Citius Mag Podcast

“I think it’s important to have confidence in the plan that you choose, just going into the race and standing on the starting line knowing you did everything you could. I'm going to focus on my strengths and know I'm at the top.” 2x Olympian and American record holder Emily Sisson joins us live in Eugene to catch us up on how training has been going since qualifying for the U.S. Marathon team in February. Emily shares her thoughts on the Paris Olympics marathon course, adjustments she’s made to her training to prepare for the Olympics, why she likes switching up the distances she races, and her plans for post-Olympics. Hear more from Emily and what’s ahead for her in this episode of the CITIUS MAG Podcast. Hosts: Chris Chavez | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@chris_j_chavez on Instagram + Eric Jenkins | @_ericjenkins on Instagram Guest: Emily Sisson | @em_sisson on Instagram _________ CITIUS MAG LIVE From Eugene! will bring you daily interviews with athletes, coaches and notable folks in town at noon P

“As an athlete, you have those indicators that you look at, you track, you want to gain confidence from – and those have been going very well. But it’s also that belief that this is going to be a really good year. We’re going to accomplish our goals. We’re going to give it our best and feel proud of whatever that ends up being.”  Reigning Olympic Champion Val Allman and Coach Zebulon Sion join us live in Eugene after Val won the discus at the U.S. Olympics Trials and booked her ticket to Paris. Val breaks down the sequence of her throws at the Olympic Trials, shares about how she shifted her mindset after finishing second at the World Championships last summer, how she uses her competitors’ performances as motivation to elevate her own game, and what the next couple of weeks look like for her as she prepares for Paris.  Coach Zeb shares about how he helped Val reframe pressure as a positive, breaks down Val’s discus technique, and shares about the improvements Val’s been able to make in the weight room. Hear

The track is HOT. Okay, it’s actually quite pleasant by Eugene-in-June standards, with temperatures in the high 70s and a pleasant breeze that always seems to be a tailwind in Hayward Field. But the performances laid down last night in Day 8 of the Olympic Trials sure heated up the stadium — even in events where we’re not on finals yet. For the first time in history, three men broke 13 seconds in the same 110m hurdles race as Grant Holloway picked up his second national title, made his second Olympic team, and clocked the fourth-fastest performance in history ahead of Freddie Crittenden and Daniel Roberts’s lifetime bests. Five men broke 20 seconds in the 200m semifinals led by Noah Lyles’s wind-aided 19.60, and another epic battle between Gabby Thomas and Sha’Carri Richardson is set up in the women’s 200m final. While middle-distance rounds can sometimes get tactical, they sure didn’t tonight. It took 4:05.36 to make the final of the women’s 1500m, and the “heavy hitters” heat did not disappoint with Nikki H

Did you miss us?! The U.S. Olympic Trials are back and better than ever in the second half of the 8-day program, with incredible drama, upsets, and underdog stories across the board. The race of the day (and perhaps the week?) was the women’s steeplechase, where a fast early pace and a topsy-turvy final lap ended with a whole slew of personal bests and rewriting of the record books. Tokyo Olympian Val Constien ended up on top thanks to a phenomenal final 400m, running 9:03.22 to PR by 11 seconds and land at #3 on the U.S. all-time list. Constien had ACL surgery last year and after a long road back is better than ever. We got our first peeks at the 400m hurdles crew, and the main takeaway from the first round is that Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone and Rai Benjamin are looking like world beaters out for an easy jog. McLaughlin-Levrone in particular shut it down entirely over the final two laps and still ran 53.07, the third-fastest performance in the world this year behind her own season’s best and Femke Bol’s worl

“I will forever bet on myself no matter what. If my gut is telling me something’s going wrong, I'm going to make sure it’s going right. I'm always going to bet on myself no matter what… And that’s been paying off my entire career." Fred Kerley joins us live in Eugene after finishing third in the 100m at the U.S. Olympics Trials to book his ticket to another Olympic Games. From switching events to switching sponsors to trusting his fitness, Fred Kerley is always going to bet on himself. Fred shares about how he’s built unshakeable confidence in his abilities, what in his training indicated that he was capable of qualifying for the 100m, his goals for the Olympics, what he thinks it’ll take to win Olympic gold, and how he manages pressure. Hear more from Fred and what’s ahead for his career in this episode of the CITIUS MAG Podcast. Host: Hosts: Chris Chavez | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@chris_j_chavez on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  Guest: Fred Kerley | @fkerley99 on Instagram ________

“I know I made the right decision, but I don't even think it was a matter of if I made the right or wrong decision because either way I was going to make it be the right decision. I was going to force it to be the right decision. I feel like that’s what we had to do. There were so many question marks coming into this year, this Olympic Trials. I literally made it be the right decision and I just believed in that so wholeheartedly and here we are.” Allie Wilson joins us live in Eugene after her runner-up finish in the U.S. Olympic Trials 800m to qualify for her first Olympic team. Allie breaks down the chaos of the 800m final at the Trials + shares about taking a bet on herself by leaving her former track club and sponsor, why she decided to follow her coaches, how she’s been able to grow her confidence over the past few years, and lots more. Hear more about Allie’s incredible journey to the top in this episode of the CITIUS MAG Podcast. Host: Hosts: Chris Chavez | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@chris_j_ch

“Leading up to the Trials, I was in phenomenal shape. I was putting together quite a few consistent races. But getting 4th, I just feel like I beat myself. Not even trying to be funny, those guys didn’t beat me – I beat myself because of the way I ran in the semi compared to what I ran in the final. I think I left like a half second out there… It was a great battle. I still feel like I finished really hard to get that third spot, but those guys got the best of me.” Olympic gold medalist Vernon Norwood joins us live in Eugene after his 4th place finish in the 400m at the U.S. Olympic Trials. Vernon breaks down the 400m rounds at the Trials, how the 4x400m relay pool selection process works, shares the behind-the-scenes of creating a top tier 4x400m relay team, how he’s remained a consistent top performer at 32-years-old, and a few funny stories with other top U.S. sprinters. Hear more from Vernon in this episode of the CITIUS MAG Podcast. Host: Hosts: Chris Chavez | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@chris_j_chave

“I'm very optimistic. I’m going into the 800 ready to showcase my new speedsuit and I’m ready to show everyone what I can do as a pro. My goal is to PR in every event. I don’t want people to think now that I’m pro I’m not going to get better. I feel like I’ll continue to improve and I’m super excited.”  Eric Holt joins us live in Eugene to announce his pro contract with PUMA after racing at the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials. Eric shares about his path to finally turning pro, how having a pro contract + extra income will improve his career, how he’s handled all the recent media attention, and breaks down what his typical race strategy is. Hear more from Eric and what’s next for his running career in this episode of the CITIUS MAG Podcast. Host: Hosts: Chris Chavez | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@chris_j_chavez on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ + Eric Jenkins | @_ericjenkins on Instagram Guest: Eric Holt | @eholtthebolt on Instagram _________ LIVE SHOWS Good Morning Track and Field will start your day wit

“I'm still processing everything. It still very much feels like a dream. I keep telling everyone that every morning I’ve woken up since the race, I keep having to check my phone, check the date, and make sure I’ve already raced and that it’s not coming up. I was like, ‘Wait, that actually happened, right?’ I feel like for me it’s been a lot of processing, a lot of pinch me moments, but a lot of joy.” Sister duo Juliette and Isabella Whittaker join us live in Eugene after their breakout performances at the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials. Juliette qualified for her first Olympic team by placing third in the 800m and Isabella took 6th in the 400m final. The sisters share about how they were able to split their focus between the NCAA season and Olympic Trials, how they manage nerves before their races (and each other's races!) and lots more. Hear more from Juliette and Isabella in this episode of the CITIUS MAG Podcast. Host: Hosts: Chris Chavez | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@chris_j_chavez on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

“Coming in here, I was confident in my training and what we’ve done and I felt ready, but also I felt like maybe everyone was feeling that way – so it was important to show up, take care of business, not sleep on anybody, and make it through the rounds as safely as possible.” Nia Akins joins us live in Eugene after winning the 800m title at the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials. Nia breaks down how she approached the 800m rounds at the Trials, how she stayed composed during the 800m final when chaos broke out, shares about how she gained confidence heading into the meet, how she and coach Danny Mackey structure her training + competition schedule, and lots more. Hear more from Nia in this episode of the CITIUS MAG Podcast. Host: Hosts: Chris Chavez | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@chris_j_chavez on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  Guest: Nia Akins | @nia_akins on Instagram _________ CITIUS MAG LIVE From Eugene! will bring you daily interviews with athletes, coaches and notable folks in town at noon PT each day. O

“This year has just been so, so hard. My coaches and those around me can attest to that. There were a lot of days where I was like, ‘Track’s not fun anymore. Is this worth it? I don’t think this is going to work.’ The emotions coming from there to be like, ‘Wow, we really did this’ just all flooded out of me.” Anna Hall joins us live in Eugene after winning the heptathlon title at the U.S. Olympic Trials, less than a year after undergoing knee surgery. Anna chats with us about the obstacles she overcame over the past few months to become the U.S. champion, the emotion she and her family shared together post-competition, and even gives us a peek inside her journal where she captured her thoughts throughout the meet. Hear more from Anna on her incredible comeback in this episode of the CITIUS MAG Podcast. Host: Hosts: Chris Chavez | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@chris_j_chavez on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  Guest: Anna Hall | @annaa.hall on Instagram _________ LIVE SHOWS Good Morning Track and Field

“Coach Joe Lee, he kept me on a level-mind: ‘Just go out there and run your race. You’re just as good, you’ve done so many things. Just keep focusing.’ That’s what I was doing. I was focusing on the race and what I could have done. When I came out of lane two, I was like, ‘You’ve only got one chance. This is the last final. This could be your last open 400 of the season.’ I gave it everything I had.” High school phenom Quincy Wilson joins us live in Eugene after setting the U18 400m world record in back-to-back races at the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials + placing 6th in the final. Quincy shares about how he studies his competitors to improve his own tactics, his progression from last season to this season, and his case for why USATF should select him for the 4x400m relay pool. He also shares about his love for video games. Hear more from Quincy in this episode of the CITIUS MAG Podcast. Hosts: Hosts: Chris Chavez | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@chris_j_chavez on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ + Katelyn Hutc

“In the grand scheme of things, it’s probably what I needed to just be a little more fresh, more motivated and to appreciate health going into this build. I think people under-appreciate how when you take something away, how much more of a passion you have for it once it’s added back in. Health is the name of the game in the marathon.” U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials runner-up Clayton Young joins us live in Eugene to share about how training’s been going since the Marathon Trials in February, how he’s preparing for the Olympic marathon course, his predictions for the Olympic marathon, and more details on his YouTube docuseries where he’s been sharing his training. Hear more from Clayton in this episode of the CITIUS MAG Podcast. Hosts: Hosts: Chris Chavez | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@chris_j_chavez on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ + Eric Jenkins | @_ericjenkins on Instagram Guest: Clayton Young | @clayton_young_ on Instagram _________ CITIUS MAG LIVE From Eugene! will bring you daily interviews with a

“It was really just keeping that hope alive, telling myself over and over again: it’s going to happen when it needs to happen. God made me who I am and when it’s supposed to be, that’s when it’s going to be. No earlier, no later.” Kendall Ellis joins us live in Eugene to share about her trajectory over the past six years + how she was finally able to have a breakthrough personal best to win the Olympic Trials 400m in 49.46. She shares about how she’s stayed patient while continuing to build confidence, how she prepared for the Olympic Trials, how she blocks out the noise of her competitors’ performances, other 400m legends that she looks up to, and lots more. Hear more from Kendall in this episode of the CITIUS MAG Podcast. Hosts: Katelyn Hutchison | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@_kxnaomi on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ + Anderson Emerole | @atkoeme on Instagram Guest: Kendall Ellis | @kendi_kendall on Instagram _________ CITIUS MAG LIVE From Eugene! will bring you daily interviews with athletes, coa

Emma Coburn re-joins the show to recap her experience in the booth at the U.S. Olympic Trials with NBC. She shares her analysis from the prelim of the women's steeplechase + shares insights on how those races compare to the Olympics/World Championships stage. _________ CITIUS MAG LIVE From Eugene! will bring you daily interviews with athletes, coaches and notable folks in town at noon PT each day. Our guests for day three of the Olympic Trials include Quincy Wilson, Kendall Ellis, Chari Hawkins, and Clayton Young. LIVE SHOWS Good Morning Track and Field will start your day with some takes and updates from Eugene hosted by Eric Jenkins, Mitch Dyer and Karen Lesiewicz at 8:30 a.m. PT. TRIALS TALK – our hit daily podcast series from 2021 – returns on The CITIUS MAG Podcast feed + streaming live immediately post-race to unpack all of the action immediately following the meet. LIVE MEET COVERAGE Stay updated on live results, mixed zone interviews and more on the CITIUS MAG Instagram, X and Threads pages while

Former NCAA national champion Kenneth Rooks won the U.S. Outdoor Track and Field Championships with a fierce kick and led a 1-3 BYU finish with James Corrigan. Rooks earned his second U.S. Championship title and his first U.S. Olympic team berth. He joined Chris Chavez, Eric Jenkins and Mitch Dyer on Good Morning Track and Field on Day 5 of the U.S. Olympic Trials from Eugene, Ore. _________ CITIUS MAG LIVE From Eugene! will bring you daily interviews with athletes, coaches and notable folks in town at noon PT each day. Our guests for day three of the Olympic Trials include Quincy Wilson, Kendall Ellis, Chari Hawkins, and Clayton Young. LIVE SHOWS Good Morning Track and Field will start your day with some takes and updates from Eugene hosted by Eric Jenkins, Mitch Dyer and Karen Lesiewicz at 8:30 a.m. PT. TRIALS TALK – our hit daily podcast series from 2021 – returns on The CITIUS MAG Podcast feed + streaming live immediately post-race to unpack all of the action immediately following the meet. LIVE MEET COVE

Matthew Centrowitz joins the CITIUS MAG crew to unpack an insane day of track and field. Here are the biggest highlights from Day 4 of the U.S. Olympic Trials include: _________ CITIUS MAG LIVE From Eugene! will bring you daily interviews with athletes, coaches and notable folks in town at noon PT each day. Our guests for day three of the Olympic Trials include Nico Young, Payton Otterdahl, Kendall Ellis, and Matthew Wilkinson.  LIVE SHOWS Good Morning Track and Field will start your day with some takes and updates from Eugene hosted by Eric Jenkins, Mitch Dyer and Karen Lesiewicz at 8:30 a.m. PT. TRIALS TALK – our hit daily podcast series from 2021 – returns on The CITIUS MAG Podcast feed + streaming live immediately post-race to unpack all of the action immediately following the meet. LIVE MEET COVERAGE Stay updated on live results, mixed zone interviews and more on the CITIUS MAG Instagram, X and Threads pages while the meet is underway each evening. All interviews will be uploaded to our aforemention

“When he made that move, I was like, ‘I gotta stick close to him and he’s going to take me to Paris. I thought I made a hard move doing a 63 (lap) with three out, and he comes by me going 59 and I was like, ’That’s world-class.’ when that happened, I was like, ‘There’s no way I'm going to beat him, but if I can stay as close to him as possible, I don’t think anyone’s going to beat us.’” From Division 3 to Olympian! Matthew Wilkinson joins the show after taking second in the U.S. Olympic Trials steeplechase to qualify for the Paris Olympics. Matthew breaks down the steeplechase final, shares about other steeplechasers that he looks up to, what his goals are for the Olympics + the rest of his season, and lots more. Hear more from Matthew in this episode of the CITIUS MAG Podcast. Hosts: Hosts: Chris Chavez | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@chris_j_chavez on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  Guest: Matthew Wilkinson | @silkywilky1123 on Instagram _________ CITIUS MAG LIVE From Eugene! will bring you daily

“I definitely feel like having that success indoors with the two titles helped me gain confidence in my ability to close down a race and win a race in any way. Whether it’s a fast race, slow race, I'm equally as confident. For the rest of the outdoor season, it definitely helped me be not as concerned as the gun went off that I was going to be able to close well off of any kind of race.” Newly minted Olympian Nico Young joins the show after qualifying for his first Olympic team in the 10,000m at the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials. He also just announced signing a professional contract with adidas. Nico unpacks his third-place finish in the 10,000m, recaps his incredible NCAA season, shares about his excitement for Paris, breaks down his Mount Rushmore of NAU distance running legends, and lots more. Hear more from Nico in this episode of the CITIUS MAG Podcast. Hosts: Hosts: Chris Chavez | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@chris_j_chavez on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ + Eric Jenkins | @_ericjenkins on Inst

The CITIUS MAG team breaks down another action-packed evening at Hayward Field! Some of the biggest highlights from Day 3 of the U.S. Olympic Trials include: – Men’s 100m final: The pre-race drama and hype delivered on the track as Noah Lyles won the U.S. title in 9.83, tying his lifetime best. Kenny Bednarek made his first 100m team with a lifetime best of his own running 9.87. Currently unsponsored Fred Kerley’s big bet on himself paid off with a season’s best 9.88 and a third place finish to make his second Olympic team. – Women’s 400m final: After going 6 years between personal bests, Kendall Ellis got her second PB in two days with a 49.46 in the 400m final to win the title and book her ticket to Paris.  – Men’s 400m semifinal: 16-year-old Quincy Wilson advanced to the 400m final with a 44.59 – which broke his own U18 world record and U.S. high school record that he set just two days ago. – Women’s 800m semifinal: Athing Mu led all qualifiers to the final in 1:58.84 + led three other women under two minu