Behind the sprint skid, pioneering medal throwing and the unbelievable talent of sprinter Sydney McLaughlin, the United States spent 10 days serving a strong reminder that Sebastian Coe, the head of the world governing body of track and field, is still known as “powerhouse. “
But for 10 days, as the world’s best competed before several sellouts and questions grew about how much of the action was seen outside the forest green seats of Hayward Field, the first The outdoor world championships held in the US are another reminder, and a new concern, that this country is “not catching up” as a market for the sport’s growing popularity, Coe said.
To change that, World Athletics, under Coe’s tenure, and USA Track & Field are working on a joint plan with the goal of making track and field the fifth most popular sport in the United States by the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. .That was a three spot improvement from Nielsen’s 2019 study. USATF has said it will introduce a five-city home circuit starting next year, with a stop in Los Angeles.
The initiative even has an operating title: “Project USA.”
Eugene, Ore., said Coe, “absolutely obsessive track and field.”
But the United States as a whole?
“Tough nut to crack,” he said.
By awarding the 2014 world junior championship to Eugene and the 2016 world indoor championship to Portland, then making Eugene host these outdoor championships through an unexpected no-bid process – a decision made in 2015 by Coe’s predecessor, Lamine Diack , which was heavily criticized and also. investigated by the US Department of Justice and reported by the FBI — World Athletics sent a clear signal that a stronger presence in the US is needed on its path to relevance.
The appeal of the United States – its 50 million recreational runners, thousands of high school competitors and deep sponsorship potential – would be reason enough. But it was very important, said Coe, who won the Olympic gold medal in 1984 in the 1,500 meters, because there is a lack of action according to track and field to promote itself to surrender to other sports.
“I’m probably not going to be Mr. Popular for saying this but I don’t think the sport has been marketed as well as it could have been in the US in years,” Coe said. “I think there have been complacent people for many years who believed that coming back from the Olympics or the world championships on top of the medal table was enough. I think there’s a lot more recognition now that that’s important in itself, but it’s not enough.”
US runner Athing Mu celebrates after winning gold in the women’s 800 meters on Sunday.
(David J. Phillip/Associated Press)
No city is more closely associated with sports in the United States than Eugene. It was a logical entry point. It was also their only option, Coe said — even after World Athletics relaxed its bidding process to allow its council to proactively court potential host cities.
“The board didn’t have a lot of options,” Coe said. “We should have and should have been caught sooner.”
Athletes praised the passionate and knowledgeable local fans.
“I think it showed in the performances of the athletes, especially in the medal count of the American athletes,” said US sprinter Christian Coleman. “I’m not sure when the next opportunity will be but I would love to be able to have another big championship back here in the American world. It’s very special.”
Choosing Eugene came with risks, Coe acknowledged. Those who attended in person are likely already track fans, not the kind of casual spectators they hope to convert by 2028.
Residents here have described track and field fatigue from hosting so many high-profile meets this spring and summer, starting with the Pac-12 championships and the Prefontaine Classic through the NCAA and USA championships.
Hayward Field, undergoing a $270-million renovation funded primarily by Nike co-founder Phil Knight, is palatial to the eye but smaller than venues that have previously hosted championships in places like London, Moscow, Beijing and Doha, Qatar.
During the first nine days, the average attendance for ticketed spectators was 14,540, according to the local organizing committee, with an average attendance of 21,065 on the third day. That number does not represent total attendance, including athletes or those with credentials. World Athletics officials, describing the “economic headwinds” facing customers, said attendance was one of several metrics it would scrutinize later, including consumption of media coverage, stadium capacity and broadcast figures. , to assess the success of the meeting.
Other athletic officials, who were not authorized to speak publicly about the sensitive matter, expressed strong disappointment with the crowds in Eugene.
Track’s ambitions hinge on entering a sports market saturated beyond those watching in a stadium. On television, NBC said its coverage of the first three days reached 11.4 million viewers, more viewers than its broadcasts of all previous world championships, and that the opening weekend averaged 2.2 million viewers. .
Those watching saw the United States team perform extremely well as they claimed a total of 33 medals in the world championships. Their 13 gold medals were their record for a single championship, while the seven golds won by the US women matched their championship record set in 2017. After three medals in the sprints at the Tokyo Olympics, US men eight here, including sweeps in the 100 and 200 meters. This was also the first world championships in which an American woman won a medal in the javelin, she won gold in the shot put and hammer throw.
The most important thing is that the youngest stars of the country won the mad audience. It was McLaughlin, 22 years old, who authored the performance of the meeting and stampede 50.68 seconds to the gold in the 400 hurdles, the first woman to break 51 seconds. And 20-year-old Athing Mu defended her Olympic 800 meters title with a world title on Sunday.
Devon Allen competes in the 110 meter hurdles at the world track and field championships in Eugene, Ore.
(Ashley Landis/Associated Press)
Spectators also saw American hurdler Devon Allen, a favorite because of his stardom in Oregon, disqualified from the 110 meters hurdles final after leaving the starting blocks in 0.99 seconds – a thousandth of a second earlier than allowed under the rules of World Athletics. The moment drew heated criticism on social media from fans asking why track and field would diminish its appeal by not allowing its best athletes to perform. Even Allen’s own rivals lobbied for him.
A 2009 World Athletics study recommended lowering the threshold for false starts to less than 0.1 seconds. The competition committee of the organization has the power to recommend such changes. Coe pushed back at a suggestion that 0.1 was an arbitrary standard but said of the competition committee: “I think they will look at that.”
One obstacle for World Athletics that will continue long after it leaves the Willamette Valley is sharing its highlights, as it does not own its television content and is only allowed to air three minutes of NBC coverage per day on social media, an organization official said.
“It’s going in the right direction,” said Canadian sprinter Andre De Grasse, the former USC star who ran the anchor leg of Canada’s gold-medal 4×100 relay team. “I know track and field is a European sport. When I go to Europe, man, the fans, they go crazy over there but it’s hard over here in the U.S. You had to compete with basketball, baseball, football and everything.
“I think it’s moving in the right direction, if they marketed it a little better, try to get it on some top networks like ESPN or Fox or one of those, things can go in the right direction b ‘maybe.’
Coe said World Athletics is also in the development stages of creating a documentary series modeled after the Netflix series “Drive to Survive” that fueled the popularity of Formula One in the US. format from 10 days. The earliest a shortened format could be introduced is 2027, as the organization has already finalized contracts with Budapest, Hungary and Tokyo for 2023 and 2025.
The world championship, in its current iteration, was first held in 1983. It took 39 years to reach the United States. Coe informed him that it won’t be that long until he returns.
“We want to be back here,” he said. “It won’t be Eugene. I want to be back in LA or Miami or Chicago.”