A group of U.S. track and field stars headed to the Paris Olympics are set to capture American attention in a way that we haven't seen in decades.
EUGENE, Ore. — The announcement wasn’t really one at all; it was performance, redemption, art—and more valuable for what it made possible and projected. The sun dropped toward the horizon on a perfect Saturday at the U.S. Olympic track and field trials. Temperatures hovered over 80 degrees.
The packed crowd that roared its collective approval Saturday spoke to the status of Hayward Field, the track palace officials have transformed into its undisputed home as the sport has progressed in recent years. Richardson bent down and sucked in air. Nobody stopped clapping. The roar hardly even dimmed. It felt like Hayward had been plugged in; the atmosphere,Richardson hugged her qualifying teammates.
The lack of a mainstream track star doesn’t fall solely on the sport’s top athletes, coaches and development programs. Track teems with tradition but not eyeballs or the corresponding dollars banked by an athlete similar in caliber, accomplishments and adoration to any of the retired crossover stars. What constitutes one in the first place changes, too, as viewing habits, sports media content and track’s popularity relative to other sports continue their respective shifts.
Journalists continued the dance anyway, asking how “everything you went through” informed this night, this moment. Richardson seemed to sigh then. Her voice took on a slightly sharper tone. “Everything I’ve been through is everything I have been through to be in this moment right now,” she responded. “So there’s nothing I’ve been through that hasn’t designed me to sit right here in front of you.”
Consider: Lyles. Like Richardson, he’s a prime candidate for prime time. Like Richardson, he’s young , accomplished . Like Richardson, he’s magnetic. And like Richardson, he has improved in the past three years . He could win three golds in Paris—in the 100, 200 and 4x100-meter relay. Imagine the energy that would be created if, in Paris, Americans won both versions of the 100-meter dash. That last happened in 1988. The winners: Lewis and Griffith-Joyner, naturally.
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