“Every day you go through these mental battles — how do I keep going? You’re in a sport where you don’t just leave college and start making a million dollars. You just got to build yourself, almost by yourself.”

My guest for today’s episode is Sam Blaskowski. Not a ton of you probably knew his name before this weekend. At the Music City Track Carnival in Cleveland, Tennessee last Saturday, he ran 9.89 seconds in the 100m: a wind-legal personal best that shaved 0.16 off his previous mark of 10.05, making him the fastest American of 2026 so far, and putting him at number two in the world this season. He skipped the 9.90s entirely.

Sam is 23 years old. He grew up in Wisconsin, went to the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse — a Division III program where his grandparents live a mile from the stadium and both his parents went to school — and graduated without ever contemplating leaving for a Division I program. He has 11 individual NCAA D3 titles. He spent the off-season working at a small regional airport to save money for his move to Florida, where he now trains with Star Athletics under Dennis Mitchell alongside Kenny Bednarek, Sha’Carri Richardson, and Melissa Jefferson-Wooden. This is his first season with the group.

The headline that took over the internet is that he is now the fastest white man in history, breaking Christophe Lemaître’s 9.92 from 2011. Sam’s own take on what he’d rather people focus on: he’s number two in the world right now. That’s the story he wants told.

In this conversation, recorded just 48 hours after the race, Sam walks us through the full arc: the soccer and swimming background, YMCA YouTube tutorials during COVID, and the steady year-over-year drops from 10.29 to 10.13 to 10.09 to 10.05 to 9.89. We also get into what his college coach Matt Gordy unlocked in him and what Star Athletics has done to fix the back half of his race.

____________

Host: Chris Chavez | ⁠⁠@chris_j_chavez

Guest: Sam Blaskowski | @samblaskowski

Produced by: Jasmine Fehr | ⁠⁠⁠@jasminefehr

____________

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS

XENDURANCE: When you finish a hard workout, the work isn't actually done. That's when recovery starts. Xendurance Protein is designed specifically to help your body recover, rebuild, and get stronger after training. It combines four different types of protein, so your body gets both fast absorbing protein for immediate recovery and slower release protein to support muscle repair over time. ⁠⁠Check it out at Xendurance.com and use code CITIUS for 25% off your first order.

VELOUS: VELOUS makes recovery footwear designed to help runners bounce back faster between sessions. Their sandals feature Tri-Motion™ Technology: a technical three-density foam system and contoured footbed engineered to cushion impact, support your arches, and help your toes stretch and relax on every step. They keep your feet and legs properly aligned after you put in all of those weekly miles. Run. Recover. Repeat. with VELOUS! Get 20% off your VELOUS order with code CITIUSMAG20 at checkout including FREE Shipping!

OLIPOP: Raspberry Sherbet is a limited-edition, nostalgic new flavor that blends tangy raspberry with creamy vanilla. Every can of Olipop contains their Olismart blend, which includes ingredients designed to support digestive health and help feed your gut microbiome. If you haven't had tried Olipop yet, grab a can and see what the hype is all about!⁠⁠ Head to DrinkOlipop.com and use code CITIUS25 at checkout to get 25% off your orders.⁠⁠