This Week In Track & Field: Recapping The Rest Of The London Diamond League + Preet’s Perspective Watching Josh Kerr’s World Record In-Stadium

Chris Chavez and Preet Majithia reconvene to debrief the rest of the London Diamond League. Chris and Kyle Merber’s emergency pod captured the immediate reaction; this episode is the follow-up, covering everything that got overshadowed by the world record.

We discuss:

– Preet in the building: Eight flights of stairs between the mixed zone and the seating area to watch Josh Kerr’s world record run.

– Post-race mixed zone: Josh got emotional exactly once — when Hannah England asked him about the mental toll of the entire process. His first beer since his December wedding was that Saturday night. For a Scotsman, six months without a beer is its own kind of suffering.

– Was the world record overshadowed by the World Cup? The day before the World Cup final, England played France in a 6-4 third-place match the same evening. The next morning, BBC Sport’s homepage had zero stories about Josh Kerr.

– Does this get Josh knighted? Chris’s very American question.

– Does the mile world record mean as much globally as the 1500? Preet raises the question: the mile matters enormously in the US and UK, but does it land elsewhere?

– Sawe vs. Kerr: which was bigger?

– Women’s 800m — Keely wins in 1:56.21: The pacemaker went through 400 in 56.8, suggesting they were targeting sub-1:55 but backed off — if she’d gone through in 55 flat as planned, it might have been a 1:55 race. Preet’s context: this was Keely’s 50th sub-2:00 performance and her nineteenth sub-1:57.

– Would you rather have Josh’s career or Keely’s right now?

The rest of London — the performances that got overshadowed:

– Brandon Miller, 1:42.19 in the men’s 800m: Nearly a full second PB, fifth all-time for Americans. Timed his kick off the final bend perfectly.

– Julien Alfred, 21.66 in the women’s 200: Third win in nine days.

– Karsten Warholm, 46.61 in the 400 hurdles: World lead, first hurdles race win of the season, meeting record.

– Ja’Kobe Tharp, 12.89 in the 110m hurdles: Fifth time under 13 seconds this season — the first athlete in history to go sub-13 in five consecutive 110m hurdles races.

– Kayinsola Ajayi, 9.84 in the men’s 100m: Beats world champion Oblique Seville for the second time this season — turns and looks at him as they cross the line.

– Rai Benjamin, 44.05 PB in the men’s 400m: Beats Matthew Hudson-Smith (44.18). First Diamond League 400m win.

– Marileidy Paulino, 48.97 in the women’s 400m: Fourth sub-49 this season.

– Jess Hull wins the women’s 3000m, 8:24.69: Fierce surge with 200 to go

– Looking ahead: Josh Kerr to appear on the CITIUS MAG podcast Wednesday. Full US Championships preview episode dropping with Chris and Kyle later this week. Daily shows from USAs throughout the weekend. Subscribe on your platform of choice.

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