2022 was a year that saw Grant Fisher break out, Sydney McLaughlin explode, and Eliud Kipchoge break the WR (again). Here's what else stood out according to Jonathan Gault.
Very nice and all good memories. My favorite, however, was the men’s wc 5000 final. First, there was Jakob, storming back after being disappointed and embarrassed in the 1500 (his words not mine). The utter domination, the water breaks!!! Lots of other great story lines in that race too, like Grijalva storming out of nowhere in both the race and as a serious global competitor in general, and Fisher’s stumble that may have cost him his best chance (ever?) for a global medal (let’s hope not, but it’s rough out there and he was in great position and super fit. It’s not easy to get the stars to align).
BTW, this was the quote of the year after the WC 5000:
Jakob, NYT 7/24/22
“My race plan?” he said before pausing to ponder the question. “I just wanted to win. And I wanted to win by as much as possible. I didn’t want a sprint finish, because then some people would have said that it was a coincidence or a tactical race. But today was not a tactical race. I just won it. I was the better runner.”
This my friends, are the words of a great champion….
Amusan's 100m Hurdle WR and follow up win in the final. A real WTF moment.
Kara Winger getting gold at NACAC in her last competition. Feel good moment after that Monaco flameout.
Valencia: The Gidey WR party interrupted by two relative unknowns both running the third fastest individual times for their respective genders. It's been almost a month and I still don't know what to think of this one and what it means for elite marathoning (other than it was awesome).
Our end of the year podcast is out.We broke down the best and worst of the year.Question for everyone is what was your race of the year?Jon went with the men's 1500 m final at Worlds. I agreed that was a great one but at end...
Amusan's 100m Hurdle WR and follow up win in the final. A real WTF moment.
Kara Winger getting gold at NACAC in her last competition. Feel good moment after that Monaco flameout.
Valencia: The Gidey WR party interrupted by two relative unknowns both running the third fastest individual times for their respective genders. It's been almost a month and I still don't know what to think of this one and what it means for elite marathoning (other than it was awesome).
Really disappointed Gault missed Kara Winger. She won SILVER at the World Championships on her FINAL THROW, for her first ever global medal at 36 years old. ON HOME SOIL. She had announced that 2022 would be her last season. She had competed in 4 Olympic Games and 6 World Championships but no medal until 2022.
Everyone watching that knew her history had tears in their eyes.
In her final career World Championships, Kara Winger won Team USA's first ever World medal in javelin with her final throw of the event, nabbing a silver med...
Very nice and all good memories. My favorite, however, was the men’s wc 5000 final. First, there was Jakob, storming back after being disappointed and embarrassed in the 1500 (his words not mine). The utter domination, the water breaks!!! Lots of other great story lines in that race too, like Grijalva storming out of nowhere in both the race and as a serious global competitor in general, and Fisher’s stumble that may have cost him his best chance (ever?) for a global medal (let’s hope not, but it’s rough out there and he was in great position and super fit. It’s not easy to get the stars to align).
STACKED race with 3 reigning olympic champions (1500, 10k, 5k)
Cheptegei - 5k world record holder and olympic 5k gold medalist, just won the 10k gold medal
Barega - Olympic 10k Champion
Jakob - Olympic 1500m champion
Edris - 2017 and 2019 World 5k Champion
Kejelcha - 2x Indoor 3k World Champion, Indoor Mile world record holder
I know this probably doesn’t come to the fore from an American perspective, but for me, Ollie Hoare winning the commonwealth games was one of my favourite moments of the season. It was a fantastic race (probably the highest quality commonwealth 1500m ever) that resulted in a feel good story with Hoare redeeming himself after a tough world championships
listened to (and enjoyed) the end of year podcast with the 'Best & Worst of 2022'. Surprised Josh Kerr didn't get a mention for biggest disappointment? rojo
Last year got an OLY Medal, then started this year with a 3:48Mile(i) and talked up a BIG game coming into the summer.... then wasn't a factor in a single race that mattered: did nothing at Commonwealth Games, was almost out of the camera shot at Worlds and was pushed down to 3rd at British National Champs. Even after the summer, he went to Zurich Diamond League and only came 6th.
If someone threw Oli Hoare out on the pod as a disappointment then idk how Kerr didn't get a mention 2021: 1:45 3:29.0 13:23 OLY 1500 - Bronze British 1500 Champs - Gold 2022: 1:46.59 3:31.85 i3:48.8 13:37.99 British 1500 Champs - Bronze Commonwealth 1500 - 12th World Champs 1500 - 5th
I would have added all NCAA cross country championships, not just DI. School of Mines did something extraordinary in DII men's, while DIII was run in deep snow and fierce wind.
The best moments don't only come from the best athletes, sometimes overcoming challenges and competition make for more amazing races.
Although not strictly running, Chelsea Sodaro's Ironman win was inspiring, with her previous struggles and being reborn as a triathlete. Her race was just nails. The Keira D'Amato of tri.
The WC men's 1500 final was epic and finally put an end to 38 years of hurt for the Brits. Even Jakob was pleased for Jake. Then Jakob coming back and wiping the floor with the best that East Africa has to offer over 5000m, while stopping to sign autographs twice.
Other highlights were Keely Hodgkinson's medals, Max Burgin getting a few more races in than normal and running the fastest 800m by a Brit for 32 years, and Ethan Hussey reaching the final of both the 800m and 1500m at the World Junior Championships, and winning a bronze in the 800m after barely any time to recover from the 1500.
From an impartial point of view, the Commonwealth Games 1500 final was one of the best 1500 races ever.
So many to choose from, but I'm going to stick to first-person experience at the WCs
* Most unexpected win - USA over Jamaica in the women's 4x100
* Most impressive performance - Sydney McLaughlin smashing the 400H world record
* Most dominant male performance - Mondo Duplantis' WR, where his hip clearance shows he could go much higher. It almost seems like he's trying to set WRs by the smallest of margins to maximize financial incentives. Like McLaughlin in the 400H, there's no one else at his level.
There are dozens more performances that were awe-inspiring. A great year, indeed.
NCAA XC was my top moment of the year. I started following the sport in 2019 so Young and Tuohy were the first athletes I got to follow from HS to the top of the NCAA (and it was the first one I got to watch live). Both men's and women's individual and team races were super hyped up, had super interesting storylines, and they all still managed to blow my expectations out of the stillwater.
Huge shoutout to the writers this season. The guys team race had an unbelievable upset, and I've gained faith in Mike Smith that will never waver. The individual race also came down to the wire and the delayed gratification I'm gonna get when Nico finally wins a title is gonna be crazy. The Tuohy/Valby storyline was super fun to follow and they're set up to be competing for years to come. Speaking of, the foreshadowing was incredible. NC State won on tiebreaker at Nuttycombe so everyone knew the rules going into nationals, then NAU won on the tiebreaker there. I have no clue how they're gonna top this season, but I'm looking forward to it :)
Amusan's 100m Hurdle WR and follow up win in the final. A real WTF moment.
Kara Winger getting gold at NACAC in her last competition. Feel good moment after that Monaco flameout.
Valencia: The Gidey WR party interrupted by two relative unknowns both running the third fastest individual times for their respective genders. It's been almost a month and I still don't know what to think of this one and what it means for elite marathoning (other than it was awesome).
I would add with Gidey that two pacers stayed to help while the relative unknown pulled clear
Athletes stepping out of the box, for better or worse Sydney McLaughlin, Penn Relays 100H Athing Mu, Millrose Games 1500 Josh Kerr, San Diego Holiday Half Sean Tobin, Antarctic Ice Marathon
Better late than never Nicholas Kipkorir Kimeli’s ferocious kicks throughout the DL; Ciara Mageean finally getting over the hump; Alicia Monson keeping pace with the best in the world.
Newcomers of the year (W) Hilda Olemomoi--Nearly lost amid the Tuohy/Valby cacophony, the Alabama standout quietly recorded one of the strongest opening frosh campaigns in recent memory: 6th at Stillwater and 3rd at the Dec BU meet, unleashing a monstrous close for 15:17. If her progression continues, she will be either the 1st, 2nd or 3rd NCAA woman to break 15:05 in the 5000. (M) Reynold Cheruiyot--The 18 yr old World U201500 Champ showed he is ready to tangle with the senior elites, clocking PBs of 3:34 and a strong 7:38 to to finish 2nd in Zagreb.
Most dominant NCAA distance performance of the year Courtney Wayment, NCAA Outdoor Champs 3000SC Final--Many expected Wayment would need 9:2X-high to win. Instead, she obliterated both the field and Frerichs’ collegiate record of 9:24:41 with a stunning 9:16:00, instantly becoming one of the top three steeplechasers in the US. Her progression through the summer and season-ending 9:09 in Monaco proved the Eugene rout was no fluke. .An intriguing question for the NCAA event in 2023 is whether others will level up and make 9:25 the new 9:35.
Most thrilling final 1K of the NCAA XC season Slug-fest between Carter Solomon and Parker Wolfe at ACC Men’s XC Champs.
Best new podcast for fans of elite running Coffee Club Podcast--Funny, cerebral, articulate, laddish, relaxed and rather sharp most days. A refreshing complement/counterpoint to LRC, Flo & Citius. At its best, the pod thoughtfully captures the nuance of many topics with a cheery abrasiveness and without being overly cynical and churlish.
DIY effort of the year Cross Champs--Hats off to Sound Running for attempting to develop and promote professional team XC in North America. The Austin, TX course was considered unsatisfactory by many and a number of athletes were misinformed regarding WA ranking points assigned to the race, Nonetheless, the SR crew should be applauded for the effort and its transparency (as discussed on the Coffee Club Podcast) regarding the difficulties they encountered, mistakes made and intentions to improve. In the future, we can hope to see a trio of similar events, maybe even one with a course just as spectacular as Aarhus 2019.
What trouble a take can make A Flotrack podcaster’s outrageous prognostication regarding the fate of NC State Women’s XC results was met with an equally outrageous Twitter swarm in response. Somehow, the whole affair became a moment of sociological reflection on gender, power, the uncanny, the intersection of commentators, fans and young athletes in T&F, and a whole lot of nothing. Time will tell if this sore has healed completely.
