This is Matt Wisner's weekly column. This is column 3, which I had missed. You will column #4 tomorrow. Matt runs the 800m at the University of Oregon. Over the summer, he wrote for @runblogrun at the Olympic Trials and remotely for the Olympics. Matt wrote this piece on the Oregon cross country camp. I am sure you will enjoy it.
Matt Wisner, photo from Matt Wisner
Megan Tapper, 2021 Tokyo Olympics, photo by British Athletics
Megan Tapper may have been one of the happiest Olympic bronze medalists in Tokyo! I remember watching her on TV and thinking, Megan gets it. The Olympic Games is watched by billions, and only 2,000 track & field athletes compete, from 209 countries in the global games. Stuart Weir wrote this piece on Megan.
Su Bingtian, photo by ChinaDaily.com
Su Bingtian looked primed to win the 100m final in Tokyo with his exciting semi final PB run. Alas, It was Marcel Jacobs' night. His 9.95 was a wonderful way for the top Asian male sprinter to end this exciting 2021 season.
Thanks to the constant search for the next story to satisfy our readers, we have found that Karsten Warholm has decided to look for new challenges. We had heard that he was considering the 800m, and that makes sense, as Edwin Moses, Harald Schmidd, among other 400m hurdlers had looked at the 800m, and run quite well, both under 1:45 PBs. The Norwegian Viking was looking for a new challenge. And, did he find it!
Karsten Warhlom with an incredulous Jonathan Edwards, London 2017, photo by Martin Bateman
Ashton Eaton, way back in 2014, took a year off from the decathlon and ran intermediate hurdles. I recall speaking with him in Glasgow, Scotland, after he achieved his 400m hurdle PB.
And then, we heard rumor that Karsten Warholm was looking at the decathlon to see if he could be challenged. Karsten, however, took a different approach, wearing a Sumo suit and battling all ten events in a short period of time. We are not sure if this can be considered a record, as we are not sure he made it over the pole vaul.
Here is our photo graphic evidence ! Thanks to NRK Sports!
not until now 🤣https://t.co/P8eQEh2J6N
-- Siro (@siropierini) September 20, 2021
What a season for Karsten Warholm! His world record in Oslo, 46.70, and then, his 45.94 in Tokyo! This was over the 400m hurdles, combining the sadism of the 400m, and adding ten barriers! It is a true example of will over the the pain and agony of the 400m hurdles.
Karsten Warholm has ended his season! What will 2022 bring?
400m hurdles Olympic Champion, Karsten Warholm 🇳🇴, ran his last race of the season in the 300m at Bergen, winning with a world leading time of 32.49s
-- Victor K Almeida 📰 (@AlmeidaVictorK) September 19, 2021
▪️The funny thing is that Warholm 🇳🇴had started his season in the 300m indoor, where he clocked 32.47s on February 28 pic.twitter.com/gDKURNTO1S
In the last Continental Tour event of 2021, Trayvon Bromell, Ferdinand Omanyala and Fred Kerley left the proverbially best until last. In his first truly healthy season since 2016, Trayvon Bromell ran a PB 9.76 at the 100m. In front of his home crowd, Ferdinad Omanyala showed that Kenyans are sprinters, javelin throwers and distance runners, with his NR and Continental record of 9.77. And the man who changed from the 400m, where he ran 43.64, added a new 200m PB of 19.76.
This is the quick update on the entire meeting by EME News. Thanks to Alfons Juck, Paul Halford and Steven Mills.
"I had a feeling I could time 9.7 and I am happy that it came. I hope to set new records in every competition I will be participating in from now on," Ferdinand Omanyala.#AbsaKipKeinoClassic #ContinentalTourGold pic.twitter.com/cwFMLU4kSE
-- Absa Kip Keino Classic Continental Tour (@KipKeinoClassic) September 20, 2021
This was the final Continental Tour Meeting of 2021. A long season, which began in the spring. Now, many of the athletes are showing the exhaustion of a long season well-run.
Trayvon Bromell left the very best until last, running 9.76 WL. To the delight of the Kenyan fans, Ferdinand Omanyala ran a new NR and African record, 9.77, also a PB.
In the 200m, Fred Kerley ran a 19.76 PB at 200m ( Fred has now run 9.84 for 100m, 19.76 for 200 and 43.64 for 400m) to win in Nairobi. Christine Mboma won the 200m in 22.39 , her slowest time of the season in a major race!
Faith Kipyegon won the 1,500m at her leisure, in 4:02.40.
Ferdinand Omanyala, the fastest man in Africa, set NR and AR of 9.77 battling Trayvon Bromell in Nairobi, photo by Diamond League AG
Trayvon Bromell, 9.76 WL in Nairobi, Kenya, photo by Diamond League AG
Ferdinand Omanyala battled Trayvon Bromell, and ran a 9.77 NR, to the delight of his Kenyan fans, photo by Diamond League AG
Justin Lagat provided this feature on the Kip Keino Classic, which happened today in Nairobi, Kenya, ending the 2021 Continental Tour season globally.
I need one of these shot put cars, perhaps to pick up my iced Americanos? photo courtesy of Memorial Borisa Hanžekovića
Sandra Perkovic, photo courtesy of the Memorial Borisa Hanžekovića
Racing at the Memorial Borisa Hanžekovića, photo courtesy of Memorial Borisa Hanžekovića
Some observations by key athletes on the Memorial Borisa Hanžekovića, courtesy of EME News.
Truly one of the gems of the Continental Tour, the Memorial Borisa Hanžekovića, held in Zagreb, Croatia, is a favorite end-of-season meeting in Croatia. It also is end of Continental Tour in Europe (Kip Keino Classic in Nairobi ends global Cont Tour).
Devon Allen had one of the finest performances in Zagreb, with his first sub 13 second time for the 110m hurdles, but Ryan Crouser put his shot all the way to 22.84m, his farthest throw in Europe ever!
What a season ender!
Devon Allen just got under 13 seconds at Zagreb, that is to end the season! photo by Diamond League Ag