FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, July 12th, 2022

ATO BOLDON, SANYA RICHARDS-ROSS, KARA GOUCHER, AND TREY HARDEE PREVIEW NBC SPORTS’ WORLD TRACK & FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS OREGON22 COVERAGE

“These are the fastest and strongest athletes in the world on U.S. soil and it just happens to be at the greatest stadium for track & field in the world and on the fastest surface in the world.”– Ato Boldon

“What I love most about track & field is that there is something for everybody in our sport…It’s one of the most diverse sports when we talk about body type, kind of people that perform – distance, sprints, throws, jumps.” – Sanya Richards-Ross

“It’s literally a dream come true to be able to put on your kit and have the majority of the people in the stands cheering for you… It just means so much, and I think all the athletes on the team this summer know it.” – Kara Goucher on what it means for Team USA to compete on home soil

“I competed in Eugene dozens and dozens of times. It was home. This would have been this incredible home field advantage where not only was I familiar, but I would feel like I was defending something.” – Trey Hardee on the World Championships being in the U.S.

World Track & Field Championships Oregon22 Programming Guide

STAMFORD, Conn. – July 12, 2022 – NBC Sports track & field analysts Ato Boldon, Sanya Richards-Ross, Kara Goucher, and Trey Hardee preview the upcoming World Track & Field Championships Oregon22, which begin this Friday, July 15, and conclude on Friday, July 15. It is the first time ever that the outdoor World Championships are being held in the U.S. The 10-day championship meet at University of Oregon’s Hayward Field will be presented across the networks and platforms of NBCUniversal.

 

Q: What does it mean to have the World Championships in the United States?

Ato Boldon: “[President of World Athletics] Sebastian Coe has said, and I agree with him, that you cannot grow your sport until it’s grown in the United States. The United States has huge numbers of kids participating in this sport when they are young, something happens at a certain point, and then it ceases to become as popular. This is a big step in ingratiating the public to the sport and hopefully making a ton of new American fans by having it on U.S. soil for the first time.”

Sanya Richards-Ross: “It’s overwhelmingly significant because the reason that most Americans have a hard time connecting with the sport is because they rarely get to see the sport’s biggest stars in person. It’s going to be reminiscent of the 1996 [Atlanta] Olympics when legends were made in our sport. It’s going to do a lot for connecting the American audience to the sport’s biggest stars.”

Kara Goucher: “It’s every athlete’s dream. I grew up watching track on TV in all of these other countries, and it still motivated me, but I try to imagine if I had been my young version watching it in the United States, which is what happened with the [1996] Atlanta Olympics. I wasn’t in Atlanta, but I was watching it live and it was really inspiring to me. It’s an incredible opportunity.”

Trey Hardee: “It’s going to be awesome. As soon as it was announced that Oregon was going to host…[my] thought was just how cool this is going to be for this generation of athletes. I think there’s two kinds: the ones that have been in the game long enough and know how incredible and rare this opportunity is, and the ones that are coming onto the scene with what is going to be, logistically, the easiest World Championships they will ever experience.”

 

Q: What would it have meant to you to have been able to compete at the World Championships in the U.S.?

Boldon: “I got to compete in Atlanta in 1996 (at the Summer Olympics). Obviously, I wasn’t born in Atlanta, but that felt close (to competing on home soil) because it was a U.S. Olympics and everyone came to where you called home…For the ones who are fortunate enough to be doing it, it’s not something you’re ever going to forget. Enjoy it.”

Richards-Ross: “It would have meant everything to me. A lot of people have no idea how challenging it can be to perform at your best in countries where sometimes you’re 13 hours ahead, different food, different climate, so outside of all the challenges that come up in competition, you also have to factor in those elements When I was competing, Hayward Field was by far one of my favorite places to run. To have been able to have that opportunity to have a majority of my family and friends come because it would have been a stone’s throw away, would have meant everything to me.”

Goucher: “It would have meant everything. I just think, for the athletes, it’s literally a dream come true to be able to put on your kit and have the majority of the people in the stands cheering for you, and you get to showcase to your friends, your family, everyone that followed you. It just means so much, and I think all the athletes on the team this summer know it. They know how special this opportunity is, and I think it’s why we saw emotion out of people making this team because it really means a lot to compete at home.”

Hardee: “The first thing would have been the logistic side of it would have been so much easier to get poles, my staff and family and coaches and all that stuff would have been a lot less of a headache. When you take that out of the equation, it paves the way for better performances. Number two, it’s the familiarity. I competed in Eugene dozens and dozens of times. It was home. This would have been this incredible home field advantage where not only was I familiar, but I would feel like I was defending something.”

 

Q: What are the athletes or events you’re most looking forward to in these World Championships?

Boldon: “The women’s and men’s 100m, women’s and men’s 200m, and the hurdles, especially the women’s 400m hurdles.”

Richards-Ross: “Athing Mu in the women’s 800m going up against Keely Hodgkinson of Great Britain and to see how well Ajee Wilson is running. The women’s 400m hurdles with Sydney McLaughlin breaking the record every time she steps on the track. What will Dalilah Muhammad do? Is [Dutch 400m hurdler] Femke Bol going to be ready to compete well? On the men’s side, I’m looking forward to seeing the matchup (in the 200m with) Noah Lyles and Erriyon Knighton. After their latest race, there definitely seemed to be a rivalry building. And seeing what Fred Kerley can do in the men’s 100m. All the sprints are going to be exciting, but those four in particular.”

Goucher: “Every single event, there’s an amazing storyline. Can [Norway’s] Jakob Ingebrigtsen win the 1500 and come back and win the 5000 at such a young age? Can [Kenya’s] Faith Kipyegon in the 1500 continue her dominance? In the steeplechase, can the American women rise up again? In the men’s steeplechase, it’s really a changing of the guard: can [Morocco’s Soufiane] El Bakkali defend his Olympic title when so many Ethiopian men are running fast? I really think every event has a cool storyline.”

Goucher: “I would say the only thing I feel like is a lock is Sydney McLaughlin. As long as she is healthy, that’s the only thing where I’m like, ‘Okay, she’s going to get a medal.’ Everything else feels up in the air.”

Hardee: “The two I really just cannot wait to watch again with my own eyes would be [Venezuelan triple jumper] Yulimar Rojas and Ryan Crouser, just for their dominance and what they’re doing in their events. Every time Ryan steps in the ring it’s a world record watch, and every time Rojas steps on the runway I’m just in awe. She’s the best jumper we’ve ever seen, and she’s built like she can jump 16 meters at any moment. I’m also spoiled for having seen [Swedish pole vaulter] Mondo Duplantis jump from when he was 14 or 15 until now. He’s always in there.”

 

Q: What is it about the World Championships that the casual fan doesn’t know and why should they watch?

Boldon: “Watch the world championships to see what real speed is – not what passes for real speed on a Sunday afternoon. These are the fastest and strongest athletes in the world on U.S. soil and it just happens to be at the greatest stadium for track & field in the world and on the fastest surface in the world. That combination, even for the casual viewer, it’s going to be very entertaining.”

Richards-Ross: “What I love most about track & field is that there is something for everybody in our sport. You’ll see someone you identify with. It’s one of the most diverse sports when we talk about body type, kind of people that perform – distance, sprints, throws, jumps. I think the depth of Team USA just keeps getting richer and richer and you will see a lot of up-and-coming stars, some great established stars, the farewell tour for Allyson Felix – you’re going to want to catch every single final because it’s going to be that competitive.”

Goucher: “The casual sports fan tunes in every four years to watch the Olympics. But I don’t think the casual fan understands that the World Championships are the exact same thing. It’s super hard to get into, it’s the same format, it’s the same people, and to the track athletes it’s just as important as an Olympic medal…If you love watching the Olympics every four years, then you’re missing out because every other year you get to watch the World Championships.”

Hardee: “For the casual fan, these are the greatest athletes on the planet…Each of them possesses gifts beyond measure than what traditional team sports are. These are the fastest men and women that have almost ever been born. These athletes jump higher than any other athletes in history. They’re the best pole vaulters in history. They’re some of the strongest and most skilled athletes on the planet.”

 

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NBC Sports will present 43 hours of television programming plus extensive streaming coverage throughout the 10-day championship meet, including four nights of live primetime weekend coverage (July 16-17, July 23-24) on the NBC broadcast network.

The world’s biggest track & field athletes will participate in the meet, which is expected to feature 37 defending world champions and 37 U.S. Olympic medalists. Headlining the American contingent in Eugene is the most decorated track & field athlete in World Championships history Allyson Felix, Tokyo Olympic 400m hurdles gold medalist and current world record holder Sydney McLaughlin, defending 200m world champion and Tokyo Olympic 200m bronze medalist Noah Lyles, Tokyo Olympic 100m silver medalist Fred Kerley, and 200m under-20 world record holder Erriyon Knighton, among a host of other Olympians.

 

NBC SPORTS’ WORLD TRACK & FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS OREGON22 SCHEDULE (all times ET unless noted):

Date Platform Time
Fri., July 15 Peacock 12-8 p.m.
  Peacock, USA Network 8-11 p.m.
Sat., July 16 Peacock, CNBC 1:30-3 p.m.
  NBC, Peacock 3-5 p.m.
  Peacock, CNBC 8-9 p.m.
  NBC, Peacock 9-11 p.m. ET/PT
Sun., July 17 Peacock, CNBC 9-11:30 a.m.
  NBC, Peacock 2-4:30 p.m.
  Peacock, CNBC 8-10 p.m.
  NBC, Peacock 10-11 p.m. ET/PT
Mon., July 18 Peacock, USA Network 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
  Peacock 12:30-4 p.m.
  Peacock 8-11 p.m.
  USA Network 11:30 p.m.-2:30 a.m.*
Tues., July 19 Peacock 8-11 p.m.
  USA Network 11:30 p.m.-2:30 a.m.*
Wed., July 20 Peacock, USA Network 7:30-11 p.m.
Thurs., July 21 Peacock, USA Network 8-11 p.m.
Fri., July 22 Peacock 9:15 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
  Peacock, USA Network 8:30-11 p.m.
Sat., July 23 Peacock 12:50-4 p.m.
  NBC, Peacock 2-3 p.m.
  Peacock, CNBC 8-9 p.m.
  NBC, Peacock 9-11 p.m. ET/PT
Sun., July 24 Peacock 9:15 a.m.-12:15 p.m.
  Peacock 12:30-3 p.m.
  Peacock, CNBC 8-9 p.m.
  NBC, Peacock 9-11 p.m. ET/PT

*Same Day Delay
Note: schedule subject to change

–NBC SPORTS–