by Justin Lagat
The Athlos NYC 2024 women’s track event, which featured 100mH, 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m, and 1500m, showed that track can be a great entertainment event with a great theme and cause. It was such an exciting and unique night.
Watching the event, with the short interviews between the races and pre-made video clips, one could not help but appreciate the inspiring stories of the female athletes.
With just a few athletes competing in each event, it would be easier for the event organizers, the commentators, and even the fans at the stadium to find as much information about each one as possible and find inspiration and a good reason to appreciate them. It was almost similar to the Ineos 1:59 event, where Kenya’s Eliud Kipchoge was the entire focus of the world as he prepared to run a marathon in under two hours.
It looked more like an entertainment event than a regular track and field competition, with much fanfare as the athletes entered the stadium to compete before a sold-out crowd at the Icahn Stadium in New York. Amid the flashing lights and fireworks, pink and purple seemed to have been the theme colours as they appeared in various spots at the stadium and on the TV screens.
The prize money was the highest ever for a track event, with the winner taking home $60,000 and the sixth-place finisher -the last one in this case- taking home $2,500.
Jasmine Camacho-Quinn won the first of the six events and was presented with a crown even before the other races began. “I dedicate this race to my mum,” said Camacho before she got to dance briefly on the stage.
Marie-Josee Talou-Smith won the 100m race.
“I tell the young girls to keep believing in themselves and to keep working hard,” she said as she was presented with her crown. It was an inspiring moment. The meet also had some girls’ races in between the main events.
Two-time world and Olympic champion Marileidy Paulino of the Dominican Republic won the women’s 400m race in 49.59.
Tsige Duguma of Ethiopia won the women’s 800m race. The lanes were from lane three to eight, leaving out the first two lanes at the start. Kenya’s Mary Moraa took to the front after the first 200m, but Duguma somehow managed to push through the inside lane and was at the front at the bell. Duguma held the inside lane and controlled the race to win in 1:57.43.
None of the women in the 1500m race seemed interested in following a fast pace set by the pacer and kept some distance behind. However, with about 600m to go, there was a surprise surge, and being an instinctive tactical racer, Faith Kipyegon took a strategic position on the inside lane and was able to pull away in the last 150m to win the race in 4:04.79.
The last event of the evening, the women’s 200m, was exciting to the home crowd as their Olympic Champion, Gabby Thomas, took to the track. But Olympic silver medalist Brittany Brown wanted the win more and got it in 22.18, edging out Thomas in 22.21.
