By David Melly
August 28, 2024
Summer 2024 has been a great one for music. The feminomenon that is Chappell Roan has taken the world by storm and Charli XCX’s latest album has all your boomer relatives asking “what exactly is a ‘brat summer’?” And if the number of Olympians doing the apple dance is any indication, the best athletes in the world also spent their summers prepping the perfect pre-race playlists.
So whether you’re trying to hold onto the last gasps of August or trying to build the perfect pump-up mix for the upcoming XC season, we decided to help out by handing out personalized Songs of the Summer to some of the sport’s biggest stars:
Photo by Kevin Morris / @KevMoFoto
Julien Alfred – “Remember The Name,” Fort Minor. While the wider world focused on Sha’Carri Richardson, Shericka Jackson, and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce in the leadup to the women’s sprint finals, it was mostly diehards (and University of Texas supporters) who were pulling hard for the St. Lucian to deliver her country’s first ever Olympic medals. But as Alfred comes home from Paris with gold in the 100m, silver in the 200m, and a whole lot of new fans, she certainly won’t be forgotten when the next championships roll around.
Grant Fisher – “Lose You To Love Me,” Selena Gomez. After leaving Bowerman Track Club last fall and betting big on himself, Grant will head back to Park City with two Olympic medals and the satisfaction of knowing that he came out of his dramatic breakup better than he was before. Meanwhile, Jerry Schumacher and co. may have “I Want You Back” by the Jackson 5 on repeat.
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone – “Dancing On My Own,” Robyn. Despite a lot of pre-Olympic hype around the battle between McLaughlin-Levrone and Femke Bol, the American superstar did a lot of solo running in Paris. Her average margin of victory across three rounds of hurdles was a whopping 1.62 seconds, and her 47.71 split on the second leg of the 4x400m put a huge gap on the field. When you’re the GOAT of your event, you do a lot of dancing on your own.
Rai Benjamin – “At Last,” by Etta James. After three straight silvers and a bronze in the 400m hurdles, Benjamin finally got his golden moment in Paris with a 46.46 victory in his second Olympic final (and a second gold-medal anchor performance in the 4x400m to boot).
Tara Davis-Woodhall – “Crazy In Love,” Beyonce feat. Jay-Z. While her red, white, and blue cowboy hat screams “Cowboy Carter,” the newly-minted long jump champion went viral for her sweet celebratory moment with husband Hunter Woodhall. Here’s hoping the honeymoon feeling continues through Woodhall’s first rounds of competition at the Paralympics this afternoon.
Quincy Hall – “Who Let The Dogs Out,” Baha Men. The question memorably (and repetitively) asked by the Baha Men in 2000 might apply better to Matthew Hudson-Smith, who held the lead in the Olympic 400m final for about 390 meters before Quincy Hall snuck up, dug deep, and showed the world he had that DAWG in him.
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.
