Track & Field

How do you feel about Noah Lyles breaking your American record?

Noah Lyles breaks American record: A former world record holder shares his perspective

So how do you feel about Noah Lyles breaking your American record? It's interesting, because when you've been the world record holder, typically all the other ones just really don't have that much significance. Additionally, in the past, the world record and the American record were the same thing because it's been held, in most cases, by an American. So when I was the American record holder, I was also the world record holder. So my focus was always on the world records, and both of those have already been broken by Usain Bolt and Wayde van Niekerk, the 200 and 400 meters. So yeah, I didn't really think about it, but I was very happy for Noah because I know it's important for him because right now the world record is held by a Jamaican. So the American record then takes on more significance. And Noah's a great athlete, so I was very, very, very happy for him. More importantly, I was really happy for him to defend his world championship, especially after last year's Olympics not being able to win the Olympics, which I know was disappointing for him. And he's a great athlete and a great ambassador for the sport, so super happy for him.

I was very happy for Noah Lyles to break my American record, as the world record is now held by a Jamaican. I was especially happy for him to defend his world championship and be a great ambassador for the sport.

https://assets.anyquestion.com/raw/upload/kb4jwhtnaeuoztpeek33.vtt

How do you feel about Noah Lyles breaking your American record? It's interesting because when you've held the world record, other records don't hold as much significance. In the past, the world record and the American record were the same since it was often held by an American. My focus was always on the world records, which have already been broken by Usain Bolt and Wayde van Niekerk in the 200 and 400 meters.

So, I didn't really think about it, but I was genuinely happy for Noah. I understand the importance for him, especially since the current world record is held by a Jamaican. The American record then takes on more significance. Noah is a fantastic athlete, and I was thrilled for him. What mattered most to me was seeing him defend his world championship, especially after the disappointment of not winning the Olympics last year. He's not only a great athlete but also a wonderful ambassador for the sport. So, I'm super happy for him.

What is T&F’s biggest strength and its biggest weakness for positive long term growth?

Track & Field's biggest strength and weakness: a diverse sport with marketing challenges

What is track and field's biggest strength and biggest weakness for positive long-term growth? I think with this sport-- and I love the sport, and I certainly have been very vocal and want to see it improve as a sport for the spectators, but also for the great athletes in the sport who-- for many they struggle to even carve out a professional life financially in the sport. I think its biggest strength is also its biggest weakness, and that is that there are so many various different events in the sport, so there are a lot of athletes, a lot of different types of athletes. You have your distance runners. You have your sprinters. You have your pole vaulters. You have your shot putters and your javelin throwers. It's almost like every competition is a mini Olympics, and it's very difficult to market a sport like that and appeal to a fan base, a new fan base. I mean, there are people like me and people that in the sport-- I mean, we have to be very careful and understand that the people who are diehard fans of the sport are very few. If you're trying to compete against the tennis and golfs of the world and team sports of the world, you have to follow that sort of formatting and understand that people don't typically have that sort of a wide span of interest where they're equally interested in watching someone run a 10,000 meters over 26 minutes, and also want to watch you know sprinters run 100 meters in 9 seconds, and then try to watch somebody and understand the pole vault, and also have an equal interest in the shot put. That typically doesn't happen. So that's a big problem for the sport. I think this sport has struggled to carve out a true professional identity. I think it's sometimes seen as an Olympic sport, purely an Olympic sport, because people really do pay attention to the sport every four years. In some ways, it's still an amateur sport. In some ways it's a professional sport. So I think that's a big problem in the sport-- needs to really carve out a an identity for itself and probably separate the professional side of the sport from the Olympic identity of the sport. That's easier said than done, but I would love to see it happen.

Track and field's biggest strength is the variety of events, but this can also be a weakness as it makes it difficult to market the sport and appeal to a new fan base. It is important for the sport to carve out a professional identity, separate from its Olympic identity, in order for it to grow positively in the long-term.

https://assets.anyquestion.com/raw/upload/xd9lzeiagpv3p41iwslg.vtt

Track and field's biggest strength and weakness for positive long-term growth lie in its diversity of events. The sport's biggest strength is the wide range of events, catering to different types of athletes such as distance runners, sprinters, pole vaulters, shot putters, and javelin throwers. However, this diversity also poses a challenge when it comes to marketing and attracting a fan base. Unlike sports like tennis or golf, where fans typically have a specific interest, track and field requires appealing to a wide range of events, which can be difficult to do effectively.

The sport struggles to carve out a strong professional identity and is often seen as purely an Olympic sport. While it gains attention every four years during the Olympics, it lacks consistent visibility and financial stability for athletes outside of that timeframe. This creates a challenge in establishing a sustainable professional career in the sport.

To ensure positive long-term growth, track and field needs to establish a clear professional identity separate from its association with the Olympics. This would involve creating opportunities for athletes to compete and earn a living outside of the Olympic cycle. While this is easier said than done, it would help the sport gain more recognition and stability.

Overall, track and field's biggest strength, its diverse range of events, is also its biggest weakness when it comes to marketing and attracting a dedicated fan base. The sport needs to address its professional identity and separate it from its Olympic association to ensure positive long-term growth.

Where do you see the limit in the 200m and 400m in 'what is humanly possible' over those distances?

Unveiling the Limits: The Future of Human Potential in Track and Field

Where do I see the limits of the 200 meters and 400 meters and what is humanly possible in those events? I don't think we're close. But you have to remember, with track and field events, sprints and distance events as well, that the improvements on the records are made in tens and hundreds of seconds as opposed to whole seconds. And they happen very infrequently. Every generation of athletes are chasing the records of the previous generation. And you also have to remember that the objective of this sport is not to break records. It's to win races. So when you break a record, that is actually secondary in most cases. You break a record en route to trying to win a race. So the progress is relatively slow when you look at it in the grand scheme of things. But I don't think we're close. Now, the million question is, well, what are the limits in terms of times? No one knows because, again, we're-- most of the time, the records, when they're broken, are based on the idea that we're focused on what was already done in the past as opposed to really being 100% focused on, OK, what's possible in the future?

The limits for 200 meters and 400 meters are unknown as progression in these events is slow and records are broken infrequently. Winning races is the main goal in track and field, with record-breaking being secondary.

https://assets.anyquestion.com/raw/upload/r0kpbhwjlsp2bbjjv59h.vtt

In terms of the limits and what is humanly possible in the 200 meters and 400 meters events, I don't believe we are close to reaching them. It's important to note that improvements in track and field records, whether in sprints or distance events, are made in small increments of tens and hundreds of seconds, and they occur infrequently. Each generation of athletes strives to surpass the records set by the previous generation.

It's also essential to remember that the primary objective of this sport is not to break records, but to win races. Breaking a record is often a secondary outcome while aiming to secure victory. Therefore, progress in record-breaking is relatively slow when viewed in the larger context.

As for the specific limits in terms of times, no one can accurately predict them. Records are typically broken based on surpassing previous achievements rather than solely focusing on what is possible in the future.

What storylines, milestones, or narratives are you following right now in track and field?

Thrilling Track and Field Rivalries and World Records

What storylines, milestones, or narratives are you following right now in track and field? So with the World Championships this year, this being a World Championship year, there's some great stories out there. What I'm looking at is some of the rivalries that are forming, some of the really competitive races, like the men's and women's 400-meter hurdles where we're seeing world records broken over the last couple of years, and very, very competitive. You take the men's 400-meters with Karsten Worholm, and Rai Benjamin, and dos Santos from Brazil. That's a really competitive race. Same thing in the women's 400-meter hurdles with Dalilah Muhammad and Sydney McLaughlin, who have traded back the world record a few times and won the last three championships. Those two have taken all the gold medals over the last four years of championships. And then now you have the young German, Femke Bol or Netherlands-- from the Netherlands. But then in the sprints, you've got some great athletes there as well, some rivalries starting to form with Noah Lyles, who's very well known and very sort of outspoken and flamboyant in the sport, great entertainer and a great athlete. But now, young Erriyon Knighton, an 18-year-old, is challenging and a rivalry forming there, which is great. 100 meters is always great. So I'm looking at some of those athletes, as well, like men's 100 meters champion Marcell Jacobs from Italy, which surprised everyone last year. Can he continue to win and medal, even a win at the at the highest level? He did not do that prior to Tokyo last year. And now, he's the Olympic champion. So he'll need to defend. So he's got a target on his back, and it will be interesting to see if he's able to defend and continue and show everyone that that wasn't a fluke. That's a great storyline to follow. So there's a lot of that up and down the sport throughout the events. And I think it's a really sort of in a sweet spot. Really good time for the sport in terms of actual competitive rivalries, which I think is something that this sport really needs to focus on. When we had Usain Bolt in the sport and he was dominating, everyone just wanted to watch him run. But no one thought he was going to-- there wasn't that anticipation of, who's going to win the 100 meters? We knew who was going to win the 100 meters. It was going to be Usain Bolt. That was fantastic. It was great to watch him. But I think that the sport is really about competition, so it's great to see now that we have some very competitive races.

I am following the competitive rivalries and races in track and field, like the men's and women's 400-meter hurdles, where world records have been broken, and the men's 100 meters, where Marcell Jacobs has emerged as the Olympic champion. It will be interesting to see if he can defend his title this year.

https://assets.anyquestion.com/raw/upload/czp12p9clfnfqzewkez3.vtt

In track and field, there are several captivating storylines, milestones, and narratives that I am currently following. With the World Championships taking place this year, there are some exciting developments to watch.

One aspect that catches my attention is the formation of rivalries and highly competitive races. For example, in the men's and women's 400-meter hurdles, we have witnessed world records being broken over the past few years. The competition between athletes like Karsten Warholm, Rai Benjamin, Dalilah Muhammad, and Sydney McLaughlin is intense, with multiple world records and championship wins exchanged among them.

In the sprints, there are emerging rivalries as well. Noah Lyles, known for his flamboyant personality and exceptional talent, is facing a challenge from 18-year-old Erriyon Knighton. The men's 100 meters also presents an intriguing storyline with Marcell Jacobs from Italy, who surprised everyone by winning the Olympic gold medal. Can he defend his title and prove that his victory was not a fluke?

These are just a few examples of the captivating narratives unfolding in track and field. The sport is currently in a sweet spot with competitive rivalries, which adds excitement and anticipation to the events. While it was thrilling to watch Usain Bolt dominate the sport, the focus on competition and uncertain outcomes brings a new level of excitement to track and field.

What separates track & field today from more successful professional leagues?

Track & field: The challenge of defining professionalism and unifying a diverse sport

What separates track and field today from more successful professional leagues? I think to have a fair comparison, you would want to compare track and field, which is an individual sport, to sports like tennis and golf, as opposed to sports like football or baseball or basketball, which are team sports. And those sports are successful because it's a lot easier to promote those teams and get a following. But I think that our sport, one of the problems is that it has one foot in professionalism, one foot still in Olympic amateurism, whereas tennis, golf, those types of individual sports, are truly professional sports and have a very defined sort of criteria that people understand, that fans understand, that the casual fan, even, understands in terms of what is a professional golfer or what is a professional tennis player. In track and field, it's not quite defined, and it's very convoluted. It's very difficult. A tennis player is a tennis player. Everybody knows what they do. They play tennis. They hit a ball across a net, try to score points on the opponent. Same thing with golf. Everybody understands what they do. They play golf. They try to get the ball in the hole and try to get a score that's as low as possible. In track and field, an athlete may be a sprinter trying to run as fast as they can and may be a distance runner trying to run a long distance, and it's based on endurance, as fast as they can. It may be a high jumper trying to jump as high as they can. It may be a long jumper trying to jump as long as they can. It may be a discus thrower trying to throw a flat, heavy thing as far as they can or a shot putter trying to throw a round, heavy thing as far as they can. It's a lot. I haven't even gotten into pole vault, high jump, triple jump, long jump. It's too many different things. So it's very, very difficult to promote that sport. Because you're speaking to a lot of different people with a lot of different interests. So there's a lot that makes it different and a lot of things that need to be done to clean it up and make it a little bit more innovative and presentable from a television standpoint and so that fans truly understand it.

Track and field is a complex sport with many different events, making it difficult to promote and gain a following. Professional sports like tennis and golf have a well-defined criteria that fans understand, while track and field does not. To become more successful, the sport needs to be cleaned up and made more presentable from a television standpoint so that fans can better understand it.

https://assets.anyquestion.com/raw/upload/a5feupymeoudftkdbjiv.vtt

To compare track and field to more successful professional leagues, it's important to consider that track and field is an individual sport, unlike team sports such as football or basketball. A fairer comparison would be with individual sports like tennis and golf, which have achieved greater success.

One challenge for track and field is that it straddles the line between professionalism and Olympic amateurism. In contrast, sports like tennis and golf are clearly defined as professional sports, making it easier for fans to understand and follow. The roles of professional tennis players and golfers are well-defined, while track and field encompasses a wide range of events with different objectives.

In track and field, athletes may specialize in sprinting, distance running, high jumping, long jumping, discus throwing, shot putting, pole vaulting, triple jumping, and more. This diversity makes it difficult to promote the sport effectively since it caters to a wide range of interests. The lack of a clear and unified narrative makes it challenging to engage fans and attract a consistent following.

To improve track and field's standing, efforts should be made to streamline and clarify the sport, making it more innovative and appealing to television audiences. By presenting a more cohesive and understandable product, track and field can better capture the attention and support of fans.

How has training changed for sprinting in the last 20 years? 

The Evolution of Sprinting Training in the Last 20 Years

How has training for sprinting changed in the last 20 years? You know, training doesn't change as much as I think people believe that it does. The changes aren't that frequent. When I was competing back in the '90s, we were doing a lot of the things that have been done since the '60s, even, the things that Lee Evans and Tommie Smith were doing, guys like that. So a lot of what you see is things just sort of recycle. Someone will come up, a coach will come up with something as if it's brand new, and it's actually something that was being done 20 or 30 years ago. I think what has changed is I think that coaches have access to a lot more information now with the use of technology. So it takes a lot of the guesswork out. And I think that allows coaches to optimize training to really understand and be able to forecast what sort of effect the training plan is going to have on an athlete. I think recovery has become a much bigger part of athletes' training-- active recovery, as opposed to just going and putting your feet up and resting, actually going through active recovery to accelerate the recovery and regeneration so that you can train harder. We were doing that sort of thing myself, actually, back when I was competing. But I think that there's been a greater emphasis, as well, for sprinters now on strength and mobility and flexibility, in addition to just pure speed and power. So I think that there's a much better understanding of those things now, as well as technique to generate more speed.

Training for sprinting hasn't changed much in the last 20 years, but now coaches have access to more information and technology. Recovery has become a bigger part of athletes' training, as well as strength, mobility, flexibility, and technique being emphasized more.

https://assets.anyquestion.com/raw/upload/zjbuqcydl0kzishauz6j.vtt

Training for sprinting has not changed as much as people may believe in the last 20 years. Many of the training methods used today are similar to those employed in the '60s and '90s. Coaches often recycle and repackage old techniques as new discoveries. However, one significant change is the increased access to information and technology that coaches now have. This allows for more precise and optimized training plans, as coaches can better understand the effects of their training on athletes.

Recovery has also become a more prominent aspect of training. Active recovery, which involves engaging in light exercises to enhance recovery and regeneration, is now emphasized. This approach allows athletes to train harder by accelerating their recovery process. While active recovery was already practiced in the past, it has gained more recognition in recent years.

Furthermore, there is now a greater emphasis on strength, mobility, flexibility, in addition to speed and power, for sprinters. Coaches have a better understanding of the importance of these factors in optimizing performance. Additionally, technique plays a crucial role in generating more speed, and there has been an improved understanding of effective sprinting techniques.

Overall, while the core principles of sprinting training have remained relatively consistent, advancements in technology, a focus on recovery, and a broader understanding of various training factors have contributed to some changes in training approaches over the past 20 years.

Michael Johnson answers your Track & Field questions. See all the advice Michael Johnson has and get answers to your own Track & Field questions.

Follow me on AnyQuestion

Michael Johnson is one of the greatest sprinters of all time, and in the 1990s he dominated the 200m and 400m, going undefeated in the latter for seven years. Born in Dallas in 1967, he studied at Baylor University and was spotted by coach Clyde Hart. After gaining a degree, he committed to full-time athletics and in 1991 won the 200m world title. Sadly, food poisoning denied him individual success at the Barcelona Olympics, but he helped the US 4x400m relay team to gold. From 1993, Johnson went undefeated in the 400m for 58 races and in 1996 achieved the 200m-400m double at the Atlanta Olympics, setting world records in both. He retired in 2001 having won 8 world and 4 Olympic gold medals.