Thursday morning brought my first volunteer shift as a Press Assistant in Media Operations. While it involved a bit of general housekeeping in the Media Center and Press Tribune, it also offered some unique behind the scenes opportunities of Hayward. With no morning session scheduled, the press had the chance to run 800m on the track during the Media Race, so I also got to assist with check-in for their event.
We all got to attend a bonus session later that day thanks to complimentary tickets that I was able to take advantage of as a volunteer. The evening session for Day 7 included the following events:
| TIME | SEX | EVENT | ROUND |
|---|---|---|---|
| 17:05 | M | Javelin Throw | Qualification – Group A |
| 17:10 | W | 800 Metres | Heats |
| 18:10 | M | 5000 Metres | Heats |
| 18:20 | M | Triple Jump | Qualification |
| 18:35 | M | Javelin Throw | Qualification – Group B |
| 19:00 | M | 800 Metres | Semi-Final |
| 19:35 | W | 200 Metres | Final |
| 19:50 | M | 200 Metres | Final |
Highlights included: Olympic champion Athing Mu, Olympic silver medalist Keely Hodgkinson, and bronze medalist Raevyn Rogers all won their respective heats, advancing through the first round of the women’s 800m heats; U.S. men had a mixed performance in the 5k with Grant Fisher and Abdihamid Nur advancing to the final, while Woody Kincaid valiantly continued on after a fall and passed several runners with his notorious kick in the final lap coming up just short of advancing on time; It wasn’t the Jamaican sweep that was expected on the women’s side of the 200m with Shericka Jackson setting a new Championships record and national record of 21.45 to take gold and fellow countrywoman Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce earning silver (U.S. athlete Abby Steiner took 5th); The U.S. men swept the 200m in the final event of the night, with defending champion Noah Lyles running an American record of 19.31 to retain his title (breaking Michael Johnson’s American record from the 1996 Atlanta Olympics in Atlanta) – Kenny Bednarek and 18-year-old Erriyon Knighton rounded out the podium. What a way to close out the evening session!
Continued…