CITIUS MAG

Making it easier (& way more fun) to be a track and field fan. Stories and commentary about your favorite sport.

[Chris Chavez @ChrisChavez]

The CITIUS MAG Way Too Early 2028 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials Power Rankings ⬇️

https://t.co/SO4f9YSYiQ

[Chris Chavez @ChrisChavez]

Who takes the top U.S. marathoner spot in our rankings: Conner Mantz or Zouhair Talbi? 👊

🗣️ Rory's argument for the American record holder:
“I only lean Conner because I think Conner’s 2025 campaign is better than Zouhair’s 2026, and I’m not letting recency bias cloud me.”

🗣️ My argument for this year’s Top American in Boston and New York:
“Zouhair double Top American and winning the head-to-head in New York, and then Clayton Young maybe with the second-best performance of the year with one hamstring, those kinds of things factor into dropping off Conner.”

Who do you all think is No. 1 and how does Young fit into the picture? ⬇️

[David M @davidmellyruns]

Working out at 9am versus 7am on a Wednesday is such a cheat code that I’m genuinely gaslighting myself into being like “the only difference between me and Grant Fisher is two hours of sleep”

[CITIUS MAG @CitiusMag]

Statistically Shooting Above PAR

"Track’s advance metrics might measure how often, and by how much, an athlete finishes in the top half of a field. Noah Lyles rarely finishes off the podium, which suggests he’s far more valuable than a replacement in almost any field.

But saying Noah Lyles is valuable is neither bold nor controversial. We need a predictive statistic that tells us who might be good later, not just who is good now—that’ll give us something new to argue over!

Enter PAR, or Performance Against Ranking."

📫 Read more via @TheLapCount: https://t.co/az4XqBOSws

[Chris Chavez @ChrisChavez]

🇺🇸 500 days until the 2028 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials in St. Louis!

Here’s a look at our Too Early Power Rankings of the top contenders as the road to LA28 continues.

https://t.co/IFav0jAv7J

[Owen Corbett @slowencorbett02]

Elite listen. @ThePapaLinks is the perfect guy for this knowing everyone so well but not competing for a spot

Working on my own list but overwhelming takeaway is how different it'll be from 2024

Of the 31 names that made their cut here only 12 raced in Orlando

Very exciting 👀

[CITIUS MAG @CitiusMag]

FINALISTS NAMED FOR WORLD ATHLETE OF THE YEAR 🌎

World Athletics has announced its three finalists for Female Athlete of the Year, selected from a list of ten nominees using a combination of fan, athlete, and media voting.

How the finalists’ resumes stack up ⬇️
🇺🇸 @Melissajanae21 - No. 3 all-time over 200m, 100m world lead, two-time World Ultimate champion
🇨🇭 Audrey Werro - No. 3 all-time over 800m, fastest run in 43 years, 12-0 in outdoor 800m finals, World Ultimate champion, European Champion, Diamond League champion, World Indoor silver medalist
🇺🇸 @masai_russell - 100mH world record, 12-0 over the hurdles this year, 9 sub-12.3 runs, World Ultimate champion, Diamond League champion

The remaining semifinalist finished in the following order:
4. Tigst Assefa 🇪🇹
5. Marileidy Paulino 🇩🇴
6. Agnes Ngetich 🇰🇪
7. Chase Jackson 🇺🇸
8. Yan Ziyi 🇨🇳
9. María Pérez 🇪🇸
10. Camryn Rogers 🇨🇦

The winner will be announced on November 29th at World Athletics’s annual award ceremony in Monaco.

Who’s your pick??

[CITIUS MAG @CitiusMag]

🇺🇸 THE TOO-EARLY 2028 U.S. OLYMPIC MARATHON TRIALS WOMEN’S POWER RANKINGS ARE HERE! 📈📉

The fall marathon season has completely reshaped the American women’s marathon landscape. Breakout performances, historic debuts, major injuries and some serious shakeups at the top have made the road to the 2028 Olympic Trials in St. Louis more intriguing than ever.

👀 Some of the biggest storylines:

👑 Jess McClain takes over the No. 1 spot after a remarkable year that included a 2:20:49 in Boston and a thrilling runner-up finish in New York. She's making a strong case as America's best marathoner right now.

🚀 Emma Grace Hurley makes the BIGGEST jump, climbing eight spots to No. 2 after running 2:20:47 in Chicago — the fastest marathon debut ever by an American woman.

🔥 Weini Kelati holds steady at No. 3 after an impressive 2:26:51 debut in New York, showing she can hang with some of the world's best.

📈 Dakotah Popehn continues to prove she's one of America's most consistent championship racers, moving up to No. 4.

📉 Injuries have shaken up the rankings, with former No. 1 Fiona O'Keeffe dropping to No. 7 following hamstring surgery. But don't forget: She won the 2024 Olympic Trials in her marathon debut.

👶 Emma Bates and Emily Sisson remain in our top 15 as they navigate motherhood and their respective returns to racing.

For this edition, we teamed up with Rory Linkletter of the Out & Back Podcast for a special crossover episode to debate the rankings, make our cases and try to figure out who has the best shot at making the team in 2028.

We had a hard enough time agreeing on 15. Good luck picking three.

🎧 Hear the full breakdown on The CITIUS MAG Podcast, available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, with the video version on the CITIUS MAG YouTube channel.

APPLE PODCASTS: https://t.co/b025voBYYz

SPOTIFY: https://t.co/st121rXdcs

YOUTUBE: https://t.co/lRnOPW9FU1

💬 Who's ranked too high? Who's too low? And who's your early pick to make the Olympic team?

💻 Read it here: https://t.co/TECVTBjUA4

[CITIUS MAG @CitiusMag]

🇺🇸 THE TOO-EARLY 2028 U.S. OLYMPIC MARATHON TRIALS POWER RANKINGS ARE BACK! 📈📉

The fall marathon season has delivered some BIG shakeups. New faces have emerged, veterans have reminded us they’re not going anywhere and the race for just three spots on the U.S. Olympic team is looking more competitive than ever.

With the World Marathon Majors in the books, we’re updating our rankings of the top 15 American men heading toward the 2028 Olympic Trials in St. Louis.

👀 Some of the biggest storylines:

📈 Zouhair Talbi takes over the No. 1 spot after a remarkable year that included a Houston victory and top American honors in Boston and New York.

🔥 Clayton Young climbs to No. 2 after running 2:05:23 in Chicago, while Conner Mantz slides to No. 3 following an injury-disrupted season.

👴 Galen Rupp is BACK in the conversation after clocking 2:06:55 in Chicago at 40 years old.

🚀 Vincent Mauri, Ahmed Muhumed and Aidan Troutner are among the newcomers shaking up the rankings.

For this edition, we teamed up with Rory Linkletter of the Out & Back Podcast for a special crossover episode to debate the rankings, make our cases and try to figure out who has the best shot at making the team in 2028.

We had a hard enough time agreeing on 15. Good luck picking three.

🎧 Hear the full breakdown on The CITIUS MAG Podcast, available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, with the video version on the CITIUS MAG YouTube channel.

APPLE PODCASTS: https://t.co/b025voBYYz

SPOTIFY: https://t.co/st121rXdcs

YOUTUBE: https://t.co/lRnOPW9FU1

💬 Who's ranked too high? Who's too low? And who's your early pick to make the Olympic team?

💻 Read it here: https://t.co/TECVTBjUA4

[CITIUS MAG @CitiusMag]

🔴 Who Makes The 2028 U.S. Olympic Marathon Team? | Our Too Early Power Rankings

https://t.co/YZY5BkJzuT

[CITIUS MAG @CitiusMag]

🇺🇸 CITIUS MAG's Too Early U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials Power Rankings will be released in tomorrow morning's @TheLapCount Newsletter. 📊

► Subscribe here to get it in your inbox: https://t.co/dIvwD7XOxq

We will also release a podcast episode explaining our rankings with a special crossover with @ThePapaLinks of The Out & Back Podcast. 🎙️

Available on The CITIUS MAG Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and The CITIUS MAG YouTube channel tomorrow.

[CITIUS MAG @CitiusMag]

The LA28 Olympic standards are out, and making the Games has never been harder. But it’s not because of the times 👀

[Alex Predhome, Completely Secure Person @Predamame]

Man goes to doctor. Says he's upset. Hard to understand the 10k qualification process.

Doctor says, "Treatment is simple. Chris Chavez. Go and see him. He will help you calculate who qualifies in the 10k."

Man bursts into tears. Says, "But doctor...I am Chris Chavez.”

[CITIUS MAG @CitiusMag]

FINALISTS NAMED FOR WORLD ATHLETE OF THE YEAR 🌎

World Athletics has announced its three finalists for Male Athlete of the Year, selected from a list of ten nominees using a combination of fan, athlete, and media voting.

🇧🇷 Alison dos Santos: 400m hurdles world record, World Ultimate champion, and Diamond League final winner.

🇸🇪 Mondo Duplantis: pole vault world record, World Indoor, and World Ultimate champion.

🇰🇪 Sabastian Sawe: London Marathon champion in a world-record 1:59:30, the first record-eligible sub-two-hour marathon in history.

The winner will be announced on November 29th at World Athletics’s annual award ceremony in Monaco.

Who’s your pick?? 🤔

[CITIUS MAG @CitiusMag]

🔴 Jake Heyward On Haglund's Surgery, Self-Coaching, And His Incredible 2026 Comeback

https://t.co/xiQitDFoIt

[David M @davidmellyruns]

Chris Chavez when the words “10,000m” and “world ranking” enter the same sentence

[CITIUS MAG @CitiusMag]

What a difference four years can make 👀

Olympic qualifying standards got significantly faster across the board in the distance events between the Paris and Los Angeles Games. These shifts are partially due to a changing qualification system that puts an emphasized importance on qualifying through world rankings rather than the standard, but it also boils down to people just getting significantly faster.

Athletes that got under the 2024 standard this year vs. the 2028 standard:
- Men’s 800m: 72 under 1:44.70, 10 under 1:43.00
- Women’s 800m: 69 under 1:59.30, 12 under 1:57.00
- Men’s 1500m: 70 under 3:33.50, 5 under 3:30.00
- Women’s 1500m: 51 under 4:02.50, 13 under 3:57.50
- Men’s 3000mSC: 27 under 8:15.00, 9 under 8:07.50
- Women’s 3000mSC: 32 under 9:23.00, 8 under 9:06.00
- Men’s 5000m: 41 under 13:05.00, 10 under 12:50.00
- Women’s 5000m: 47 under 14:52.00, 14 under 14:34.00
- Men’s 10,000m: 2 under 27:00.00, 0 under 26:48.00
- Women’s 10,000m: 4 under 30:40.00, 1 under 30:30.00
- Men’s Marathon: 236 under 2:08:10, 46 under 2:05:00
- Women’s Marathon: 222 under 2:26:50, 75 under 2:22:20

For the marathon, finishing inside the Top 5 at a Platinum Label race serves as a qualifying performance, regardless of the time.

World Athletics expects 40% of the field to be filled by athletes that achieve the standard, with the other 60% determined by world rankings.

[Chris Chavez @ChrisChavez]

As expected, every single running standard on this list got faster from Paris 2024 to LA 2028. 😮‍💨

MEN’S TRACK EVENTS
100m | 10.00 → 9.93 (0.07 faster)
200m | 20.16 → 19.95 (0.21 faster)
400m | 45.00 → 44.40 (0.60 faster)
800m | 1:44.70 → 1:43.00 (1.70 faster)
1500m | 3:33.50 → 3:30.00 (3.50 faster)
5000m | 13:05 → 12:50 (15 seconds faster)
10,000m | 27:00 → 26:48 (12 seconds faster)
110m hurdles | 13.27 → 13.18 (0.09 faster)
400m hurdles | 48.70 → 48.00 (0.70 faster)
3000m steeplechase | 8:15.00 → 8:07.50 (7.50 faster)
Marathon | 2:08:10 → 2:05:00 (3:10 faster)

WOMEN’S TRACK EVENTS
100m | 11.17 → 10.96 (0.21 faster)
200m | 22.57 → 22.25 (0.32 faster)
400m | 50.95 → 49.90 (1.05 faster)
800m | 1:59.30 → 1:57.00 (2.30 faster)
1500m | 4:02.50 → 3:57.50 (5 seconds faster)
5000m | 14:52 → 14:34 (18 seconds faster)
10,000m | 30:40 → 30:30 (10 seconds faster)
100m hurdles | 12.77 → 12.58 (0.19 faster)
400m hurdles | 54.85 → 54.00 (0.85 faster)
3000m steeplechase | 9:23.00 → 9:06.00 (17 seconds faster)
Marathon | 2:26:50 → 2:22:20 (4:30 faster)

#LA2028

[CITIUS MAG @CitiusMag]

2028 LOS ANGELES OLYMPIC QUALIFYING STANDARDS HAVE ARRIVED! 🇺🇸

World Athletics has announced the qualification system for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games. The framework features the same anticipated qualification split of 40% of athletes by standard and 60% by world rankings that we’ll see for next year’s World Championships in Beijing.

The qualification windows are as follows:
- Marathon: Nov. 1, 2026 - Apr. 30, 2028
- 10,000m, Combined Events, Race Walk and Relays: Dec. 19, 2026 - June 18, 2028
- All other events: June 19, 2027 - June 18, 2028

Two important qualification caveats for the marathon specifically:
- Finishing inside the Top 5 at a Platinum Label race counts as a qualifying performance, regardless of time.
- Federations can reallocate a position in the quota to an unqualified athlete of their choosing that has run faster than 2:11:00 for men or 2:29:00 for women.

Qualifying spots in the relays will largely be determined by the 2028 World Relays, held in The Bahamas that April.

For the Olympics, there are no pathways to qualification through wild cards in the same way there are for World Championships.

[CITIUS MAG @CitiusMag]

What can’t he win⁉️

Habtom Samuel 🇪🇷 wins his fourth straight road race since turning pro at the 2026 Boston Half, taking control in the back half of the rolling course to claim the victory in 59:49 and knock 45 seconds off Lelisa Desisa’s course record from 2013.

Since August, Samuel has claimed wins all over the U.S. circuit: Beach to Beacon, Falmouth, the Abbott Dash to the Finish 5k, and now the Boston Half.