Human achievement, and wonder it inspires, is at heart of World Athletics Championships
When you’re in the sports media business, every once in awhile you feel compelled to reveal that you are a fan of a certain sport.
Not an aficionado, or a maven, an insider, or even a well- informed expert. Instead we’re talking about something much less subtle. This is about being a wildly, passionate, over-the-moon fan.
When it comes to athletics, or as many of us in this part of the world refer to it, track and field, this is such an occasion. A major championship gathering in athletics constitutes that wonderful time when the fan in me can’t help but come out of hiding.
I’ve been to a bunch of these summits in places as far flung as South Korea, China, Qatar, India, Malaysia, Australia, Scotland, Canada, and the United States.
They have all been incredible.
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It’s more than a bit like attending a three-ring circus. So much is going on all at once. Don’t blink or you’ll miss something great. There’s stuff flying through the air, people scorching a track, hurling themselves over impossible heights.
There are crashes, botched exchanges, super-human efforts, screams of exultation, and cries of utter dismay. There are falls, crashes, collapses, bitter rivalries, and endearing camaraderie. No helmets, no pads, no stoppage time, or commercial breaks.
It’s all happening, and it’s happening all the time.
There’s a pretty basic premise which governs athletics really. People from around the globe, of every shape and size, are trying to do fundamental things we can all relate to or a least understand. Athletics, as a sport, is at the foundation of human movement and the goals are universally accepted.
Go faster. Jump higher. Throw longer. Be stronger.
The aim is to demonstrate what is actually possible, and as far as anyone can tell, there is an abiding truth to athletics. No limit has yet been reached.
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As it is with any sport, there are issues which surround what happens on the field of play. The cheaters use illegal substances to break the rules and give themselves an undeniable advantage. They are the outlaws.
Some athletes are banned by virtue of the actions of their governments. Others are left out because of their biological anomalies.
Athletics constantly wrestles with politics, corruption, fairness, and inclusion. So be it.
Still, once the athletes take their marks, this is an endeavour which lives in the moment. Where the competition becomes all powerful. And often, for true fans of the sport, partisanship takes a back seat to performance.
Watch Athletics North every day during the World Athletics Championships on CBCSports.ca and CBC Sports YouTube Channel for the rundown of the day’s top stories and events. Rob Pizzo will be joined by our athletics analysts, including Morgan Campbell, to bring you the latest storylines.
There are scenes in the drama where Norwegian track stars like hurdler Karsten Warholm and middle-distance man Jakob Ingebrigsten run just like their Viking ancestors. Hard charging, ferocious, unrelenting.
A wisp of a woman from Kenya named Faith Kipyegon inspires a sense of wonder every time she enters a race. She’s broken three barriers already this season which begs the question, what world record will she shatter next?
Three hundred-pound men like Ryan Crouser of the United States spin with incongruous grace like giant-sized ballerinas and heave an iron ball over ridiculous distances. Most of us might have trouble carrying the weight as far as they can throw it.
A 36-year-old mother from Jamaica who wears bright, psychedelic-coloured wigs when she runs, is nicknamed “The Pocket Rocket.” Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce just might become world champion for an unprecedented sixth time in the 100 metres.
Wouldn’t that be something to see?
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Many of the characters are larger than life. American sprinter Noah Lyles is boyishly boastful and makes wild proclamations about how fast he can go. He smiles easily and it’s likely his gregarious nature may soon be matched by his outstanding accomplishments. Lyles is amazing to watch.
So is hammer thrower Camryn Rogers of Canada. She delightfully flings the ancient ball and chain much further than the longest of long bombs in any football game.
Astounding.
Pole vaulter Armand “Mondo” Duplantis of Sweden seemingly achieves greater altitudes with each successive attempt.
Unheard of.
The Canadian men’s 4×100-metre relay team is capable of conducting a symphony on the fly while executing an intricate and complicated procedure where anything and everything could go wrong. They cover the distance in 37 seconds.
Riveting.
These are just a few of the protagonists who will take the stage over the next nine days at the 40th edition of the World Athletics championships.
And while there may be talk of who is or who is not in Budapest, the fan in me says it doesn’t really matter.
The bottom line being there are no apologies forthcoming for my utter fascination with what is about to happen.
I’m fully prepared to live in the moment and be awestruck by the spectacle of each athletics moment as it unfolds in Hungary.
