World Athletics Inside Track Podcast - WRE Bahamas 24 recap
In the latest episode of the World Athletics Inside Track Podcast, released today (6 May), Olympic 200m champion Andre De Grasse and leading content creators Daniel LaBelle and Charles Brockman III join hosts Sanya Richards-Ross and Kelly Sotherton to recap the World Athletics Relays Bahamas 24.
After some behind-the-scenes interviews with athletes in the warm up area as they prepared for the second day of competition on Sunday, Sotherton shared her standout moment from day two in Nassau.
“My highlight was The Bahamas, up against Jamaica in the mixed relay in the repechage, and the crowd was crazy,” she said. “That just set the scene for the whole evening.”
De Grasse was among the athletes in action and he helped Canada to second place in the men’s 4x100m final.
With Canada’s Olympic relay place now secured, he is also hoping to run the 100m and 200m in Paris.
“That’s the plan. I want to run both and get back on the podium in the 100m and 200m,” he said. “I’ve been training really hard, and I’m looking forward to it. Every day is a new challenge, as you step on the track you find different motivations every single day. I’m excited to defend my title in the 200m and try to contend for a 100m title as well.”
LaBelle is a titan of content creation, boasting a huge audience of 70 million across YouTube, TikTok and Instagram.
Among the events to catch his eye in Nassau was the mixed 4x400m.
“The mixed relays are fascinating to me,” he said. “I really enjoyed watching that and the different strategy that goes along with it. Back when I used to run in high school and college, they didn’t have that, so that’s been really fun for me to watch, especially live.”
After sharing insight into his content career, he was asked for his ideas on how to make athletics more creative.
“It would be so cool if at the start of each meet they had a fun, silly race but with serious competitors where they are all wearing mascot costumes,” he replied. “Who wouldn’t want to watch that?”
Brockman is a former collegiate athlete turned influencer who’s famous for his comedy skits and impersonations. In The Bahamas, he was the official behind-the-scenes reporter for the World Athletics Instagram page.
“It’s very full circle that I can be here, not running, when years ago I thought I would be running in these Olympic Games or at the World Championships,” he said. “It’s really humbling and exciting, so I always would love to give back to the sport and be that newer face that can bridge comedy and track.”
This is the third in a series of World Athletics Inside Track Podcast episodes from Nassau, all available via the usual podcast platforms – including on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and the Sport Social Podcast Network – while fans can also watch the show on the World Athletics website.
With an evolving presenter line-up, the podcast will return later in the year, as an all-star cast will provide a preview to the events at the Olympic Games in Paris.
Find it all on Inside Track.