2023 World Athletics Championships Archives - 国产吃瓜黑料 Online /tag/2023-world-athletics-championships/ Live Bravely Tue, 05 Sep 2023 15:24:38 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.7.1 https://cdn.outsideonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/favicon-194x194-1.png 2023 World Athletics Championships Archives - 国产吃瓜黑料 Online /tag/2023-world-athletics-championships/ 32 32 Top 10 Moments of the Track and Field World Championships in Budapest /running/racing/top-10-moments-track-and-field-world-championships/ Sun, 27 Aug 2023 22:34:05 +0000 /?p=2644057 Top 10 Moments of the Track and Field World Championships in Budapest

The stoke is high for the Paris Olympics after a remarkable nine-day world championships

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Top 10 Moments of the Track and Field World Championships in Budapest

For the past nine days, track and field was on display at its best鈥攕peed, power, endurance, agility, and some spicy smack-talking鈥攁t the 2023 World Athletics Championship in Budapest.

The top stars of track and field鈥攂oth savvy veterans and newly emerging talents鈥攑ut together a stunning amalgamation of running, jumping, and throwing performances that gave the first real hints to the action we鈥檒l see at next summer鈥檚 Paris Olympics.

If you didn鈥檛 tune into the events, here鈥檚 a quick recap of the brightest moments to know about.

1. Sha鈥機arri Richardson Is a Soaring Super Star

a woman stands on a track and focuses
Sha’Carri Richardson reacts before the women’s 4×100 meters relay final of the World Athletics Championships Budapest 2023 (Photo: Zheng Huansong/Xinhua/Getty)

After a few misfires to start her pro career, American sprinter Sha鈥機arri Richardson set the track on fire in Budapest as she launched herself to the center of the world鈥檚 stage. The 23-year-old Dallas athlete not only lived up to the hype, but she exceeded expectations by winning the 100-meter dash (10.65 seconds), earning the bronze in the 200 and turning in a clutch performance to anchor the winning U.S. 4×100-meter relay.

RELATED: Sha鈥機arri Richardson Wins 100-Meter Gold at the World Championships

While her performance in the 100 will get most of the attention鈥攁nd deservedly so after soundly beating top Jamaican stars Shericka Jackson and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce鈥攈er effort in the 200, with a career鈥揵est 21.92, showed her grit, dedication, and confidence. Plus, her strong relay leg helped the U.S. set a new championship record of 41.03. Although her 2021 suspension for cannabis that caused her to miss the Tokyo Olympics is behind her, it will be interesting to see if Richardson鈥檚 new image as a dream-come-true winner can cash in with endorsement deals.

2. Faith Kipyegon Is Definitely the G.O.A.T.

A track star celebrates in a red singlet after winning a race
Kipyegon celebrates after winning the Women’s 5,000m final during day eight of the World Athletics Championships. (Photo: Jiang Qiming/China News Service/VCG/Getty)

Prior to 2022, Faith Kipyegon, a 29-year-old runner from Kenya and mother of a five-year-old daughter, was probably already the greatest women鈥檚 middle-distance runner in history. With two Olympic gold medals and in the 1,500 meters and more bling (two gold, two silver) from the past four world championships, she has had few peers on the track.

This year, she cemented her status as the G.O.A.T. by not only setting new world records in the 1,500 meters (3:49.11), one mile (4:07.64), and 5,000 meters (14:05.20) earlier this summer, but she also became the first woman to win both events at a single world championships. On top of all of that, she outran Ethiopian-born Dutch runner Sifan Hassan, the Olympic 5000-meter and 10,000-meter champion, in both events. Kipyegon won鈥檛 be unbeatable forever, but she鈥檒l certainly be the favorite to win Olympic gold in the 1,500 and 5,000 next summer.

3. Noah Lyles Has Become the New Mega Star Sprinter

A strinter in red white and blue singlet holds up three fingers for the victories
Lyles brings home the United States team and celebrates his third gold medal of the World Championships as he crosses the finish line in the Men’s 4x100m Relay during the World Athletics Championships.

Noah Lyles entered the world championships as the best 200-meter runner in the world, having won back-to-back titles in the half-lap race. But the 200 doesn鈥檛 carry the same marquee value as the 100, so he lacked hype as one of the world鈥檚 top sprinters. Fellow American Fred Kerley, who had been talking a big game prior to the championships, was the favorite to win the 100-meters after earning the world championships in the event last sumner. However, when Kerley flamed out in the semifinals, it opened the door for the cool and calm Lyles to blaze the field in the 100 final in 9.87 seconds.

After that, Lyles won his specialty event in 19.52 seconds and ran the anchor leg on Team USA鈥檚 gold-medal winning 4×100-meter relay. That made him the first man to pull off that feat since Jamaican legend Usain Bolt did it in 2015. Lyles had an exceptional meet, but he鈥檚 not in the same category as Bolt yet. His times weren鈥檛 nearly as fast, plus Bolt won all three races at three championships, and also at the 2008, 2012, and 2016 Olympics.

But make no mistake, Lyles鈥攚ho won all four of his preliminary heats and three finals decisively鈥攊s the world鈥檚 top sprinter now, and heading into next year鈥檚 Olympics in Paris he鈥檒l be chasing the legacy (and times and major endorsement dollars) of the now-retired Bolt. 鈥淚 think I鈥檝e said a lot of times that I want to transcend the sport,鈥 said Lyles, who is currently the subject of two documentaries and arguably the most engaging character in track. 鈥淚 am the guy who wants to move past just being 鈥榯rack famous.鈥欌

4. British Runner Josh Kerr Slayed a Norwegian Giant

two men sprinting side by side in a final track event
(Photo: Sven Hoppe/dpa/Getty)

Josh Kerr upset 2021 Tokyo Olympic champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen to win the gold medal in the 1,500-meter gold, marking the second straight year a British runner has taken down the world-leading Norwegian. The 25-year-old Kerr trailed his rival until the final 200 meters before cranking up a big finishing kick to win the race in 3:29.38 over the notably outspoken Ingebrigtsen (3:29.65), who qualified for the final after some showy finger-pointing and waves to the crowd in his semifinal race. It was similar to how Ingebrigtsen, 22, acted last year in his preliminary races, only to lose the final to British runner Jake Wightman in identical fashion. Will Ingebrigtsen learn his lesson before the Paris Olympics? (Just like he did last year, he came back strong and dispatched the field of the 5,000 meters to win that event in 13:11.30.)

Kerr, who trains with the Brooks Beast Track Club in Seattle and is coached by American Danny Mackey, earned the bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics, but finished a disappointing fifth at last year鈥檚 world championships. 鈥淚t鈥檚 been a long time coming,鈥 said Kerr, who won Olympic bronze behind the victorious Norwegian in Tokyo in 2021. 鈥淚t鈥檚 quite an overwhelming experience. But I just threw my whole 16 years of this sport into that last 200 and didn鈥檛 let up until the end. I’d be proud of giving everything I had in that situation if that was [for] gold, silver or bronze. But I’ve had the bronze鈥攁nd the gold is a lot sweeter.

5. Dutch Sprinter Femke Bol Gracefully Earned Redemption

A woman in orange outfit wins a relay race with two other women close behind
Femke Bol in action on the 4×400 meters during the last day of the World Athletics Championships.

In the absence of 400-meter hurdles world record holder and defending champion Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, Dutch athlete Femko Bol asserted herself as the new star of the event. But first she had to recover from the frustration and physical pain of falling flat on her face in the mixed 4×400-meter relay. Matching American Alexis Holmes stride-for-stride during the fourth and final leg of the relay, the 23-year-old Bol tripped and fell just a few just meters from the line, dropping the baton and disqualifying her team in the process. Five days later, Bol earned her redemption by flawlessly winning the 400-meter hurdles in 51.70 seconds, the second fastest time in history.

“Everyone thought, of course on paper she’s by far the winner, she’s gonna win it,” Bol said. “But I think the mixed relay showed that it’s not always like this, because I think a lot of people thought that when I got the [baton] we would have gold easily and we didn’t get it. So I knew I needed to be strong, I needed to execute my race.” In one of the last events of the meet, Bol anchored the Dutch women鈥檚 4×400-meter relay team to a gold-medal finish in national record and world-leading time of 3:20.72.

6. Grant Holloway and Karsten Warholm Are Hurdling Legends

three men jump over hurdles
Holloway in action in the men’s 110m hurdles semifinal during day three of the World Athletics Championships Budapest. (Photo: Mattia Ozbot/Getty)

American Grant Holloway and Norway鈥檚 Karsten Warholm are as dominant at jumping over hurdles as the legends of each of their disciplines. Holloway, 25, won his third straight 110-meter high hurdles world championship title with a dominating effort that led him to a season鈥檚 best 12.96 seconds. Warholm, 27, also won his third straight world title in commanding fashion, winning in 46.89.

He also won gold at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, which means he鈥檚 tied with the great Edwin Moses of the U.S. and Felix Sancez of the Dominican Republic (who each won two Olympic gold, two world championships) with four global titles. Meanwhile, Holloway matched the late Greg Foster, a three-time world champion for the U.S. between 1983-1991, but still trails American Allen Johnson, who won four world titles (1995-2003) and one Olympic title (1996) during his career.

7. Laulauga Tausaga Became The First U.S. Woman to Win the Discus Throw

A woman celebrates after winning a discus toss
Tausaga reacts after competing in the Women’s Discus Throw Final during day four of the World Athletics Championships Budapest 2023. (Photo: David Ramos/Getty Images)

American discus thrower Laulauga Tausaga was born in Hawaii with Samoan roots, but grew up in San Diego and went to college in Iowa (because, she said, it was 鈥渢ime for me to get, you know, locked in in a snowstorm鈥) and now trains in El Cajon, California. Tausaga became the first American woman to win a world championship gold medal in discus, with a career-best throw of 69.49 meters in the fifth of six rounds. That throw, which surpassed her old mark by a whopping 4.03 meters (or roughly 13 feet), vaulted her past teammate and world-leader Valarie Allman, the Tokyo Olympic champion, for the gold medal.

鈥淚 just screamed,鈥 said Tausaga, who was only ranked ninth in the world entering the competition. 鈥淚 was like, I don鈥檛 know how to contain this emotion.鈥 Tausaga said she was pained to see the devastation that happened to Maui during the recent wildfire that destroyed the town of Lahaina that killed more than 100 people and left hundreds still missing. 鈥淚鈥檓 constantly praying for them,鈥 she said. 鈥淧acific Islanders stick together.鈥

8. There Were Two Champions in the Women鈥檚 Pole Vault

two women hug after tying for first place in the pole vault
Nina Kennedy of Team Australia and Katie Moon of Team United States react after competing in the Women’s Pole Vault Final during day five of the World Athletics Championships Budapest 2023. (Photo: Mattia Ozbot/Getty)

While running races on the track cannot end in a tie because digital timing mechanisms and high-speed cameras can separate finish line times down to the thousandth of a second. But it鈥檚 different in field events like high jump or pole vault, in which athletes are judged on specific heights attained during a competition.

At the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, Mutaz Essa Barshim (Qatar) and Gianmarco Tamberi (Italy) famously tied for the men鈥檚 high jump title by agreeing to stop jumping at 2.37 meters. That feel鈥揼ood moment created a precedent that allowed American Katie Moon and Nina Kennedy to share this year鈥檚 pole vaulting gold after both cleared 4.90 meters.

鈥淚 kind of looked at her and said, 鈥楬ey girl, you maybe want to share this?鈥 Kennedy recounted. Moon, the Tokyo Olympic champion and last year鈥檚 world champion, certainly did. They both agreed to stop jumping and share the win. 鈥淚t鈥檚 funny because, until the Olympics, I never realized you could split a gold medal,鈥 said Moon, 32, who is from Ohio but trains in Oregon.

There was only one winner in the men鈥檚 pole vault, as Armand Duplantis was once again untouchable. The 23-year-old American-born Swedish competitor, who has been pole vaulting competitively since he was six, won his third-straight global title (the Tokyo Olympics and the past two world championships) with a winning vault of 6.10 meters. Like it did at last year鈥檚 world championships in Eugene, the end of the competition turned into 鈥渢he Mondo Show鈥 as made three three attempts to clear 6.23, which would have broken the world record he set earlier this year. He narrowly missed clearing that height, but chances are he鈥檒l raise the bar again before he gets to Paris next summer.

9. American Shot-Putters Were Best-in-Class

a man wearing read is about to let go of a shot put
Crouser competes in the Men’s Shot Put Final during day one of the World Athletics Championships Budapest 2023. (: David Ramos/Getty)

Despite being diagnosed with blood clots in his legs prior to the competition, Ryan Crouser still continued his reign as the world鈥檚 best shot-putter. The defending world champion, two-time defending Olympic champion, and world record-holder retained his title with a massive 23.51-meter throw on his final attempt, falling just five centimeters shy of his own world record.聽 The 29-year-old Crouser, who reworked his throwing technique this year, had earlier already extended his own championship best from last year on his second throw (22.98), and was guaranteed the gold medal before his final attempt.

Meanwhile, U.S. compatriot Chase Ealey successfully defended her women’s shot put title, winning her second successive gold medal. The 30-year-old Ealey, like Crouser, was competing with a new technique, produced her season-best throw in her fifth attempt to win the gold with a chuck of 20.43 meters (just a shade over 67 feet) to edge Canada’s Sarah Mitton, who took the silver with 20.08.

10. Ben Pattison Earned a Medal Three Years After Having Heart Surgery

A man wearing purple reacts after finishing a race
Pattison reacts after finishing third in the Men’s 800 meters Final on day eight of the World Athletics Championships at the National Athletics Center in Budapest, Hungary.

Not all the best stories were based on athletes who came home with gold medals. British middle-distance runner Ben Pattison turned in the best performance of his young career by racing his way to a bronze medal in the finals of the 800-meter run. After the race, the 21-year-old athlete told reporters he overcame a rare heart condition known as Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, in which an extra signaling pathway between the heart’s upper and lower chambers can cause an exceptionally fast heartbeat.

While he was training in early 2020, he regularly experienced his heart skyrocketing to 250 beats-per-minute and, when diagnosed, doctors told him he had to stop running. During the COVID lockdown, he underwent a surgery in which doctors had to burn off a bit of his heart. 鈥淚t was a bit scary at the time,鈥 he said after the race. 鈥淚t was during COVID, so I didn鈥檛 miss out on racing, but I was awake for the whole thing. It was a bit surreal. I was watching it.鈥

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Nico Montanez Is a Man on a Marathon Mission /running/news/people/nico-montanez-is-a-man-on-a-marathon-mission/ Fri, 25 Aug 2023 18:52:36 +0000 /?p=2643997 Nico Montanez Is a Man on a Marathon Mission

The Tucson-born runner will race for Team USA in the world championships marathon on August 27 in Budapest

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Nico Montanez Is a Man on a Marathon Mission

Nico Montanez fondly remembers the loving connection he shared with his great grandparents Alberto and Emma, whom he says he was blessed to have in his life until he was a young teenager.

Years ago, they moved their family from Nogales, Mexico, to Tucson, Arizona, in search of a better life. While the pursuit of the American Dream hasn鈥檛 always come easy for ensuing generations, Montanez, a 29-year-old professional runner with the Mammoth Track Club, has a relentless work ethic that he believes is rooted in his elders.

Montanez, who was born in Tucson, is proud of his Mexican-American heritage, but his inner drive this summer has been fueled by the opportunity to represent the U.S. for the first time in his professional career. Montanez will compete in the marathon at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest on August 27, along with U.S. teammates Elkanah Kibet and Zach Panning.

鈥淚 think it’s such an honor to represent the red, white, and blue,鈥 Montanez said. 鈥淚 think of my great grandparents and how they came to this country and made a better life for our family and made it possible for me to do what I鈥檝e done. I just want to honor that.鈥

Finding His Path

Growing up in Tucson in a Mexican-American family had challenges. His parents, Francisco Hernandez and Kathy Montanez, were often challenged by a cultural divide that seemed to keep economic prosperity out of reach for working class families. Plus, his mother has had a long affliction with substance abuse after giving birth to four boys by the time she was in her early 20s.

It didn鈥檛 take much for Montanez to realize that running could be his ticket, an opportunity to pursue his own real achievements, earn an education, and create a life path for himself. He found a father figure in his high school coach Al Buhl, who, aside from helping structure his training that led to vast improvement, also gave him plenty of building blocks for life.

Although Montanez ran well in high school鈥攅arning ten state championships in Arizona鈥檚 small-school classification鈥攈e didn鈥檛 attract the attention of college coaches as a senior. Determined to keep moving forward, he enrolled at Paradise Valley Community College in Phoenix, where he met David Barney, the program鈥檚 longtime head coach who became even more of a guiding light for Montanez.

A man in a white windbreaker and black hair smiles in front of a mountainous backdrop
(Photo: Christian Pondella)

When college coaches showed interest in other runners from Barney鈥檚 junior college team, but not him, Montanez doubled down and worked harder. Barney, a four-time U.S. Olympic Trials qualifier, turned to Ed Eyestone, the men鈥檚 cross country coach at BYU. Eyestone, a two-time Olympic runner in the 1980s, had dozens of athletes interested in joining the Cougars program that were at least as fast as Montanez鈥檚 30:30 personal best for 10K. But Barney convinced him of Montanez鈥檚 considerable potential that was as much tied to his ahead-of-his-time maturity, kind heart, and earnestness as it was to his aerobic engine.

Montanez proved him right, not only finishing 14th at the Junior College Cross Country national championships, but also finding success running for Eyestone鈥檚 teams in his final two years in college. As a senior in 2016, Motanez finished ninth in the NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships as BYU鈥檚 top runner, helping the Cougars to a seventh-place team finish.

鈥淚 tell my athletes every year that 鈥榓ny of you could be on a national team if you wanted to,鈥欌 Barney says. 鈥淵ou just gotta keep your head in the game and stay focused and maybe make some tradeoffs and sacrifices that allow you to do that. Nico was somebody with a lot of potential and who worked hard, but maybe someone who didn’t believe it as well as he should have. I just think that each year his confidence is growing and his belief level is going up, and I don’t think there’s a limit on what he can do if he’ll continue down that path.鈥

Man on a Mission

Given all of the obstacles he鈥檚 overcome, Montanez is already a huge success story, and it鈥檚 largely because he hasn鈥檛 backed down from his dreams or lowered the high expectations he鈥檚 set for himself. His positive outlook, as well as the strong recommendations of Barney and Eyestone, helped Montanez earn a professional contract with ASICS and start training with the Mammoth Track Club.

He鈥檚 made steady progress under coach Andrew Kastor since his 26.2-mile debut (2:16:26) at the California International Marathon in 2017. He lowered his personal best three more times over the next several years at Grandma鈥檚 Marathon (2:14:27) in 2018, The Marathon Project (2:14:07) in 2020, and the Chicago Marathon (2:13:55) in 2021. Then last fall, thanks to the cumulative training and gradual increase in training volume, he made a huge leap last fall in Chicago, slicing four minutes off his personal best with a 13th place, 2:09:55 effort.

All along his confidence grew, and his belief that he belonged at the highest level of American running, In April, he turned in a similarly strong effort at the Boston Marathon (13th, 2:10:52). Six weeks later, USA Track and Field called with the opportunity to race in the world championships, and he accepted.

RELATED: Run Your First鈥攐r Best鈥擧alf Marathon with This Comprehensive Training Guide

Inspired anew, Montanez has had his best training period yet as he racked up several 120- to 130-mile weeks for the first time. It was arduous work that hit hard, and there were times he wasn鈥檛 sure he was improving or just running himself ragged.

鈥淥ne of my biggest takeaways from this big block of training was that I didn’t necessarily feel the greatest doing that kind of mileage, but who does?鈥 Montanez said last week before traveling to Budapest. 鈥淢ixed in with that volume, we did some marathon-type workouts, and I just felt spent, and I’d wake up tired.鈥

But somewhere along the way, a beautiful thing happened and it all began to click. Not only did he start to grasp a new level of aerobic fitness, but he also got on top of things mentally, too, with confidence to match his fitness.

Part of that conviction has come from being聽 a student of the sport who has gone out of his way to learn why and how specific workouts and training loads help him improve. This past spring, he went through a Road Runners Club of America coaching clinic and earned his RRCA Level One certification. That gave him greater appreciation and insight to Kastor鈥檚 workouts and his own development, and it might just put him on a career path to be a coach so he can help develop young athletes the same way Buhl, Barney, Eyestone, and Kastor have nurtured him.

鈥淗onestly, I’ve always conducted myself as a 2:07 marathoner, even when I first started,鈥 he says. 鈥淭hat’s just the time, for some reason, I have in my head because it was a time I wanted to strive for. For a while, when I was running 2:12, 2:13, 2:14, I didn鈥檛 know if I was going to get there. But the jump to 2:09 has really propelled me and shown me, with consistent work, that maybe I can get there some day.鈥

Mammoth Lakes is hallowed ground for American runners. Kastor has been there since Meb Keflezighi, Ryan Hall, and Deena Kastor, Andrew鈥檚 wife and 2004 Olympic bronze medalist, were part of the original Team USA development group that trained there in the early 2000s. Keflezighi earned a silver medal in the marathon at the 2004 Olympics, won the 2009 New York City Marathon and the 2013 Boston Marathon in 2:08:37, while Hall famously finished fourth at the 2011 Boston Marathon in 2:04:58, the fastest time ever run by an American.

鈥淣ico is following a similar trajectory as those guys did,鈥 Kastor says. 鈥淗e’s kind of knocking on that door. He hasn’t stepped through it yet, but he’s in that realm where, knowing what those guys were doing on the same courses in Mammoth, I’m comfortable telling him (how his times compare) in the middle of 120- to 130-mile weeks. And having him believe in what we’re doing and believing in himself that鈥攖hat he can run those times鈥攊s going to go a long way to him doing it.鈥

Running on the World Stage

Montanez has gotten a taste of international marathoning while running Chicago and Boston, but he knows he has his work cut out for him in Budapest鈥攖he field is stacked with talented runners who have run 2:06 or faster鈥攂ut that鈥檚 the way it鈥檚 always been for him.

The field is headlined by Ethiopia鈥檚 Tamirat Tola, 32, who won the world championships race last summer in Eugene (2:05:26) and took third in this year鈥檚 London Marathon (2:04:59) in April. Countryman Deso Gelmisa, 25, should also be in the mix after winning the Paris Marathon (2:05:07) last spring, finishing sixth at the Valencia Marathon (2:04:56) in December, and then winning the Tokyo Marathon in February (2:05:22).

The fastest runner in the field is 30-year-old Kenyan runner Timothy Kiplagat, who placed second in the Rotterdam Marathon in April (2:03:50) and won the Abu Dhabi Marathon in December (2:05:20). Other fast runners in the field include Kenya鈥檚 Joshua Belet聽(2:04:33) and Titus Kipruto (2:05:32), Ethiopia鈥檚 Tsegaye Getachew (2:05:25), Milkesa Mengesha (2:05:29), Netherlands鈥 Abdi Nageeye (2:05:32), Turkey鈥檚 Kaan Kigen 脰zbilen (2:05:37), and Japan鈥檚 Kenya Sonota (2:05:59).

A man runs on a road with a blue jacket on and mountains in the background
(Photo: Christian Pondella)

The other Americans in the field鈥擪ibet (2:09:07) and Panning (2:09:28)鈥攁re comparable to Montanez. The 28-year-old Panning, a former NCAA Division II standout at Grand Valley State, who trains with the Hansons-Brooks program in Rochester, Michigan, finished two places ahead of Montanez in last fall鈥檚 Chicago Marathon. Kibet, 40, is a Kenyan-born U.S. citizen and trains with the U.S. Army鈥檚 World Class Athletic Program under the guidance of coach Scott Simmons in Colorado Springs. Kibet is a first lieutenant who works as a budget analyst based out of Fort Carson.

That said, based on the work Montanez put in and his current level of fitness, Kastor thinks Montanez is capable of running 60 to 90 minutes faster than his personal best, in the right conditions. Race-day temperatures figure to be warm, so that might throw the chance at running a fast time out the window.

No matter how the race plays out in Budapest, it will serve Montanez as another stepping stone on his long journey along a humble path to becoming the marathoner鈥攁nd the man鈥攈e鈥檚 always wanted to become. After a short break, his attention will turn in early October to another training block that will build up to the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon on February 4, in Orlando, Florida, and run for a chance to run in next summer鈥檚 Olympic marathon in Paris.

鈥淚’m going into the world championships with a time in mind, but really I just want to compete and race the best I can,鈥 Montanez said. 鈥淎fter the summer of training I had, I鈥檓 already looking forward to getting back into training for the Olympics Trials. My goal is to keep improving, keep working hard, and keep getting faster.鈥

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4 Stunning Moments So Far at the World Track and Field Championships /running/racing/4-highlights-track-and-field-world-championships/ Fri, 25 Aug 2023 15:22:42 +0000 /?p=2643932 4 Stunning Moments So Far at the World Track and Field Championships

Here are the top moments at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, and what to watch for this weekend

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4 Stunning Moments So Far at the World Track and Field Championships

There鈥檚 just three action-packed days of track and field remaining in Budapest, Hungary for the 2023 World Athletics Championships. Whether you鈥檝e spent the past six days glued to your streaming service or you鈥檙e just catching up, here鈥檚 a refresher on the top highlights so far, and what we鈥檙e looking forward to most this weekend.

1. Sha鈥機arri Richardson Steals the Show

Women speeding along a track in a blurred sprint
(Photo: Tim Clayton/Corbis/Getty)

Sha鈥機arri Richardson proved that she is here to stay by winning the 100-meter final with a new championship record of 10.65. To do it, she had to take down her Jamaican rivals Shericka Jackson, the fastest woman in the world this year, and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, the reigning world champion and 15-time world medalist.

After a poor showing in her semifinal, Richardson failed to achieve one of the auto-qualifiers and was placed in lane nine for the final. None of that mattered on race day, though, as the 23-year-old showcased the best acceleration over the final 30 meters of any runner in the field to claim gold from the outside lane. Jackson took silver in 10.72, while Fraser-Pryce ran a season鈥檚 best of 10.77 for bronze.

The victory marks Richardson鈥檚 first appearance at a global championship. She won the U.S. Olympic Trials in 2021, but was unable to compete in the Olympic Games in Tokyo after testing positive for marijuana, a banned substance. In 2023, Richardson said, she鈥檚 鈥渘ot back, [she鈥檚] better.鈥

Can magic strike twice, and can she earn another medal in the 200 meters? She鈥檒l again face Jackson, the second-fastest woman in world history, as well as American Gabby Thomas, the bronze medalist in Tokyo and the fastest woman in the world this year.

The women鈥檚 200-meter final is on August 25. On Saturday, August 26, Richardson and Thomas will team up to compete against Jackson and Fraser-Pryce in the 4×100-meter relay.

2. Can Noah Lyles Make History in the 200 Meters?

runner in red shrugs as he finishes in first place
(Photo: Martin Rickett/PA Image/Getty)

The flamboyant American Noah Lyles has made clear his ultimate goal of breaking Usain Bolt鈥檚 world record of 19.19 in the 200 meters for nearly a year now, ever since breaking the American record, en route to his second world title last summer in Eugene. But to get there, coach Lance Brauman reveals in NBC docuseries 鈥淯ntitled: The Noah Lyles Project,鈥 the 200-meter specialist would need to improve his speed by focusing on the 100m.

Despite never making a U.S. team in the 100 meters before, Lyles muscled his way onto the podium at the USATF Track and Field Championships a week after getting COVID, and executed his race plan perfectly in Budapest to claim gold with a world-leading time of 9.83. Letsile Tebogo of Botswana set a national record of 9.88 to earn silver and become the first African to podium at a world championship, while Zharnel Hughes of Great Britain took home his first bronze medal.

鈥淭hey said I wasn鈥檛 the one,鈥 he said immediately after the race, in what is sure to be one of this world championship鈥檚 most memorable moments. 鈥淏ut I thank God that I am.鈥

Now his attention turns to a third world title in the 200 meter鈥攁nd a potential world record. Only Bolt has won three straight world titles over 200 meters, and the Jamaican world record holder is also the last man to win the 100-meter/200-meter double back in 2015.

In a bizarre turn of events on Thursday, a golf cart transporting athletes including Lyles to the track for the 200-meter semi-finals collided with another cart. Several athletes had to be seen by a doctor before the race, and Jamaica鈥檚 Andrew Hudson was automatically advanced to the final after competing with shards of glass in his eye. Lyles was reportedly fine.

Tebogo and Hughes will be back for the 200-meter final, as well as Kenneth Bednarek and Erriyon Knighton, who completed the USA sweep with Lyles last year, and Tokyo Olympic champion Andre de Grasse of Canada.

The 200-meter finals are on Friday, and the 4 x 100-meter final is on Saturday.

3. Josh Kerr Upsets Olympic Champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen in the 1,500 Meters. Can the Norwegian Redeem Himself in the 5K?

two men sprinting side by side in a final track event
(Photo: Sven Hoppe/dpa/Getty)

For the second year in a row, the best middle-distance runner in the world was outkicked in the world championship 1,500-meter final by a British athlete. This time, it was Josh Kerr who delivered the kick that broke Jakob Ingebrigtsen, winning his first world title in 3:29.38.

For the fiercely competitive Ingebrigtsen, the second-fastest man in world history in the event, silver is hardly any consolation for losing. Yet he nearly lost that as well 鈥斅爃is Norwegian countryman Narve Gilje Nord氓s (who is coached by Jakob鈥檚 father Gjert) nearly beat him to the line, with Ingebrigtsen finishing slightly ahead, 3:29.65 to 3:29.68.

RELATED: Josh Kerr Shocks Jakob Ingebrigtsen for the 1,500-Meter World Title

Kerr, the Olympic bronze medalist in Tokyo, seemed to employ a similar tactic as last year鈥檚 upset winner Jake Weightman, who similarly sat and kicked with about 180 meters to go. Kerr and Weightman actually trained together as youth rivals at Scotland鈥檚 Edinburgh Athletic Club. Kerr now trains in the United States with the Brooks Beasts.

Ingebrigtsen revealed after the race that he had a slight fever and some throat dryness. He competed in the preliminary round of the 5,000 meters on Thursday, advancing to the final with the third-fastest time of the day. He is the reigning world champion and will race the final on Sunday.

While the path to victory looks difficult, at least one heavy hitter has removed himself from conversation 鈥 world record holder Joshua Cheptegei of Uganda, who already won the 10K this week, pulled out of the 5K with a foot injury.

4. Dutch Athletes Femke Bol and Sifan Hassan Run to Redemption

Runner celebrates in orange singlet after winning track world championship
(Photo: Christian Petersen/Getty)

On the very first day of competition in Budapest, the Netherlands track and field federation suffered not one but two devastating falls while running within reach of gold.

Femke Bol was leading the anchor leg of the mixed 4×400-meter relay when she fell just meters from the finish line, leaving the Dutch team disqualified while Team USA captured the gold medal.

On the same night, countrywoman Sifan Hassan stumbled to the ground in the final meters of the 10,000 meters, going from first to 11th, while the Ethiopian trio of Gudaf Tsegay, Letesenbet Gidey and Ejgayehu Taye swept the podium positions.

Hassan was the first to get redemption, earning a bronze medal in the 1,500 meters in 3:56.00 behind only world record holder Faith Kipyegon of Kenya (3:54.87) and Diribe Welteji of Ethiopia (3:55.69). , calling it 鈥渘ot a big deal,鈥 and the next morning won her 5,000-meter prelim in a blistering 14:32.29 over Kipyegon, who also owns the world record over 5K (14:05.20). The two will face off in the final on Saturday.

On Thursday, 23-year-old Bol got her redemption run. With the absence of world record holder Sydney McLaughlin in her signature event of the 400-meter hurdles, the gold was Bol鈥檚 for the taking and she left no mercy on the field. She stormed to her first World Championships gold medal in the 400-meter hurdles with a dominant effort of 51.70, with the United States鈥 Shamier Little nearly a full second behind in 52.80. Jamaica鈥檚 Rushell Clayton took bronze in 52.81.

Bol will return to the track for the women鈥檚 4 x 400-meter relay final on Sunday. The Dutch was also disqualified in this event last year at Worlds and will seek to record a result at all expense.

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Noah Lyles Is Coming for Usain Bolt鈥檚 World Record听听 /running/racing/noah-lyles-wants-world-record/ Fri, 25 Aug 2023 05:26:18 +0000 /?p=2643921 Noah Lyles Is Coming for Usain Bolt鈥檚 World Record听听

American sprinter Noah Lyles is the 2023 world champion in the 100 meters, but on August 25, he鈥檒l be chasing after another world championship鈥攁nd Usain Bolt鈥檚 200-meter world record

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Noah Lyles Is Coming for Usain Bolt鈥檚 World Record听听

After cruising through the semifinal of the 200 meters on August 24 at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, American Noah Lyles will aim for gold in the final on Friday at 9:50 P.M. local time (3:50 P.M. ET) alongside teen sprint phenom Erriyon Knighton of the U.S. Lyles ran 19.76, the top time in the field of 27 competitors that competed across three heats.

Lyles and 19-year-old Knighton, the youngest-ever individual sprint medalist in world championships history, will be joined by 100-meter bronze medalist Zharnel Hughes of Great Britain as well as Kenny Bednarek of the U.S., silver medalist in 2020 Tokyo Olympics, and Canadian Andre De Grasse, the Olympic champion in the event.

Just 0.12 seconds separate Lyles from tying the world record in his signature event, the 200 meters. He is currently the behind Jamaicans Yohan Blake and eight-time Olympic gold medalist and world record holder Usain Bolt, who retired in 2017.

runner in red shrugs as he finishes in first place
Noah Lyles celebrates after competing in the Men’s 200m semifinal on day six of the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary, on August 24. (Photo: Martin Rickett/PA Image/Getty)

A World Record in His Sights

As Lyles prepares for the 200-meter final on August 25, the 鈥渋t guy鈥 is bent on one big quest: to break a record that has stood for 14 years.

Bolt set the mark of 19.19 seconds during the 2009 world championships in Berlin, running at a top speed of more than 23 miles per hour, and improving his previous world record by more than a 10th of a second.

Lyles was just 12 years old at the time and had just started track, initially as a high jumper before he pursued sprinting at age 15. Lyles and his younger brother Josephus bypassed college athletics and turned pro after graduating from T.C. Williams High School in Alexandria, Virginia, in 2016, and signed an eight-year contract with Adidas.

RELATED: We Are in a Golden Age of Sprinting

He moved to Clermont, Florida, to be trained by top sprints coach Lance Brauman. That year, Lyles would go on to place fourth in the final of the 200 meters at the U.S. Olympic Trials, breaking a 31-year-old national high school record in the process.

One year later, Lyles won his first senior national title, and in 2019, he earned his first of four world titles (including two in 200 meters, one in 4 x 100). Following his bronze medal performance in the 200 meters at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, the next season he clocked 19.31 at the world championships in Eugene, Oregon, a number he had worked for in the build up to that race. He took down sprint legend Michael Johnson鈥檚 25-year American record, which Johnson famously set in 19.32 seconds while wearing golden shoes at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. Lyles鈥檚 achievement at last year鈥檚 world championships bumped him above Johnson to number three of all-time in the 200 meters.

鈥淚鈥檝e Always Known That I鈥檓 the Fastest Man in the World鈥

Lyles, 26, is the defending world champion in 200 meters, and is focusing on collecting his third gold in the event as he also aims to revise Bolt鈥檚 world record to 19.10 seconds.

Nine days before the start of the world championships, Lyles had openly declared on social media the times he would run for both the 100 and 200 meters: 9.65 and 19.10, respectively. 鈥淭hey say if they don鈥檛 know your dreams then they can鈥檛 shoot them down. But I have always been more of a guy who loves to hear the screams from the [haters], got a nice ring to it,鈥 Lyles wrote in a captioned photo on his Instagram.

鈥淚鈥檝e always known that I鈥檓 the fastest man in the world,鈥 he said after posting his fastest 100-meter in 9.83 seconds on August 20, at the National Athletics Center, and earned his first world title in the event. 鈥淚n my head, I think I鈥檓 going to break it, but everybody else has their own opinions,鈥 Lyles said.

Taking down Bolt鈥檚 200-meter world record is the subject of an exclusive docuseries, 鈥,鈥 which premiered on Peacock the day before the start of the world championships. His mother Keisha Caine said in an interview for the docuseries what she wants for her son is 鈥渢o go out there and have fun. And I know when Noah is having fun, he runs really well.鈥

In a short matter of time, Lyles will let his speed determine what that is.

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Josh Kerr Shocks Jakob Ingebrigtsen for the 1,500-Meter World Title /running/racing/races/jakob-ingebrigtsen-upset-1500-meter-world-title/ Thu, 24 Aug 2023 04:11:13 +0000 /?p=2643755 Josh Kerr Shocks Jakob Ingebrigtsen for the 1,500-Meter World Title

A Scotsman plays spoiler to the Olympic gold medalist for the second year in a row

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Josh Kerr Shocks Jakob Ingebrigtsen for the 1,500-Meter World Title

For the second year in a row, Norwegian wunderkind Jakob Ingebrigtsen was upset in the World Athletics Championships 1,500-meter final by a Scot鈥攖his time, it was 25-year-old Josh Kerr, who pulled even with the world鈥檚 best middle-distance runner with 200 meters to go and then beat him to the finish in 3:29.38 to win gold.

The strain was obvious on Kerr鈥檚 face in the final 100 meters, but he continued to drive to the finish while Ingebrigtsen ran out of steam and was nearly passed at the line by countryman Narve Gilje Nordas. Just 0.03 separated the two Norwegians, as Ingebrigtsen took home silver for the second year in a row in 3:29.65 while Nordas, who trains under Jakob鈥檚 father Gjert, ran 3:29.68 for bronze in his first world championships final.

鈥淚 didn’t worry about what was going on earlier in the race, I just made sure I was there with 200 meters to go,鈥 . 鈥淭hen in the last 30 meters, I thought, ‘I want this so badly, I don’t care how much pain I’m in. I’m going to do everything to get to the finish line first’.鈥

Two men gun for the finish, one in blue and other in purple and red
Josh Kerr (left, Great Britain) and Jakob Ingebrigtsen (right, Norway) in action during the 1,500-meter final. (Photo: Sven Hoppe/Picture Alliance/Getty)

Kerr, who trains with the Brooks Beasts in Seattle, Washington, had to settle for fifth in last year鈥檚 world final after earning Olympic bronze in Tokyo. Now, he is the third British runner in history to win the world title.

Steve Cram won the inaugural 1983 world championships, and it was Kerr鈥檚 fellow Scot Jake Weightman who pulled the upset last summer in Eugene, employing similar tactics over the final 180 meters. Kerr and Weightman actually trained together as youth rivals at Edinburgh Athletic Club, and now both men will be favorites for the podium at the 2024 Paris Games.

 


Ingebrigtsen, who is the second-fastest man in the history of the 1,500 meter, will return to the track in Budapest to compete in the 5,000 meters, wherein he is the defending world champion. But the reigning Olympic champion in 1,500 meters hedged on his chances to reporters after the race, saying that he felt ill with a dry throat in the days before the race.

RELATED: WTF Is the World Athletics Championships and Why Should I Care?听听

鈥淚t got worse on the last two days and then a little bit better when I woke up this morning, he said. 鈥淣ot feeling 100 percent feels very unlucky. I will definitely run the 5,000 meters, but I do not know how it will go.鈥

The preliminary heats of the men鈥檚 5,000 meters are on Thursday evening local time, and the final is on Sunday, the final day of competition.

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10 Things to Know About American Marathoner Keira D鈥橝mato /running/news/people/10-things-to-know-keira-damato/ Wed, 23 Aug 2023 21:42:09 +0000 /?p=2643686 10 Things to Know About American Marathoner Keira D鈥橝mato

D鈥橝mato, Susanna Sullivan, and Lindsay Flanagan will race in the women鈥檚 world championship marathon for Team USA on August 26 in Budapest

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10 Things to Know About American Marathoner Keira D鈥橝mato

American marathoner Keira D鈥橝mato continues to break the mold of what鈥檚 possible after choosing to start a family and career in her early 20s, instead of pursuing competitive running right away.

After an eight-year hiatus from racing, D鈥橝mato, 38, returned to training several years ago and has become the world-class, Nike-sponsored marathon runner she always dreamed she would be. She had been an All-American cross-country and track runner at American University, where she earned degrees in mathematics and computer science in 2006. After college, she joined the DC Elite training group coached by Scott Raczko, but was sidelined by a foot injury and retired from competitive running.

Fast forward to last year, and she not only set an American record at the Houston Marathon in 2022 (2:19.12, later broken by Emily Sisson), but she went on to place eighth at the world championships (2:23.34) in Eugene, Oregon, and then sixth at the Berlin Marathon (2:21.48) and 15th in the New York City Marathon (2:31.31). She鈥檚 continued her strong running this year, and is one of the top entrants in the marathon at 2023 World Athletics Championships, which will run through the streets of Budapest on August 26.

Here are 10 things you should know about one of the best distance runners in U.S. history.

1. She鈥檚 a Mother of a Young Son and Daughter

After retiring from competitive running because of a foot injury, Keira and her husband, Anthony,, started a family鈥攖hey have an eight-year-old son named Thomas and a six-year-old daughter named Quin鈥攁nd she eventually began a career as a real estate agent. Even after she finally had foot surgery in 2009, she said she had no interest in mounting a comeback.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 know if I was told, but I just knew that you were first supposed to have your career鈥攅ven if it鈥檚 a professional athletic career鈥攁nd then you can do something else and start a family. But I didn’t do it that way. I did a family first, and then I got into my career,鈥 she said. 鈥淚 think it’s just opened people’s eyes that there’s not one right way. There’s a lot of different ways to do things. Now we’ve seen women almost have permission to be able to train later and to train through, and after, pregnancy, and we’re seeing the women’s times and amount of women participating聽 skyrocket. It’s really been awesome to watch and connect with other women that wanted to have kids and thought their athletic dreams were over. They’re not. It’s really cool to see people realize that and take it and go for it. And it’s just, I mean, I get teary-eyed just just thinking about the whole, the whole thing. It鈥檚 just an awesome time to be a woman.鈥

A woman and her daughter embrace after finishing a marathon
D’Amato celebrates with her daughter after competing in the Women’s Marathon at the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon. (Photo: Aleksandra Szmigiel/Getty)

2. She鈥檚 Proud to be an Elite Athlete Who鈥檚 a Mom

Last fall, when D鈥橝mato placed 15th at the New York City Marathon, she was proud to be one of nine women among the top 20 finishers to be a mom. It was about that time, D鈥橝mato said, that her daughter, Quin, then 5, asked her what she could become when she grew up.

鈥淚 told her that the great thing about life is you get to pick. You can be whatever you want, pick a goal, work your butt off, and you can do what you want to do,鈥 D鈥橝mato said. 鈥淎nd she says, 鈥榃ell I think I wanna be a mom.鈥 And I’m like, that’s great, you can be a mom! Then she says, 鈥業 want to be a doctor.鈥 And I said, guess what? You can be both! You can be a doctor and a mom. And she said, 鈥極K, that’s awesome.鈥欌

RELATED: Don鈥檛 Miss These 10 Events at the Track and Field World Championships

While D鈥橝mato admits she gets twinges of 鈥渕ommy guilt鈥 when she鈥檚 temporarily consumed by training or racing, she also knows she鈥檚 providing a strong example to her kids.

鈥淚 feel like we really are seeing a cultural shift, especially with women in sport, and I鈥檓 proud to be a part of that shift,鈥 she said. 鈥淏ut I think it鈥檚 really important to switch that mentality and just allow women, especially parents, to have goals outside of their family and support them as they鈥檙e going for it. I feel lucky that I’ve been able to inspire other people, but it takes a village, and I have a very supportive family, so I feel very lucky. I pinch myself all the time.鈥

3. She Just Set a New American Record in the Half Marathon

Despite a horrific travel experience鈥攚hich included missed flights, canceled flights, and airports full of exasperated travelers鈥擠鈥橝mato made it to the July 1 Gold Coast Half Marathon in Queensland, Australia, and broke Emily Sisson鈥檚 American record by 13 seconds (1:06:39).

鈥淥h my gosh. It was wild. I’ve really never experienced anything that bad,鈥 D鈥橝mato said of the travel experience. 鈥淏ut it was a really good lesson learned that, even though that didn’t go perfect at all, I found a way to stay off my feet and just stay positive and not let it get to me.

鈥淚 think being a mother kind of hardens you a little bit and just changes your perspective on life a whole lot, so I think I’ve reached these new heights because of the perspective that I had when I wasn’t running. Yeah, it’s been a wild ride, but I love every minute of it.鈥

4. Last Year, She Was a Replacement Runner at the World Championships

Last year, after setting an American record in the marathon, D’Amato was between training blocks in late June when USA Track and Field called her to see if she would take the place of another injured American runner and compete in the world championships marathon in Eugene, Oregon. She accepted the invitation and finished eighth in the race and, along with Sara Hall (fifth) and Emma Bates (seventh), helped the U.S. to the best overall team finish.

鈥淚t’s really hard for me to put into words because wearing a Team USA jersey has been聽 a huge dream for my whole life,鈥 she says. 鈥淲hen I left the sport and started a family, I felt like I said goodbye to that dream. I kind of mourned the loss of being able to represent my country. My husband serves in the military and is able to do that in his way, and I鈥檝e always wanted to have the ability to do it in my own way. So last year when I got the call two weeks before, my coach and agent were like, you don’t have to say yes. But they could just see it in me that I absolutely wanted to do it. If I’m fit and healthy, there’s no way I’m ever gonna turn that opportunity down.鈥

A woman with blonde hair and a white singlet celebrates as finishes the marathon
D’Amato crosses the finish line of the Women’s Marathon at the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon. (Photo: Steph Chambers/Getty)

5. She鈥檚 Prepared for a Fast Race in Budapest

The world championships marathon field is loaded with talented runners, including Ethiopia鈥檚 Gotytom Gebreslase, who won the world championship race last year in Eugene (2:18:11), and countrywoman Amane Beriso, who finished second in Eugene and then won the Valencia Marathon in 2:14:58 in December and finished second in this spring鈥檚 Boston Marathon ( 2:21:50). Also in the field are Kenya鈥檚 Rosemary Wanjiru, who won the 2023 Tokyo Marathon in a world-leading 2:16:28, Ethiopia鈥檚 Tsehay Gemechu (2:16:56), and Israel鈥檚 Lonah Salpeter, last year鈥檚 world championship bronze medalist (2:20:18) and 2022 New York City Marathon runner-up. And finally, representing Team USA with D鈥橝mato are fellow Virignian Susanna Sullivan (2:24:27, 10th at the 2023 London Marathon) and Colorado鈥檚 Lindsay Flanagan (2:24:43, 1st, 2022 Gold Coast Marathon).

D鈥橝mato has been racing shorter and faster road races on the domestic circuit this year鈥攚hich has included a runner-up finish at the USA 25K Road Running Championships in Grand Rapid, Michigan鈥攖o prepare for a more tactical race with pace surges. Most recently, D鈥橝mato placed third at the TD Beach to Beacon 10K (31:58) on August 5, in Maine.

鈥淭he field is going to be extremely competitive like it was last year, but I think the weather is going to dictate what kind of race it is because there’s a potential of being a pretty hot day,鈥 D鈥橝mato said. 鈥淚f that’s the case, it might be a slower race, so we’ll see if it turns into a little bit more of a tactical race than just a race of attrition.鈥

6. She鈥檚 in the Best Shape of Her Life, Thanks to Changes to Her Training

D鈥橝mato is coached by Scott Raczko, who has helped her continue racing at a high level while running moderate training volume as she鈥檚 reached her late 30s. Whereas she was maxing out at 130 miles per week in 2020 heading into the U.S. Olympic Trials, this year her max mileage has been in the low 80s but also included a lot of fast workouts.

鈥淚 think there’s so many different ways to climb the mountain, and there’s a lot of marathon runners that train at high altitude in the mountains doing really high mileage. That is one way to do it,鈥 D鈥橝mato said. 鈥淚t’s all relative for where you are and how old you are and a lot of other variables, too. I don’t wanna say that my way is the right way, but I just need a little less volume and less time on my feet so I can crush some workouts while also doing a lot of cross-training. I think it鈥檚 a big confidence booster going into Budapest knowing that I’m the fittest I’ve ever been.鈥

D’Amato works out in her home gym after training in 2022. (Photo: Jonathan Mehring/Washington Post/Getty)

7. She Cross-Trains Multiple Days a Week

In addition to running, D鈥橝mato cross-trains by running in a pool, using an elliptical machine, doing various strength workouts, and rowing on a Hydro rowing machine. She uses the Hydro to warm up before running and to supplement her cardio workouts, but she also uses it for Pilates workouts and strength workouts.

鈥淲hen COVID hit and my Pilates studio shut down, I started using Hydro for all of my Pilates work and some strength and conditioning work,鈥 she says. 鈥淚t’s great because, for me, as I鈥檓 getting older, I can’t do as many miles as I have, so we’ve been supplementing with rowing workouts that can include high levels of intensity without all of the pounding.鈥

8. She Owns a Running Store In Virginia

In 2022, D鈥橝mato opened a running store in Midlothian, Virginia, called through a business partnership with the Potomac River Running retail running company. D鈥橝mato has lived in and around Richmond for decades and loves running there鈥攅specially at . The running store is both a business investment, but more importantly she says it鈥檚 a way to give back to the local community. The store sells shoes, apparel, and accessories, while offering training groups and hosting various community events.

鈥淪o much of who I am, I’ve learned through running鈥攍ike my confidence, my work ethic, my discipline and just finding joy in mundane things,鈥 she says. 鈥淪o I wanted to create a place in Richmond where I could share what I’ve learned with my community and help encourage, inspire, and support people, either through knowledge or gear, and especially the youth. For me it feels more than just a store. We do a lot of high school nights and I’ve given a lot of talks and done seminars and stuff.鈥

9. She鈥檚 Played a Role in the Rising Tide of Elite American Women Runners

D鈥橝mato was running for American University when Deena Kastor earned the bronze medal in the marathon at the 2004 Olympics, the first global medal in distance running by a U.S. woman in years. During D鈥橝mato鈥檚 collegiate career, from 2002 to 2006, some of her competitors were women who would go on to raise the status of elite U.S. women runners on the world stage. That included Shalane Flanagan, Molly Huddle, Des Liden, Amy Cragg, Lauren Fleshman, and Sara Hall, who would go on to set American records, win major marathons, and earn medals at global championships. Now that she鈥檚 emerged as one of the country鈥檚 best marathoners, she鈥檚 competing against the next generation of American runners that includes Alicia Monson, Elise Cranny, Emma Bates, Susanna Sullivan, and Emily Sisson.

鈥淲hen I left competitive running, I was just a fan of them, but there was a part of me the whole time that wondered in a woulda-coulda-shoulda kind of way what I could have done. But also I was just inspired by everything they did,鈥 she says. 鈥淎nd then coming back to competitive running, there鈥檚 definitely been a bit of a changing of the guard. Des and Molly and Sara are still around running strong, but we’re seeing all these like newcomers, too, who are doing some really spectacular things. I feel really lucky to have experienced racing with two different generations of American women.鈥

10. She鈥檒l Likely Skip a Fall Marathon to Prepare for the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials

D鈥橝mato has accomplished a lot since she rejuvenated her competitive running career four years ago, but if there鈥檚 one more thing she wants it鈥檚 the chance to run in the Olympics.

RELATED: WTF Is the World Athletics Championships and Why Should I Care?

After the world championships, the next biggest priority is racing in the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials on February 4 in Orlando, Florida鈥攁 race in which the top three women will earn a place on the U.S. team that will race in the Paris Olympics. In 2020, when she was only two years into her comeback, she finished 15th in a personal best 2:34:24. Her personal best is 15 minutes faster, and she鈥檚 a much more seasoned marathoner heading into 2024. But to make sure she鈥檚 ready to roll, she鈥檒l likely skip a fall marathon this year.

鈥淚t’s gonna be really interesting to see who goes where and does what because, for people running the New York City Marathon, that’s only just over two months before the trials,鈥 she says. 鈥淎nd that’s another reason why running the world championships in Budapest is so enticing to me. It gives me the most time to take a little break and then have a proper build-up before the trials because it’s such a huge goal of mine to become an Olympian.鈥

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