching Tori’s interviews has been a beautiful reminder of the life she lived.

“Opening Day” For Your Favorites

If you want non-championship meets to “matter” to athletes and fans alike, then the logical vehicle to make that happen is the Diamond League. That makes this past weekend’s meeting in Doha the unofficial opening day of the true regular season!

Regular readers of this newsletter – you loyal diehards who have gone digging through your spam folder the last couple of weeks, or god forbid, visited the website – know that if I had to sum up one “problem” with the sport it’s that there’s too much of it. There are too many events and too many people to follow.

That’s why, as I fire up my personal laptop next to my work one for the occasional weekday afternoon stream, I’m intentional about my rooting interests.

As much as sports fans love a good underdog story, in the early season I root for the most familiar faces. The turnover rate in athletics is brutal and the likelihood that even an Olympic champion will remain healthy and competitive for the span of two cycles is uncommon. I could take a decade off from watching any amount of basketball but tune into the Lakers-Warriors series and still know a handful of the players. Run down the list of winners in Qatar and the only individual who was also a medalist in Rio was Faith Kipyegon. Faith’s often referred to as the Lebron James of middle-distance running, not just for her dominance but for her longevity.

What it lacked in long-tenured stars, Doha was still good to the favorites, as most stars picked up right where they left off. And while Sha’Carri Richardson may not be a defending World Champion, it does not take TV writers to develop this plot line (The Lap Count stands with the WGA!). Richardson’s late race surge to overtake Shericka Jackson and win the 100m in 10.76 (+0.9) means she’s been running “too fast,” “too early” for several weeks now.

Fred Kerley pulled a similar stunt in the 200m on his way to a 19.92 (+0.3) win, rocking what could best be best described as 1/8th tights. If there was live betting in this one, which seems complicated, then at 150m the odds would not have been in his favor. But the billion-dollar man found a way.

The performance of the meet for anyone with a distance bias would have to be the 3000m. The indoor world record holder Lamecha Girma opted to race outdoors sans barriers and battled against the likes of Olympic 10,000m champion Selemon Barega and the defending Diamond League 5000m winner Berihu Aregawi. Ultimately, Girma won handily over his steeple rival Soufiane El Bakkali, which begs the question: should Girma stick to the flats? El Bakkali is 7-1 in head-to-head matchups against him over the water. Or has Girma’s fitness improved to such a significant extent that he’ll finally be able to capture that elusive global gold?

In last week’s newsletter that no one read, I suggested that an African nation might be a good host for the next Diamond League meet. Well, toss India’s hat into the ring for consideration as well. Olympic hero Neeraj Chopra threw 88.67m to establish a new world lead and is the man with the most Instagram followers in the sport – triple that of World Athletics. I cheer for the #ChopraBump.

This year, India is expected to surpass China to become the most populous country in the world. The key figure however is that 42.7% of that population is under the age of 25. And as of a few weeks ago, there is finally an Apple store in India – can Doha say that? Tim Cook already did the SWOT analysis for us, so let’s hope the Diamond League follows his lead.

Concert, Food, And A Side Of Track

Photo: Jason Suarez | @notafraid2fail

How do you measure, measure… the success of the meet? 

In beer cups, in tacos, in concerts, or national records? On Saturday night, at the legendary Hilmer Lodge Stadium at Mt. SAC, the first edition of Track Fest launched thanks to On’s continued investment in the sport.

Was the facility packed to the 21,000 fan capacity? No, but if the World Championships struggled to sell half that amount of tickets each day, then this was a more than solid turnout.

Most importantly, the races were fantastic. That’s step one, if you want to build momentum around a meet series! The highlight had to have been the women’s 5000m. Josette Andrews continued to show that the move to Boulder was a good one as she pushed the pace over the final kilometer, winning in a new personal best of 14:43.36. But one athlete doesn’t a race make, and there were many significant breakthroughs behind her: including another huge South American record for Joselyn Brea (14:47.76) of Venezuela, a Mexican national record for Laura Galván (14:49.34), and a new NCAA record for Katelyn Tuohy (15:03.12).

And I’m gonna let Cooper Teare finish in 13:12.73 with a 25-second last 200, but Connor Burns had the best high school 5000m of all time! His 13:37.30 narrowly beat out Galen Rupp’s almost 19-year-old record that actually predates Connor’s birth.

One of the most anticipated races of the night was Yared Nuguse’s 800m experiment, an event that he had not run since 2019 when he ran a now-extremely-comparably-soft PB of 1:48.29. During our preview show, it was revealed that the OAC men had run an even split 49-second quarter to tune up for the race. But even more confidence-inspiring was the fact that I met his high school coach before the race, who shared a story of throwing a young Nuguse into a 4×800 at a low-key meet. The other schools were blown away and asked what he had split, but his coach, not wanting to reveal his new secret weapon, said it was a 1:57. It was actually a 1:51.

It shouldn’t have been too surprising then, that despite being in last through the first half, he was able to unleash a mighty kick to take down a number of 800m specialists to run 1:46.30. This should make Americans feel very good about his ability to close down hard in championship races. Opening up your season in a race that you won is very different from getting into a 1:43 race in July. There are two more seconds in those lanky legs of his.

And if you have ever tracked your heart rate at a concert – there was a performance by KYLE (not me… a famous musician who shares my name but took it to the next level, capitalization-wise) before the 10,000m races – then you’ll understand how impressive Adriaan Wildschutt’s South African 10,000m National Record run of 27:23.10 was. After a long process of getting his visa sorted, the former Seminole is finally in Flagstaff with his teammates. The HOKA NAZ Elite squad had a strong weekend! Krissy Gear took home a surprise win in the steeplechase with a 15 second personal best going 9:23.55. Don’t be caught off guard if she ends up making the World Championship team this summer – she’s on that kind of hot streak right now.

The men’s steeplechase also saw a major upset as Kenneth Rooks of BYU ran 8:17.62 to defeat Hillary Bor, who has made every US team since 2016. As much as I’d like to position myself as an industry expert, Rooks was not mentioned in any event previews – I am hardly the Nostradamus that I claim to be.

The Lap Count: a Track AND Track Business Newsletter

Photo: Justin Britton

One of the coolest features of all Sound Running and Tracklandia productions is that it doesn’t require taking a blood oath to watch. With their $5.99 pay-per-view model, fans can tune in to watch the live stream knowing that $4 of each purchase is going directly to athlete prize pools. I will talk to my accountant about writing this off as charity and short of that I expect St. Peter to eventually recognize my good deeds.

As I write this I am on a 6 AM flight back the morning after in hopes that my daughter has not forgotten me, and I am once again listening to the Joe Pomp Show. Ol’ Professor Pomp provided some insight into how the various major sports leagues share playoff ticket revenue, and I thought it would be helpful to share that context.

  • NBA - Teams receive 75%, League receives 25%

  • NHL - Teams receive 65%, League receives 35%

  • MLB - Teams receive 40%, League receives 60%. Teams receive 100% of late-series ticket sales

  • NFL - League receives 100%, Teams receive concessions and parking

If we’re treating Sound Running as a league here, the athletes have a – percentage-wise – pretty great deal here. Except that in track and field, there are no franchises for World Athletics to pay. And there are too many meets, athletes, and races to ever keep track of.

The infrastructure of the sport isn’t changing any time soon. There is no reason for the powers that be to implement any significant overhauls because they’re doing fine – not thriving, but it’s not a bad life. It’s the Region-Beta Paradox.

There’s always gonna be a new wave of aspiring world-class athletes chasing their dreams, willing to do their thing on the cheap – or pay their own way, in many cases – in order to achieve them. Like Russian soldiers in World War II, there is an infinite population primed and ready to send into battle. Too soon?

And so I won’t hold my breath waiting for a league or franchises, but money moves mountains and if the sport would benefit from athletes racing each other more often, then there might be a better way to create incentives than strictly prize money. That’s where we should look to golf.

With a bottomless purse thanks to a blank check sportswashing program, LIV is trying everything that track fans think will fix the sport. But viewership is struggling to surpass half a million fans each tournament. Before we know it a select group of extremely rich golf players will be crawling back on their hands and knees once the oil wells dry up. Meanwhile, the PGA Tour is doing quite well, and it is their Player Impact Performance (PIP) program that track and field should aim to replicate.

The top 20 players are ranked and split $100M based on criteria that are “designed to reward players who have the biggest positive impact on [the] business.” The algorithm accounts for Google searches, Nielsen brand exposure, media mentions, Q-score (this is not a term I’m making up – Google it!), and an MVP metric. The athletes are the product and this is how they can earn a share of the revenue that they help drive.

One potential criticism is that this will only help the rich get richer. The chances of one of the most popular athletes already making a handsome sum of money from the sport is high. But in order to qualify for this additional payday, there are certain minimum participation requirements in place. Golf is not quite as strict as track and field could and should be. But while the current ranking system has good intentions of encouraging athletes to race more at the biggest meets, it only dictates the decisions of non-medal threats.

To make the biggest impact the efforts of World Athletics should be focused exclusively on the most popular and accomplished athletes. They are the ones who can help get additional and consistent eyeballs on the sport. And hopefully, the back half of the field will be dragged along to bank account personal bests, just like they are in the actual races.

Right now, fans rely on big appearance fees to get the top athletes to line up. That works on occasion; we’re about to get Fred Kerley vs. Marcell Jacobs at the Florence Diamond League. (I’m admittedly rooting for Trayvon Bromell to “upset” them both because it’d be the most entertaining plot twist.)

At CITIUS, we keep tabs on what athletes get the most likes and views. It would be beneficial to the athletes for World Athletics to quantify this information, not only for a potential PIP, but for sponsorship and appearance fee negotiations. This is a unique system because it’s not purely based on performance, but on who can put asses in seats. If we are looking at this sport as a business, can it possibly be more of a meritocracy than that?

Fans may want to see the best in the world run. But they also want to see the athletes who they care the most about. And if athletes want to get paid, then make ‘em care!

Taking It To The Streets 🚦

Photo: @jkb_pro

What’s the insurance premium like when hosting a street meet? Racing, let alone hurdling, on a makeshift track that wasn’t there yesterday and won’t be there tomorrow is a potential workplace hazard in the making. Thankfully everyone made it out of the adidas Atlanta City Games alive. But there was an occasional bad step on the track that threw some athletes off for a stride (if you ran in lane four then don’t worry, I saw you!).

As always, I never know what to make of a meet that isn’t “real” like this, although these times are legitimate and will count for rankings. I don’t think Sam Prakel is going to need to use that first-place finish in 4:03 for anything, however, it was cool to see the US road mile champ battle it out with the BAA road mile champ, Hobbs Kessler. There should be a polka-dot jersey like in cycling for whoever is the reigning best road miler, except it should have two solid yellow lines down the middle.

It was interesting to have prelims and finals for the 100 and hurdles as that’s the sort of thing you’d expect to see at a conventional meet, and not at an athlete showcase or brand activation, which is what this ostensibly was. Well, that’s clearly not how the athletes approached it, considering Aleia Hobbs ran 10.93 (+1.2) and Oblique Seville posted a 9.99 (-0.2). Okay, so the timing component is sort of complicated as Grant Holloway’s 13.01 (0.0) – which is very fast, even for him this early – and Tia Jones’ 12.46 (+1.0) won’t be certified since the track was not officially marked out.

The premier event of the evening in billing and in results was the 150m, all straight, no curve! Now I don’t have the slightest clue what a good time is here. Simple math for the men looks like this: 10 seconds is good for the 100m, and 20 seconds is good for the 200m, so 15 seconds is good, right? It is helpful to note that the straightaway world records are 14.35 by Usain Bolt and 16.23 for Shaunae Miller-Uibo.

Maybe it was because she is undefeated this year over the 100, 200, 300, and 400, or maybe it was because I am a big denim guy and think she won the red carpet fashion spotlight, but Gabby Thomas was my favorite coming in. But this is why we run the races! And Tamari Davis ran it well, winning in 16.44 and backing up her pair of 10.8s from earlier in the season. Davis finished a painful fourth place at last year’s US Championships, but looks well-positioned this year to make it over the hump. Although she has been a professional since January 2020, we all probably need to be reminded on occasion that Davis is just 20 years old. Probably wasn’t even invited to the real after-party and had to go drink an OLIPOP with Erriyon and Hobbs and a chaperone…

And on the men’s side, Noah Lyles came out guns blazing and put on a show that lasted much longer than his 14.56-second race. Knighton ultimately finished second, but Ferdinand Omanyala was the one who gave Lyles the best scare. While most definitely a short sprint specialist, the Kenyan star, who just ran 9.78 (+2.3) to win in Botswana, was leading through halfway. It wasn’t until just before the 100m mark that Lyles finally overtook him, when the final 50m highlighted a devastating difference of endurance.

Running without the curve takes away Knighton’s greatest strength, but regardless, this was a significant improvement from his 10.13 (+3.3) at LSU a week earlier. I would imagine that after last year’s 19.49 in April, the approach this year has been a bit more conservative early on. He told Katelyn Hutchison before the race that he considers this is his first real pro season and that he has finally discovered the weight room.

The Diamond League will never receive the official Lap Count stamp of approval for turning its final into a street meet. But this is not that – Atlanta was just for fun. We may not know what a good 150m time is, and we may not know if the hurdles were placed in the right position. But what we do know is that much like the IKEA track, times are fleeting, but beating rivals head to head is forever.

Catching up with Tara Davis 🤠

Photo: Chuck Aragon

You may remember that as of one week ago Tara Davis-Woodhall had the second best jump in the world so far this year. That’s because her big leap was not wind-legal and therefore did not count. This led to an entertaining back and forth with Quanesha Burks, as the two Olympians traded shots and the talk of a potential 1 vs. 1 battle heated up. Backing up the posts, Tara took to the runway this past weekend at Arkansas to land 7.07m (+1.9) and establish the new number one mark in the world. The former Longhorn, now-lululemon athlete, and YouTube star has been in the news quite a bit recently, so I caught up with her to hear how everything is going.

Congratulations on an awesome performance this weekend. What was your takeaway from it… besides that you jumped very far?

I was just trying to execute a couple of things. At these meets, it's a glorified practice so I'm really just trying to perfect my craft rather than jumping far, but perfecting how I'm jumping far.

Please share specifics because I love getting into the details. My audience is distance runner-heavy, but it's time they learn about the long jump.

Okay, so for this weekend I was working on my form in the air because I just changed it. I was going from a hang – like, a half-hitch hang – and now I'm going into a complete full hitch, which means I'm running in the air. I'm doing this now because I feel like I've perfected… or I have out-jumped what I can do with the hang. I realized as you go into the professional world, there's smaller technical things to work on. And that's what I was doing this weekend, trying to just get my hitch to be more consistent. In recent meets I would do some jumps with the actual hitch, and for some jumps I would revert back to my old ways. And so this week I was just trying to get consistent with the speed and with carrying that hitch through the pit.

And so that big world leading jump was with the new hitch?

Yup!

Well, then that's very exciting!

Yes, it is. And it just kind of puts it in perspective that I can do the hitch without reverting back to my old ways. So it kind of gives me both confidence in myself and confidence that I can actually make it work.

I have the perspective that your speed is your strength. Is that fair assessment?

Yeah, I would say that as well. That, as well as my power off the board — a lot of people don't put as much power down. And that's the crazy thing from this weekend: there were multiple jumps where I was landing way too early because I was getting so much height and I have become way stronger in the weight room and way stronger on the track. So now I'm learning how to use my speed plus my power. Whereas previously it would have been maybe just by speed, or if my speed wasn't there, I could use that power to get the distance that I was looking for.

Coming off a week ago you cleared seven meters, but with a nice tailwind…

Which wasn’t true!

Tell me more.

We had really strong winds this weekend, but it wasn't even touching +5.0 m/s. And I swear to you, there was no +5.9 – but if that's what the wind reading wants to say, let it say that! But everyone on the track for that agreed: that was definitely not a +5.9. But we're just going to go with it.

Looking at the results, it did seem like it was the one outlier on the day.

Exactly. So, you know. Whatever that means!

So then this new legal mark must feel very validating.

Yes, 100%.

And then is there any reason maybe you would be feeling extra motivated this week to have gone out and jumped so far?

You know, I was trash talking a little on the Internet, which is a bit out of character for me. But it's honestly super fun because it brought so many eyes to the sport and so many eyes to both of our pages. And I think that is what the sport needs. Once it started happening, I was like, full send, let's go. I'm not going to hold back. But definitely had some motivation, trying to get that world lead once again.

What does your coach say when he sees you taking to the Internet?

He laughed hard. He said this is great and what the sport needs. And my coach knows that I am not a trash talker, but he thought it was funny that I got into that zone and thought it was good for me. It puts an extra emphasis on training, and on how you want to be in the world and to be perceived. I was able to clap back and go 7.07m. I didn’t know it was going to be over seven meters but things are going in the right direction.

There are definitely two schools of thought: that professional athletes are just athletes, or they’re supposed to be entertainers. It seems like you enjoy being an entertainer.

I feel like I've always been the entertainer. I have always been a performer, and I always get the crowd involved. I've always wanted more eyes on my sport – to long jump. My main goal in track and field is to change the sport. And I've been saying that since high school, and I will do anything and everything in my power to bring eyes to the sport. If that involves putting $5,000 on the table for a 1-vs.-1, I will do that.

It seems like it's not going to happen though. Is that accurate?

Well, news for you! The 1-vs.-1 is not going to happen, but a showdown will be happening in two weeks in Bermuda at the USATF-Bermuda track meet.

That’s great news! Is having more showcases or showdowns the answer for the long jump? Do fans need to see you jump over a car or something?

I would love to have a street meet made of jumps. I do genuinely believe this is what we need. You know, these sprinters are on the track for less than 10 or 11 seconds and that's the only time you get to see them. But for the long jump, we are out there for at least an hour and a half, going head-to-head, and things change [every round]. Athletes understand what they are doing wrong and come back and adjust. And I feel like people don't realize how much is happening on the runway. We have the ability to hear our coaches’ feedback.

Whereas in the sprints, there is one moment to shine and that's it. We're out in the middle of the field and we're still not getting eyes, which is bizarre. Everyone can long jump. And I try to tell people to go out to the track and see where they land. It puts in perspective how far we're jumping and can change the mindset of spectators.

I’ve said that we need microphones to capture the trash talk. Like, there are conversations that are happening between competitors that fans aren’t aware of.

I know for the men there's a whole bunch of trash talk, but the women are a bit more to themselves.

Everyone is just very to themselves, and that's why I'm probably the one that's being seen the most because I am not to myself – I get nervous. I just bounce around like a rabbit sometimes unlike the normal long jumper who is focusing on the next jump. I’m like, ‘What is the crowd doing? What other events are on?’

All of this trash talking that I am doing is out of love and out of hope for the sport to be more recognized and seen. But if we could get some mics down there I would make it a whole different ball game.

I got a hint of something on Twitter, that there have been some politics recently bothering you. That’s probably the least fun part of professional athletics. You have only done one Diamond League in your career to date, is it related to that?

Track and field is so weird. Coming out of college, I thought I was going to be able to just go to all of these European means. I personally don't have a track and field agent. My dad is my agent who is attempting to get me into these meets. But now we're realizing that the athlete needs someone more recognizable than the athlete themselves to back it up, which is honestly bizarre.

I can be the top jumper in America and I can't get into these European meets because they are invite-only and they're inviting the same people over and over. And I just feel like that's unfair to me and to other athletes who are working their asses off, wanting to get into these track meets. What about those who don't have the ability to have an agent behind them because they don't have a professional contract?

It’s that or they hit the quota for having Americans.

I've definitely had a better performance history than those athletes, many of whom are coming into retirement. There are new athletes coming in who have actually put stuff on the table. Give those athletes a chance! Why does an agent have to be behind your back trying to shuffle and pull strings?

That world is a trap, almost. And I don’t want to fall into the trap of having to get a sports agent because my name is not big enough for you. Like what am I doing wrong? My dad was going back and forth with an agent who was like, ‘Well, let's wait until next year after the World Championships so she can win a world title and then we can see.’ Say what?

I saw you took to YouTube and addressed your recent month-long ban. Sha’Carri’s situation obviously made that a huge conversation before you, but what was the overall feedback from that news?

At the end of the day, I had way more support than I had haters. And I do believe that this world is changing in such drastic ways that our sport can't keep up with it. What happened with Sha'carri was very unfortunate, the way that the media perceived it and I feel really bad how hers was handled because it wasn't right. It was immediately released, which was understandable because the Olympics were so close.

Luckily enough, I was able to serve my suspension before it was released. It was hard doing it behind closed doors because I wasn't sure how people would respond. But luckily it was taken very well on social media and with the track community. There were some people who believed that my 30-day suspension should have been more, which is their opinion.

But they also aren't living the life that I live and they aren’t involved in my life. So I had to take all those comments with a grain of salt. It was very hard watching my name go up like that. I have gotten through it and it's made me more powerful as an athlete and more eager to get back out there to show them that I'm still the same person and the same athlete.

My opinion is that the rule is bullshit.

Yeah, I agree. But the rule is a rule and I did not obey the rule. But hopefully, that can change one day. I'm just kind of pushing it down and moving forward. If you search my name it's no longer Tara Davis the Olympian, but Tara Davis stripped of her title. So I'm working on changing that narrative and being back to the person that everyone saw me as.

You said that you enjoy being an entertainer. What you do is under a microscope and that's partially because of YouTube and social media. What is the best and worst part about having the audience you have?

The best part is that my work has been seen. My craft that I am perfecting is being seen. And it allows me to know that I'm not going unnoticed and that all of my work is for something.

The worst part about it is that I am under that microscope. I can't do things that people my age are doing. I am just a normal person behind track and field who hangs out with friends and enjoys going on trips and travel. I'm a normal 24-year-old, but at the same time I'm a professional 24-year-old and sometimes it can get taken out of context. If a normal 24-year-old consumed THC, then no one says anything. But because I'm a professional then that becomes my persona.

Well, thanks so much for sharing! I am excited to see you and Quanesha in Bermuda.

And I do want to reiterate that the “beef” is all out of love for the sport and wanting to see it grow. I have no ill feelings toward Quanesha. She is a bomb-ass jumper.

And you want to be the best so you can finally get in more Diamond Leagues.

Exactly.

Rapid Fire Highlights 🔥

  • Who came in third at the legendary 2022 Valencia Marathon behind Kelvin Kiptim and Gabriel Geay? If you had to Google this, then you clearly didn’t pay attention to the Prague Marathon this weekend! Kenya’s Alexander Mutiso ran 2:05:09 there to win over 2021 London Marathon champion Sisay Lemma. Behind them there were two big American performances from Biya Simbassa, who finished 7th in 2:10:34, and Elkanah Kibet, who was 9th in 2:10:43. And on the women’s side, Workenesh Edesa of Ethiopia won it, running 2:20:42.

  • Nick Ponzio took to Instagram in a long video message explaining the reason for his two-year ban, which came as a result of a broken phone and inability to update his whereabouts on an app used by the Italian federation. He clarified that he never failed, nor missed a test while attempting to regain access.

  • Remember the name Cordell Tinch of Pittsburg State! That’s not a misspelling —the DII school in Kansas does not have an ‘h’ at the end of its name. But it does have one of college track’s most electric athletes! In one meet he ran 13.07 (+2.8) and 12.97 (+3.0) in the 110H, which is the second-fastest all-conditions mark in collegiate history. And he also long jumped 8.24m (+3.2) and cleared 2.18m in the high jump. Someone teach this guy seven more events!

  • In Pittsburgh (with the ‘h’) Wesley Kiptoo kept the good times rolling for NAZ Elite as he won the half marathon in 1:01:21 by a large margin over two 2:10 marathoners. Buze Diriba won the women’s race in 1:10:43, and Tyler McCandless (2:16:08) and Margo Malone (2:41:56) took the full distance titles.

  • This is a fantastic video about the current makeup of the sport as explained by Kyra Jefferson and Kenny Bednarek. I highly recommend it!

  • In Spokane at the Bloomsday 12K run, Yeshi Kalayu held off my rival (from Broad Street) Cynthia Limo by two seconds to get the win. Keira D’Amato returned to action and finished fourth. On the men’s side, Jemal Yimer (26:54/58:33) won by 20 seconds over the new American stud Teshome Mekonen.

  • The Kip Keino Classic is on Sunday (watch on Flotrack) and features Sha’Carri Richardson and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce. Unfortunately, they will not be racing each other. Sha’Carri shared an Instagram story that she was kicked out of the 100m again…

Thank you so much to OLIPOP for powering this week’s newsletter with delicious prebiotic low-sugar soda. One of the most thrilling parts of my weekend in California was this interview with Katelyn Tuohy. #vintagecola

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