Fidelis Osunkwo: A ‘One Of One’ Runner’s Story

By Joe Battaglia Fidelis Osunwko III looked out the airplane window, staring at the expanses of open blue sky over the Atlantic Ocean, all he could think about was the opportunity that lay ahead. Then his mind wandered. To think, just two and a half years earlier he was on a plane from Nigeria, staring

Welcome To The Big Show

The Debut On Feb. 7 in Fayetteville, Arkansas, Shawnti Jackson, the breakout sprint star of the high school indoor season, was introduced to the heightened world of professional track and field. It would be the meet that would come to define her virtuostic season. Given a chance to debut in a professional race for the

Project United

Let’s start with the Instagram DM first, because in theory that’s how this whole World Athletics U20 4×800 women’s record attempt began, with a curious message in December to a friend from Wisconsin. Bailey Goggans: Have you heard of any indoor races coming up this winter? Roisin Willis: Are you signed up for the 800

Fast Fame: How These Young Track And Field Athletes Have Dealt With Their Social Media Buzz

Dominick Hogan had always been the kind of athlete who spoke his mind heading into a track and field workout he wasn’t particularly fond of. “Don’t like that one bit.” Or express his feelings when he was chosen for a relay he really didn’t want to run. “Nope, nah, not that 4×4.” Or been able

The Drive Of A Lifetime

“So we’re good?” I said. The woman at the rental car place couldn’t hear me behind my mask, or see me smile. Why am I smiling when she can’t even see me smile? I probably sounded more like: “Soweger?” “What?” She said anxiously — there were three other customers in masks waiting in the parking

Cole Sprout’s Unofficial Record Breaking Track Season

The mission arrives A white blanket of snow coated the infield and the hill surrounding the Niwot High School track on April 18. Off to the west, the sun was beginning its descent into the clouds and behind the snowcapped mountains, illuminating them like light blue cardboard silhouettes. Cole Sprout stood quietly on the starting

Season Reimagined

A realization This wasn’t the way your senior season was supposed to end, on this mostly empty track at Parkway Central High School in St. Louis, just a few teammates, their parents and Coach along for the ride. Neither was this the time trial. No, you wanted to be in that brand, spanking-new stadium in

Record Pace

In August, Cole Sprout and Nico Young found themselves on the country’s most Instagram-famous track, surrounded by the best high school runners in the country and flanked, stopwatch in hand, by Bowerman Track Club’s Jerry Schumacher, one of the most accomplished American distance coaches of the modern era. They were just four months removed from

No Stopping Nathan Green

Nathan Green wasn’t thinking about what his heart couldn’t handle on that mind-numbingly stupid incline at Nike Cross Nationals this past December. His mind, it wasn’t telling him no, either. Maybe it should have. But it didn’t.   Because while the Borah High School junior’s legs may have been hurting, and while his heart may have

My Fearless Fall

The first gurgle in my stomach began midday on Saturday. I thought, ‘Maybe it was just from carb loading. My body is maxed out and that’s why I am having some GI distress.’ I started going through potential causes, none of which were that detrimental. Deep down I knew I was kind of lying to