TOKYO (AP) — There will be no preening, no posturing, no “To Di World” poses or post-race celebrations that are better than the sprints themselves. No sneering or flexing at the starting line, either.
The man positioned to take over the sprint game in the post-Usain Bolt world is Trayvon Bromell, a 26-year-old American who is as unassuming as he is fast. He’s ratcheting things down in track and field after a decade-long fiesta during which the sport stayed relevant on the strength of Bolt’s larger-than-life personality.
“I work as if I’m not being talked about,” Bromell said. “And I think that’s why I’m able to do the things I’m capable of doing. Because I have a humble, humble spirit.”
He insists he remains that way even though, by almost every measure, he is the favorite in what has long been considered the marquee race of the Olympics — the men’s 100 meters, which culminates with the gold-medal race Sunday.
The numbers this year say so: Bromell won U.S. Olympic trials and also has the top time of 2021, at 9.77 seconds. Sports books say so: They list him as the even-money favorite, with American teammate Ronnie Baker next at 4-1. Even Bolt says so: “Bromell is showing great promise,” the three-time Olympic champion said recently when asked for his pick to supplant him as the gold medalist.
Bromell insists he listens to none of it.
“I’ve always been the person who has put myself as the underdog,” he said.
His humble spirit could very well be a product of all he’s had to overcome. Growing up poor in St. Petersburg, Florida, Bromell was fast ever since he can remember. Injuries plagued him through his teens, but his bursts of speed still broke through.
In 2014, he tied, then later broke, the under-20 world record in the 100 meters (9.97) while running for Baylor University.
By the time the 2016 Olympic cycle hit, he was expected to test Bolt. But the chance to run pain-free never materialized. He squeaked into the 100-meter final in Rio de Janeiro, but finished last — a mere footnote to the party that surrounded Bolt’s third straight gold. He was part of a U.S. relay team that got disqualified and, so, is still seeking an Olympic medal.
Shortly after returning home from the disappointments in Brazil, Bromell had a bone spur removed from his foot.
“When we’re kids, we think we’re unstoppable and unbreakable, like we can do anything,” Bromell said. “In that moment, I realized how human I was.”
Overcoming the injuries took the better part of four years. Bromell raced only lightly in 2017 and 2019, and when the coronavirus pandemic hit, he was still far from 100%. He ran a 9.90 in the midst of the pandemic in July 2020 — a time that made it look like things were back on track.
“It was bad-bad. It took literally like seven days a week of practice” to reach that point, Bromell said. “This is why I talk to kids, and adults, and tell them about the word ‘sacrifice.’ What are you willing to sacrifice to be where you want to be?”
Bromell spends time helping out young kids in disadvantaged neighborhoods. He’s a product of a poor family, and memories of his mother working hard to keep the lights on at home fuel much of his passion. He donated $10,000 for kids to use toward college. He awarded the prizes based on essays.
“Some people still in the streets who I know, they look at me and say, ‘Hey Trayvon, you made it out, you’re entwined with a blueprint that still gives us hope and makes us see that we can still be in a different light,’” Bromell said. “That’s why I take what I do as an athlete so passionately, because there’s someone out there that needs to hear this.”
All this might help explain why there isn’t much of a show when Bromell is introduced at most track meets — no shadow boxing, or snarling, or playing to the cameras, the way Bolt, and some of the sprinters before his time, might have done.
Bromell has kept the celebrations to a minimum when he wins, too. Bolt announced his presence in Beijing in 2008, when he broke his own world record even though he was celebrating with his arms out to his side before he’d even crossed the line.
It was that sort of showmanship — like the “To Di World” pose he celebrates with by pretending to draw back a bow and arrow — that set the template for the subsequent decade in track and field. Since Bolt retired in 2017, questions remain about who, exactly, can step in and make this sport exciting again.
“Nobody is immediately going to step into Bolt’s shoes,” Sebastian Coe, the president of World Athletics, said in an interview this week.
Somebody will, however, step onto the top of the podium — the spot Bolt has owned for the last three Olympics. True to form, Bromell refuses to dwell on the prospect that it might be him.
“I’m never going into a race thinking, ‘Oh, I’ve got it in the bag,’” Bromell said. “I give every athlete their respect because they put in the work as well. But I know the thing that separates me is that I really don’t care too much about the limelight.”
___
More AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2020-tokyo-olympics and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
TORONTO – Reigning PWHL MVP and scoring champ Natalie Spooner will miss the start of the regular season for the Toronto Sceptres, general manager Gina Kingsbury announced Tuesday on the first day of training camp.
The 33-year-old Spooner had knee surgery on her left anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) after she was checked into the boards by Minnesota’s Grace Zumwinkle in Game 3 of their best-of-five semifinal series on May 13.
She had a goal and an assist in three playoff games but did not finish the series. Toronto was up 2-1 in the semifinal at that time and eventually fell 3-2 in the series.
Spooner led the PWHL with 27 points in 24 games. Her 20 goals, including five game-winners, were nine more than the closest skater.
Kingsbury said there is no timeline, as the team wants the Toronto native at 100 per cent, but added that “she is doing really well” in her recovery.
The Sceptres open the PWHL season on Nov. 30 when they host the Boston Fleet.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 12, 2024.
LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — A top official of the Pakistan Cricket Board declined Friday to confirm media reports that India has decided against playing any games in host Pakistan during next year’s Champions Trophy.
“My view is if there’s any problems, they (India) should tell us in writing,” PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi told reporters in Lahore. “I’ll share that with the media as well as with the government as soon as I get such a letter.”
Indian media reported Friday that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has communicated its concerns to all the Champions Trophy stakeholders, including the PCB, over the Feb. 19-March 9 tournament and would not play in arch-rival Pakistan.
The Times of India said that “Dubai is a strong candidate to host the fixtures involving the Men in Blue” for the 50-over tournament.
Such a solution would see Pakistan having to travel to a neutral venue to play India in a group match, with another potential meeting later in the tournament if both teams advanced from their group. The final is scheduled for March 9 in Pakistan with the specific venue not yet decided.
“Our stance is clear,” Naqvi said. “They need to give us in writing any objections they may have. Until now, no discussion of the hybrid model has happened, nor are we prepared to accept one.”
Political tensions have stopped bilateral cricket between the two nations since 2008 and they have competed in only multi-nation tournaments, including ICC World Cups.
“Cricket should be free of politics,” Naqvi said. “Any sport should not be entangled with politics. Our preparations for the Champions Trophy will continue unabated, and this will be a successful event.”
The PCB has already spent millions of dollars on the upgrade of stadiums in Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi which are due to host 15 Champions Trophy games. Naqvi hoped all the three stadiums will be ready over the next two months.
“Almost every country wants the Champions Trophy to be played here (in Pakistan),” Naqvi said. “I don’t think anyone should make this a political matter, and I don’t expect they will. I expect the tournament will be held at the home of the official hosts.”
Eight countries – Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, England, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and Afghanistan – are due to compete in the tournament, the schedule of which is yet to be announced by the International Cricket Council.
“Normally the ICC announces the schedule of any major tournament 100 days before the event, and I hope they will announce it very soon,” Naqvi said.
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Ottawa‘s Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe of New Zealand are through to the doubles final at the WTA Finals after a 7-6 (7), 6-1 victory over Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the United States and Australia’s Ellen Perez in semifinal action Friday.
Dabrowski and Routliffe won a hard-fought first set against serve when Routliffe’s quick reaction at the net to defend a Perez shot gave the duo set point, causing Perez to throw down her racket in frustration.
The second seeds then cruised through the second set, winning match point on serve when Melichar-Martinez couldn’t handle Routliffe’s shot.
The showdown was a rematch of last year’s semifinal, which Melichar-Martinez and Perez won in a super tiebreak.
Dabrowski and Routliffe will face the winner of a match between Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend, and Hao-Ching Chan and Veronika Kudermetova in the final on Saturday.
Dabrowski is aiming to become the first Canadian to win a WTA Finals title.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.
