New York Grand Prix Did Not Disappoint, But…
The pandemic years are arguably well behind us; that became evident to track and field fans at the 24 June New York Grand Prix at Icahn Stadium, Randall’s Island, New York.
This latest edition of the New York Grand Prix, to purists of track and field, did not disappoint. Gone were the days of great track and field distinction for New York, dating to the distant and not-so-distant past, featuring greats, in the tradition of Jackie Joyner Kersee, Merlene Ottey, Liu Xhang, Maria Mutola, Javier Sotomayor, Usain Bolt, Michael Johnson, Allison Felix, et al. Undoubtedly, most of these standouts participated in different eras but their greatness and the excitement they brought to each New York crowd was mind boggling. World records, National records, season’s bests, and personal bests were aplenty, and the competition, without question, was fierce.
One of the wonderful features of a New York track and field gathering is that folk understand the sport and although the argument is made that track and field is a dying sport, and true, New York represents a microcosm of what track and field is in America, the enthusiasm is there, and the sport just has to be properly marketed and its superstars highlighted during the off season. Think of how other greats have transcended their sport: Roger Federer in tennis, Tiger Woods, the golfer. And even after decades out of the ring, both Muhammad Ali and George Foreman continue to be forces outside of the sport of boxing.
Track and field, USA Track must find an avenue through which the sport can be marketed and managed. Public support is not lacking. What it lacks is a combined vision and guidance from the top. The adoring public is waiting to give its full blessing. And that brings me back to the latest New York Games. There was a groundswell of support from the initial announcement and support never wavered. One just had to read the social media pages and one would be adequately informed. What was lacking was continued media coverage from the organizers.
However, despite that shortfall, there was a capacity crowd of around 5,000 in the stands. The next stop in the USA track and field calendar is USA Nationals, approximately two weeks after New York, which will select the American team for the next World Championships. Again, if you are not a track and field fan, you are not aware. Again, there is very little or no media promotion. Simply put, there are no local meets to capture the goodwill or essence of New York.
Nostalgic Happening
Nonetheless, the success of New York can be found in the enthusiasm that the adoring public showed during this Grand Prix renewal. It was the first local track meeting where Covid-19 was not a real concern. There was wild cheering and support when the athletes surfaced for their event. It was truly a very nostalgic happening.
In the tradition of past greats, the current crop of great athletes continues to blaze a trail and they gave the fans something to cheer on. Noah Lyles, Athing Mo, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, and Gabby Thomas did not disappoint. The supporting cast of athletes was almost equally impressive, and they too, in their own way, blazed a tradition that the track and field world will hopefully capture, so that, they, too, will be their own headliner at some point. Since that did not happen in New York, maybe the next World Championships, scheduled for later this summer in Hungary, will mark that milestone.
If, as someone complained, there was a shortage of world records or other notable records, the success of the New York Grand Prix should not be measured by numbers, except, of course the number refers to the capacity crowd of 5,000 wildly cheering fans strong. –O’Neil Clayton