Running Network, 116 Clarence Street, Fort Atkinson, WI (2025)

08/07/2025

2025 British Athletics: Novuna UK Champs, Intro, by Stuart Weir

Novuna UK Athletics Championships

The first thing to notice about the British Athletics Championships is the new sponsor, Novuna, a financial services company. The event is also returning to HQ. After five years in Manchester, we are back at the Alexander Stadium in Birmingham, where British Athletics has its headquarters, specifically in the stand on the back straight.

The US Championships are fair and brutal. Come in the first three places and you are selected for the Championship - no ifs, no buts! That works for the USA, where there is so much strength in depth. No matter what your past achievements, if you are ill on the day of the trials, there is no sympathy. (The recent World Athletics policy of inviting the reigning champion to the world championship complicates it slightly.)

The British selection procedure is more pragmatic, aimed at ensuring that the best athletes are selected for the team to compete in the World Championships. In practice, that means the first two in each discipline gain automatic selection, with the third place at the discretion of the selectors. Missing the trials with a medical exemption is allowed, and this year, the USA-based Olympic silver medalist, Matt Hudson-Smith, was given an exemption as his wife was expecting a baby.

More controversially, athletes can run a different distance from the event in which they are seeking selection. And since I am on a roll, I have never been convinced about the practice of giving the top 8 in the 100m a bye through the first round to the semi-finals, meaning they only run twice, while others run three times. I am sure it makes no difference to the outcome, but it just seems intrinsically unfair.

One aspect of track and field in the UK that differs from the US is that all athletes are affiliated with a club, and their club is listed on the start list — for example, Neil Gourley (Giffnock North AC), Daryll Neita (Cambridge Harriers), Amber Anning (Brighton and Hove AC), Zharnel Hughes (Shaftesbury Barnet), etc. What makes this more significant is the tradition that athletes compete in their club vests at the national championships, rather than in their sponsor’s colors.

It was a day of exciting competition with several excellent achievements, of which Molly Caudery’s 4.85 vault was the highlight. See separate post on the 100m – but it was also a day of carnage with:Four women’s hurdlers fell in the finalA crazy men’s 100m semi with two athletes DQed for false-starts and two pulling up injured. Three of five finishers qualified for the final!

The British Champions came two weeks after the London (Diamond League) Meeting. A sold-out crowd of 60,000 watched the Diamond League. The Alexander Stadium had a modest crowd on the first day. A worldwide elite field in a 3-hour program is more attractive to spectators than an eight-hour day of prelims and finals. Birmingham is the obvious venue for the national champs – more central than Manchester, where the national federation is based, but the stadium looks a bit empty. I am not sure how we can make the national championships more attractive as a spectator event.

Photos: Getty Images for Novuna British Athletics Championships

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08/07/2025

The 2025 British Athletics Champs: Two 1500 races to savor, by Stuart Weir

On paper, the men’s 1500 could have been the most exciting event of the Championships, with Josh Kerr and Jake Wightman (world champions both) racing Neil Gourley (2015 World Indoor medalist), George Mills (3:28.36 PR in Paris this year), and Elliott Giles (2024 Olympian) battling for three world championship places. However, it didn't quite work out that way.

Josh Kerr, with a wild card to Tokyo as the reigning champion, chose to run the 5000 meters at the GB trials, winning comfortably. George Mills was tripped in the London Meeting last month and had not recovered sufficiently to be ready to run. Jake Wightman ran well in London, then announced that he had a “nasty stomach bug which has knocked me for six”. Then there were two.

Gourley and Giles were on paper 5 seconds faster than the rest of the field, so the outcome seemed never in doubt. Giles would have had unpleasant memories of last year's trials when he and Josh Kerr had a clash of legs within meters off the finish line in the 800, leaving him out of the Paris Olympics until he got a late call-up to replace Jake Wightman. This year, the race went as expected until the last 3 meters, when Gourley and Giles collided legs and Giles almost went down again (see photo).

The final result was
1 Neil Gourley 3:47.062 Elliot Giles 3.47.203 Samuel Charig 3.47.424 Thomas Keen 3.47.425 James McMurray 3.47.53

A lot closer than expected and perhaps a lot closer than it needed to be, given that Gourley and Giles are both 3.30 men. Afterwards, Gourley said: “It feels good to take three British titles in a row. The British Champs are always fun, but there is also a lot to lose. The goal today was obviously to secure the top two spots, and that was achieved. Elliott (Giles) apologised for the near miss at the finish line. I don’t think he realised how close we came, but it all works out as we are both on the same plane. I am starting to find my form in training; it would have been lovely to have Josh (Kerr) and the others in the race to test me a bit more, but you can only race those who are there, and I am happy with how that went”.

Giles said of his almost mishap: “I was disappointed with the way I finished, I stepped wider than I should have. It was a heat-of-the-moment panic, so I didn’t look too good. I panicked a little bit, which happens, but it is frustrating. I think after last year (the fall at UK champs), that’s why I was worried. But we qualified and I’m healthy, so there are positives”.

In the women’s race, with the 2024 Olympic 1500m bronze medalist Georgia Hunter-Bell opting to run the 800 at trials, the crowd was denied a duel between her and Laura Muir. (Incidentally, the word on the street is that Hunter-Bell may double up in Tokyo or choose either the 800 or the 1500, with the athlete herself saying simply that she is not yet decided.)

Muir, a Tokyo Olympic silver medalist in the 1500, was recovering from an injury, having only run twice this summer, including coming in last in the 800 at the recent London Meet. Muir is in a different class from the rest, but was she race-ready? Reeve Walcott-Nolan, a World Indoor finalist and a European Indoor medallist, seemed Muir’s biggest rival, with Katie Snowden being a third sub-four-minute athlete in the field seeking two automatic selections for Tokyo.No one seemed keen to take the race on at a fast pace.

Laura Muir initially sat at the back, as she usually does, before moving up as the race progressed. The slow pace kept everyone in touch with each other. Muir was ensuring she was in the right place, but on the final few meters, Sarah Calvert on the outside snatched the win.

The final results were:
1 Sarah Calvert 4:16.272 Laura Muir 4:16.323 Revee Walcott-Nolan 4:16.394 Erin Wallace 4:16.566 Katie Snowden 4:17.73

Calvert, 24, who took silver at the recent FISU World University Championships, was running in the national championships for only the second time, having come eighth last year, said: “I actually can’t believe it; I am still shocked. I entered this race to earn a medal. I had a good run at the World University Games, but this was such a strong field, so I wasn’t sure if I could secure one. I had to have the mindset of forgetting who else was there, and pushing to see what I could do”.

A pragmatic Muir said: “The main aim today was to come top two, so it wasn’t necessarily the race or outcome we expected, but I’ve now secured my spot three times in a row in second place”.

So, who will be going to Tokyo? Laura Muir. Sarah Calvert, if she can get the qualifying standard of 4:01.50 in the next three weeks – her current PR is 4:08.14. The discretionary place will go to Georgia Hunter-Bell if she wants it.

Revee Walcott-Nolan (two 3:58s last August) and Katie Snowden have the standard, and Erin Wallace is just a second outside the standard. Isn’t life complicated?

08/07/2025

The 2025 British Athletics Champs: Two 1500 races to savor, by Stuart Weir

On paper, the men’s 1500 could have been the most exciting event of the Championships, with Josh Kerr and Jake Wightman (world champions both) racing Neil Gourley (2015 World Indoor medalist), George Mills (3:28.36 PR in Paris this year), and Elliott Giles (2024 Olympian) battling for three world championship places. However, it didn't quite work out that way.

Josh Kerr, with a wild card to Tokyo as the reigning champion, chose to run the 5000 meters at the GB trials, winning comfortably. George Mills was tripped in the London Meeting last month and had not recovered sufficiently to be ready to run. Jake Wightman ran well in London, then announced that he had a “nasty stomach bug which has knocked me for six”. Then there were two.

Gourley and Giles were on paper 5 seconds faster than the rest of the field, so the outcome seemed never in doubt. Giles would have had unpleasant memories of last year's trials when he and Josh Kerr had a clash of legs within meters off the finish line in the 800, leaving him out of the Paris Olympics until he got a late call-up to replace Jake Wightman. This year, the race went as expected until the last 3 meters, when Gourley and Giles collided legs and Giles almost went down again (see photo).

The final result was
1 Neil Gourley 3:47.062 Elliot Giles 3.47.203 Samuel Charig 3.47.424 Thomas Keen 3.47.425 James McMurray 3.47.53

A lot closer than expected and perhaps a lot closer than it needed to be, given that Gourley and Giles are both 3.30 men. Afterwards, Gourley said: “It feels good to take three British titles in a row. The British Champs are always fun, but there is also a lot to lose. The goal today was obviously to secure the top two spots, and that was achieved. Elliott (Giles) apologised for the near miss at the finish line. I don’t think he realised how close we came, but it all works out as we are both on the same plane. I am starting to find my form in training; it would have been lovely to have Josh (Kerr) and the others in the race to test me a bit more, but you can only race those who are there, and I am happy with how that went”.

Giles said of his almost mishap: “I was disappointed with the way I finished, I stepped wider than I should have. It was a heat-of-the-moment panic, so I didn’t look too good. I panicked a little bit, which happens, but it is frustrating. I think after last year (the fall at UK champs), that’s why I was worried. But we qualified and I’m healthy, so there are positives”.

In the women’s race, with the 2024 Olympic 1500m bronze medalist Georgia Hunter-Bell opting to run the 800 at trials, the crowd was denied a duel between her and Laura Muir. (Incidentally, the word on the street is that Hunter-Bell may double up in Tokyo or choose either the 800 or the 1500, with the athlete herself saying simply that she is not yet decided.)

Muir, a Tokyo Olympic silver medalist in the 1500, was recovering from an injury, having only run twice this summer, including coming in last in the 800 at the recent London Meet. Muir is in a different class from the rest, but was she race-ready? Reeve Walcott-Nolan, a World Indoor finalist and a European Indoor medallist, seemed Muir’s biggest rival, with Katie Snowden being a third sub-four-minute athlete in the field seeking two automatic selections for Tokyo.No one seemed keen to take the race on at a fast pace.

Laura Muir initially sat at the back, as she usually does, before moving up as the race progressed. The slow pace kept everyone in touch with each other. Muir was ensuring she was in the right place, but on the final few meters, Sarah Calvert on the outside snatched the win.

The final results were:
1 Sarah Calvert 4:16.272 Laura Muir 4:16.323 Revee Walcott-Nolan 4:16.394 Erin Wallace 4:16.566 Katie Snowden 4:17.73

Calvert, 24, took silver at the recent FISU World University Championships, was running in the national championships for only the second time, having come eighth last year, said: “I actually can’t believe it; I am still shocked. I entered this race to earn a medal. I had a good run at the World University Games, but this was such a strong field, so I wasn’t sure if I could secure one. I had to have the mindset of forgetting who else was there, and pushing to see what I could do”.

A pragmatic Muir said: “The main aim today was to come top two, so it wasn’t necessarily the race or outcome we expected, but I’ve now secured my spot three times in a row in second place”.

So, who will be going to Tokyo? Laura Muir. Sarah Calvert, if she can get the qualifying standard of 4:01.50 in the next three weeks – her current PR is 4:08.14. The discretionary place will go to Georgia Hunter-Bell if she wants it. Revee Walcott-Nolan (two 3:58s last August) and Katie Snowden have the standard, and Erin Wallace is just a second outside the standard. Isn’t life complicated?

08/07/2025

2025 British Athletics: Sprint finish, by Stuart Weir

Traditionally, day one of the British Championships ends with the two 100-meter finals. Athletes are running to become British champions, to earn selection for the World Championships in the blue-riband event, and also to secure a place in the relay teams that are expected to win world championship medals. A swirling wind blew throughout the day. In successive prelims, the wind gauge was showing -2 in one and +1.3 in the following, significant differences when you were looking for a qualifying time judged in fractions of a second.

The women's race came first. Remember that the British selection procedure is that the first two finishers (provided they have the World Athletics standard) are selected for the World Championships, with a third place at the discretion of the selectors. Dina Asher-Smith had opted only to run the 200 at trials, banking on receiving the discretionary third selection place.

The women went to their blocks amid high drama; there was a recall. After consultation, the starter announced, “Disqualify the athlete in lane 6” – Darryl Neita, who finished 4th and 5th in the Paris Olympic sprints!

The result was:
1 Amy Hunt 11.02 PR2 Desiree Henry 11.323 Faith Akinbileje 11.34

Amy Hunt, who is simply one of the nicest people in our sport, said afterwards: “We wanted to view this Championships as another step in the road to Tokyo. I am happy to get my first senior outdoor UK title and book that plane ticket. In championships, you have to move forward day by day, so you must learn how to step up and process things quickly. This is why we did a lot of 60s in the winter. The 1960s were a crazy time for many things that were happening. I reached the world indoor final and came fifth, which taught me a lot about holding my nerve under pressure. In today’s final, I got a slick start first time around. It wasn’t as good after the false start, but I had to stay calm”.

As things stand, Amy Hunt has qualified for the Tokyo Olympics. Desiree Henry has earned the right to be selected, but she does not have the qualifying time. The selectors may choose one athlete. If Henry achieves the world qualifying mark of 11.07, then the selectors will have to choose between Nieta and Asher-Smith. If Henry does not reach the qualifying time, then the selectors will have two choices.

The final event of the day was the men's 100-meter final. We froze in our seats when there was a recall, knowing that the starter did not take any prisoners and also knowing that our favorite, Zharnel Hughes, had a history of false starts in important races. The starter settled for a green card and a warning to athletes to keep very still until they heard the gun.

The result was:
1 Zharnel Hughes 9.94*2 Jeremiah Azu 9.97*3 Louie Hinchcliffe 10.01*4 Eugene Amo-Dadzie 10.04*
*NB Times with an illegal wind speed

A clear outcome with the top two selected for Tokyo, Hinchcliffe likely to get the discretionary place, and Amo-Dadzie, a relay place.

Hughes said afterwards: “I knew I could win, and I got a sub-10 today, which is important for me. I wanted to be here, get a run in, and feel my legs in the rounds. It could have been faster, but I can build on this. It is nice to hear your name being called out from the stands”.

Afterwards, Hughes and Hunt spent time signing autographs and posing for selfies with young fans. Great to see.

photos by Getty Images for British Athletics

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08/05/2025

Kenyan Athletics, 2025 Kenyan Nationals, Story 3/4, Cherotich, Serem, Chepchirchir and Kebenei among the winners of the 2025 Kenyan trials , by Justin Lagat

The battle for supremacy in the men’s 3000m steeplechase race brewed an exciting climax in the last lap as Edmund Serem and Simon Kiprop Koech cleared the water jump shoulder to shoulder with each other, intent and eager to cross the finish line first.

Having come from behind, Serem had greater momentum and ended up slightly ahead at the last bend. The gap between the two then stretched a little on the home straight as Serem went ahead to cross the finish line about two meters ahead. With Serem only 17 and Koech 22, the two runners represent a promising future for Kenya in their traditional event. Selectors added Abraham Kibiwott, the 2023 Budapest bronze medalist, to the team as though to add some experience to the mixture.

Interestingly, two double NCAA champions will represent Kenya in the women’s event. While Faith Cherotich ran a comfortable race alone at the front to win it, behind her was two-time NCAA champion Doris Lemgole. Selectors also chose another double NCAA champion, Pamela Kosgei, during the naming of the team for Tokyo in this event.

In the absence of Faith Kipyegon, who already has a wild card for being the defending champion in the women’s 1500m, Nelly Chepchirchir easily controlled the women’s 1500m race. She appeared relaxed as Susan Ejore kicked hard to close the gap in the last 100m of the race before the two crossed the finish line in a very close finish. Dorcas Ewoi, who finished third, got lucky to be named the fourth athlete on the team.

The men’s 1500m race was more thrilling and competitive. In a close finish, World champion and Olympic silver medalist, Timothy Cheruiyot, took control of the race just at the bell. But his kick could hardly break the rest of the field. Brian Komen came almost abreast with him in the last 20m as Reynold Cheruiyot engaged a new gear and overtook everyone to win the race. For a brief moment, everyone wondered who had taken the second position. Finally, Komen threw down the bottle of water he was holding in disappointment as Cheruiyot was lifted by his coach in celebration.

Due to his impressive season so far, Phanuel Koech, who didn’t run, was named to the final team.

The big names Emmanuel Wanyonyi and Mary Moraa did not run in the 800m races, which allowed the new emerging stars to enjoy glory at home. In a competitive men’s 800m race, little-known Nikolas Kebenei led from the bell to win dominantly as Kelvin Loti finished second. In the women’s race, African silver medalist Lilian Odira won ahead of Vivian Kiprotich and Sarah Moraa.

The three made it to the four-member team courtesy of Moraa’s wild card as the defending champion.

photos by Justin Lagat

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08/05/2025

2025 Kenyan National Trials, Story 1/4, Random Thoughts from the stadium, by Justin Lagat

Being one of the most successful nations in Athletics, the world will watch with interest as Kenya prepares to name their World Championships-bound team.

As usual with the Kenyan trails, there will be surprises and some disappointments. The question is: Will all the top Kenyan stars make the team? If not, who will suffer a major upset?

I am already in Nairobi, awaiting the opportunity to cover the action for you. The turnout of fans at the stadium will be as uncertain as the possibility of some big names making the team for the Tokyo World Championships, which will be held in Tokyo from 13 to 21 September.The Ulinzi Sports Complex, the same venue that hosted an electrifying World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meeting two months ago (the KIp Keino Classic), will be free to enter.

However, the event will be on a Tuesday, when most sports fans will be at their workplaces.Among the runners who have already picked their bibs for the event are 17-year-old Edmund Serem, the 2024 world U20 champion over the 3000m steeplechase, and 21-year-old Faith Cherotich, the 2022 world U20 champion and now the reigning Olympic and World bronze medalist. Both runners currently train at the same camp in Kaptagat.

18-year-old Phanuel Koech, who just set a new world U20 record of 3:27.72 in the men’s 1500m, will be another star to watch.

With only two automatic spots guaranteed to make the team, according to the selection criteria, there could be a major upset in this event from the other established runners.

Beatrice Chebet and Agnes Ngetich already secured their spots for the 5000m event at the trials in Eugene earlier this month, but they will be back again in the women’s 10,000m race to seek double tickets. If the two finish in the top two positions again, given that the 10,000m seems to be more of their favourite distance than the 5000m, it will be interesting to hear what the selectors will say at the end of the day. As the world catches up with Kenya in distance events, there has been a rapid interest in sprints among Kenyan runners lately.

For the first time, three relay teams- the men’s 4x100m, the mixed relay and the men’s 4x400m have secured their spots for the Tokyo 25 championships.

Mercy Oketch, who was instrumental in the mixed 4x400m relay team securing the qualification, returned from Guanzhou and ran a new national record of 50.14 at the Kip Keino Classic Continental Tour Gold.

Three men, George Mutinda, Brian Tinega and Kelvin Kipkorir, also hit the world championships qualification time in the men’s 400m during last month's Kenyan national championships.

We could see more sprinters qualify for Tokyo.
photo by ,
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08/05/2025

2025 Summer Mileage, July 24, 2025, Week 3, Day 4, Craig Engels is coming to Eugene!

Thursday, Warm-up, 60-minute run with five 3-minute hill runs, cooldown. We suggest doing the run on trails or in a park.

Craig Engels has been on the world-class scene for almost a decade. He has competed in three Olympic Trials and represented the US in the 2018 World Indoors and 2019 World Outdoors.

In high school, Craig Engels held school records at the 800m, Mile and 3200m. At the end of his senior year in high school, Craig Engels ran 4:03.96 to set the then state record for the high school boys' mile (North Carolina).

In 2016 Olympic Trails, Craig finished 4th in the 800m, and 5th in the 1,500m. He ran for NIKE Union Athletic club, coached by Pete Julian for five years. In the 2021 Trials, Craig Engels finished 4th in the Olympic Trials.

In 2022, Craig Engels returned to his college coach, Ryan Vanhoy, who had moved from Ole' Miss to San Luis Obispo, CA. At the 2024 Trials, Craig finished 10th.

In 2025, Craig Engels started the season out with a 14:09 for 5,000m, then, dropped to a 1:45. for the 800m and a 3:35.8 for the 1,500m, plus a 49.9 for the 400m, for a bit of speed work.

Craig Engels ran cross country in high school and in college. That strength has given him an incredible distance base. Craig Engels will be in Eugene next week for the 1,500 meters, at the USA Champs. We wish him much luck!

photo: Wikipedia

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08/05/2025

RBR Interviews: Donavan Brazier speaks on his return

RBR Interviews: Donavan Brazier was last interviewed by me in the spring of 2023. He had not raced in one year and would go on to not race for another year.

In the early summer of 2025, after two years of not racing, Donavan Brazier is back! Going from a debut of 1:44 to, weeks later, a 1:43.08 time, his best since 2019, at London DL, Donavan Brazier will be racing at the USATF Champs next week, July 31-August 3.

This interview is fascinating to me. I have kept copies of my interviews for the last 40-plus years. In watching them, listening to them several times, one notices the many facets of a championship athlete. Donavan Brazier knows what it like to win on the big stage, and how hard it is to get back there.

Please check out this interview: https://youtu.be/qv4dXNB0QY0

Special thanks to Mike Deering on the art and the video production.
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08/05/2025

2025 Diamond League: Oblique Seville, does he have what it takes?

Oblique Seville is a unique sprinter– but will he finally deliver when it matters, by Deji Ogeyingbo, https://buff.ly/uqyBbPL , photo by Diamond League AG, , , , , ,

08/05/2025

2025 USATF Outdoors: Melissa Jefferson-Wooden Is Running Towards Something Bigger, by Deji Ogeyingbo

By the time Melissa Jefferson-Wooden crossed the finish line on Friday night in Eugene, there was no doubt about who owns the title of America’s fastest woman. To be fair, many people had known the outcome; we were just surprised by how emphatic she has become in her approach to winning races.

The performance tied her with Sha’Carri Richardson, Shericka Jackson, and Marion Jones as the fifth-fastest woman in history. Yet in that moment, it felt like Jefferson-Wooden had separated herself from the rest of the current sprint field.

There was no flashiness in her celebration. No victory lap with a flag draped over her shoulders. She stood still for a moment, glanced up at the clock, and let it all settle in.It’s the kind of calm that comes from knowing she’s done this all season, as no one could steal a match from her. And also knowing that this time means more.

A year ago, Jefferson-Wooden was on the podium in Paris as part of the U.S. women’s 4x100 team, where she anchored a gold medal relay. Individually, she had placed third in the 100 meters at the Olympics, clocking 10.92. That result didn’t make headlines, but for those who were paying attention, it showed she was capable of competing with the best. She hasn’t lost a 100-meter race since.

In 2025, she’s gone five-for-five in finals. Her early-season schedule included wins in Kingston, Miami, and Philadelphia. The breakthrough came at the Prefontaine Classic in May, where she beat reigning Olympic champion Elaine Thompson-Herah with a time of 10.75. She followed it with the fastest time in the world this year in Eugene, beating a strong U.S. field and pulling away from everyone with ease.

The acceleration phase has always been where Jefferson-Wooden sets herself apart. In the final on Friday, Kayla White got the best start. But by the 30-meter mark, Jefferson-Wooden had found her rhythm, lifting into her drive phase and pulling away. She closed the race with a margin of nearly two-tenths of a second. In the 100 meters, that’s enormous.

Now, with the U.S. title in hand and the season’s best time under her belt, Jefferson-Wooden finds herself in unfamiliar territory. She’s the favorite for the world title in Tokyo.

It’s a role she hasn’t held before, but one that suits her current form.Sha’Carri Richardson, who earned a bye to Tokyo by winning the 2023 World Championship, scratched from the semifinals in Eugene. The decision raised questions about her fitness and readiness. She hasn’t raced a 100-meter since the Prefontaine Classic in early July.

There’s no confirmed injury and no official statement.

Still, a quiet buildup is rarely a sign of full confidence.Julien Alfred, the Olympic Champion from St. Lucia, has been consistently running under 10.90 several times this season. She will be a factor in Tokyo. But Alfred has never run faster than 10.83. That kind of margin matters when chasing gold.

Jefferson-Wooden, on the other hand, has gone from promising to polished. She’s not a one-hit winner from college anymore. Her strides are stronger, her races are cleaner, and her starts are more aggressive. She’s also managed to stay healthy through a busy schedule, something her competitors haven’t all achieved.

Coach Dennis Mitchell has guided her development with patience this season. His training group at Star Athletics produced the three U.S. women on last year’s Olympic team, and they’ll send three again this year: Jefferson-Wooden, Kayla White, and Richardson. Mitchell has been through enough championships to know how to time an athlete’s peak.

Jefferson-Wooden looks to be hitting hers at the right time.Friday’s final offered a clear preview of what’s ahead. In a championship season marked by inconsistency from other stars, Jefferson-Wooden has been the most reliable figure in the event.

Every time she lines up, she runs with confidence. She has said little publicly about winning a global title. But the way she’s racing now, it’s hard to imagine anything less.

There’s still more than a month to go before the World Championships begin in Tokyo. Athletes will sharpen their form, pick races carefully, and manage their health. But unless something unexpected happens, it will take more than talent to stop Jefferson-Wooden.

photos: 1-3, Kevin Morris, last photo: Islam Daghestani

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