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American Shot Putter In World Of His Own

 

 August 5th, 2021

Top-performing athletes are always searching for ways to cultivate inspiration. It's all about setting goals: identifying a targeted outcome; creating a plan; solidifying the commitment by sharing your goal with others, and then pursuing that dream. For world-class track & field athletes performing at the highest level, the inspirational targeted achievement would be the progressive steps of Olympic Games performance: making the team; getting to the final; earning a medal; perhaps even a gold medal - the zenith of track & field performance. Or is it? For only a very few in any generation, there is a greater calling: to rise even higher, to go beyond the gold medal, to not only be the greatest performer of the generation but to assemble an entire body of work that undeniably establishes the athlete as the best ever.. In the men's Olympic shot put final, USA's Ryan Crouser further strengthened his case as the Greatest Of All Time.

 

8 5 21 Ryan Crouser 2

Ryan Crouser - RunBlogRun

 6 26 21 Holloway


Holloway_Grant-QR-OlyTrials21w.jpgGrant Holloway, on his way to Tokyo and the record books, photo by Kevmofoto

6 26 21 Rai benjamin

Benjamin-Rai-SF-OlyTrials21w.jpgRai Benjamin, on his way to Tokyo and .05 from the record books, photo by Kevmofoto

USA Olympic Trials / Track & Field

University of Oregon / Hayward Field Eugene, Oregon

Trials / Day Nine: 

June 26th, 2021

Undaunted by the record heatwave gripping Eugene, the country's best track & field athletes soldiered onward in their individual quests to earn a berth on America's Olympic Track & Field Team and to represent the USA at the Tokyo Games. When you attend the Olympic Trials you expect to witness an outstanding moment here or there. But no one could have forecasted the abundance of record-shattering performances that made Day Nine truly memorable.

 8 4 21 wSC Ugandan Winner


Peruth.jpgPeruth Chemutai took gold in the steeplechase, the first steeple medal for Uganda! photo: @BSRagencynl

8 4 21 Courtney Frerichs 2

Frerichs_Courtney-w-OlyTrials21w.jpgIn a bold move, full of risk, Courtney Frerichs ran away from the field with 3 laps to go, only getting caught by one Peruth Chemutai, and holding on for Olympic silver medal

August 4th, 2021

To earn the opportunity to stand on the Olympic podium and receive a hard-earned Olympic medal, you have to be talented, be committed, be willing to sacrifice other opportunities, have a savvy coach and dedicated support team; be able to summon up your best performance when it counts - and one more thing - you still have to be willing to be bold, to make a vulnerable move in the hopes you will be rewarded. You have to risk it to get the biscuit.

 

 

 6 25 21 hilary bor


Bor_Hilary-OlyTrials21w.jpgHillary Bor took the steeplechase with a fast last lap in the heat of Eugene, photo by Kevmofoto

6 25 21 hayward field

Hayward_Field-Panow.jpgHayward Field, June 2021, photo by Kevmofoto

 

USA Olympic Trials / Track & Field

University of Oregon / Hayward Field

Eugene, Oregon

Trials / Day Eight:

June 25th , 2021

In Friday's afternoon session under hot and sunny conditions, discus specialist Mason Finley and steeplechase athlete Hillary Bor made it to the top step of the podium in the only final competitions of Day Eight.

 

 The Norwegian's 45.94 Clocking Shocks All

 8 3 21 Warholm 2


IMG_0487.jpgKarsten Warholm battles Rai Benjamin, 45.94 WR to 46.17 AR, photo via TV by Kathy Camara

August 3rd, 2021

In the kaleidoscope of events that take place on the track and in the field at global championships, invariably there are a few - but only a few - select competitions that showcase two athletes who are heading toward a converging athletic collision. These competitions are often long-awaited showdowns to determine who between these exceptional performers is, in fact, the better athlete in the event in question. Think CK Yang vs. Rafer Johnson; Coe vs. Ovett; Smith vs. Evans; Ryun vs. Liquori. The event lead-up can often include a frantic race to see who can be the first to break a long-standing world record. In these Olympic Games, one such marquee event is the men's 400-meter hurdles and, at last, a highly-anticipated showdown between Norway's Karsten Warholm, and USA's Rai Benjamin...

 

 

 

 

8 2 21 Hassan

50516727_ORANGE_PICTURES.jpgSifan Hassan, 5,000m gold medalist, photo courtesy of Orangepicturesnl.

 

August 2nd, 2021

There is no question: the Olympic Games is the world's most difficult competition in which to excel. But on Day Four - a day interrupted by a seemingly relentless heavy rain - the most difficult suddenly became the nearly impossible. With the deplorable conditions impacting everyone, the better performances came from the Olympians who shook it off and simply did their best.

 

 

 6 21 21 Clayton Murphy

Murphy_Clayton-FH1a-OlyTrials21w.jpgThe roar of vindication, Clayton Murphy roars away 3 years of frustration, wins the Men's 800m, photo by Kevin Morris

Trials / Day Four

June 21, 2021

Way back in 2016, former University of Akron middle-distance star Clayton Murphy was hotter than today's Hayward Field track. In March of that year, Clayton won the NCAA indoor 800m championship clocking 1:46.68. Moving outdoors, Murphy ran the 1500m at the NCAA championships and won going away in a time of 3:36.38. At the Olympic Trials, Clayton - now running for Nike - reverted back to the 800m. The then-21-year-old raced expertly through the rounds, followed his championship race plan to the letter, and won the final in 1:44.76 to make the Olympic team. At the Rio Olympics, Murphy ran through the rounds like a savvy veteran. In the final, the Ohio native executed the perfect race plan closed hard over the final 200 meters and passed France's Pierre Bosse on the homestretch to capture the bronze medal in 1:42.93 behind Algeria's Taoufik Makhloufi [1:42.61] and 800m world record holder David Rudisha [1:42.15]. Murphy ended the year ranked 6th in the world in the 800m by Track & Field News. Three of the athletes ranked ahead of Clayton finished behind him in the Rio final. Not to worry, life was good.

A World Record in the Women's Triple Jump

Shared Gold Medals in the Men's High Jump

And a Surprise Victor in the Men's 100m Final!

 8 1 21 DeGrasse Jacobs Kerley

_DSC9081.jpgAndre De Grasse (bronze, 9.89 PB), Marcel Jacobs (9.80 NR PB, gold), Fred Kerley (9.84 PB, silver), photo : Randy Miyazaki@TaFphoto>

OG/Day Three: 

August 1st, 2021

Sunday evening's session of Day Three of Athletics in the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games is instantly being hailed as "one of the greatest sessions in-stadium track & field history." And rightly so: a world record in the women's triple jump; shared gold medals in one of the most intriguing high jump competitions of all time; and a surprise victor in the men's 100-meter final - the first Olympic sprint final in the post-Bolt era.

Packed Armory Crowd Savors Spirited, In-Person, World Class Performances

 1 29 22 Centro and Lyles

 

Nearly everyone was there, 2016 Olympic champ Matt Centrowitz, Jr. and 2021 Olympic bronze medalist Noah Lyles, 2022 Millrose Games,

photo by Jeff Benjamin

1 29 22 Armory rsz 1 29 22 armory img 5850 thumb 550x413 70077

The view from TV, 2022 Millrose Games, photo by Kathy Camara via Peacock TV

The Armory

Washington Heights

New York, New York

29 January 2022

Two years ago, an undeniable highlight of 113th Millrose Games was the women's Wanamaker Mile where USA's Elle Purrier [now Elle Purrier St. Pierre] crossed the line 1st in 4:16.85 to demolish Mary Slaney's 38-year-old American record. The next three finishers all set national marks in one of the most electrifying indoor miles in recent memory. The exuberant fans, anticipating even greater performances to come in the 2020 Olympic year, could not imagine that a global pandemic would soon change everything.

After an unexpected, COVID-driven roller coaster ride that forced vast changes in how the sport, the athletes, and the fans would cope, this 114th Millrose edition presented a special moment that Armory top brass embraced. After a 24 month stretch during which track & field dealt with cancelations; an absence of consistent motivation; improvisation of training and competing; a restructuring of the sport's calendar; and a fan-less Olympic Games held in a country in which a large number of its citizens wanted no part, the 2022 Millrose Games proved to be the day in which track & field athletes could once again compete at the highest level exhorted on by the roar of a packed arena.

 

 

6 20 21 Qunera Hayes

Hayes_Quanera-1-OlyTrials21w.jpgQuanera Hayes surprises some with her 400m win! photo by Kevmofoto

 

Trials / Day Three: 

 June 20, 2021 / Father's Day

There may have been a Day Three spectator or two who might claim they saw every exciting moment on the track and in the field. But that is rather unlikely. Your head would have had to be on a swivel. At one point in this jam-packed session the three Tokyo-bound men in the javelin were taking their victory lap; the women were competing in the high jump and the triple jump, the decathletes were heaving the javelin, and the women steeplechasers were toeing the line on the backstretch. What a glorious day!

Here are the highlights of the three-ring circus that was Day Three:

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Please take a moment to view Dave's 3-minute demo-reel for samples of his announcing and interviewing work.

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TAFWA Award

Dunaway AwardAt the 2019 annual meeting of the Track and Field Writers of America, Dave was presented with the James Dunaway Memorial Award “for track & field journalism excellence.”

Dave Hunter

Dave HunterDave Hunter is a track & field journalist, announcer, and broadcaster.  Dave reports on the premier track & field gatherings around the globe, frequently serves as an arena or stadium announcer for championship events, and has undertaken foreign and domestic broadcast assignments in the sport.

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