Chasing Gold: Paris 2024 – Episode 14 | FULL EPISODE | NBC Sports

Chasing Gold: Paris 2024 is a monthly show hosted by Mike Tirico and Maria Taylor that explores the worlds of Olympic and Paralympic athletes as they prepare for Paris 2024. Watch the fourteenth episode here.

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Chasing Gold: Paris 2024 – Episode 14 | FULL EPISODE | NBC Sports
youtube.com/nbcsports

[Music]
just over 100 days from now the Olympic
cauldron will be lit in the city of love
and while we wait for what’s to come in
Paris us athletes brought their best to
the snow and ice this winter season from
a record extending series of Victories
for Michaela schiffren to a speed
skating gold rush for Jordan
stoles we’ll also look ahead to what
could play out in the pool and on the
track this summer as the clock ticks
down to this year’s Grand gathering on
Parisian
soil hello we are so glad you’re with us
Ahmed fared welcome to chasing gold
Paris 2024 it is our final episode
before the Paris game so today we’ll
talk about some of the stories we’re
most excited to see this summer plus a
look back on a memorable winter sports
season for some of the stars of Team USA
But first we’ve got a pair of experts in
studio with us today we’re used to
seeing them poolside and track side but
today they’re together here with us to
share their takes on what we might see
play out in Paris we got NBC analysts
track and field and swimming Auto Balden
Rowdy gains welcome to chasing Gold Guys
good to be with you buddy good so we
have we have a whole lot to talk about
but let’s just start with the the
headline the big picture we’re more than
a 100 days out we’re we’re nearing it
though uh what are the big headlines the
big Stories the big athletes to watch
top level stuff for the games coming up
well swimming’s the best sport of course
but oh sure until track and field comes
around sure and you know you you you
always start with the greatest and
that’s Katie Le it’s really cool to be
able to have the the greatest of your
sport on the female side at least uh
kind of headline the ACT still to this
day but there are so many different
types of stories with young swimmers and
also those veterans that are going to
end up having to mix together to pull
this USA team together and they’re
really Gonna Fly under the radar for the
first time in a long time yeah for for
track and field America has the male
World 100 meter champion and the female
World 100 meter champion in Shaker
Richardson and Noah LS those two are
obviously going to go in as the
favorites and we’ll be focusing on them
but nobody knows what Sydney mlin lone
what event is she going to run that’s a
huge story as we get ready for Paris all
right I do want to talk about some of
those under the radar stars that may
emerge in these games but let’s let’s
talk about the the superstars the ktie
leis the shakeri Richardson the Noah all
what kind of pressure is on them and
what expectations do they have coming
into these games I think it’s easy for
people to forget that when Shaker
Richardson set foot in the world
championships last year it was the first
time that she had made a US team she had
won the Olympic trials and of course was
disqualified back in 2021 so now she’s
going into the Olympics in New Territory
she is the world champion that thing on
her back is not just her singlet it’s a
Target so I would like to see how she’s
going to manage not just when we get to
the games but how she’s going to manage
the the buildup Noah wild is a little
bit more familiar in that he’s already
been world champion three times he knows
what it’s like to go into an Olympics
being the favorite and I feel really
blessed on it to be able to have said
that I’ve called the two greatest
swimmers in history on the male and the
female side first obviously Michael
Phelps and now as I said Katie Lei and
there’s a tremendous amount of pressure
every time she swims that pressure has
come by the wayside a little bit only
because she’s lost that of event the 400
freestyle now a couple of times and she
just lost the 800 For The First Time in
Forever 37 years um it seems like uh
just a couple weeks ago so I think the
pressure is off her a little bit but
she’s still going to I think dominate
those distance events and then we have
sort of the same story in Caleb drussell
who has had some issues here the last
couple years but bounced back he’s got
to make it first but he’s bounced back
in a big way uh so let’s talk about some
of the under the radar some of the names
that will emerge or could emerge here in
a in a few months from now that people
will say I first heard about this
athlete on chasing gold with in Rowdy
gains OT will share it with you um I
think on the men’s side there’s a young
man um who he looks a lot like you say
bolt his name is leile tobogo he
represents Botswana and Noahs had to out
lean him for the 100 meter gold medal
last year he also was on the 200 meter
Podium when Noah La won I just feel like
it’s going to be a question of where on
the podium is he going to be in Paris
and on the women’s side in the 100
meters Julian Alfred of St Lucia that’s
a tiny dot on the map in the Caribbean
and yet she’s the world indoor 60
Champion she had a fantastic season last
year at the Collegiate level for Texas
and I just feel like I don’t see three
people beating her in either event in
the 100 and the 200 in Paris oh wow so
ready you know I I think for us um
Gretchen Walsh is one name that you’re
going to look to nobody knows her now
just like with your names you just
mentioned I’d never heard of them but
she’s a huge star in college perhaps had
the greatest Collegiate meet in history
at the recent NCAA championships she won
the hunter Fly Guys in
4742 the men’s Champion just 30 years
ago was
4743 so that’s how fast the swimming has
gotten on the women’s side certainly for
gret and Walsh could be a big name this
summer on the men’s side Thomas Hilman
broke Michael phelps’s age group record
at the World Championships Last Summer
got fourth in the 200th butterfly but
he’s gotten a year older and much better
and I think he’s another name to to look
out for so those are some of the great
stories of the Olympics and also the
great stories are the rivalries and we
see him in the pool Team USA versus
Australia we see him on the track
Jamaica versus Team USA and so before we
get your thoughts on those rivalries
let’s hear how important this is to
Australian swimmer Kate Campbell this is
what she said after the world
championships this past summer it is
just so much sweeter beating America
couple of night particular the first
night of competition where we did not
have to hear Star Spangled Banner ring
out through the stadium and I cannot
tell you how happy that made me when
we’re like right next to each other in
the warm-up areas the US have this like
infernal cow bell that they ring and as
someone leaves to go to the competition
pool they ring out USA USA and I’ve
never wanted to punch someone more
talk about a very receptive audience she
had for that that speech uh so what goes
into this this rivalry tell me about us
versus Australia in the US versus
Jamaica I could watch that all day it’s
great television on man you have to
admit a rivalry is what you want in
sports I mean the Red Sox Yankees Auburn
Alabama for me I I think when she says
something like that it fuels the fire
really on both sides and for Australia
they’ve always been that country that’s
been number two us has been number one
in the world of for 68 straight years
wow that’s a lot right and no other
country that can claim that kind of
dominance in any sport so when they do
sneak in there and win the gold medal
count which they did last summer uh it
definitely will inspire them to be
better of course the US still has like
four times as many gold medals and I
think three times as many overall medals
than Australia or any other country in
the sport of swimming but they’re coming
up they’re going to be tough that’s
where she’s heard the Star Spangled
Banner so many times times over and over
again through all the Olympic years no
question I don’t think you’re going to
get a Jamaican to make a video like that
but the Jamaicans take pride in being
the David to the United States Goliath
now they’re never going to beat the
United States in terms of overall medal
count because it’s a country of 3
million people but what they do take
pride in is look in ‘ 08 this is the 100
swept in ‘ 08 swept in Tokyo and in Rio
they got two of the three medals so they
feel like they own that event remember
shakar is going in there now as the
world Champion so the Jamaicans are
going to go into Paris thinking we have
to defend what our recent uh history has
been the last time an American woman won
the 100 meter dash 1996 Gail ders wow on
the other side the last time an American
man won the 100 at the Olympic Games was
Justin Gatlin way back in 2004 and
that’s the Marquee event I mean in track
and field the 100 is it that’s the one
always go for and yet you look and you
go wow the Jamaicans have dominated this
event here comes Noah alls to the rescue
so Noah and shakeri they know exactly
what they have to do get the gold medal
back on the US aside and the Jamaicans
go yeah and our job is to make sure that
we keep things going exactly the way
they have for the last couple Olympics
so both of these rivalries are alive and
well on both sides oh absolutely a
commonality between these two sports is
the relays one of the places the US has
shined is in the men’s 4X one medley
relay 10 straight Olympic gold medals
going in to Paris so I want to kind of
have you guys go back back and forth on
on what makes a good Relay Team where
Team USA stands in these relays and and
and kind of how you set up the
commonalities maybe differences here AO
the US men have not won the Olympic 4×1
since 2000 so that would be 24 years the
women have had a little bit more success
they won in Rio but the US look they
advertise they advertise themselves as
the best track and field team on Earth
and they are which is why their fans get
frustrated when they go so why can’t
they get the Baton around every single
Olympics as the USA used to so it’s all
when we get to the relays it’s always a
question of the pressure is always on
the United States because they always
start as the favorite and I think the
relays have become so tight now I’m not
sure what it is in track but in swimming
it it really is all about the exchanges
it I mean the the swimmer coming into
the wall and they coming you know off
the blocks that that’s what it’s really
all about the the the small increments
of time that are necessary to gain
during those but you guys don’t have to
pass a baton no we don’t have to pass a
baton which makes it even more critical
in track and field I think right I mean
because we’re not dropping anything ites
but it it and that trust is the big
thing and and I think that’s what Otto
was alluding to the fact you really have
to have the trust with all four of those
athletes because they are a team and
that’s why I think the camp building up
to those Olympics is so important
because you have that month and believe
me every single day that’s what they’re
going to do is work on exchanges well
let me tell you guys one thing I was
excited for the Olympics coming into
this interview I’m even more excited now
after hearing you guys talk Otto and
Rowdy thank you so much for joining us
here uh we look forward to having you
guys on the grounds at trials and in
Paris as well thank you coming up on
chasing gold how Michaela schiffren
returned from an injury to continue her
exceptional season on the slopes plus
Wisconsin’s Jordan stes had a whirlwind
winter with multiple World titles on the
we’re back with more in a
moment check out the voices new Mega
Mentor Keith Urban as he helps the
judges prepare their contestants for The
Knockout rounds don’t miss Keith on the
voice that’s Monday on NBC also
streaming on peock now it was another
memorable season for one of ski Racing’s
biggest Stars three-time Olympic
medalist Michaela schiffren who added to
her accolades with nine more World Cup
victories across three different
disciplines all the more impressive
considering shiffrin’s season was
disrupted by a knee injury in late
January that kept her out of competition
for more than a month shiffrin won her
first race back on the snow in March
clinching an eighth World Cup season
title in solemn and tying the record for
the most titles in a single discipline
already the winningest Alpine skier on
the World Cup circuit chiffon claimed
win number 96 with that Victory we spoke
with shiffrin about how she pushed
through that mid-season injury to be
able to race once
again I think with an injury you just
need to take a step back and accept the
position that I’m in and do the work
that I’m doing to get back as strong as
I can but in the meantime trusting the
people around me who are guiding me and
it’s incredible how your love for
something can outweigh your fear of it
and I am not an athlete who has no fear
I I experience fear all the time almost
every single race I’m afraid of crashing
I’m afraid of pain I I certainly don’t
want to experience that more than I have
to but I am also willing to accept that
risk because of my love for ski racing
now she closed out her season with one
more slalom race in Austria let’s take a
look back at that race with Steve
schlanger and peekaboo Street on the
call
down to two Eileen shiffrin Michaela’s
mom at the
bottom and now the final run in another
incredible season for Michaela shiffrin
come on michaa ready
go she has won six times in slalom this
season but only twice has she come from
behind after the first run that’s what
she’s facing here now in sabach trailing
by just over a 10 of a second and
there’s a little gut check right there
again when you get your weight back like
she just did which she rarely does
that’s when the sort of alarm Bells go
off at least for me in terms of the
injury that she’s come off of a slight
knee injury uh an ankle injury those
hurt when you make recoveries like that
but all she can do right now is think
about what it takes to produce good fast
skiing and she knows what that is and so
that’s all she’s going to be thinking
about right now she’s obviously got a
tactical approach to this course but
it’s her technique right now that is
going to propel her to a win well you
mentioned it earlier you know the lights
have gone out this is an uncomfortable
situation even for the greatest skier of
all time and now she’s starting to put
it
together shiffrin soaring through the
final Gates and Michaela is on top in
[Applause]
saach now even more for shiffer to
celebrate this spring she announced her
engagement to her longtime boyfriend and
fellow ski racer Alex amot Kilda in
early April so of course we send our
congratulations and best wishes to both
of them coming up how cold winter
Mornings in Wisconson helps spark the
career of a future World Cup champion in
speed skating we’ll catch up on an
exceptional season for Jordan stalles
when we return on chasing gold
welcome back to chasing gold we are less
than two years away from the 2026
Olympic Winter Games in Milan and
Cortina Italy though speed skater Jordan
stole story began more than 4,000 miles
from there the Wisconsin natives spent
cold winter days honing his skating
skills on a frozen pond in his family’s
backyard and all those efforts appear to
be paying off last season he became the
youngest skater to win a world title and
he left that event with three goals so
expectations
were high coming into this year’s World
Championships after starting the event
with a win in the 500 meters sto’s next
race was the 1,000 meters let’s take a
look back at that race now with Bill
Spalding and Joey cheek on the
call all right now it is time for the
one in speed skating that the entire
speed skating world has their eyes on
Jordan stalles the 19-year-old sensation
who’s paired with 20-year-old Tim prins
of the Netherlands but this is adults
his race to
lose and I will be watching every single
split this young man skates the thing
that’s incredible about him is that most
people when they’re the world’s best
will skate one time faster than
everybody else one split and then the
rest of the race pretty close he is
better at every checkpoint 1608 fastest
200 M we’ve seen of anyone in fact when
he set that world record he owned
opening 16.1 so right now he’s a bit
ahead of the pace when he set that world
record in this
race Jordan sto’s got the follow there
now he’s on the inner off the draft he’s
carrying a lot of speed and that is a
beautiful turn from Jordan STS he adds
the final lap it is close he is just
600s ahead 24-2 he saw a giant first lap
from ning and a great finish from ning
so stes has got a little bit of work cut
out for him he’s not dominating ning
like we thought he might be at this
point
looks like he’s gaining ground though
he’s into the green ahead of ning Prince
is hanging around in a race for a medal
as well Jordan stalls looking for a
fifth world championship gold he’s got
it
10605
1065 that is an unoficial
record joeey he’s just not beatable
right
now everyone in the world is Racing for
second he’s just
wildly better he won the opener lost a
smidge on the first lap and then
dominated on the last lap he can do it
anywhere he can do it from the beginning
of the race he can do it at the end of
the race look at these Corners they’re
just perfect he watch this guy skate and
he makes it looks so easy I know the
best always do but it’s shocking in a
field of the world’s best thousand meter
skaters he makes everyone else look kind
of like beginners and it’s so much fun
to watch him cuz you never know at this
point I am starting to say well how much
is he going to win this one by you know
you wonder how much that pressure
cranking up he’s got now two gold medals
in this world championships he won three
in the last World Championships the
youngest to ever win a gold medal out of
world single distance championships and
it does feel like we’re we’re watching
the realization of a a legendary
generational
Talent now after that race stalles
finish the world championships with
another gold in the 1500 meters sweeping
all three of his events for the second
straight year his outstanding season
continued a few weeks later when he
competed for a world all round title an
event that crowns the top skater across
sprinting middle distance and
longdistance events and typically favors
distant skaters over sprinters like
stoles and despite rarely skating in
events longer than 1500 meters stalles
won the all round title and at 19 became
the youngest man to do so since fellow
Wisconsin skater Eric heyen won it in
1978 let’s take a look at what has been
happening now in some other winter
sports this
season on the short track side the
Americans had an impressive showing at
the world championships in Rotterdam
Netherlands led by 2022 Olympian Kristen
Santos Griswald from Connecticut us
athletes picked up six medals over the
course of the weekend Santos grisal left
Rotterdam with medals in each of her
five events including a win in the 1,000
MERS the first world title of her career
and the first by an American and short
track in 13 years Washington’s Karen
Stoddard brought home three medals
including an individual Bronze in the
women’s 1500
M two-time Olympic free skiing medalist
Alex Ferrera had an exceptional season
in halfpipe Ferrera won all seven events
he entered this season which included
five wins on the World Cup circuit and
additional victories at the X Games and
the due tour he became the first US Man
In freestyle skiing to have an undef
defeated World Cup campaign in an
Olympic
event Montreal played host to this
year’s World figure skating
championships featuring a few Stars
we’re likely to see at the Milan Cortina
games including ice dancers Madison
chock and Evan Bates leading after the
Rhythm dance chalk and Bates didn’t have
a Flawless free skate but it was solid
enough to hold on for their second
straight World title as they look ahead
to what will be their fourth Olympics as
a team in
2026 over in the men’s event Virginia’s
Ilia Molen brought the crowd to its feet
with an exceptional free skap to the
succession soundtrack he opened with a
Quad Axle as the only skater to ever
complete that jump successfully in
competition and landed five more quads
in his program to earn the highest score
ever recorded in a men’s free skate
surpassing the previous Mark set by
reigning Olympic gold medalist Nathan
Shen
and just a few weeks after getting her
driver’s license 17-year-old isabo lito
won silver for the US in the women’s
event finishing behind Japan’s Cal
Sakamoto who came back from a short
program deficit to win her third
straight World
title now this winter was also quite
meaningful for cross country skier Jesse
Diggins but the start line wasn’t a
place she was sure that she would find
herself this season Diggins a three-time
Olympic medalist has spoken openly about
struggling with an eating disorder and
dealt with a relapse over the summer
diin said her support team included a
doctor who specializes in eating
disorders and Sport dietitian focused on
outpatient eating disorder recovery
she’s continued to share her story in
hopes of encouraging others to ask for
help and despite the challenges Diggins
had an extraordinary season among the
highlights was getting to race in front
of a local crowd the racing circuit came
to inota for the first World Cup race on
us soil in 23
years I have waited 300 World Cups to be
able to wear a Vib in the United
States so the fact that I will have
raced for 12 years and it’s taken this
long to finally get to race at home like
I’m not going to take a single second
for
granted for the first time in my career
we’re racing with the HomeField advance
welcome to Minnesota here we are first
World Cup in uh a couple of decades the
world now can see what uh the us and
what Minnesota can
bring glitter is something that I put on
my cheeks for every race and it’s this
little reminder to go out there and have
fun and it’s this promise to myself that
I’m doing this cuz I love it
the chanting at the start was pretty rad
I was like we might not hear the start
gun and I don’t care it was the loudest
I have ever heard on a SK course in my
life Jessie diin to the RO the crowd
gets to the
podium I have dreamed about what it
would be like to race my own country for
my entire career and this totally blew
me
away I’m just haking it all in because
even the next time we get World Cups in
the US which I hope we do nothing is
ever going to feel like this again
everyone came ready to just celebrate
skiing in this country and I hope people
are leaving super inspired cuz I know I
[Applause]
am and Diggins who is well accustomed to
making history she and teammate Kean
Randall won the first US Gold Medal in
cross country skiing back in 2018 but
this season was remarkable even by her
High standards the 32-year-old recorded
the most successful season ever for an
American cross country skier which
included her second World Cup overall
title along the way she has added 12
individual race podiums a single season
American record and also won the Tour to
ski a stage race held over nine
days with both glitter and grit Jesse
Diggin continues to make her mark on the
sport of cross country skiing and on the
lives of so many as she shared her
successes on and off the snow hers is
one of many impactful stories of US
Olympic and Par Olympic athletes and
Team USA will debut an allnew brand
campaign next week showcasing the many
powerful stories of the athletes who
make up the collective Team USA
premiering during a time when the power
of athletes voices has never been more
palpable one forall puts Team USA
athletes voices at the center
highlighting their personalities and
extraord orary athletic ability while
gaining a deeper understanding of the
people and communities who helped to
make it all possible learn more at Team
usa.com OFA on Tuesday April 16th but
first here’s an exclusive sneak peek of
what’s to come
[Music]
[Music]
so this is a little earbud that will go
in your left ear okay what are you
hearing music
[Music]
do you know this song this the intro
song the Olympic song that I listened to
when I was 6 years old starting to swim
well the theme song just brings me back
to like childhood like watching the
Olympics I literally think back to when
I was like 10 years old 12 years old and
I’m like oh my God the Olympics are on
and get super excited yeah what do you
feel when you hear something like this
it makes me feel nostalgic a little bit
emotional but I just got really nervous
a little bit like oh crap there’s a lot
of work to be done my hands started
sweating it’s hard to uh not hear this
and feel incredibly terrified and
excited at the same time the Olympic
Games is the biggest stage for all
athletes and we work three years of Our
Lives to get to 20 minutes of an event
into Olympic history it kind of awakes
every nerve my body when I hear this so
get ready for the greatest and scariest
day of your
life it’s a song that instantly drums up
that Olympic excitement and the
anticipation of what’s to come when it’s
played again this summer during the
Paris games now one of the athletes
we’ll see at those games is kite Surfer
Daniela marose her event debuts on the
Olympic sailing program for the very
first time in 2024 and success on the
water seems to run in the
family San Francisco is famous for being
one of the most difficult places to sail
in the
world it’s a really strong and cold wind
you’re flying 25 mph under the Golden
Gate Bridge in the sailing world we say
like if you can sail in San Francisco
you can really sail
anywhere the story of how Daniela marose
came to be at home here on the frigid
Waters of the San Francisco Bay starts
over 40 years ago and nearly 6,000 M
away in former Czechoslovakia a country
where her parents grew up under
communist rule growing up under the
regime I always dreamed about living in
the United States I also knew I I wanted
to leave and experience the freedom that
the Western world was
experiencing in the early 80s Linda and
Vlad separately fled their Homeland by
joining group trips to Yugoslavia from
there Linda hitchhiked to the US Embassy
in Zagreb and later a refugee camp in
Belgrade while Vlad snuck away from a
ski trip a day before the group was set
to return home
it was like the part of former
Yugoslavia when borders with Austria to
the north and Italy to the West I
checked out the possible Escape Route
and it seemed like a little easier for
back country skiing to to go to Italy so
that’s what I ended up doing and it took
me a few hours I pretty much left the
skis on the side of the road and got on
the train we couldn’t wait to get here
and see that we finally made it to the
Free World and
it was just
incredible Vlad and Linda made it to the
United States after separate Journeys
across the world it was their first look
at the bay that would ultimately bring
them together when I saw the bay when I
saw people on the water it was just
another level and I knew that you know I
definitely have to do this my parents
met when they were learning to Wier my
mom was at the beach and she heard some
other Wier for speaking check and it was
this whole group of people that had all
escaped in the 80s and now they were all
wind surfing in the Bay Area from wind
surfing daniela’s father discovered the
emerging sailing discipline of kite as
soon as Daniela was big enough she
followed in his footsteps when I was
getting into racing my dad would always
go out on the race course with me I
still remember the first time I beat my
dad it was definitely a little hard to
swallow but at the same time time I felt
like we should be very proud that you
know she’s doing it and she just went
from there on getting better and
better just 3 years after Daniela
learned to kite at 15 years old she won
her first world championship an
achievement made possible by her parents
who risked everything for a better life
and whose love for the water the wind
and each other has given their daughter
a chance for a Olympic gold wow look at
Fort coin I know big way yeah my parents
inspire me all the time leaving
everything they knew and going to a
completely foreign country Just For
Freedom I am so thankful that we have
this life here that we build that life
here I almost have to pinch myself I
don’t think we ever saw it coming this
way it’s been a team effort and I
definitely wouldn’t be here without them
so a dream that started in
Czechoslovakia and grew in San Francisco
will be realized this summer as marose
represents her parents adopted country
at the Olympics all right coming up I’m
chasing gold Otto Balden offers a gold
medal preview of the sprinting events in
Paris stay with
us Olympic gold medalist Jordan Burrows
is busy training for Olympic trials but
he took some time off the mat to go to
WrestleMania where he met WWE superstars
from alpha Academy backstage was honored
in front of the crowd and you can watch
burrow and other American wrestlers
compete at the US Olympic team trials
later this month with coverage on USA
Network and peacock on April 19th and
20th and next month the WWE will be back
live from Leon France for backlash
streaming live on May 4th exclusively on
peacock now let’s take a look at some of
the highlights we have seen across
Olympic and paralympic sports this
Summer’s Olympic road race and time
trial will cycle through Paris on a
Scenic tour of the city and in the
meantime Americans Mato Jorgenson and
Brandon MCN are proving the French
pavement suits them quite well last
month Jorgenson won Perry n an 8-day
stage race that runs throughout the
heart of France and he was joined on the
podium by mcnully who entered the final
day in the lead and held on for third
the two cyclists grew up racing in the
junior ranks together and became the
first American men to share the podium
at that
race and speaking of American athletes
on the road weightlifter Hampton Morris
made headlines from Thailand earlier
this month when he became the first US
man to break a senior weightlifting
world record since
1969 the 20-year-old from Georgia lifted
388 pounds to break the world record in
the clean and jerk in the 61 kgam weight
class Morris is closing in on an Olympic
spot and could become the youngest
American weightlifter to compete at the
games in more than 20
years in Southern California parat track
and field athletes competed for national
titles and spots on the line for next
month’s World Championships Michigan’s
Jaden Blackwell won both the t38 100 m
and 400 met races establishing himself
as a dual gold medal threat ahead of the
Paris games Tokyo par Olympic gold
medalist Nick Mayu who was reclassified
from the t-37 class to Blackwell’s t38
class after the last par Olympics shared
the podium with Blackwell in both of
those races and Los Angeles native Ezra
frck won three national titles in the
t63 high jump long jump and 100 m
sitting a new career best Mark in the
long
jump it is a promising sign for frck who
told us l last year he is going to walk
away from the Paris games this summer
with three medals setting himself up for
what he calls the Triple Crown at the LA
2028 games in his hometown golden the
high jump long jump and the 100 met and
speaking of track and field we are
welcoming back OT Balden for a preview
of the fastest events on the track in
Paris OT what we’re going to do here is
it’s going to be USA versus the world so
would you take Team USA to win gold in
these events or are you taking every
other country competing at these games
and so we have a number of events we’ll
start with the fast ones the 100 meters
on the women’s side Otto I think that
the drought is over on both the women’s
and the men’s side in the hundred I’m
going to say women shakeri gets it done
so the US goes there and for the men
Noah allows more than any other Sprinter
on Earth he has gone back since the last
Olympics where he got bronze at 200 and
he has worked on his weaknesses no
allows gets it done I think the US fin
finally get back the 100 met gold on
both the men and the women side no us
man has won this event since 2004 as you
know Otto all right let’s move on to the
200 meters 200 is a little different um
on the men’s side Noah has more
competition than he has had in his
entire career because of the presence of
tobogo from batswana because of the
presence of zarnell Hughes of the UK and
that’s before we talk about the
Americans who are very strong in that
event USA is going to win the men’s 200
on the women’s side that’s the world
because sharica Jackson of Jamaica has
not lost in a very long time and I do
not see her losing in Paris in fact the
gap between her and the rest of the
world is quite immense 400 m 400 meter
women if Sydney mclaughin levone had run
in
2023 and I had a better picture of what
I thought she was bringing in 2024 I’d
be a lot more quick to put her there but
in the 400 for women you have Shaunie
Miler webo of the Bahamas what has she
done she’s won the last two and she’s
coming back from a maternity break that
usually means that you get a little bump
in your event I’m going to say world
gets the women’s 400 from Bahamas and
then on the men’s side woo that is wide
open I’m going to say world gets this
too okay world gets the 400 meter men
the US men have been good at times and
other times not so good we move on to
the 800 M the world is gaining some
steam here Otto yeah the world is
pulling a little bit more even but guess
what here comes the United States again
800 meter women a Thing mo lost at the
World Championships last year but it was
sort of a weird year for her I think she
bounces back the American record holder
a Thing mo wins the gold which would
make her a back-to-back Champion 800
meter women USA 800 meter men the United
States men have been notoriously
struggling over the last couple of years
even though they did get the world
indoor title this year so I’m going to
go World here for 800 meter men so as
you can see tied up four to four Kenyon
athletes have won the last four in the
800 meters on the men’s side no us man
has won that event since 1972 so let’s
get in to the 110 meter hurdles the
hurdle events now Otto this is probably
the hardest event both on the men’s side
and the women’s side to pick because
particularly on the women’s side every
year it’s like a carousel it’s like oh
you get a gold medal you get a gold
medal you get a gold medal I think the
women on the hurdles in Paris give it to
the world that’s the world okay that’s
the world but on the men’s side Grant
Holloway of the United States who is now
three-time world champion two things
missing from his resume world record and
Olympic gold I think he takes care of
the Olympic gold medal in Paris give the
110 eyes to Grand hallay and the USA all
right the 100 meter hurdles here for the
women their last us goal 2016 part of a
sweep in Rio back then if you remember
that so what do we have right now 1 two
3 four five versus five it all comes
down to the 400 meter hurdles oh boy if
Sydney mclaughin levrone is going to run
the 400 meter hurdles I would put the
USA to win that event but I don’t think
she is I think she’s done everything she
could possibly do in that event she’s
world champion she’s Olympic champion
and she has what two or three of the
best times ever and of course the world
record I think that FEMA B of the
Netherlands wins the women’s 400 meter
hurdles in Paris so put that for the
world but on the men’s
side I think Ry Benjamin who has been
silver in the Olympics silver at Worlds
bronze at Worlds I think it’s going to
be ry’s year give the United States and
Ry Benjamin the 400 meter goal which
means 1 2 3 4 5 6 6 to six that’s why we
love track and field everybody has a
shot what’s the tie breaker here I guess
we got to figure that out but we’re
going to take you know the tiebreaker is
the relays yeah there you go there you
go that’ll break the tie and if this
comes completely true then we’ve got to
hit you up for lotto numbers or
something here so take a picture mental
note of that everyone out there outo Bal
thank you so much thank you we’re back
in a moment to wrap things up on chasing
gold
with this Summer’s Olympics and Par
Olympics quickly approaching the roster
of Team USA continues to take shape as
athletes punch their tickets to Paris
the men’s 3×3 basketball team has been
named Canyon Barry Jimmer fet Kareem
Maddox and Dylan Travis will make up the
first men’s 3×3 team to compete at the
Olympics for Team USA the men’s and
women’s wheelchair basketball rosters
have also been selected highlighted by
Steve Serio and Natalie Schneider who
will make their fifth par Olympic
appearances in
Paris 2023 beach volleyball world
champions Kelly Chang and Sarah Hughes
have mathematically clinched their spots
to Paris and so have Taran cloth and
Kristen nus former teammates at LSU
Tokyo gold medalist Nevin Harrison the
first US woman to win Olympic canoe or
kayak gold has qualified for Paris with
a chance to defend her title there at
the same team trials it was Blake Haxton
and Jillian Elward qualifying in peric
canoe Roland gal is the site of the
Olympic tennis competition this summer
and Coco golf is the first US tennis
player to be named to that roster she’s
already proven her prowess on the red
clay with finals appearances in both
singles and doubles at the French Open
you can follow all the team roster
announcements all you got to do is go to
nbcsports.com
Olympics now those athletes will join
the group of Americans in Paris this
summer coming from all corners of the
country and ready to represent Team USA
at the game now let’s take a look at
what’s on tap in Olympic sports in the
coming weeks we got track and Fields
Global circuit kicking off in China next
month action on the track continues with
the LA Grand Prix and the country’s best
gymnasts will compete at the core
hydration classic Olympic team trials
also kick off this month as we mentioned
it starts with wrestling and it’s a Full
Slate of action in June with Olympic and
Par Olympic trials spots on Team USA
will be decided there as well it has
been a pleasure being with you today on
chasing gold now while this is our last
episode before the Paris games there’s
plenty of Olympic and Par Olympic action
ahead in the coming months we thank you
for being with us as we share the
stories of the athletes on this show and
we couldn’t be more excited to see what
happens in Paris I’m Ahmed fared saying
so long for now
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