The summer of intrigue

YOU’VE HEARD the gloomy narrative.

Tied to the Olympics, track and field falls short of its potential impact on the sporting public and on the sponsors. It’s hard to argue, but it seems to me that the athletes are responding in the best possible way.

Active and retired stars alike have put suggestions on the table and more and more, the young ones are using social media to tout matchups. Best of all, they are laying down memorable performances.

On May 27, Ryan Crouser spun around the throwing circle and blasted his shot to a world record 23.56 metres in Los Angeles. The big American, holder of the 2021 Olympic title and the 2022 World Championship crown, extended his own world mark from 23.37.

Scarily enough, it was just his second outdoor competition of the year. Moreover, Crouser had two other throws over 23 - 23.23 and 23.31. The indication is that, as the season builds towards Budapest, Hungary and the World Championships, the record may go again.

Six days later in Florence, Italy, Faith Kipyegon cemented her status as the most successful 1500-metre runner of all time with a world record in 3 minutes, 49.11 seconds. Twice Olympic champion and twice World Champion, the ever-smiling Kenyan came close to the old mark – 3:50.07 by Ethiopian Genzebe Dibaba – last year but made no mistake in Florence. A surging finish put her on top of the chart.

In addition, Kipyegon is the first woman to pierce the 3:50 barrier.

That’s not all. In Paris on Friday, Kipyegon outduelled her Ethiopian training partner Letesenbet Giday to a world record 14 minutes, 05.20 seconds – at 5000 metres. Then came a 3000-metre steeplechase record by another Ethiopian Lamecha Girma, 7:52.12, on the same evening. Like Crouser and Kipyegon, the 22-year-old Gima, the 2019 and 2022 World Championship runner-up, may have more records in him.

GREAT SUMMER OF ATHLETICS

For good measure, the raucous Parisian fans saw Norway’s super champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen establish a world best for the rarely run two-mile event.

Add the quest for sixth World titles by Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce in the 100 and by Pawel Fajdek of Poland in the men’s hammer and the stage is set for an intriguing summer of athletics.

With one of the sport’s young guns, Sydney McLaughlin-Leverone starting her quest for the longstanding 400-metre world record this season, track and field is responding to the gloomy narrative with its best currency – performances.

Athletics does need to push forward to attract the general sports fan. That’s the only way to ensure its growth but if the records keep coming, the door to a bright future will open wider and wider.

Hubert Lawrence has been making notes at track side since 1980.