I'm coming around to this Championship event from IAAF. After what might have seemed like a gimmicky year in 2014, the races this year again provided some great times and great enthusiasm and emotion from competitors. It was a smart move by the IAAF to encourage participation by tying Olympic qualification into the mix, as athletes took notice. And, to do so in a year in which the World Championships occur later in the summer was particularly noticeable.
It was also nice to see a range of quality news beyond the usual U.S. vs Jamaica headlines: the U.S. dominating the middle-distances, Poland winning three medals in those middle-distance events, Belgium reaching the podium in the 4x400, and Ecuador (!) almost earning a much-hoped for Olympic berth in the women's 4x100 with an impressive anchor run by rising sensation Angela Tenorio. I'm looking forward to the IAAF keeping this on the calendar in future years, and increased competition and larger fields in the longer distances. (Um, I bet if you made the 4x800 and Distance Medley Olympic or even World Championship events, you'd get more entrants...)
It was also nice to see a range of quality news beyond the usual U.S. vs Jamaica headlines: the U.S. dominating the middle-distances, Poland winning three medals in those middle-distance events, Belgium reaching the podium in the 4x400, and Ecuador (!) almost earning a much-hoped for Olympic berth in the women's 4x100 with an impressive anchor run by rising sensation Angela Tenorio. I'm looking forward to the IAAF keeping this on the calendar in future years, and increased competition and larger fields in the longer distances. (Um, I bet if you made the 4x800 and Distance Medley Olympic or even World Championship events, you'd get more entrants...)
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