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McKenzie Long, who reached the final of the women's 200 meters at the Paris Olympic games, has explained how the sudden loss of her mom affected her season.
Olympic 200m finalist McKenzie Long has shared her deeply emotional journey of coping with personal loss while achieving professional milestones.
In a year marked by heartbreak and triumph, Long competed in her first Olympics after finishing third in the 200m at the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials with a stellar time of 21.91 seconds.
At the Paris Games, she reached the final, finishing seventh, but her Olympic journey was set against the backdrop of unimaginable personal grief—the loss of her mother six months before the trials.
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20:30 - 09.01.2025
Quincy Hall on how his daughters and life's harsh realities fuel his mental toughness to dominate the 400m
Quincy Hall, who won the 400 meters at the Paris Olympics following a dramatic late surge, has explained how his young daughters and animals fuel his mentality to do well in the 400 meters.
Long recounted the devastating moment she learned of her mother’s passing on Justin Gatlin's Ready Set Go podcast.
"I was in my bed, honestly," she began. She had been talking to her boyfriend when she realized she hadn’t spoken to her mom in over a week
. During a phone call with her boyfriend’s mother, her stepfather called. "I was like, ‘Hold on, I’ll call you back,’" she recalled, only to hear the gut-wrenching news: "I’m so sorry, she’s gone."
Confused, McKenzie sought clarification, but her stepdad’s repeated words confirmed the reality. “My heart dropped to my stomach,” she said. Overwhelmed with emotion, she screamed in denial. “My boyfriend was there to comfort me during that agonizing moment,” she added.
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19:26 - 09.01.2025
‘You have to go out like a savage’– Justin Gatlin's advice to Sha’Carri Richardson on reclaiming fastest woman title in 2025
Gatlin has sent Sha'Carri Richardson a crucial word of advice with regards to her infamously bad start, which cost her the Olympic 100m title to Julien Alfred.
Determined to keep moving forward, Long chose not to return home immediately. "I didn’t want to have another reality check," she admitted. She allowed herself just three days off from training, fearing that extended time away would lead to deeper despair.
Returning to the track was no easier. "I was in so much pain, just trying to run," she recalled. "My lungs hurt, my chest was hurting. I literally was just like, ‘Why does this hurt so much? I’m not even doing anything on the track.’"
The pain was both physical and emotional. Long described crying exhaustively, often sobbing in the shower. However, she credits her mother’s spirit with pulling her through. “It took time, but I was finally back on track,” she said, channeling her grief into her Olympic pursuit.
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12:30 - 01.01.2025
Justin Gatlin eighth, Noah Lyles sixth, Usain Bolt first: How a hypothetical dash between the eight fastest men in history would go
How hypothetical race pitting the eigth fastest men in the history of major championship races -namely Marcell Jacobs, Noah Lyles, Justin Gatlin, Usain Bolt, Kishane Thompson, Christian Coleman, Tyson Gay and Yohan Blake would go.
Before her Olympic debut, Long was a dominant force in collegiate athletics. At the 2024 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships, she claimed the 100m title with a wind-assisted 10.82 seconds (+2.2) and the 200m title with a blistering 21.83 seconds, the second-fastest time ever by a collegiate athlete.
She capped off her season with a victory in the 4x100m relay, helping the University of Missisippi's Ole Miss achieve a historic sweep of all three events.
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