The Final Leg

Today we discuss World Athletics' announcement of the entry standards and qualification process for the 2027 World Championships in Beijing, and preview the Rabat Diamond League going down this weekend in Morocco. 

2027 World Champs Qualifying Process: https://worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-championships/beijing27/news/press-releases/qualification-system-world-athletics-championships-beijing-27

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📱Twitter: https://x.com/EmeroleAnderson

🎥 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheFinalLeg

📱Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/atkoeme/

🎧⁠Subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts

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Chapters:

00:00 Intro

11:30 Rabat Diamond League Preview

29:25 2027 World Championship Standards

1:02:20 Responding to Comments

In today’s conversation we’re joined by Patrick Johnson of Australia. Patrick is currently the Australian 100m record holder, and the first person from Oceania to break the 10 second barrier, having run 9.93 seconds back in 2003.His record still stands to this day over 20 years later, but has reentered the conversation as Australia enters a new golden age of sprinting with young athletes like Gout Gout, Lachlan Kennedy, Eddie Nketia and others all running fast times and coming close to finally taking it down.

In our conversation, we do a full breakdown of Patrick’s 9.93 100m record race, including his mindset entering the year and exactly how he approached the race. We also discuss the current landscape of sprinting in Australia including the likes of Gout Gout, Lachlan Kennedy and Torrie Lewis, as well his thoughts around why Australia has seen such a rise in talent in recent years. Patrick also explains how he got into track & field in his early 20s and his experience competing against legends from Carl Lewis and Frankie Fredericks, to Maurice Greene and Usain Bolt.

We also breakdown the 200m final at the 2005 World Championships where he finished 6th place. Finally, Patrick talks about the pressure of competing at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, and what this next generation Australian athletes might expect as they prepare for the 2032 Games in Brisbane.

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📱Twitter: https://x.com/EmeroleAnderson

🎥 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheFinalLeg

📱Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/atkoeme/

🎧⁠Subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts

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Chapters:

00:00 Intro

01:20 Life After Athletics

02:45 How Patrick got into Track & Field

04:20 Learning how to sprint

05:25 Competing in the 1990s

09:52 Appreciating the development process

11:59 Breaking the 100m Australian Record

19:47 2005 Worlds 200m Final

24:33 2002 Commonwealth 4x100 Bronze

26:16 Competing at the 2000 Sydney Olympics

29:09 The Olympic hype in Australia

31:31 The rise of sprinting in Australia

39:42 What makes Gout Gout special

42:40 Lachlan Kennedy’s 9.96 at AUS champs

44:28 Gout Gout’s 19.67 at AUS Champs

46:39 Torrie Lewis’ potential

49:13 Advice to next gen Australian sprinters

In today's conversation, I'm joined by Coaches Desk TV to discuss the current landscape of men's and women's sprinting in Jamaica right now.

Subscribe to Coaches Desk on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@coachsdesktv

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📱Twitter: https://x.com/EmeroleAnderson

🎥 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheFinalLeg

📱Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/atkoeme/

🎧⁠Subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts

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Chapters:

00:00 Intro

00:58 Women's Sprint Discussion

37:13 Men's Sprint Discussion

In today's conversation, we speak with PJ Austin of the United States, a multiple time All-American in the 60m, 100m, 4x100 and Long Jump while in the NCAA, and has since gone on to represent the USA at the 2025 and 2026 World Relays.

PJ was one of the fastest sprinters coming out of Florida having run a personal best of 9.89 seconds in the 100m, and shortly after graduating, he turned professional and began competing around the world at various meets on the circuit.

Early in May, PJ ran anchor leg on Team USA’s 4x100m relay which won Gold at the 2026 World Relays in Botswana in a time of 37.43 seconds, one of the fastest relay times in history. This came on the heels of him competing at various meets across Africa including in Kenya, Botswana and South Africa.

In our conversation, discuss the 2026 World Relays, including PJ being selected for the team, the practice before hand, and running the anchor leg for Team USA. PJ also explains what he learned from competing at Florida, his transition to the professional world, and now training under Dennis Mitchell and the Star Athletics group along with Kenny B, Courtney Lindsey, Christian Coleman and others.

Finally, we breakdown PJs 100m race, including where he is most looking to improve and his goals for the 2026 season and beyond.

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📱Twitter: https://x.com/EmeroleAnderson

🎥 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheFinalLeg

📱Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/atkoeme/

🎧⁠Subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts

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Chapters:

00:00 Intro

01:28 Start of the 2026 Season

02:30 Experience at 2026 World Relays

04:17 Competing in Africa

06:43 Running the 4x100

09:33 World Relays Heats & Final breakdown

15:47 Competing on high quality relays

17:04 Star Athletics 4x100

18:26 Competing at Florida in the NCAA

19:44 Switching from Long Jump to 100m

20:59 Transition from NCAA to Pro

23:39 Traveling Internationally for Track

25:14 Moving from Gainesville to Orlando

26:55 Understanding how to run the 100m

30:29 Doing the Long Jump again?

31:55 PJs Growth and development

32:49 2026 Goals

In today’s conversation, I speak with Aaliyah Butler of the United States. She is the 2025 NCAA 400m champion, and was also part of team USA’s 4x400m that won Gold at the 2024 Olympic Games.

Aaliyah is a rising star in 400m sprinting both in the United States and globally. In addition to qualifying for the 2024 Olympics and 2025 World Championships, she has competed on the diamond league circuit, including going toe-to-toe with the Olympic Champion in Monaco last year.

Her personal best of 49.09 seconds makes her one of the fastest women in the world, and now in her first full year as a pro, she has her eyes set on solidifying her spot amongst the best.

In our conversation, we discuss Aaliyah’s 2026 opening races, including a masterful 4x4 relay split of 48.6 seconds. She shares what she learned about competing at the University of Georgia, why she left the NCAA early to go pro and what the process was like.

We also do a full breakdown of Aaliyah’s 3 most notable races from the 2025 season, including her NCAA title and her personal best at the Monaco Diamond League. And finally, she shares her goals for the 2026 season and beyond.

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📱Twitter: https://x.com/EmeroleAnderson

🎥 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheFinalLeg

📱Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/atkoeme/

🎧⁠Subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts

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Chapters:

00:00 Intro

01:15 Initial feelings on 2026 season

03:18 400m Opener

05:37 Competing at Georgia in the NCAA

07:04 Paris 2024 Olympic experience

08:31 202 Season

10:30 Turning Pro in 2025

13:01 How Aaliyah runs the 400m

15:16 2025 NCAA 400 Race Breakdown

16:37 2025 USATF 400 Race Breakdown

18:18 2025 Monaco Diamond League Race Breakdown

20:37 Goals for 2026

Today we recap a few results from the weekend, including miscellaneous results from around the world, The 2026 World Relays, and if the USA men would have been able to challenge Botswana, South Africa and Australia in the 4x400m.

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📱Twitter: https://x.com/EmeroleAnderson

🎥 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheFinalLeg

📱Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/atkoeme/

🎧⁠Subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts

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Chapters:

Topics

00:00 Intro

07:50 Miscellaneous weekend results

23:50 World Relays Wrap Up

41:48 Men's 4x400m

51:15 What if USA brought a 4x400

1:05:51 Best 4x400s in history

Let's breakdown some things you might have missed at the 2026 World Relays in Gaborone, Botswana.

Full Meet Results: https://worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-relays/gaborone26/timetable

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📱Twitter: https://x.com/EmeroleAnderson

🎥 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheFinalLeg

📱Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/atkoeme/

🎧⁠Subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts

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Chapters:

00:00 Intro

01:15 Who Qualified for Worlds and World Ultimate?

01:26 2026 World Ultimate Champs

02:20 2027 World Championships

03:31 Countries that did not send teams

03:57 Small Countries that did well

04:40 Men’s 4x400m Relay

05:59 Mixed 4x100m Relays WR

06:35 Australia Success

07:15 African Success

08:08 Canada’s Success

08:51 What happened to Jamaica

11:36 What happened to the USA

13:54 Summary

Bailey Lear of the United States, is a rising star and one of the most consistent 400m sprinters in the country right now. She was a multiple time All-American in the 400m and 4x400 while at USC, and after completing her NCAA career in 2023, she went on to represent the United States at multiple championships. She won medals as part of the 4x400 at the 2024, 2025 and 2026 World Indoor Championships, as well as the 2024 and 2025 World Athletics Relays.In our conversation, we discuss Bailey’s transition from the NCAA into the pro world including signing with Nike in 2025. Bailey shares her experiences competing for the United States at multiple global championships over the years, and also breaks down how she has been learning to attack the 400m as a race. We also discuss Write on Track, Bailey’s new business and how she’s balancing being an athlete and entrepreneur.

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📱Twitter: https://x.com/EmeroleAnderson

🎥 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheFinalLeg

📱Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/atkoeme/

🎧⁠Subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts

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Chapters:

00:00 Intro

01:05 Kicking off 2026 Outdoor Season

01:48 Competing at World Indoor Championships

04:46 Competing in the NCAA at USC

07:21 Transition from NCAA to Pro

14:00 Consistency on the track

15:32 Racing the 400m

21:39 Starting Write on Track

27:27 Goals for 2026

Why is Allyson Felix coming out of retirement to try and qualify for the 2028 Olympics?

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📱Twitter: https://x.com/EmeroleAnderson

🎥 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheFinalLeg

📱Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/atkoeme/

🎧⁠Subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts

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Chapters:

00:00 Intro

02:16 Why is Allyson coming back?

05:11 What will training and racing look like?

08:00 Making top-3 at USAs

10:02 Qualifying for the Relay pool

12:38 Athletes in their 30s and 40s

15:27 Summary

For today’s conversation I speak with Eddie Nketia of Australia who is a rising sprinter both internationally as well as in the NCAA.Eddie recently ran a 100m time of 9.84 seconds at the 2026 Mt Sac relays, and though it was slightly wind aided, that made him the fastest all-conditions Australian sprinter in history.He currently competes for the University of Southern California where he made the NCAA 100m final last year, but is looking to step things up in 2026.Prior to his time in the NCAA, Eddie competed at the 2019 and 2022 World Championships in Doha and Eugene, respectively, both times representing New Zealand, his country of birth. But after some complications, specifically being left off the team to the 2022 Commonwealth Games, Eddie began the process of switching to represent Australia, where he actual grew up for a good portion of his early years.Eddie is now part of a new generation of sprinters coming out of Australia including names like Gout Gout and Lachlan Kennedy.In our conversation, we discuss Eddie’s transfer from New Zealand over to Australia. We do a full breakdown of his 9.84 100m race at Mt Sac, including his execution and what he’s doing to improve his start. We discuss his goals for 2026, his fathers history in the sport, and finally the future of Australian sprinting as Eddie, Gout Gout and Lachlan continue to push the boundaries of what's possible for the country.

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📱Twitter: https://x.com/EmeroleAnderson

🎥 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheFinalLeg

📱Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/atkoeme/

🎧⁠Subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts

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Chapters:

00:00 Intro

01:33 Initial Thought on 9.84 100m

03:01 Full 100m Race Break Down

07:22 Being Ready for NCAAs in 2026

08:34 Running track at USC

10:00 Playing football at Hawaii

11:34 Competing for New Zealand at World Champs

12:56 Family of Sprinters

14:28 Transferring from New Zealand to Australia

17:22 Depth of Australian Sprinting

21:05 Learning how to execute in the 100m

25:27 Goals for 2026

26:46 Australia’s future 4x100m