Records get broken in sport all the time, particularly in track and field athletics.
But some catch the eye more than others.
Josh Kerr’s in the mile race in the Oregon Diamond League meeting last weekend has definitely made people sit up and take notice.
Any record posted by the British middle distance greats of the 70s and 80s is a significant one.
The Ovett-Coe-Cram era truly was THE golden one.
Josh smashing Steve Cram’s time, that lasted for 39 years, is a phenomenal achievement.
I wrote a few months ago that he was shaping up to be a poster boy for Team GB at the Olympics and, as Paris starts to loom ever larger, that is definitely becoming the case.
There are different ways to go about promoting yourself and your sport.
There’s the likes of Laura Muir, who comes across as very reserved and is happy to let her running do the talking for her.
And then you get more outgoing personalities like Josh, who bangs the drum for more money in athletics and is happy to talk-up his chances and fan the flames of a big rivalry.
He’s very respectful – particularly to the other Brits, Neil Gourley and Jake Wightman, who are also medal contenders in the 1,500 metres – but he knows what he’s capable of.
And it clearly helps bring out the best in him if Saturday’s record is anything to go by.
Norwegian, Jakob Ingebrigtsen, is cut from the same cloth.
And they seemed to have happily slipped into a boxer-type rivalry where they both know that a big head to head is good for both of their profiles (and their bank balances!).
Athletics (like swimming) lends itself to that gladiatorial vibe – competitors sat in the same small room as each other before they head out to race.
And psychology plays a big part.
A few more big races between Josh and Ingebrigtsen over the next couple of months will intensify their rivalry and make it one of the most captivating stories of the Games.
Men’s golf would love the next Tiger Woods to emerge – and the sooner the better.
But the women’s game may beat them to it.
Nelly Korda has been first in six of her last seven tournaments (finishing in the top 10 in the one she didn’t win) and was a big favourite to make it back to back majors in the US Open this weekend.
There’s a great stat that highlights just how dominant she is at the moment – the world rankings points gap between her and the number two is greater than number two to the bottom of the list.
Golf, particularly American golf, loves a winner.
The more emphatic that winner, the better.
There is a huge curiosity factor drawing attention to the Lancaster Country Club in Philadelphia to see what all the fuss is about.
Eyeballs are on the tournament, predominantly to see how Nelly gets on.
It’s a shame that the course set-up seems to be taking criticism and Nelly’s three-drop 10 at a par three isn’t what she – or the championship – needed.
It would be one of the great sporting stories of all time if she came back to win from that start but that’s highly unlikely.
In the bigger picture though, that high profile blip won’t halt her overall career trajectory, I’m sure.
And women’s golf will be all the stronger for it.
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