Seven take-aways from day one at Torun

Seven takeaways from day one at Torun

1. The format of the 400 meters.  Prelims then 4 semi-finals of four athletes, in which the four winners qualify for the final, along with the 4 fastest non-winners across the four semis.  The final is run as two time trials of 4 athletes, with the medals decided by times across the two co-finals.  Got it?

   

2. Chase Jackson announced her retirement on live TV after winning the shot put.  Don’t worry, it is just her retirement from Indoors, which she admitted she never liked because it cut into her winter break.

   

3. If there is a better middle-distance runner at managing races than Georgia Hunter Bell, then I have not seen them – never boxed in, never out of position, and always knowing exactly where the finish line is.

   

4. I remember seeing Trayvon Bromell win the World 60m in Portland, 2016. He has had injury problems over the years, but it’s great to see him in the medals 10 years later.

   

5. Goosia, the mascot, is a goose who represents the region’s identity and traditions. So now you know.

   

6. All athletes have issues with training facilities, but not quite to the level faced by Yaroslava Mahuchikh: “We trained without electricity in really cold halls” in her native Ukraine – no electricity because of Putin’s evil war.

   

7. The state of the men’s Triple Jump worldwide is depressing, with just 4 athletes jumping beyond 17 meters.  The winner was Andy Diaz Hernandez with a jump of 17.47 meters.