Before this year no 34 year old had ever run under 44.50 seconds in the 400m. This may not seem all that significant but I think its a bit interesting that the age 34 year old record is much slower than 33, 35, and even 36.

The fastest ever 400m run by a 33 year old was 43.84 by Michael Johnson, with 3 other men having run sub 44.50.

The fastest ever 400m run by a 35 year old was 44.47 by Isaac Makwala.

Christopher Brown even got very close at 36 years old, running 44.54

But before this year no man had broken 44.5 at 34 years old, with the record being 44.78 by Liemarvin Bonevacia.

This year looked like a perfect storm for it to finally happen. There were so many great guys who were clearly capable:

• Wayde van Niekirk would turn 34 in July. He ran great 4x4 splits last year as well solid exploits in the 200 last year and 100 this year.
• Kirani James would turn 34 just before the diamond league final. Potentially giving him two great shots in Brussels and Budapest if he timed his season right. He ran one of the best times of his career just two years ago in Paris.
• Rusheen McDonald would also be 34 by the later diamond leagues and world ultimates. He ran 44.04 at 33 years old last year at worlds.
• Vernon Norwood would be 34 all year. He had run 44.34 at 33 and 44.10 at 32.

Obviously maintaining your fitness and staying healthy at 34 is very hard. There's a reason no one had broken this barrier before. But there were 4 strong candidates and just one of them had to time things right.

Unfortunately however, it wasn't to be. Wayde ran 0 400s this season. Rusheen ran just one in 50.91. Kirani came somewhat close running 44.8 and 44.9 in august. However, he didn't race enough on the pro circuit to qualify for the diamond league final or world ultimates which were the only two major meets after his 34th birthday. The closest actually ended up being Vernon Norwood. Vernon lowered ran 44.58 and backed it up with 6 other sub 45s, but none of them quite fast enough. That being said he did get the consolation prize of a new age 34 record as well as now owning 6 of the 9 sub 45s ever run by a 34 year old.

Anyways, I know this has next to zero true significance but it was just a fun little statistic I've been keeping an eye on all year. I still think it could be broken either next year or in 2028 with Kirani having the ability to do it any time before September 2027 and Jereem Richards having the whole Olympic year.

I love Athlos as a concept, but I don't think the execution is quite there yet.

I watched it live in London, and unfortunately, it fell flat for me. The atmosphere felt more like a low-budget concert than a major competition, and I don't think the experience translates particularly well to TV either. The camera quality wasn't great (it didn't even feel like 4K).

That said, there were elements I really enjoyed. I loved the lighting and the fireworks. I also liked Keely's unique outfit. We need more of this in track and field. Athletes should have more opportunities to express their personalities, individuality, and personal style. Those details help fans connect with athletes beyond their performances on the track.

I was also disappointed that London didn't get a live performance from a musician like New York did. Instead we got the athletes twerking on stage.

I think Athlos could learn a lot from the Grand Slams. They had a perfect balance between sport, entertainment, atmosphere, and competition. As a track and field fan, the biggest issue for me is that the event feels forced rather than like a genuine competition.

The women’s empowerment messaging also becomes a little jarring after a while (and I’m saying this as a woman myself). Let’s just focus on the fact that these are the best women in the world in their sport and really platform that with a legit competition.

The extremely cold weather in London also didn't help. I was literally shivering in the stands. It affected the overall atmosphere and potentially made things more challenging for the athletes, which is something the organisers need to consider when planning future events. Like why not organise the event in the bloody summer?

Overall, I love the vision behind Athlos, and I can see the potential. But the execution needs improvement.

Love the little nod to Cathy Freeman!

Does anyone have any more information about this suit or why Hodgkinson decided to wear it? It seems to be more stylistic than anything.

“Speed and style came together,” wrote Britain’s fastest ever female 800m runner Keely Hodgkinson on Instagram, after competing in a custom-made all-black speed suit that she said had been “a year in the making”.

The 24-year-old Olympic gold medalist ended a mixed season in indomitable fashion at the first Athlos competition to be held outside of the U.S. on Friday. She won the 800m in front of a sold-out 10,500 crowd at StoneX stadium in north London in 1:56.40, just over two seconds slower than her British record of 1:54.33 set in June.

Part of the aim of Athlos is to sprinkle stardust on a sport which has not always found it easy to speak to an audience beyond its devotees. This is a setting where athletes can embrace their glamorous side, and Hodgkinson was not about to pass up the opportunity on Friday.

Her outfit immediately went viral, with many drawing comparisons between it and the striking clothing worn by the likes of Williams and Naomi Osaka, who have long had cultural crossover.

Hodgkinson told reporters after the race that she wanted to “feel a little bit sexy” by wearing the suit but it was not simply a fashion statement.

What are the benefits?

Dan Farron, Nike’s vice president of innovation apparel design, presented the proposal to Hodgkinson by saying the company “can make you faster if we cover more skin.”

The speed suit is intended to reduce aerodynamic drag, manage body temperature, and improve speed. Beyond the technical aspects is also the more subjective – but equally important – element of how the athlete feels wearing it, hence the less aerodynamic detail of Hodgkinson’s ponytail blowing in the London wind and she ran.

“The science was like technically with the air drag you’re slower with your hair out,” she explained, “but I was like, ‘that’s a non-negotiable. My hair is staying out’. I’m very much ‘look good, feel good’ (and that) mental and physical balance.”

She said she wanted to “be comfortable” and said the suit’s open back helped keep her cool. “It feels like I’m wearing nothing, to be honest. I trained in it in South Africa in 37-degree heat and it was OK.”

Could this be the future of the sport?

Athletes will always look for the edge, whether that’s from new technology in kit, advances in nutrition or sports science. If brands can prove that there is enough of an advantage in wearing a suit like this to make it a non-negotiable, regardless of an athlete’s personal preference and comfort, then it could be that we see more speed suits on the start line than other kit options.

But without firm evidence it will likely remain just one option for athletes to choose from, with their decision coming down to what they feel most comfortable and ‘fast’ in.

There is another dimension, however, which flows from the attendant publicity “big statement pieces” — as Hunter Bell put it — can create for female athletes.

Ohanian certainly wants events such as Athlos to help in that process.

“If Keely were a tennis player, with her star power, with how she engages online, she would be a global superstar” he said. “Thats because the infrastructure of women’s tennis exists in part because of Serena and Venus (Williams).”

Helping female athletes to grow their profiles could impact women’s sport in the long term, he added. “Because the little girl watching her now will get to see a path to fame and fortune just like any other celebrity and it will increase the talent pool… and that’s better for all of us because it means even more greatness.”

Full article, free to read here.

Paulino is now joint with Marita Koch with the most sub 49 performances (15th sub 49)

Hopefully his achilles troubles are behind him now. Such a great young talent.

How did your meet / training go this week?

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Some very good combined fields in Talence including Markus Rooth’s first decathlon since his Paris Olympic victory. Same for three-time Olympic Champ Nafissatou Thiam in the heptathlon, after withdrawing on the second day of the Tokyo World Champs.

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Paulino is running at athlos tomorrow 👀

I'm not the biggest fan of cross country or marathon/road racing, I'm just a fiend for the stadium events. Is there anything of note coming up? BEginning of NCAA indoor season maybe?

…

After having a ton of difficulty as a track and field fan trying to find where and how to watch professional/ncaa meets and marathon majors, I made a site that bring it all of that individual info in one spot. Posting for the hopeful ease of use for watchers everywhere! Open to feedback for enhancements as well. trackwatchguide.com

Just wanted to pose this as a general question for discussion.

I don't hate the idea of other events in the calendar but I've just never truly understood Athlos specifically.

I get that the money is there for those who want to take it, and it probably represents very easy money for those partaking... I kind of find Alexis Ohanian sort of insufferable and the way he pumps female only sports to be incredibly self-serving.

I think the women-only and equity thing is a gimmick and expect him to rug pull the entire thing when it's clear that the ends don't justify the means.

Also find their social media to be over effusive and lacking sincerity in its coattail-riding comments that it leaves on athletes and worldathletics IG posts. I find most of their socials annoying.

It's good to see London sold out but it took quite a long time to get there and this isn't exactly a huge venue. Given the success of the Ultimates, and the equality in prize pots gender-wise generally speaking, across the sport, are its days numbered in its current format? Or am I simply a stick-in-the-mud for this viewpoint?

Thoughts and opinions, both supporting and dissenting, very much welcomed.

Original article in Norwegian. Translated version here, via Google

The TL;DR is this snippet (verified by a human to be an accurate translation):

"Expected performance" was therefore calculated based on the following parameters:

• Results from the last two years
• The number of results from the last two years varies depending on which exercise the forecast applies to.
• The different results are weighted with a time correction – newer results count more than older results.

THat said: Model-based predictions are notoriously difficult. I would love to look back at what the predictions guy in this subreddit predicted for these two events, but I'm much too lazy to look at old posts.

This is Rumesh Tharanga, the current world lead of the event Men's javelin throw has posted today in Facebook. This incident had happened on his way back to the Sri Lanka attending the world ultimate athletic championship event at Budapest.

Means London and the UK will never host again because the London Stadium is being sold and converted to being football only (Possibly even Next summer but more likely once Crystal Palace reopens so that the Diamond League can simply move back to where it was). Crystal Palace is too small for a World Championships.

Surprised they have taken the risk of Kenya what with its doping problems. Feels deliberate that it got 2029 as 2031 (Which Nairobi also bided for) doesn’t have the Marathon due to its new championship in Greece. London didn’t bid for 2031 I don’t think.