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American sprinter McKenzie Long and Ivorian athlete Marie-Josee Ta Lou criticized Netflix’s Sprint docuseries, claiming it selectively highlights winners, sidelining other stories of resilience and dedication in track and field.
American sprinter McKenzie Long has publicly expressed her frustration over Netflix’s docuseries Sprint which despite following her journey throughout the post-collegiate season failed to include her story.
Long, a standout NCAA athlete from the University of Mississippi, rose to prominence after an impressive career capped by major victories in the 100m and 200m events at the 2024 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships.
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'This is an American show' - Letsile Tebogo joins Ta Lou-Smith in slamming 'biased' SPRINT docuseries
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Despite the camera’s focus on her journey to the Olympics, Long said she was disappointed to be cut from the series.
"I was another who they had followed all post-collegiate... and was informed I wasn’t making the cuts in this season," Long said on social media.
"It’s sad we put ourselves outside our comfort zone for this series, yet our stories can’t be told."
The sprinter’s comments came after the second part of Sprint premiered on November 13, 2024, adding to a chorus of voices criticizing the show for its perceived bias towards American winners.
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Long’s criticism came in response to a comment by Letsile Tebogo, the 200m Olympic champion, who took to social media to highlight the series’ limited focus on American athletes.
"This is an American show," Tebogo wrote, suggesting that the series had not given international competitors their due.
Long’s post-collegiate career has been nothing short of impressive.
She first captured national attention with her 200m title win at the 2023 Southeastern Conference (SEC) Championships and continued to excel, winning the 100m and 200m titles at the 2024 NCAA Championships with times of 10.82 seconds and 21.83 seconds, respectively.
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She also helped lead her Ole Miss team to a victory in the 4x100m relay, making Ole Miss just the fourth college team to claim all three titles at the National Championships.
Her NCAA successes earned her a spot in the 200m event at the 2024 US Olympic trials, where she eventually qualified for the Olympics in Paris.
In the Olympic finals, Long placed seventh in the 200m, with fellow American sprinter Gabby Thomas taking the gold.
It was a career highlight, made all the more emotional by the memory of her mother, who had passed away from a heart attack in Honolulu earlier in the year.
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In an interview with USA Today, Long spoke about feeling her mother’s presence during her Olympic debut, describing it as a deeply personal experience.
However, she feels that her story of perseverance and personal loss was overlooked by the series.
McKenzie Long is not alone in her disappointment with Sprint as Ivorian sprinter Marie-Josee Ta Lou-Smith also voiced her dissatisfaction, calling the series disrespectful for focusing solely on athletes who secured medals as per SportsKeeda.
"I feel really disrespected because when you say that you're going to do a series about the fastest people in the world, you show every people; you don’t show only people who win," Ta Lou-Smith said in an interview with The Inside Lane.
"I'm an African record holder, I have respect, people look at me, some other people from Africa see me as a role model."
Ta Lou-Smith further noted that Sprint had filmed her numerous times without her segments making the cut, which she felt minimized her achievements.
"This is a moment where they have to respect everyone coming from Africa, from everywhere in the world because we deserve respect," she added.
Ta Lou-Smith had also competed in the Paris finals in the 100m, though she didn’t secure a podium finish.
The docuseries premiered on July 2, 2024 and while it received positive feedback from fans and athletes alike, its narrow focus on a select few American athletes has stirred dissatisfaction among international sprinters who feel their contributions to the sport are equally worthy of recognition.
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