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ENDORSEMENTS

As a track and field journalist, announcer, and broadcaster, Dave's work has been widely acclaimed. See what professionals throughout the industry are saying about Dave. 

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Hillary Bor won a ferocious last-lap battle with Stanley Kebenei. (KIRBY LEE/IMAGE OF SPORT)

July 27th, 2019 / Des Moines, Iowa

The proceedings took on a whole new dynamic when it became clear that the balky stress fracture that had plagued Evan Jager’s left foot for nearly a year would compel the 7-time defending champion to bypass the meet. With the Olympic silver medalist on the sidelines, earlier-crafted race plans would be revamped and the expectations of the remaining challengers would be recalibrated.

 

Teahna Daniels, English Gardner & Morolake Akinosun went 1-2-3, but came in formcharted as Nos. 3, 9 & 8.

(KEVIN MORRIS)

July 26th, 2019 / Des Moines, Iowa

On a warm summer day when a stubborn headwind played havoc in many events, Teahna Daniels unfurled a stunning close over the final 30m to capture the women’s century crown in a race that defied the formcharts. The victory by the 22-year-old former Texas star was yet another signal that a new wave of talented young American sprinters is on the way.

 

The queen of the the U.S. road scene, Molly Huddle admitted, “Track titles are tough.”

(KIRBY LEE/IMAGE OF SPORT)

July 25th, 2019 / Des Moines, Iowa

In sports vernacular, “closer” is a moniker attributed to a gifted athlete who can be counted upon to rise to the moment, imposing his or her will at the end of an athletic competition and sealing the victory. In the event there might have been any remaining doubt, anybody who witnessed the women’s 10,000 now knows that the closer label can be unquestionably be applied to Molly Huddle, who calmly employed punishing tactics over the final mile to capture an unprecedented fifth straight title.

                      Jordan_TomPC-Pre18.JPG

Jordan_TomPC-Pre18.JPGTom Jordan, 2018 Pre Classic, photo by PhotoRun.net

Palo Alto, California

July 2nd, 2019

How many of you track & field fans relish the opportunity to get to the stadium for the 10:00 a.m. start of Day Two of the decathlon and stay engrossed in the day-long competition until the conclusion of the women's 10,000 at 9:45 p.m.? I do see a fair number of you raising your hands. But for the less-rabid track & field fan, such a stint is not a dream come true. It is simply too much - too much for the more causal track & field fan, unappealing to the emerging generation of sports fans, and simply intolerable for any live television broadcast.

This understanding is at the foundation of a series the recent moves by the IAAF [now known as World Athletics] earlier this year to tailor the television broadcast segment - the TV window, if you will - for the 14 Diamond League gatherings in an effort to make track & field broadcasts tighter, with more uninterrupted excitement, and with more compelling competitions in the fast-paced world in which we live. The alteration is a step - one step among several - to constrain track & field broadcasts to a length that has proved to be acceptable to a vast number of viewers and to be relatively consistent with the length of other successful sport broadcasts [e.g. the length of an NBA game; the duration of an NFL contest; the coverage time of a MLB game (provided there are no rain delays!)]. Other Diamond League changes included a revamping of the number of DL events from 32 to 24 [12 per each gender] and a reduction of the longest running event distance from 5000 meters to 3000 meters.

 


She may be 32, but all-time sprint great Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce is back running at close to PR levels.

(GLADYS CHAI/ASVOM AGENCY)

Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce has nothing to prove. The Jamaican sprint legend’s illustrious record speaks for itself: the first woman ever to capture 3 Olympic medals at 100m, 2 of them gold; 7-time World Championships gold medalist, 3 in the 100; 5-time Jamaican champion; 5-time Diamond League champion with 15 separate DL victories along the way. In ’13 she became the first woman to win golds in the 100, 200 and 4×1 in a single WC. And she was also the first woman to own world titles in the 60, 100, 200 and 4×1. Her PR 10.70 makes her No. 4 on the all-time list. Some think of her as the greatest female sprinter in history.

Coleman_ChristianPC-Pre19.JPGChristian Coleman, photo by PhotoRun.net

Hanging with Track & Field Royalty at Pre

 

Palo Alto, California

June 30th, 2019

For those who want to experience the exhilaration of witnessing live the performances of the world's greatest track & field athletes, you can devote time and resources to travel to foreign lands to be in the stadium to savor in person the fights for the medals at either the Olympic Games or the World Championships. In doing so, you'll see all of the world's finest performers in a span of about 9 or 10 days. But there is another way: you can attend the Prefontaine Classic and be present for outstanding competitions with most of the same athletes. At Pre, you won't see every single finalist or even every event "athletics" has to offer. That said, the competitions you will see will be fierce battles among the world's best in that particular event. And you'll experience it all in about 2½ hours.

And for a couple of dozen journalists, there is an added benefit: the opportunity to engage in conversation in the mixed zone with a flood of Olympic and World Championship medalists and other global class performers - more in one afternoon than you'd ever have in a single session of a 10-day global championship. It is a rare, crowded, and frenzied occasion all crammed into just a few precious and exciting hours. Here are a select few of the tasty morsels offered up by some of the world's greatest athletes: after their competition on the Stanford campus:

 


Athlete Of The Meet Darlan Romani PRed 3 times, his best put of 74-2¼ moving him to No. 9 on the all-time list. (KIRBY LEE/IMAGE OF SPORT)

Palo Alto, California

une 30, 2019

Staged at a new venue and unfurling a new fast-paced and constrained Diamond League presentation, the 45th edition of the Prefontaine Classic signaled a new and exciting era as an array of global athletes delivered sparkling performances. In adherence to tight DL television window guidelines, Tom Jordan and his staff nimbly produced a crisp, nonstop parade of 13 Diamond League contests, sprinkled in 5 non-DL events, and kept the capacity crowd fully engaged in a compelling gathering that was fully presented in less than 2½ hours.

June 8th, 2019
Austin, Texas

Capping off a truly memorable day of sprinting by young, emerging collegiate women, the 200 meter finalists put on a clinic in the furlong final.

The preliminary round on Day Two offered a premonition of how hard fought this event would be. Those who didn’t bring their A game were quickly dispatched. Four of the advancing athletes set personal bests as it took 22.65 or better to earn a lane in the final. In Heat 2, LSU super frosh Richardson showed she was ready as she roared around the curve and crossed the line first in 22.37 to set a new facility record and collegiate leader. In doing so, Richardson, who had also earlier ran 10.99 to qualify for the 100m final, became the first woman in World U20 history to clock sub-11 and sub-22.4 in the same day. Yet the Tigress’ new leading marks were short-lived. In the very next heat, USC junior Angie Annelus delivered her own special message as the defending champion threw down a 22.35 clocking to lower the stadium best and collegiate-leading time even further.

June 8th, 2019
Austin, Texas

Unfazed by blazing sun and 98 degree temperatures, the women’s 1500 meter finalists eschewed cat-and-mouse race tactics, drilled down to a challenging early pace, and authored a championship race that produced some sparkling times.


June 7th, 2019
Austin, Texas

With dusk temperatures still in the 90’s, 24 of the best collegiate high jumpers squared off on the griddle-hot jump apron for the men’s high jump final. Among the competitors was LSU sophomore JuVaughn Harrison who two days earlier had prevailed in a tight long jump battle, his winning jump of 8.20m/26’11” sealing the victory by an inch. Even before the competition got underway, Harrison sensed this could be a special day. “I knew early on during the warmups that it was going to be a very good meet,” confided the SEC high jump champion.

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Demo Reel Video

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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