Michael Johnson On The State Of Grand Slam Track With Less Than A Month Until It Debuts

U.S. Olympians Jasmine Jones and Shamier have signed with Grand Slam Track ahead of the professional track league’s inaugural season in 2025. Jones wrapped up her senior year at USC with the NCAA indoor 60m title and NCAA outdoor 400m hurdles title. She ran personal bests in the 400m hurdles four times in the year, which culminated with a 52.29 performance for fourth place in the Olympic final – just .14 seconds shy of a medal. Little is a two-time World Championship silver medalist in the 400m hurdles. At the Paris Olympics, she was part of the world-record setting mixed 4x400m relay and earned a silver medal in the mixed 4x400m final. She also led off the women’s 4x400m relay in the final with a 49.48s split before the team won gold in 3:15.27 – the second-fastest 4x400m relay of all-time. In this episode, Anderson Emerole chats with Jones and Little to reflect on their experiences at the Olympics, break down why they signed with the league, why they’re excited for it, and what they’re looking forward to most heading into next year. Host: Anderson Emerole | @atkoeme on Instagram  Guests: Jasmine Jones | @jasminemjones1 on Instagram + Shamier Little | @shambambino on Instagram Time Stamps: Jasmine Jones: 4:58 - Reflecting on the Paris Olympics. 6:13 - What her expectations were for this season + the Olympics. 7:19 - Why she decided to join Grand Slam Track. 8:25 - Thoughts on racing the 400m and 400m hurdles for GST. 9:54 - Why she moved up in distance from the 100m hurdles.  12:44 - Her perspective on racing for place vs. time. 13:36 - How she navigated a year filled with change.  15:01 - Staying composed before races. 17:04 - How she shifted her mindset from competing in the NCAA to the pro level. 20:25 - What she’s most excited about looking ahead to 2025. Shamier Little: 23:21 - Reflections coming off her historic season.  25:00 - Biggest emotions and feelings from the Olympics. 27:08 - Mindset throughout the rounds at the Olympics.  29:15 - What she’s most excited about with joining GST. 31:57 - Thoughts on her GST competitors. 34:35 - What makes the women’s 400m hurdles so special right now. 38:08 - Racing with grit.  39:20 - How she plans on balancing her 2025 race schedule.  SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS OLIPOP: For the past year, we’ve redefined Olipop as more than just a healthy drink known for its gut microbiome with a low sugar content and a much better alternative to regular soda. You know there are more than 16 flavors, including classic root beer, cherry cola, and lemon-lime. You know it as The Runner’s Soda. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get 25% off your orders by using code CITIUS25 at drinkolipop.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

22 Okt 202441min

"I’m actually very excited to sign with Grand Slam Track because I really enjoy racing. Time trialing is fun and all, but I’ve run 12:50 in the 5K, and there’s only so much of a difference between 12:40 and 12:50. I figure at this point in my career, it’s not the world record, I just want to compete and I just want to race." Two-time Guatemalan Olympian and national record holder Luis Grijalva has signed with Grand Slam Track ahead of the professional track league’s inaugural season in 2025. Grijalva joins Grand Slam Track as the third Racer in the “long distance” category that will contest the 3000m and 5000m at each respective Slam. He will be joined by 5000m Olympic silver medalist Ronald Kwemoi and 5000m and 10,000m Olympic bronze medalist Grant Fisher. Grijalva finished fourth in the 5000m at the 2022 and 2023 World Championships and ran a personal best of 12:50.58 at the Oslo Diamond League in May. He owns a 3000m personal best of 7:29.43 from the 2023 Prefontaine Classic and finished third in the 3000m at this year’s Stockholm Diamond League in a season’s best of 7:33.96.  In this episode, Grijalva joins Chris Chavez to break down why he signed with the league, why he’s excited for it, and what he’s looking forward to most heading into next year. Host: Chris Chavez | ⁠@chris_j_chavez on Instagram Guest: Luis Grijalva | @luisgrijalva_ on Instagram Time Stamps: 5:01 - What he’s most excited about with joining Grand Slam Track. 7:47 - Perspective on championship racing vs. rabbited races.  11:19 - How GST will help prepare athletes for global Championships. 14:42 - Thoughts on GST’s prize money.  17:18 - Thoughts on his GST competitors + other athletes he wants to see join. 20:11 - What sets GST apart from other competitions.  SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS OLIPOP: For the past year, we’ve redefined Olipop as more than just a healthy drink known for its gut microbiome with a low sugar content and a much better alternative to regular soda. You know there are more than 16 flavors, including classic root beer, cherry cola, and lemon-lime. You know it as The Runner’s Soda. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get 25% off your orders by using code CITIUS25 at drinkolipop.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

22 Okt 202423min

2x Olympian and Canadian record holder Natasha Wodak is set to take center stage at the 2024 TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon. The 42-year-old Canadian record holder returns to Toronto to race the marathon for the first time in 11 years and she's targetting her first-ever national marathon title. She has had a rollercoaster journey over the past 18 months from attempting to qualify for Paris 2024 but falling short. Despite these challenges, she’s coming off a strong year and now she's approaching the TWM with a new mindset, enjoying the chance to race in front of family and friends without the pressure of Olympic standards. With a personal best of 2:23:12, Wodak’s goal is to secure the Canadian title. Hear about the various chapters of her running journey, her love for training, and how she’s embraced the marathon’s challenges with resilience and determination. LIVE from the 2024 TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon Expo! Hosts: Chris Chavez | ⁠@chris_j_chavez on Instagram Karen Lesiewicz | @kare_les on Instagram SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS LEVER MOVEMENT: Elevate your running with the LEVER system, just like Olympian Eilish McColgan. Reduce impact on your joints, boost your training volume, and recover faster with this portable, easy-to-use treadmill system. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Save 20% with code CITIUS20 at LEVERMOVEMENT.COM⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. OLIPOP: For the past year, we’ve redefined Olipop as more than just a healthy drink known for its gut microbiome with a low sugar content and a much better alternative to regular soda. You know there are more than 16 flavors, including classic root beer, cherry cola, and lemon-lime. You know it as The Runner’s Soda. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get 25% off your orders by using code CITIUS25 at drinkolipop.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

19 Okt 202450min

Chris Chavez and Preet Majithia recap episodes five and six of the Ingebrigtsen brothers’ new documentary series, "Ingebrigtsen - Born To Run.” Episodes five and six close the loop on the series by highlighting the brothers’ showing at the Norwegian and European Championships. We also share our critiques on Diamond League press conferences and share our thoughts on some of the editorial choices for the series.  Hosts: Chris Chavez | @chris_j_chavez on Instagram Preet Majithia | @prm_32 on X Time Stamps: 0:25 - We’re on Reddit! 2:17 - Overview of episode 5. 3:05 - Dynamic between Jakob and Henrik.  4:19 - Jakob at press conferences + why he would make a great sports journalist.  7:46 - Critique on Diamond League press conferences. 14:02 - European Championships recap. 17:15 - Jakob leaving for his workout while Elisabeth was in labor.  23:36 - Norwegian Championships recap. 27:06 - Episode 6: Beef between Jakob and  Narve Nordas. 31:23 - Why wasn’t the Monaco DL 1500m highlighted? 38:56 - Ingebrigtsen family at the Nike house + thoughts on the series' editorial style.  42:26 - How the season ends + what comes next. Mentioned in this episode… Follow: CITIUS MAG Reddit page. Watch: Jakob Ingebrigtsen Breaks Down 2024 Bowerman Mile Race + Tactics Listen: Keeping Up with the Ingebrigtsens | Recapping 'Ingebrigtsen - Born To Run,’ Episodes 3 and 4 Listen: Keeping Up with the Ingebrigtsens | Recapping 'Ingebrigtsen - Born To Run,’ Episodes 1 and 2 SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS LEVER MOVEMENT: Elevate your running with the LEVER system, just like Olympian Eilish McColgan. Reduce impact on your joints, boost your training volume, and recover faster with this portable, easy-to-use treadmill system. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Save 20% with code CITIUS20 at LEVERMOVEMENT.COM⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. OLIPOP: For the past year, we’ve redefined Olipop as more than just a healthy drink known for its gut microbiome with a low sugar content and a much better alternative to regular soda. You know there are more than 16 flavors, including classic root beer, cherry cola, and lemon-lime. You know it as The Runner’s Soda. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get 25% off your orders by using code CITIUS25 at drinkolipop.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

16 Okt 202446min

One year after the late Kelvin Kiptum obliterated Eliud Kipchoge’s previous world record by 34 seconds, running an almost unfathomable 2:00:35, Ruth Chepngetich topped that. Her astounding time of 2:09:56 is one of the greatest running performances in history, makes her the first woman to run under 2:10 in a marathon, and lopped one minute and 57 seconds off Tigist Assefa’s old world record. On the men’s side, Kenya’s John Korir notched his first-ever World Marathon Majors victory in 2:02:44. (What a time for the sport of marathoning we’re in right now, where a 2:02 showing is basically a footnote!) Hosts: Chris Chavez | @chris_j_chavez on Instagram Preet Majithia | @prm_32 on X Time Stamps: Ruth Chepngetich: 1:31 - Breaking down her 2:09:56 world record 9:40 - More on her running history + Chicago victory  13:52 - Stats + analysis on her record Skepticism surrounding Chepngetich’s world record: 19:01 - Training factors 22:27 - Potential for doping 25:48 - Chepngetich being questioned in the press conference 37:19 - Language barrier 39:35 - The press center during the marathon American women: 41:21 - Susanna Sullivan, 7th/1st American, 2:21:57 42:57 - Lindsay Flanagan, 9th/2nd American, 2:23:31 44:33 - Keira D’Amato dropping out due to injury  45:13 - Emma Bates, 11th/3rd American, 2:24:00 Men’s race: 47:18 - John Korir, 1st in 2:02:44 50:06 - More on the top finishers American men: 53:25 - CJ Albertson (7th/1st American, 2:08:17) and Zach Panning (10th/2nd American, 2:09:16) Final thoughts: 56:15 - Feedback on the broadcast 1:06:29 - CITIUS live at the Toronto Waterfront Marathon Mentioned in this episode… Read: Parting Thoughts From The 2024 Chicago Marathon: Ruth Chepngetich Destroys Women’s World Record In 2:09:56 at Chicago Marathon Read: Tweet by Steve Magness comparing Ruth Chepngetich’s world record to equivalent performances Watch: Interviews with some of the top stars from the Chicago Marathon Watch: Chicago Marathon full replay Subscribe for free: CITIUS MAG Newsletter SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS LEVER MOVEMENT: Elevate your running with the LEVER system, just like Olympian Eilish McColgan. Reduce impact on your joints, boost your training volume, and recover faster with this portable, easy-to-use treadmill system. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Save 20% with code CITIUS20 at LEVERMOVEMENT.COM⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. OLIPOP: For the past year, we’ve redefined Olipop as more than just a healthy drink known for its gut microbiome with a low sugar content and a much better alternative to regular soda. You know there are more than 16 flavors, including classic root beer, cherry cola, and lemon-lime. You know it as The Runner’s Soda. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get 25% off your orders by using code CITIUS25 at drinkolipop.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

14 Okt 20241h 8min

"We’ll see what happens. We’ll all find out on Sunday.” A brief chat with Keira D'Amato, Emma Bates and Sara Hall before the 2024 Chicago Marathon. Unfortunately did not have the time to catch Betsy Saina. From our race preview on CITIUSMAG.com: The American showdown may become a chase for Emily Sisson’s American record, as three of the five fastest women in U.S. history will be on the start line alongside 2021 Chicago runner-up Emma Bates, Chavez’s pick to take down the record. Keira D’Amato, who held this record for just under nine months in 2022, will be racing 26.2 miles for the first time since moving to Utah to train with coach Ed Eyestone. We won’t know until Sunday exactly what her and Eyestone’s race plan looks like, but don’t be surprised if she’s in the mix for the top American crown. 2024 U.S. leader Betsy Saina, whose fifth-place finish in Tokyo in 2:19:17 was a huge leap forward, figures to be a prominent player as well. 2016 Olympic 1500m champion Matthew Centrowitz is set to be pacing this pack as they go after 2:18:29, so that will be something to keep an eye on even if the leaders are well ahead.

11 Okt 202420min

Chris Chavez and Preet Majithia preview the top athletes to watch for at the 2024 edition of the Chicago Marathon on Sunday, October 13th. We break down the men’s and women’s elite fields, the top Americans to keep an eye on, and why the women’s American marathon record may be under threat.  Hosts: Chris Chavez | @chris_j_chavez on Instagram Preet Majithia | @prm_32 on X Time Stamps: 0:56 - Recap of the 2023 Chicago Marathon. 4:32 - Biggest marathon successes throughout the fall of 2023.   7:06 - Women’s elite field preview. 15:02 - Elite American women preview. 23:16 - Context on pre-race interviews with elite marathoners. 25:50 - Matthew Centrowitz pacing the women’s American record.  29:14 - Men’s elite field preview. 35:35 - Elite American men preview. 38:53 - Parting thoughts on the Chicago Marathon. Mentioned in this episode… Listen: Betsy Saina’s episode on the CITIUS MAG Podcast after she ran 2:19:17 at the 2024 Tokyo Marathon. Read: Keira D’Amato and Matthew Centrowtiz training together to prepare for D’Amato’s American record attempt in Chicago. SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS LEVER MOVEMENT: Elevate your running with the LEVER system, just like Olympian Eilish McColgan. Reduce impact on your joints, boost your training volume, and recover faster with this portable, easy-to-use treadmill system. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Save 20% with code CITIUS20 at LEVERMOVEMENT.COM⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. OLIPOP: For the past year, we’ve redefined Olipop as more than just a healthy drink known for its gut microbiome with a low sugar content and a much better alternative to regular soda. You know there are more than 16 flavors, including classic root beer, cherry cola, and lemon-lime. You know it as The Runner’s Soda. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get 25% off your orders by using code CITIUS25 at drinkolipop.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

9 Okt 202440min

“It was an overwhelming feeling of emotion. I had put London in a box in the corner of my heart, had shielded it up, stored it away. In the weeks since, it's been trying to unpack a lot of those feelings and the gratitude that 12 years later, there’s actually justice coming.” Russian middle-distance runner Tatyana Tomashova may be stripped of her 2012 Olympic 1500m silver medal after being found guilty of a second anti-doping violation and being banned for 10 years. American Shannon Rowbury, who originally finished sixth in the 1500m Olympic final at the London Olympics, may receive the bronze medal after three women ahead of her have been disqualified for anti-doping offenses.  The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) announced an arbiter determined Tomashova is now banned for 10 years and lost all her results from June 21, 2012 to Jan. 3, 2015 after her out-of-competition drug test samples from June 2012 and July 2012 were re-tested and come back positive for performance-enhancing drugs. Tomashova initially finished fourth in the 1500m final at the London Olympics. Turkey’s Asli Cakir Alptekin and Gamze Bulut, who were the original 1500m Olympic gold and silver medalists, have also been disqualified for doping. Bahrain’s Maryam Yusuf Jamal has been upgraded from bronze to gold. Tomashova was upgraded to silver. Abeba Aregawi was moved up from fifth place to bronze. Rowbury would be upgraded from fourth to bronze. This would have been the second global championship medal for Rowbury in her career after her 2009 World Championship 1500m bronze medal and would have made her the first American woman to medal in the 1500m at the Olympic Games. You can read all about the case here: https://citiusmag.com/articles/tatyana-tomashova-will-lose-2012-olympic-medal-after-doping-ban Time Stamps: 4:09 - Initial reactions after learning she will be upgraded to 1500m bronze from the 2012 Olympics. 10:11 - Finding out the news during the Paris Olympics. 12:45 - Memories associated with London following the 2012 Olympics: 2017 Worlds, getting engaged, upcoming vacation.  14:44 - Rewatching the full race for the first time only a few weeks ago.  17:43 - How she set goals for the 2012 London Olympics. 23:45 - Letting go of doping suspicions towards competitors at the Olympics. 27:16 - The balance between advocating for clean sport and being suspicious of potential dopers. 30:00 - Breaking down the 2012 Olympic 1500m final. 39:03 - Thoughts after finishing the race. 44:55 - Improving the protocol for alerting athletes about competitors being banned. 51:18 - Recapping the final few years of her pro career.  57:57 - What she likes and dislikes about marathon training. 1:01:02 - Choosing to be optimistic about the sport. SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS LEVER MOVEMENT: Elevate your running with the LEVER system, just like Olympian Eilish McColgan. Reduce impact on your joints, boost your training volume, and recover faster with this portable, easy-to-use treadmill system. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Save 20% with code CITIUS20 at LEVERMOVEMENT.COM⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. OLIPOP: For the past year, we’ve redefined Olipop as more than just a healthy drink known for its gut microbiome with a low sugar content and a much better alternative to regular soda. You know there are more than 16 flavors, including classic root beer, cherry cola, and lemon-lime. You know it as The Runner’s Soda. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get 25% off your orders by using code CITIUS25 at drinkolipop.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. HOW TO SUPPORT THE PODCAST 💻 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠CITIUSMAG.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for more podcasts, articles, videos and more. Track and field storytelling all in one place⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. 🎙️ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or comment/follow on Spotify. 🎥 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to the CITIUS MAG YouTube channel⁠: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/c/CitiusMag/⁠⁠

8 Okt 20241h 8min