#92 - World Champs Set To Open In Tokyo

Inside This Issue

• Michigan Athletes In Tokyo

• Tokyo’s Fourth Big One

• Highlights From AAU Junior Olympics

• Other Things

Michigan Athletes In Tokyo

Just two days away from the opening of the World Championships in Tokyo’s National Stadium, there are still some questions about who exactly will be competing. The entry lists, for instance, still includes alternates who are not here (such as Hobbs Kessler), and does not identify who will be running relays. We’ll do the best job we can here to identify the Michiganders and keep you posted. Athletes representing the United States unless otherwise noted.

It’s also worth mentioning that the most prominent (non-Michigander) with collegiate connections in the state will be a medal possibility in the 400 hurdles, UM alum and Collegiate Record holder Savannah Sutherland, competing for Canada.

• Men’s 200: Udodi Onwuzurike (Brother Rice) - Nigeria

• Men’s 800: Donavan Brazier (Kenowa Hills)

• Men’s 5000: Grant Fisher (Grand Blanc)

• Men’s 10,000: Grant Fisher (Grand Blanc)

• Men’s Discus: Alex Rose (Ogemaw Heights) - Samoa

• Men’s Decathlon: Heath Baldwin (Kalamazoo Hackett)

• Women’s 200: Anavia Battle (Wayne Memorial)

• Women’s 200: Fatouma Conde (Ann Arbor Huron) - Guinea

• Women’s 100H: Grace Stark (White Lake Lakeland)

• Women’s 100H: Aasia Laurencin (Oak Park) - St Lucia

• Women’s 400H: Anna Cockrell (Country Day MS)

Tokyo’s Fourth Big One

This is the fourth time a global championships has been held in Tokyo’s National Stadium. Each one so far has added a thrilling chapter in the sport’s history.

The 1964 Olympics - Surely you remember “Running Brave”? The epic story of Billy Mills gold medal run in the 10,000 meters captured the imagination of the world. From a Michigan standpoint, this was the greatest Olympics ever, with Rex Cawley (Farmington) winning the 400 hurdles, Hayes Jones (Pontiac Central) capturing the 110 hurdles, and Henry Carr winning the 200 and anchoring the 4×4 to a World Record.

The 1991 World Championships - The greatest long jump duel of all-time highlighted the meet, with Carl Lewis jumping beyond the World Record (albeit wind-aided) and Mike Powell coming from behind to beat him with a WR that has now stood for 34 years. The best Michigan finish came from Brian Diemer (GR South Christian) who placed 5th in the steeplechase.

The 2021 Olympics - Held in a largely deserted stadium, this was the strangest meet I ever covered in person. Stranger still was the decision to keep calling the Covid-delayed event the “2020” Olympics (because of marketing/contracts/branding). Given the general dumbness of aspects of the human race, it’s a sure bet that within our lifetimes we will see people debate what year this Olympics was actually held. On the track, we saw a WR-smashing 400 hurdles by Karsten Warholm and Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone. One medal to a Michigander, with Taylor Manson (East Lansing) winning her bronze running in the mixed 4×4 heats. The highest finish in a final for a Michigander was Grant Fisher (Grand Blanc) placing 5th in the 10,000.

AAU Junior Olympics

Not a complete tally of Michiganders in this meet; just a few highlights.

• Motor City busted some nice 4×4s, as usual. On the boys side, Coach Brandon Jiles ran an all-Oak Park foursome in the 17-18 heats to take a shot at the state record of 3:11.97 that Chippewa Valley set (ironically also in the heats at the same meet two years ago). Phillip Burney, Damari Caldwell, Shondell Warren (50.06) and Rondre Austion (46.64) came close with a 3:12.02, the No. 2 time in state history. The finals team went even faster, placing 2nd in 3:08.76, but that was with Portage Northern’s Ty Oaks (47.28) on third leg. Austion blazed a 46.24 anchor in that final.

• Motor City’s girls relays also excelled. The 15-16 4×4 blazed 3:42.21 to place 2nd, with Payton Gee, India Moultrie, Londyn James and Nevaeh Burns (53.37). They had led the heats at 3:44.31 (Burns 54.09). The 17-18 squad hit 3:44.35 for 3rd, with Oak Parkers Dayshana Kellogg, Rhiann Jeffries, Mekhi Thompson running the first three legs before Portage Northern’s Mauriel Seeberger anchored in 53.77. They had earlier run a 3:45.36 heat (Seeberger 54.32).

• Willow Mason ran two rounds of the 200 (24.68 & 24.77 into headwinds). She also ran a 400 PR of 55.38 to place 3rd in 17-18. 57.29, 53.77.

•  Jordynn Young ran a PR 11.79 in her first round of the 100. She placed 8th in the 17-18 final at 200 in 24.45.

• Journey Frazier competed in the 15-16 heptathlon: 18.43, 4-7, 24-7.25, 29.61, 13-4, 48-7, 3:04.49 = 2360, 25th place.

• Torran Simmons placed 24th in the 17-18 javelin at 132-7.

• Braydon Preutz ran 58.93 in his heat of the 400 hurdles.

• Leo Bearss placed 16th in the 2000 Steeple (17-18) in 7:36.11.

• Declin Doroh placed 9th in the 17-18 high jump with his 6-6.

Other Things

• The 2026 MITS State Championships will move to Saginaw Valley next year, with the dates set at March 7-8.

• XC? - I’ve seen rumors that the XC season has started. Actually, I’ve even announced at a meet already. But seeing Matt Armelagos recently say something about the early season being over already kind of surprised me—my head is still completely in track right now. In fact, I am writing this right now from the 47th floor of a hotel that overlooks the National Stadium track in Tokyo. It’s one of the hallowed places of Michigan track & field, being the site of 4 gold medals by Michiganders in one Olympics. So my apologies for not having the bandwidth for XC yet. You know where to go for that stuff, and I hope to get with the program before the leaves turn color en masse.

• Apologies - for the unusually big gap between newsletters. I had been planning a post-USATF newsletter, but writing some 17 or so articles for Track & Field News that week kind of fried me. While I’m usually okay juggling my job and my passion for Michigan track & field, I am starting to realize that even I can overdrain my batteries sometimes.