Dispatch From World Relays: Team USA Coaches Mechelle Lewis-Freeman And Mike Marsh On How Relay Teams Are Picked, Team Chemistry Is Built
The CITIUS MAG Podcast | A Running + Track and Field Show
CITIUS MAG
4.9 • 1.9K Ratings
🗓️ 4 May 2024
⏱️ 24 minutes
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Summary
"It's always good to get athlete feedback. You want athletes to feel confident when they step on the track so that they can execute the demands of where they're placed. So it’s two-way communication. An athlete tells me, I feel good at this leg, but the good thing about it is that their performance can speak for itself. So, I'm an objective person when it comes to that. If they feel great about a certain leg, if they're executing it, it should correlate."
Anderson Emerole reports from Nassau, Bahamas where he is covering the 2024 World Relays. Back in Thomas Robinson Stadium for the first time since 2017, this year's meet features a trimmed-down schedule focused on sprints action. The only races contested will be the 4x100m and 4x400m for men and women, as well as the mixed 4x400m. Despite the slim selection of events, there will still be plenty of stars out to play in the third of four global championship events this year.
We had a chance to chat with Team USA's coaches Mechelle Lewis-Freeman and Mike Marsh on a series of wide-ranging topics pertaining to this weekend's races, the team's selection process, how top stars find a way to build chemistry and practice together + hopes and expectations for the Paris Olympics.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | What's up everyone? Anderson-Mro here and I'm at the 2024 World Athletic Relays in |
| 0:04.7 | Nassau, Bahamas. And this is a very, very special meet as it's not only a |
| 0:08.8 | world relays, but even more importantly, this meet is being used as a qualifier for the Olympic Games where countries |
| 0:14.8 | will be able to get their spot in the 4 by 1, 4 by 4, and the mixed relay in Paris later on this summer. |
| 0:20.4 | Now the United States has always been on top for the most part when talking about the relays |
| 0:24.4 | But we of course know there's been ups and down specifically on the four by ones |
| 0:28.7 | So while I was here I thought it'd be a perfect opportunity to go behind the scenes and get some insight into |
| 0:33.7 | how the USA Relays work both on the men's and the women's side. |
| 0:37.0 | I got a chance to speak with Michelle Lewis Freeman, head coach for the USA Women's Relays, |
| 0:40.7 | as well as Mike Marsh, head coach for the U.S. men's relays. |
| 0:43.8 | And they gave me a lot of insight into how they make decisions about what they're doing in practice, |
| 0:48.8 | how athletes actually get selected for the relays, which athletes will be running which legs, |
| 0:53.1 | and ultimately how things come together |
| 0:55.2 | to get to the Olympic Games |
| 0:56.4 | as well as the World Championships. |
| 0:57.9 | They also both spoke about the potential for the USA, |
| 1:00.8 | women as well as men, to break the world record. |
| 1:03.4 | So let's first dive in with Michelle Lewis Freeman, |
| 1:05.5 | head coach of the U.S. Women's Relay. |
| 1:07.7 | All right, so we're here in the Bahamas |
| 1:09.4 | with Coach Michelle Lewis Freeman, |
| 1:11.0 | head coach of the women's relays for USA. |
... |
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