By Jonathan Hawthorne
Christian Taylor took a close look at his track and field career once Eugene, Oregon, was named host of the 2021 IAAF World Outdoor Championships.
Taylor, 25, knows of his small window of opportunity in both the long and triple jump, but the announcement – he decided – will prolong his career. He had originally thought to stop competing after the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
“Once we got the bid, I said, ‘That’s at least one more year I’m going to go,’” Taylor said.
Taylor, 2012 Olympic gold medalist in the triple jump, said any chance to compete on home soil should encourage American athletes to think about their own careers. He especially loves that the meet is coming to Hayward Field. Eugene won the bid last April in abrupt fashion, and preparations are already underway. Hayward Field will undergo its first phase of expansion construction following this summer’s U.S. Olympic Trials.
In the meantime, excitement is already building, and athletes hope the meet will boost the profile of their sport in the United States.
“We have to show that we have some super humans here in the U.S. In 2021, they can come out and watch us around the corner,” Taylor said. “I think that’s really special.”
American Aries Merritt, 30, thinks his own career may be over come 2021, but he was impressed by Eugene’s ability to host the Junior World Championships in 2014.
“I think we definitely have the manpower and the tools to get the job done,” Merritt said.
Merritt, Taylor and other U.S. elite athletes in Eugene for the annual Prefontaine Classic said boosting track and field’s standing in America remains a top priority.
“It’s kind of sad that in Europe and Asia we’re more popular,” Merritt said. “We need security to walk around. Here, nobody knows you. It is what it is.”
He points to more efforts in marketing and broadcasting to create a broader understanding of the sport’s top athletes as places to improve.
“You know every major basketball player,” Merritt said. “Every major track athlete? You don’t know them.”
French star Renaud Lavillenie said track and field differs greatly between Europe and America. But the world-class pole vaulter said Eugene stands out among the rest.
“Oregon and Eugene are crazy about track and field,” Lavillenie said. “We feel it. That’s great seeing that. We love coming here and doing our best because we feel people are behind us.”`
Sanya Richards-Ross, competing in her final season, said she wishes she could still run in 2021. Today, she’s one of the most popular American athletes, thanks to her years of success on the track and her colorful personality.
Sanya Richards-Ross talks with reporters Friday before the Prefontaine Classic.
“As an elite athlete, we all hope to run in front of our home crowd in a major championship,” Richards-Ross said. “It definitely deserves to be here.”
Before Eugene hits the world stage, Justin Gatlin said USA Track and Field should focus on exposure. He said America, in general, needs more meets. He also said that traditional stadiums tend to be boring to most. He’d like to see more out-the-box thinking.
“In America, you have to bring track and field to the fans,” Gatlin said. “I would love to be able to run a street race down the Las Vegas strip. I think people would love to see something like that.”
That means more smoke, mist and neon lights around the meet; fans should know athletes’ introduction song and their backstories.
“We should have that festive feel — have a party, and have people want to feel like they’re a part of it,” Gatlin said.
Eugene’s 2021 meet will be Taylor’s 10th year as an elite competitor. He’s eager to show America just what the sport has meant to him and so many others.
“This is where it should be,” Taylor said. “Having it in Eugene is an opportunity, especially for my family to come out. I’m very excited about that.”
