Oregon 22 World Athletics Champs, thoughts on nine US medals on day three

Thoughts on the nine medals won by US on Day three,

by Sean MacPherson 

Day three at the 2022 World Championships in Eugene featured three finals on the track and three in the field. Despite a couple of missed opportunities for medals, it was still a fantastic day for the Americans. Here’s what went down on Sunday:

Devon Allen DQ’d in 110H, Americans go 1-2

Let’s start with the most controversial, frustrating, and heart-wrenching moment of the night. Hometown hero Devon Allen, one of the favorites in the 110m Hurdles Final, was DQ’d at the start line. To be clear, Devon Allen did not move or jump before the gun like one would think. Instead, he was punished for reacting to the gun too quickly. That’s right, he was disqualified for being too fast. The rule states that any reaction faster than .100 is considered a false start. Allen’s reaction time was .099. Allen was understandably frustrated, and meet officials wouldn’t let him compete in the race under protest. Instead, the world leader and Oregon legend will always be left wondering what could have been in this career-defining race.

This wasn’t the only shocking departure from the 110-meter hurdles. Reigning Olympic champion Hansel Parchment suffered an injury during final warmup preparations and was unable to compete. Plus, U.S. champion Daniel Roberts stumbled in the prelims and failed to qualify. But giving credit where credit is due, Americans Grant Holloway (1st place, 13.04) and Trey Cunningham (2nd place, 13.08) both did a nice job avoiding distractions, and each ran a terrific race. You just can’t help but wonder what could’ve been in this event.

Americans Thrive in the Field

Ryan Crouser, Brooke Anderson, and Katie Nageotte led the way for the Americans in the field events on Sunday with victories in the Men’s Shot Put, Women’s Hammer Throw, and Women’s Pole Vault, respectively. Team USA went 1-2-3 in the Shot Put, with Crouser, Joe Kovaks, and Josh Awotunde earning medals.

Brooke Anderson earned gold in the Hammer throw, and Janee’ Kassanavoid earned a bronze medal for the Americans.

Katie Nageotte went toe-to-toe with fellow American Sandi Morris, who ultimately settled for the silver medal. I’m not sure Team USA will ever have a day better than Sunday, taking home 9 medals in a single day – the most in WC history.

Thrilling 10K sees Grant Fisher in 4th

Grant Fisher keeps proving that he belongs in an event that is historically not friendly to Americans. Finishing 5th in the 10,000 meters in last year’s Olympics, he one-upped that result this year with an impressive fourth-place finish. Fisher finished with a time of 27:28.14, just .17 shy of the bronze medal.

Fisher had mixed feelings following the race after following that short of earning a medal, but the 25-year-old appears to be the best thing going for American distance running in some time. Joe Klecker finished in 9th place in 27:38.73, and Sean McGorty earned 12th place in 27:46.30. Joshua Cheptegei won gold, followed by Stanley Waithaka Mburu in second and Jacob Kiplimo in third.