At the Prefontaine Classic, the men’s Diamond League shot put was
opened to the Distance Night in Eugene crowd, and hundreds of fans streamed
onto the infield and watched putters from mere meters away.
Sacramento’s memorable backdrop was the State Capitol
building, a spectacular location if you can get it. In an imaginative and
inspired approach to engaging capital city office workers who had never seen a
track and field event before, meet officials were big winners when it came to
bringing new fans to the sport.
In Eugene, track fans already were inside the stadium when
they were invited to join the throwers. When it came to preaching to the choir,
the choir sang from the infield.
The energy of the Sacramento competition was so high that it
might actually have adversely affected the competition itself. Men’s practice
throws over 72 feet were the order of the day, yet in the competition itself there
were only two throws over 70’. Even winner Joe Kovacs said in his post-meet interview
to the crowd that he might have saved more for the event itself.
Props to the person who chose the music, as the loud,
insistent beat of 70s and 80s rock anthems did much to create the energy of the
event. What’s a shot competition without a little Ozzy Osbourne and Black
Sabbath? This is not a question I ever thought I’d be asking myself. It was
especially fun to match songs to performances; for example, when Albert
Fournette took the ring, he found himself spinning to “You Give Love a Bad
Name.” Would that be appropriate for a world record or a foul?! He fouled.
It must strike the rest of the athletics world as odd that
the United States would hold its national championships in a facility that cannot accomodate throwing events (update 6/28: except the discus) inside the stadium. This should especially be a
major consideration when it comes to the awarding of future US Olympic Trials,
though even repeated Trials host Eugene has the hammer adjacent to Hayward
Field. Where does the hammer go if Eugene wins its bid for the World
Championships?
Nonetheless, Sacramento meet organizers can bask in the
glory of Wednesday’s tremendous success. If Sacramento wins the US Olympic
Trials, I’m just trying to imagine where the hammer would go. The Capital Mall
landscapers might object.
