By David Melly
August 27, 2023
We’re used to field events being decided by the tiniest of physical margins, with a toe making the difference between a win and a foul and medals being sorted out over a single centimeter.
In the sprint events, small margins of distance can make a big difference as well, when 1/100th of a second means so much over the course of a 10-second race. But nothing in an open race is quite as dramatic as watching anxiously while fast-moving bodies and flailing limbs attempt to get a small metal baton around the track as quickly - and legally - as possible.
The U.S. 4×100ms have a long and spotty history of success in this department, particularly on the men’s side where the last few decades of results have been littered with DQs, DNFs, and underperforming all-stars. But you’d never know it from last night’s results, where Team USA swept the men’s and women’s 4×100ms over strong Jamaican teams and an assortment of other talented squads.
The evening saw a 41.03 championship record on the women’s side, anchored by the undeniable Sha’Carri Richardson, and a world-leading 37.38 from the men’s quartet that handed Noah Lyles his third gold of the weekend. While the men’s team got away cleanly, there were a few exchanges that just barely stayed within the legal zone, the results of some serious good fortune for four different men all moving at 23 miles per hour.
The women’s race was cleaner, but earlier in the program disaster struck in the prelims of the women’s 4×400m, where the U.S. was heavily, heavily favored but ended up disqualified by a handoff just outside the exchange zone. An inch here, an inch there, and an event once seen as a foregone conclusion just got turned upside down.
In any event in track and field, when everyone is so good the margins of victory can be extraordinarily slim and the difference between glory and despair can be decided in an instant. That’s what makes the sport so exciting, so unpredictable, and ultimately, so fun to watch.
Johnny Zhang/@jzsnapz
We’ve got one day of action left, so make the most of the last day of CITIUS MAG LIVE! Join us in a few short minutes for a World Championships Marathon Watch Party live on YouTube with the CITIUS crew. We had a blast watching the women’s marathon together (shoutout to our new Ethiopian fans!) and we’re doing it all over again with the men. The marathon goes off at 7am and our live show starts at 6:45am local which is 12:45am E.T.
Join us LIVE on the CITIUS MAG YouTube at 8am E.T. for the Worlds Live Show featuring all interviews with all the biggest athletes, coaches, and media personalities of Budapest 23 and 4:00pm E.T. for the final Post-Race Show featuring Chris Chavez, Kyle Merber, Mitch Dyer, Jasmine Todd, and David Melly unpacking all the action.
You can also catch up on Day 8’s Live from Worlds featuring a ton of champions, medalists, and great personalities, including Noah Lyles, Katie Moon, Cole Hocker, Joe Fahnbulleh, and Shamier Little.
And you can catch up on CHAMPS CHATS below with the CITIUS team to hear our recaps, analysis, and breakdowns of Day 8 below, on YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.
What to Watch on Day 9
Finals: Men’s Marathon, Women’s High Jump, Men’s Javelin, Men’s 5000m, Women’s 800m, Women’s Steeplechase, Men’s and Women’s 4×400ms
The bittersweet thing about the last day of the competition is that every event is a final. The morning (or evening, depending on your time zone) is the men’s marathon, and then a few short hours later we head into the finals of the women’s high jump where Vashti Cunningham will take on strong Australian and Ukranian contingents. Then, Jakob Ingebrigtsen seeks redemption in the form of a second gold medal in the men’s 5000m and Athing Mu tries to avoid any traffic in the final of the women’s 800m.
A wide-open steeplechase should make for very interesting racing, particularly in the hottest part of the day, and then the action all wraps up with the men’s and women’s 4×400m. Savor it while you can because we only have a few short hours of track and field left!
Johnny Zhang/@jzsnapz
Race of the Day: Women’s 5000m
Faith Kipyegon can truly do it all. Fast races, slow races, 1500ms, 5000ms - it seems like she is completely untouchable at this point in her career.
A slow final of the women’s 5000m in hot weather after a long week of racing played right into the hands of the world record holder in the 1500m, who closed things down with a 56-second last 400m and a 27-second last 200m to become the first woman in history to win the 1500m/5000m double gold. And it’s not like she was hurting for competition - between Gudaf Tsegay, Beatrice Chebet, and Sifan Hassan, she’s currently beating some of the best middle-distance runners in history with regularity.
At this point, it’s hard to see what could possibly derail her epic 2023, short of an unexpected injury or a sudden move in events. So instead, we just get to sit back and enjoy watching one of the greatest ever to add accolades to her already lengthy resume.
Johnny Zhang/@jzsnapz
Athlete of the Day: Mondo Duplantis
It never gets boring watching Mondo win. He commands a pole vault runway like a bullfighter and a symphony conductor all at once, perfecting the careful combination of strength and finesse required to soar 20 feet in the air in front of a crowd of thousands.
His dominance over even the most competitive fields is never in doubt, with only two losses in the last two years over dozens of meets, and it’s almost comical to watch him soar 20, 30, 40 centimeters over bars that the next best vaulters in the world are clearing by a hair.
Perhaps it helps that the pole vault is one of the most thrilling events in track and field, and the competition for the podium was fierce with five men clearing 5.90m. But Duplantis was never seriously challenged by anything or anyone except his own records, and after a few solid cracks at 6.23m, he was forced to settle with his third straight global gold medal (fourth, if you count World Indoors) and a 6.10m victory. The next world record will have to wait for another day.
Johnny Zhang/@jzsnapz
Photo of the Day
No one was happier with their marathon performance than Moroccan Fatima Gardadi, who moved from 6th to 3rd in the final 4 miles of the race to claim the bronze medal, the nation’s second in this championships and the first ever in the event.
Social Moment to Remember
A huge run from the Indian national team’s 4×400m to set the Asian record in the event and make the men’s final.
David Melly
David began contributing to CITIUS in 2018, and quickly cemented himself as an integral part of the team thanks to his quick wit, hot takes, undying love for the sport and willingness to get yelled at online.
