Daily Blog from Budapest

by James J. O’Brien 

From a Storm to a Hurricane

Sunday, August 27th, 2023

 
Today is the final day of competition at these 19th World Athletics Championships. There are no NYAC athletes in the fray today, all 15 having completed their competitions. It is remarkable to think that, just over one week ago, the track and field world was alive with anticipation about this event and that, now, all questions have been answered.
 
From an NYAC perspective, what may we conclude? Did our athletes fare as expected? Did they go toe to toe with the best in the world and come away unbowed? The answer to both of those questions is yes. Demonstrably. There are other questions, however, the answers to which more accurately illustrate the import of the accomplishments of the Club’s athletes in Budapest. Did they compete nobly, in the finest traditions of the world’s greatest athletic club? Unquestionably. Did they face adversity and, succeed or fail, not back down? Absolutely. Did they go to unfathomable depths in the heat of competition just to see how good they could possibly be? Undeniably. Did they write one more chapter in the peerless chronicle of elite athletics at the NYAC? Yes, a best seller. For that, the Club, and all of its members, is proud, thankful and gratified.
 
In the midst of this approbation let’s not forget that where the rubber meets the road is hardware, that being an admittedly abominable mixing of metaphors. But the tabulation of medals is always elemental at a major championship, understandably so. How, therefore, did the NYAC fare in that regard? Again, amazingly well. Of the Club’s 15 competitors in Budapest, four found themselves on the podium: Valarie Allman took a silver medal in the women’s discus; Joe Kovacs claimed a bronze medal in the men’s shot put, DeAnna Price earned bronze in the women’s hammer, and Chris Nilsen took a bronze in the men’s pole vault. Tabulated another way; of the NYAC delegation at these championships, a little over 25% won medals.
 
With the curtain having fallen on this meet, it is towards the Paris Olympic Games that attention now turns. While, by some measures, competition at the world championships is of a higher standard than at an Olympic Games, nobody makes any secret of the fact that it is the Games that are the pinnacle, the Holy Grail. In explaining how he overcame adversity to claim four Olympic gold medals, Al Oerter stated, “These are the Olympic Games, and you die for them.” On so many levels, that statement draws back the curtain on the Olympics and their meaning in the world of athletics. The heat was on for our athletes in Budapest; but, it will be a furnace that they face in Paris. Budapest was the storm; Paris will be the hurricane. From the cauldron of that competition, great things will be expected, as they always are.
 
On that note and in closing, thanks and congratulations must be extended to the NYAC’s fabulous 15 who did the Club so proud in Budapest. It was a privilege to have watched you all in action, and all at the NYAC look forward to witnessing the great things that you will accomplish at the Olympic Games next year:
 
Valarie Allman
Joe Kovacs
Rob Napolitano
Nick Christie
Miranda Melville
Chis Nilsen
Tori Franklin
Will Claye
DeAnna Price
Harrison Williams
Daniel Haugh
Rudy Winkler
Maggie Malone
Sam Mattis
Brooke Andersen
 
See you in Paris.
 

Nilsen Takes Pole Vault Bronze

Saturday, August 26th, 2023

The first order of business today is to check in with our ten-event man, decathlete Harrison Williams. When last we saw him – yesterday evening – he was blazing through a 46.52 400m, the second fastest of all the competitors, to bring his first day tally to 4380, installing him in ninth position.

We may presume that Williams did not hit the disco last night because, bright and early this morning he was faced with the 110m hurdles, hastily followed by the discus and the pole vault, a daunting enough prospect were it just one event. A 14.33 hurdles was a mid-field result, but brought Williams 932 points and an improvement of one position. Next came the discus and a best mark of 43.39m/142-4 on his third attempt, good for 734 points, less than he would have hoped and prompting a slide to 11th overall. The pole vault was an entirely different affair, however, with Harrison taking the bar all the way up to 5.30m/17-4.5, beyond the reach of any other competitor and good for a mammoth 1004 points.

At that stage, with eight events completed, Harrison’s cumulative total was 7050, a standard exceeded by only four others in the field. In the lead was Canada’s Pierre LePage at 7477, with last night’s leader Leo Neugebauer (GER) in second with 7282, Damian Warner (CAN) third at 7260 and Lindon Victor (GRN) fourth at 7214. So, 427 points covered the first five places; the distance between fifth and third was 210 points. By way of perspective, in the javelin, the difference between a 60m throw and a 70m throw is around 150 points; in the 1500m, a 4:30 clocking will get you around 745 points; a 4:10 clocking will score around 880. For the record, Harrison’s best marks in these events are 59.07/193-9 and 4:27.88.

While Harrison and his compadres were facing off in their ninth event, the javelin, the NYAC’s Chris Nilsen, the #2 ranked pole vaulter in the world, was reaching for the sky in the final of that competition. As an interesting sidenote, in the hours since the competition ended last night, the high jump pits and hammer cage have been totally deconstructed and removed, and the pole vault apparatus has been transported from its former position adjacent to the second bend on the track and re-installed on top of what was previously the long and triple jump pit, along the back straight. OK, maybe not so interesting.

Anyway, Nilsen is among the medal contenders in the men’s vault, though the king of the hill is unquestionably Sweden’s Armand Duplantis, the world record holder, Olympic champion, world outdoor champion, world indoor champion, Diamond League champion, European outdoor champion and European indoor champion. You get the idea. However, Nilsen did impose a defeat on the Swedish king earlier this year; but, being frank – who cares? This is the competition that counts.

A couple of easy clearances at 5.55m/18-2.5 and 5.75m/18-10.25 indicated that all was as it should be. It took three attempts at 5.85m/19-2.25, however, to keep Nilsen in the competition, while Duplantis, Thibaut Collet (FRA) and Kurtis Marschall (AUS) all sailed over first time, and with Ernest John Obeina (PHI) needing two attempts. Poland’s Piotr Lisek passed after one failed attempt, so he was also still in. Six men looking at three medals.

At 5.90m/19-4.25, things started looking better. Nilsen sailed over, no problem, though so did Collet and Obeina. Marschall failed, then passed. Lisek failed two and went out. Duplantis passed. At 5.95m/19-6.25, Duplantis, Obeina, Marschall and Nilsen all cleared as though it were a meter lower. Collet failed, then passed. Up to 6.00m/19-8.25. Boys or men, at this stage. TBD.

Back in the decathlon, Williams managed a, frankly, no disrespect, mediocre javelin, reaching 54.60m/179-1, good for 657 points, and seeing him drop to eighth overall. One event left, the one they all hate: the 1500m. It can be amusing to watch the decathlon field at the conclusion of the metric mile. Understandably drained from two days of competition, capped by a cardio-intensive event for which many are simply not built, they invariably tumble to the ground like corpses littering the track. There is a magnificent photograph of 1984 Olympic champion, Daley Thompson, having just finished the 1500 and standing amidst a veritable field of downed bodies like a conquering king above his vanquished. Commenting on the image later, Thompson commented, “Hey, I wanted to fall down, too, but there was no room.”

I digress. Back to the vault, at 6.00m it was all pressure. Inevitably, Duplantis went clear on his first. Obeina needed two attempts. Collet took his remaining two and failed both. Marschall and, sad to say, Nilsen, both needed four attempts. Unfortunately, you don’t get four, so they also ended their competitions, though in the co-bronze medal position. Duplantis was majestic in retaining the title, and Obeina must certainly be a Filipino legend, having claimed the silver. But Nilsen should be thrilled with having added a bronze to the silver he earned in Eugene last year and his Olympic silver. His sole regret may be that he chose to be born right around the same time as arguably the greatest pole vaulter in history.

Back in the ten-eventer, it was time for the widow maker: the 1500m. And it was a tough one, no question about that. The humidity in the stadium was as high as it has been all week, making an arduous endurance event all the more so. From the outset, though, Williams put himself in a position to make a difference, trailing the leaders by a handful of meters and hanging on through the inevitably blazing last 400m – these guys are all inherently sprinters, after all. At the finish line, Williams had scored a massive PB of 4:22.69, secured 739 points and locked himself into an overall seventh place finish, 409 shy of the winner, Canada’s Pierce Lapage, and 256 away from the medals. “Commendable” doesn’t seem to be a powerful enough adjective. Williams actually performed magnificently over two days of debilitating competition. Let’s just say that he – in fact, both he and Chris Nilsen – did the NYAC proud. Let’s just say that they competed like Olympians. Speaking of which…..

 

A Day of Mixed Fortunes

Friday, August 25th, 2023

 
Every event on the track and field program is grueling. There is no such thing as an easy event. There is no event in which a competitor can cruise along and feel comfortable at its conclusion. Often times, and not just among the leaders, participants visit levels of torment akin to a fairly deep level of Dante’s Inferno. Maybe not quite; but, you get the idea.
 
How about spreading that level of exertion over two days, encompassing 10 events? Much as I love him, former world 1500m record holder, Steve Ovett, was a tad unkind when he told former world decathlon record holder, Daley Thompson, that his event was nine Mickey Mouse events and a 1500m. Ovett notwithstanding – that was pretty funny, though – the decathlon is a test of other-worldly endurance, agility, speed, strength and virtuosity, all neatly bundled into one innocent sounding competition. What, you may ask, does it encompass? Well, try this:
 
Day One
100m
Long Jump
Shot Put
High Jump
400m
 
Day Two
110m hurdles
Discus
Pole Vault
Javelin
1500m
 
By way of context, to contend you would have to do such things as run 100m in 10.30 or faster; high jump 6’ 5” or thereabouts; long jump in the region of 25+ feet; and pole vault 17 feet or better.
 
That was the kind of company that the NYAC’s Harrison Williams was keeping today. Without exaggeration, he was immersed in competition with a bunch of the most fearsome athletes on the planet, and holding his own in a serious way. With the first four events concluded, Harrison had logged 3398 points, thanks to a 10.74 100m, a 7.49m/24-7 long jump, a 15.28m/50-1.75 shot put and a 1.93m/6-4 high jump, all of which left him in 11th position with the first day’s final event, the 400m, still to go.
 
While Williams was embroiled in his first day of competition, triple jumper Tori Franklin was preparing for the final of her event, also taking place this evening. Franklin had advanced only by the skin of her teeth, being the 12th and last jumper to make it into the final. Clearly she was not in the form that had brought her a bronze medal at this meet in Eugene, OR last year and had seen her ranked sixth in the the world as this competition began. Clearly things were not as she would have liked them to be. Indeed, Franklin made it to the infield for the final, but retired from the competition without taking a jump. At the time of writing, no explanation had been forthcoming, although injury must be the presumption. As any elite athlete knows, half of the competition – maybe more – is actually getting to the starting line injury-free. When you’re pushing your body to the limit on an almost daily basis, sometimes it just comes down to sheer luck, or a lack of it.
 
Speaking of pushing to the limit, at 9:08pm, the decathletes were back on the track for their final event, the 400m. Providing more context, the fastest man of them all over this distance is Puerto Rico’s Ayden Owens-Delerme who has got a PB of 45.07 seconds! This evening, he will be in the third heat. Guess who’s in the lane next to him; our man Williams, who, by the way, can point to a none too shabby 46.35 PB. In the decathlon, it’s not directly about where you finish in each discipline; it’s all about accruing points based on the times, heights or distances that you record. Thus, these guys go flat out all the time. Points are precious; in the decathlon, they are the coin of the realm.
 
Racing in the third of three heats, as anticipated Owens-Delerme went out like a diesel train, powering through the first 300m as if he owned this race. Which, in truth, he did. Even so, Williams made him work hard for his points, closing all the way down the home straight and, with 20m remaining, drawing even. Owens-Delerme’s strength prevailed, however, though with just 0.08 seconds separating them at the line. Williams’ 46.52 brought him 982 points, making his tally at half way 4380 and seeing him in ninth position. By way of housekeeping, Germany’s Leo Neugebauer held the lead at 4640, seeking his first major championship title.
 
Tomorrow, of course, is a new day, in every sense. Williams will be seeking to advance his position, while the NYAC’s Chris Nilsen, the #2 ranked pole vaulter in the world, will be seeking to do the same. Fingers crossed for them both. (That usually works).

DeAnna Price: Great Things

Thursday, August 24th, 2023

 
Today is a good day. Any day that begins with the anticipation of success must be good. That is not to presuppose the inevitability of success; it is merely to observe that when you have something to look forward to with a sense of excitement and a little trepidation, well, that adds a little flavor to the day.
 
The reason, of course, is DeAnna Price’s appearance in this evening’s final of the World Championships women’s hammer throw. Those who have been ravenously consuming these blogs will have noted the drama that took place in the qualifying rounds yesterday evening. Price sailed into the final with a first round heave meters beyond where it needed to be. Her NYAC teammate, Brooke Andersen, however, struggled, never found her zone and exited the competition. Why was that a shock, you may ask? Well, Andersen was – actually, still is, as I write these words – the reigning world champion and came into this competition ranked number one in the world. She did not reveal, however, that she was nursing a shoulder injury that had hampered her training and competition for much of the season.
 
So, with Andersen out, the baton passed to Price; more accurately, it returned to her, she having claimed the world title in 2019, before being felled by serious injury that threatened her career. In 2021, she made the Tokyo 2020 Olympic team, though throwing with an undiagnosed torn labrum in her hip and a fractured talus and fibula. At the Games, in a competition that she could have – should have – won, Price placed a remarkable eighth. Surgery ensued, enabling her to fight back, with a view to competing in last year’s World Championships in Eugene, OR, an event for which, as defending champion, she had an automatic qualification. Time was against her, however, and that dream did not come to pass. Thankfully, 2023 is an entirely different story. A powerful season saw her reach 78.18m/256-6 at the US Trials in Oregon in July, a mark exceeded this year only by the departed Andersen and by Canada’s Camryn Rogers (78.62m/257-11). Coming into this competition, Price was ranked fifth in the world; which is, of course, to say, that the competition will be intense and that there are no sure things here; just ask Valarie Allman. We may be justified, however, in enjoying a degree of expectation, excitement and…something else starting with “e” that means expectation and excitement.
 
Price was not the first or only NYAC woman to be in the competitive arena today. That privilege went to Miranda Melville, who contested the women’s 35K race walk this morning in inevitably steamy conditions, despite the 7am kick off. While Spain’s Maria Perez set a stunning championship record, taking the gold medal in a time of 2:38:40, Melville struggled, incurring three red cards for form infractions (one foot must remain on the ground at all times) and ultimately placing 35th in 3:09:41. Melville is one of the most experienced female race walkers in US history, and she will certainly have had Paris in her sights as soon as she cooled down.
 
The hammer final started at 8:26pm with Price throwing eighth of the 12 finalists. Her first effort was a foul, leaving Camryn Rogers to power into the lead by more than three meters with a throw of 77.22m/253-3. That certainly put a stake in the ground to conclude the first round, only two throwers, other than herself, having bettered that this year: Andersen and Price. The USA’s Janee Kassanavoid sent the implement out to 76.00m/249-4 to open round two, that being good enough to move into the second slot and a clear indication that this competition was going to be a battle to the finish.
 
The pressure was certainly on, all the more so as Price fouled a second time. One more, and she would be out of the competition. Needing to exceed 71.33m/234-0 to move into the top eight and earn three more attempts, for her third appearance in the circle Price wound up and let fly cleanly towards the 70 meter mark. When the hammer came to ground, the measurement read 73.28m/240-5, good enough to earn three more, though leaving her, at this juncture, in seventh position. At this stage, Rogers held the lead at 77.22m/253-4, with Kassanavoid in second at 76.36m/250-6 and Azerbaijan’s Hanna Skydan third at 74.18m/243-4. All to play for, as they say.
 
Now throwing second, Price’s fourth attempt did not see her improve, landing at 72.62m/238-3, still considerably adrift of where she wanted to be. (As an aside, sitting not far from me and clearly engrossed in the competition is the assuredly and understandably disappointed, Brooke Andersen). But Price’s fifth throw was the one that she made count. Clearly at home in the heat of competition, she responded to the pressure by unleashing a magnificent 75.41m/247-5 effort that took her from seventh into the bronze medal position. That was the one she wanted – needed – the effort that brought her closer to her rightful placing. To conclude the round, Rogers and Kassanavoid stayed secure in one and two, while Skydan could do nothing to retain her third place position. So, with one round remaining, Price had a medal within her grasp.
 
In the final round, anything could happen. In reality, what happened was that everything stayed the same. Literally nobody improved – Price reaching 73.98m/242-8 – meaning that Rogers was the champion, Kassanavoid the silver medalist and that Price now had a superb bronze medal to add to her 2019 gold. Given the travails that she has endured in order to fight her way back to the World Championships podium, there can be no doubt that Price is a champion in (almost) every sense of that word.
 
The New York Athletic Club has a deep tradition of exceptional throwers; members need only look at the back of their membership cards to see the words inscribed there, uttered by four-time Olympic discus champion, Al Oerter: great things are expected of you when you wear the winged foot. I would say that DeAnna Price personifies the spirit of that motto and the spirit of great things.

Five on the Infield

Wednesday, August 23rd, 2023

 
With no fewer than five NYAC athletes in action today, it need hardly be said that it was a busy day. All of them were contesting qualifying rounds, however; so, while medals were not on the line, there was certainly the pressure of taking the first step towards claiming them.
 
Chris Nilsen and Maggie Malone were the individuals on deck this morning, Nilsen in the men’s pole vault qualifying and Malone in the opening rounds of the women’s javelin. Not surprisingly, Nilsen made it perfunctory, advancing to Saturday’s final thanks to a four jump series and a best height of 5.75m/18-10.5. Only world #1 Armand Duplantis had a better series, though, interestingly, all 13 of those making the final cleared the same height.
 
“My coach told me I had some of my best jumps of the season,” reflected Nilsen after the competition. “I hope I can repeat it in the final.”
 
For Malone, it was a less productive morning. Throwing in Group B, her best mark of her three attempts came in round two, in which she reached 57.85m/189-9, well below her 2021 personal best of 67.40m/221-1 and her 2023 season’s best of 62.28/204-4. Thus, she exited the competition, certainly disappointed but, hopefully, with resolution for the future.
 
The evening session saw three NYAC powerhouses in action. Tori Franklin claimed the bronze medal in the women’s triple jump at last year’s World Championships; but, she struggled here in the qualifying rounds, squeaking through as the 12th and final qualifier with a mark of 14.13m/46-4.75, well below her all time best of 14.86m/48-9 and her 2023 best of 14.44m/47-4.5. The final takes place on Friday, when the entire field will have its hands full in trying to contend with Venezuela’s omnipotent Yulimar Rojas, the Tokyo Olympic gold medalist and three-time world champion.
 
In the qualifying rounds for the women’s hammer throw, the NYAC had justified expectations of seeing two of it members into the final and, fingers crossed, onto the medal rostrum. In DeAnna Price and Brooke Andersen, the Club boasts two of the most fearsome weight throwers in the world. In 2019, Price claimed the world title in Doha, Qatar, though she subsequently fell prey to serious injury before battling her way back to top form and a world #5 ranking this year. Into the void left by Price had stepped Andersen, who won this title last year in Eugene, OR and who came into this competition with a global #1 ranking.
 
Put another way, the last two world champions were in this competition, both are NYAC members and both were in superb form. Sport being what it is, things did not go precisely as planned. Price reached 76.25m/250-2 on her first attempt, more than three meters beyond the automatic qualifying mark, comfortably cruising into the final and illustrating that she has come with guns loaded.
 
“The plan was to throw as if it was my first attempt in the final,” she explained. “My execution was just right and, when I released the hammer, I already felt it was going to be nice. From that moment, I could not stop smiling. Budapest is wonderful and the crowd was kind to me. They cheered a lot when I threw.”
 
Andersen, however, struggled. Her first two attempts were fouls and, with rhythm disrupted, her final throw could reach only 67.72m/222-2, leaving her far adrift of the final. It was a disappointing result for her; assuredly, she will be on the sidelines tomorrow, cheering for her team mate.
 
It should be noted that this evening was one of high drama; an enthralling women’s pole vault was won in a tie by Katie Moon (USA) and Nina Kennedy (AUS), while Great Britain’s Josh Kerr scored an upset victory over Norway’s Jakob Ingebrigtsen in the men’s 1500m. Those were just two highlights that kept the stadium rocking all evening long. Tomorrow the crowd will be back, and, inevitably, there will be more.
 

Discus Silver for Allman

Tuesday, August 22nd, 2023

This is a big day for the NYAC, no question about it. No pressure or anything, but Club member Valarie Allman arrived at the national stadium this evening as the Olympic champion, the 2022 World Championships bronze medalist and the #1 ranked female discus thrower in the world. Members may recall Valarie from the Evening of Olympic Medalists that took place at the City House subsequent to the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. A more gracious and eloquent champion it would be difficult to find; once encountered, it’s impossible not to root for Valarie.

 

So you may presume that she has many, many fans here in the Hungarian National Athletics Stadium, all the more so given her dominance in Sunday’s qualifying rounds in which her sole throw exceeded all others by almost a meter and a half. That is not to say that our Club member will have things all her own way in this evening’s final. Au contraire, mes amis. Finals are not like that.

 

“There is no better champion that I want to compete against than Sandra Perkovic,” Allman commented following the qualifying rounds. “Sandra has the highest respect in my eyes. I am excited for the final.”

 

By way of context, consider this:

 

Valarie Allman

Olympic Champion, Tokyo 2020

2022 World Championships bronze medalist

2022 Diamond League winner

All time best throw of 71.46m/234-5

2023 best throw of 70.25m/230-5, #1 in the world

 

Sandra Perkovic (Croatia)

Olympic Champion, 2012 and 2016

World Champion, 2013 and 2017 (plus two silver medals and one bronze)

Six-time Diamond League winner, 2012-2017

All time best throw of 71.41m/234-3

2023 best throw of 65.62m/215-3

 

Let’s not forget that Bin Feng, China’s 2022 world champion, is also in the field, and that Perkovic claimed the silver last year ahead of Allman. And that is to fail to mention a handful of other contenders, any one of whom could pose a serious threat. So, draw your own conclusions; however, if you conclude that this evening’s competition will be anything other than torrid and enthralling and nail-biting, then you may also conclude that your original conclusion was inconclusive, if not downright incorrect. That concludes that.

Throwing seventh of the 12 women in the final, Allman’s first attempt landed at a serious 68.57m/224-11, an immediate leading mark. Perkovic fouled her first, while Feng reached 66.97m/219-8 to move into second place, and world #3 Jorinde Van Klinken (NED) threw 63.93m/209-9 to, fittingly, slide into third. But this was very early days and, short of a monster throw, the opening round is more about settling in for the long haul. That said, in global competition, only Allman has exceeded her opening mark this year. So, that’s not nothing.

Perkovic put herself on the board at 66.57m/218-5 on her second attempt, sneaking into the third position; Allman reached 66.94m/219-7, which would have been good enough for third, were she not already in first. So, with two rounds gone, the order was Allman, Feng, Perkovic, Van Klinken. Still a long way to go, for sure, but a lead is a lead.

Round three: Perkovic fouled, but Allman made no such error, clearly getting more comfortable with every throw. Her third landed at 68.79m/225-8, the new second farthest throw in the world this year, and extending her lead over Feng to a considerable 1.82m/5-11.5. The last three rounds, however, are where it all gets serious. The lowest four are eliminated, leaving eight to contest for the three medals. It’s when the amps get turned up to 11.

Allman clearly liked the intensity. Her fourth attempt saw another improvement, this time to a dominating 69.23m/227-1. Nobody could match that, though Feng improved to 67.18m/220-5. Van Klinken responded in round five with a mark of 67.20m/220-6 to claw her way from seventh into the silver medal position, though just temporarily. That was when the fireworks started.

To this point in the competition, Allman’s US team mate, Laulauga Tausaga, had toiled almost unnoticed, down the field. Of her four throws, two had been fouls and her best had been a modest 65.56m/215-1. That was all about to change. Winding up in the circle, she let fly with an effort that was about to change her life. When it came back to earth, the registered mark was a massive personal best of 69.49m/228-0, a mark that would claim her first major championship medal and deny the favorite the gold that was almost on her mantlepiece. Allman’s response was a lackluster – for her – 64.60/211-11, followed by a 68.61m/225-1 final attempt.

For the record and by way of housekeeping, Feng wound up third, Van Klinken took fourth and Perkovic fifth.

To have victory snatched so late in the competition was surely disappointing for the NYAC woman, though she should take considerable consolation in the amazing series that she produced – of her six throws, four would have won the title, were it not for Tausaga’s monster – and for adding a silver to her bronze from 2022 and her Olympic gold medal. In the pantheon of America’s best of all time, there can be few more powerful contenders.

It must be noted that, with four days gone in these World Championships, the NYAC has claimed two medals: bronze for Joe Kovacs in the men’s shot put and, now, silver for Valarie Allman in the women’s discus. With five days still remaining, we may be assured of a celebratory All Sports Dinner in November. Buy your tickets early.

Bitter-Sweet Day for Claye

Monday, August 21st, 2023

 

This is the third day of competition at the World Track and Field Championships in Budapest, Hungary. As a point of information, in the rest of the world, what we in the US term “track and field” is generally known as “athletics.” Hence, by rights, this meet is the World Athletics Championships and the organizing governing body is World Athletics. Then again, right now the qualifying rounds of the women’s 400m hurdles are taking place on the track, while the qualifying rounds of the women’s pole vault are concurrently taking place on the infield. So, choose your poison, as they say.
 
At 7:27pm this evening – the organizers are very precise – the NYAC’s Will Claye will take part – on the infield – in the final of the men’s triple jump, he having qualified in 10th position on Saturday, with 12 advancing from those first rounds. Claye is a fascinating individual, both on and off the track. In addition to his track and field prowess, which is considerable, he has built his own music career and an apparel line. If he is as successful in those endeavors as he has been in the athletic arena, his future will be bright.
 
That said, Claye has suffered his share of injuries in recent years and is still working his way back to the dizzying heights that he scaled in the past. How about having this on your resumé: three Olympic medals (one in the long jump; he is the first man since 1936 to win medals in the long and triple jump at the same Games); four World Championships medals; and, two World Indoor Championships medals (both gold). Claye’s appearance this evening makes this his seventh World Championships final.
 
Truth be told, Claye will need to pull out a monster if he is to add to his medal hoard this evening. Of course, that is his intention, steep though that challenge may be. At the end of the first round, he stood in fourth position, having stretched to 16.71m/54-10, a remarkable jump, though not in the way one might expect. Claye’s qualifying leap on Saturday was 16.72m/54-10.25. His second best leap in qualifying had been 16.71m/54-10. Consistency, clearly, is not a problem.
 
Consistency, of course, is not necessarily what wins medals. Just ask Bob Beamon, the special guest at the NYAC’s One Year Out from Paris virtual event on July 26th. Back in 1968, Beamon leaped 29’ 2.5” to take the Olympic long jump gold medal in Mexico City. Beamon had never reached even 28’ before that competition, nor did he after. His world record stood until 1991. This digression is to illustrate that all Claye needs is one good jump.
 
He did improve in round two, coming to land at 16.99m/55-9, a season’s best by one centimeter, and installing himself in second position, albeit well shy of the 17.37m/57-0 leader of Burkina Faso’s Hugues Fabrice Zango, the Olympic bronze medalist and 2022 World Championships silver medalist. Zango did not retain his lead for long, however, as Cuba’s Lazaro Martinez surged ahead with a 17.41m/57-1.5 second attempt, pushing Claye back to third. Yaming Zhu (CHN), Cristian Napoles (CUB) and Yaoqing Fang (CHN) also came to life in round two, shunting Claye back to the sixth slot. A foul in round three did nothing to improve the NYAC man’s prospects; in fact, he ended that round in seventh, though still good enough to earn the three additional jumps allotted to the leading eight.
 
The first of those final three jumps saw Claye log another foul, which he followed with a 16.89m/55-5 leap in round five. One shot left; but, his sixth and final attempt was not the magic bullet, unfortunately, leaving the NYAC man in seventh. It bears repeating that his 16.99m/55-9 was his best of the year and noting that his placing was a marked step forward from his 11th slot in Eugene last year. We must pay attention; the season is not over and there is surely more to come.
 
For the record, in the fifth round Zango turned the tables on Martinez, logging a 17.64m/57-10.5 that proved insurmountable, bringing him the gold medal by 23cms.
 
The women’s 100m semis and final are on the cards this evening, races that always bring the crowd to light, as this one has been all night long. The standard for World Championships crowds, however, must always be that in Seville in 1999. (The championship, by the way, in which former NYAC Board member, Curt Clausen, won the bronze medal in the 50K race walk). Every single evening for the entire week, the stadium walls were literally rocking, abetted unquestionably, by the gang of about 20 who somehow always managed to smuggle in a full brass band, complete with trombones and bass drum. It was a riot. Of course, I shouldn’t speak too soon; there are still six days of competition remaining and this crowd is only starting to find its voice.
 

ALLMAN BRINGS THE HEAT. DISAPPOINTMENT FOR WINKLER.

Sunday, August 20th, 2023

If heat is your thing, get on a plane and head to Budapest. It is literally blistering. That old adage about frying an egg on the sidewalk is definitely a thing in the Hungarian capital; although the streets of Budapest, at least where my hotel is located, are about as clean as those of New York City, so you probably wouldn’t want to eat it. But the point remains.

Speaking of heat, the NYAC’s Olympic discus champion, Valarie Allman, brought plenty to the qualifying rounds this morning. Before her was the task of throwing beyond 64m/210-0, thereby earning an automatic slot in Tuesday’s final, or placing among the top 12 finishers taken from two qualifying groups. Clearly, Allman, who placed third in this meet last year in Eugene, OR, didn’t want to mess with any of that. Throwing 18th of the 19 athletes in her group, Allman stepped into the circle, launched a monster 67.14m/220-3 and went home, nothing more to be done here. By way of comparison, the second qualifier, reigning world champion Bin Feng from China, was well over one meter down. Without putting a hex on it, let’s just say that we may look forward to Tuesday with tempered expectation.

Today is St. Stephen’s Day in Hungary, a national holiday celebrating the founding of the Hungarian state more than 1000 years ago. The Stephen in question is Stephen I, also known as King Saint Stephen, the first king of Hungary. A cursory Google search will reveal all manner of information about him, as well as the fact that, this evening, Budapest, indeed the whole of Hungary, will be immersed in and engulfed by a celebration on a par with July 4th in the USA. Hungary does nothing if not embrace its rich history, as evidenced by the statuary that appears on almost every corner. It lends the city an air of antiquity and charm, even in those areas away from the tourist centers. Tonight’s happening will certainly be something to see.

It is commendable, therefore, that, despite the celebrations scheduled for this evening, the World Championships stadium is almost full. The semis and final of the men’s 100m are certainly a draw; but, the Hungarian crowd appears equally enthused whatever the event and whatever the nationality of the victors. They are fans, pure and simple.

From an NYAC perspective, this evening’s session kept the focus firmly on the throwers, with Rudy Winkler and Daniel Haugh both appearing in the final of the men’s hammer. Winkler, in particular, has been enjoying a spectacular season, coming into this competition ranked second in the world. Maintaining the hex-free prognostications, therefore, let’s just say that much is expected.

That final kicked off at around 5:50pm, by which time the infield was in shade, though the heat and humidity were still high. Throwers, of course, tend to enjoy warm conditions; it keeps you loose. Winkler was fourth of 12 in the throwing order and opened with a foul. So much for enjoying the conditions. Following the NYAC man was Hungary’s Bence Halasz, who reached a massive 80.82m/265-2 to take an early lead. The stadium erupted. So much for an impartial audience. Haugh was throwing seventh, reaching 76.07m/249-7 to move him into fourth, though with five men still to heave. An 80.18m/263-1 12th round throw by Canada’s Ethan Katzberg shuffled the order a little, installing him in second position and shunting Haugh back to fifth, Winkler not yet on the board.

Into round two, Haugh improved to 77.38m/253-10, a mark that left him still in fifth position, though he was subsequently bounced to sixth by Mykhaylo Kokhan’s (UKR) 77.41m/253-11. Winkler fouled again. Uh-oh. If he didn’t uncork something close to 76m/249-4 on his third attempt, he would not be among the top eight to earn an additional three throws.

Winkler’s third attempt did, in fact, reach 76.04m/249-6, installing him in eighth. Then it was a question of if he could hold that placing until the end of the round. Which he did. Thus, with three attempts remaining, two NYAC performers remained in the fray, Haugh in sixth position and Winkler in eighth, but with it all still to play for.

In round four, Winkler, throwing first, could not improve his position, logging a foul, while Haugh, throwing sixth, improved to 78.64m/258-0, a better mark, but no improvement on his placing. At the front of the field, however, Poland’s Wojciech Nowicki ignited fireworks, taking the lead by a single centimeter from Hungary’s Halasz. You may imagine the pandemonium.

For Winkler, the travails continued into round five, the hammer coming to ground at 75.83m/248-9, no improvement on his third round mark. Haugh reached 74.83m/245-6. Same; no improvement. With one attempt remaining, it was now or never. For the record, Canada’s Ethan Katzberg made it now rather than never, moving into the lead in the fifth round with a heave of 81.25m/266-7. More pandemonium; there are a lot of Canadians sitting near me!

For Haugh and Winkler, though, there was no movement in round six, both fouling and both staying in respective placings of sixth and eighth. For Haugh it will have been a gratifying performance, a significant improvement on his 11th place finish at the Tokyo Olympics. For Winkler (seventh in Tokyo), it will be a considerable disappointment, given a season in which all signs had pointed to a podium placing.

Sad to say, that is the nature of competition. Somebody has to get beaten. That said, we will be back here tomorrow, when Will Claye in the men’s triple jump final tries not to do that very thing.

BRONZE FOR KOVACS ON DAY ONE

Saturday, August 19th, 2023

This morning, it rained so hard in Budapest that World Athletics had to delay the start of these 19th World Track and Field Championships. Nobody took that as an ominous portent, though; on the contrary, the Bulgarian capital is alive with anticipation at the start of this global meet, an event that features the world’s finest going head to head in pursuit of world titles, with no fewer than 15 NYAC members among that number.

Remarkably, seven of those world class Club members were in the fray today, a day that, once the skies had cleared, was marked by humidity as heavy as a lead blanket. Which is to say, it was not easy out there.

First on the line this morning was Nick Christie, who contested the 20K race walk, held in and around the spectacular Varosliget City Park. If you think running in Central Park is nice, you should try taking a jaunt around the rubberized running path that encircles Varosliget; or you could stray onto the adjacent dirt trail. Either one is a runner’s delight. The race walkers, of course, did none of that; they were confined to the road, in which medium there ensued a battle that surely set the scene for what is to come over the next week.
 
A review of the results illustrates that point. Of the top 10 finishers, every single one set a personal best, season’s best or national record, and this in oppressive conditions. In addition, just 15 seconds covered the first three positions, with the top nine finishing within 62 seconds. The man who prevailed in the literal and metaphorical heat was Spain’s Alvaro Martin, the fourth placed finisher at the Tokyo Olympic Games, who eked a seven second victory here in a time of 1:17:32, the fastest time in the world, thus far, this year. The NYAC’s Christie was well adrift of the leaders, but his performance was no less sterling. Crossing the line 41st in a time of 1:26:21, that mark constituted a season’s best, indicating that there is still much more to come from him.
 
The other NYAC athletes in action this morning were Joe Kovacs in the men’s shot put qualifying rounds, and Daniel Haugh and Rudy Winkler in the qualifiers for the men’s hammer. All three got the job done, advancing to the final (for Kovacs, that is this evening), though all three did it in differing fashion. Competing in group B, Kovacs threw an autmomatic qualifying 21.59m/70-10 on his first attempt, put his warm up gear back on and headed for the exit, his focus solely on prepping for the evening’s final. Although, any of a handful of men could contemplate claiming a medal in this event, the overwhelming favorite is Ryan Crouser, the two-time Olympic champion and world record holder. Or it would have been had Crouser not suffered blood clots in his leg in the days before his departure for Hungary. He still made the final, throwing an automatic qualifier of 21.48m/70-5.75 on his first attempt; but Crouser’s travails gave medal hope to some where hope had not previously existed.
 
In the hammer qualifying, Haugh, throwing in Group A, reached 76.64m/251-5 on his third and final attempt following two fouls. A clutch result, for sure; however, that mark installed him in an advancing fourth position, and the pressure was off, for now. In Group B, Winkler need just two attempts, his second reaching an auto-qualifying 77.06m/252-10, and he, too, could breathe easy. “Today was more nerve wracking for me than tomorrow’s final,” Winkler commented. “Tomorrow is more about having fun and competing. In the final, I want to produce a throw I am proud of. I am in good shape so let’s see what will happen.”
 
Today’s evening session saw, Will Claye in the qualifying round of the men’s triple jump, Sam Mattis in the qualifiers of the men’s discus, Rob Napolitano in the heats of the men’s 1500m, and the return of Kovacs to go for gold in the shot put. Napolitano got caught up in a jog and sprint race that saw Tokyo Olympic silver medalist Timothy Cheruiyot barely squeak through. Napolitano could not keep in contention once the pace turned blistering and had to be content with a  12th place finish in a time of 3:48.29.
 
For Claye and Mattis, the news was mixed. With no automatic qualifiers, they both had to wait until all the results were in to see if they made the next round. Which Claye did, advancing in 10th position with a leap of 16.72m/54-10.25 on his first attempt; Mattis, however, failed to make the next round reaching 63.43m/208-1 and exiting the competition in 16th place.
 
But the most intense NYAC focus this evening was on the shot put final. With Crouser in a weakened condition, possibly the way was open for Kovacs to re-claim the crown he had taken in 2015 and 2019. (He got silvers in 2017 and 2022, plus silver at the Rio and Tokyo Olympic Games. Crouser, for the record, won both of those Olympic competitions, as well as last year’s world title). But here, it seemed, it was all to play for.
 
At least it was until Crouser, throwing first, launched a mammoth 22.63m/74-3 on his first attempt, following it wih a championships record of 22.98m/75-4.75 in round two. All of a sudden, the hopes of some very big men were dashed like they’d just learned there’s no Santa Claus. Kovacs hit 21.55m/70-8.5 on his first attempt, installing him in second position, but a second round foul and a 21.69m/71-2 mark from New Zealand’s Tom Walsh pushed the NYAC man back to third. Then came a 21.76/71-4.75 from Jacko Gill, the second Kiwi contender in this event, pushing Kovacs back a further slot, into fourth. Then came a 22.34/73-3.5 from Italy’s Leonardo Fabbri and Kovacs was back in fifth, with the competition half way over.
 
Kovacs is nothing if not a clutch performer, however, and this bout was far from done. With the fourth round beginning, the order was Crouser, Fabbri, Walsh, Gill and Kovacs. Not for long. Throwing fourth, Kovacs unleashed his best attempt, thus far, a mark of 21.88m/71-9.5 that moved him into fourth, within sight of the medal podium. For one of the most experienced and talented throwers in the world, however, “within sight” could never be enough. So it proved. In round five, he launched a 22.12m/72-7 mark that moved him into the bronze medal position and onto a podium from which he has rarely been missing.
 
Fabbri and Crouser both fouled their fourth and fifth attempts, meaning that, with one round left, in reality the medals were decided. All that was left to determine was the final order. In that, there was no change. Kovacs and Fabbri could not improve, leaving them in second and third – Kovacs’ fifth world championships medal – but Crouser, clearly seeking to prove a point, launched another massive throw, reaching 23.51/77-1.75, the second farthest of all time and a new championship record.
 
Kovacs, for sure, will be happy to have added to his medal trove and to a catalog of success that installs him among the pantheon of greats (Crouser being the virtual deity). The NYAC, too, should be pointedly proud of this athlete, as it must be of all those competing here in Hungary. Fourteen athletes on Team USA, plus one – Napolitano – on Team Puerto Rico, a handful of advancing finalists, and a place on the medal podium, and this all on day one. This is going to be one heck of a ride.