USATF chief executive Siegel says they hope to use event as a \u2018catalyst\u2019 to reposition athletics
\n EUGENE
\nAs a metaphor for a sport with lofty ambitions, Armand Duplantis soaring to a pole vault world record was the perfectly scripted final act that a thrilling World Athletics Championships deserved.
\nThe Swedish star brought the curtain down on the 10-day track and field extravaganza in Eugene on Sunday with a jaw-dropping leap of 6.21m, sailing over the bar with ease to electrify Hayward Field.
\nDuplantis \u2013 routinely referred to as a \u201crock star\u201d by World Athletics Chief Sebastian Coe \u2013 is part of a golden generation of athletes who lit up the 10-day championships in Oregon.
\nA slew of other athletes also grabbed the spotlight during the championships, with 400m hurdler Sydney McLaughlin delivering a dazzling world record run and the charismatic Noah Lyles racing to gold in the 200m.
\nThose kind of compelling performances delighted both Coe and United States Track and Field (USATF), who are desperate to boost the profile of the sport in the country after years where it has languished out of the spotlight.
\nIn pursuit of that goal, more major track and field events in the United States are a certainty.
\nIn 2023, Eugene will host the finale of the Diamond League season \u2013 the first time in history that the meeting has been held outside of Europe.
\nOthers have even wondered whether Los Angeles could be a contender to host the World Championships in 2027, a year ahead of the Olympics in 2028 in the city.
\nAsked about that possibility on Sunday, USATF chief executive Max Siegel did not rule it out.
\n\u201cAs far as hosting other events we\u2019d love to continue to host events,\u201d Siegel told reporters when asked about 2027.
\n\u201cThe more that we can support and give visibility to the sport is great for all of us. The timetable is something that we would have to work through.
\n\u201cBut we look forward to working with World Athletics and hosting more events here.\u201d
\nCoe meanwhile said the championships had drawn an additional 400,000 new followers to World Athletics social media platforms with seven million engagements. Videos posted by World Athletics drew 41 million views.
\nSiegel says US officials will continue to work with World Athletics to determine how best to exploit those numbers.
\n\u201cAnecdotally I\u2019ve had more people who are not traditional track fans reach out to me,\u201d Siegel said. \u201cThere\u2019s a huge awareness because of the World Championships.
\n\u201cWe\u2019re working in partnership with World Athletics to get both quantitative and qualitative date as to where the sport sits, with tons of strategies to reposition the sport and the brand and to tell the stories of the athletes. We have a pretty robust plan leading up to LA 2028.
\n\u201cWe\u2019re going to capitalize on this event and use it as a catalyst to reposition the sport.\u201d
\nAthletics will also benefit from a schedule over the next six year that will mean the sport is more or less permanently in the global spotlight.
\nA consequence of the Tokyo Olympics\u2019 postponement by a year \u2013 and the knock-on decision to reschedule the Eugene championships to 2022 \u2013 means that the sport will now have a global championship in seven of eight years between 2021 and 2028.
\nNext year\u2019s World Championships in Budapest are followed by the 2024 Paris Olympics, before Tokyo hosts the World Championships in 2025. A lone fallow year in 2026 is followed by the 2027 World Championships and the 2028 Olympics.
\n\u201cIf you look at the next six or seven years we have athletics absolutely centre stage in northern hemisphere terms in the most broadcastable part of the year,\u201d Coe said. \u201cI\u2019m really pleased we\u2019ve got the opportunity to showcase athletics, but I don\u2019t minimize the challenges some athletes are going to face.\u201d
\nWhile the likes of McLaughlin, Lyles and 800m star Athing Mu were the figureheads of a successful US team, the global spread of talent in Eugene was also notable.
\nThe evergreen Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce bagged a fifth world 100m crown, while compatriot Shericka Jackson blazed to victory in the 200m in 21.45sec, the second fastest time in history.
\nOn Sunday, Nigeria\u2019s Tobi Amusan delivered arguably the most stunning world record of the championships, scorching to 12.12secs before going on to win gold in the women\u2019s 100m hurdles.
\nThose performances encourage Coe to believe that the sport has a range of stars to market itself around in the post-Usain Bolt era.
\n\u201cWe recognize the unique nature of what Usain Bolt brought to our sport,\u201d Coe said on Sunday.
\n\u201cBut I\u2019 m probably more optimistic about the bandwidth of talent that is coming through… We\u2019ve got a whole group of young athletes that are there or thereabouts.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
USATF chief executive Siegel says they hope to use event as a \u2018catalyst\u2019 to reposition athletics EUGENE As a metaphor for a sport with lofty ambitions, Armand Duplantis soaring to a pole vault world record was the perfectly scripted final act that a thrilling World Athletics Championships deserved. The Swedish star brought the curtain down […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":273868,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-273856","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports"},"yoast_head":"\n