SL Tablet: Take us through the Noah Lyles race yesterday & any insight to what you saw.
Gregory: Noah has traditionally always had a race model that emphasized the end of his race. However, he has made an immense amount of progress this year in improving his start. With that being said, I don’t know that Pure expected him to be in 8th place through 40m, but they left the door open for him to win the race by the end. This improvement in the 100, has our attention quickly shifting to the 200 where the stage is now set to do something historic if everything lines up like it should! Also, the track in Paris is quite quick! Keep an eye out for what Noah might do in the 200m; it’s going to be exciting.
SLTablet: What has been your role during the Games as you stayed back this time around the NTC & Clermont?
Gregory: For this Olympics, I ended up staying back with our athletes that did not qualify for Olympic teams or are recovering from injury. I would have loved the opportunity to be there in person for the big races, but I’m hoping that the training we are getting up to locally can make a significant impact for those who were not fortunate enough this time!
SL Tablet: What has been the biggest surprise in Paris as it relates to Pure Athletics and also to you as an Olympic Track Coach?
Gregory: No real surprises up to this point at the games. I expected Noah to be a bit more in the mix at 40m in that 100m final, but he ended up doing what he’s done a lot at the 100m. Outlasted the competition and caught them at the line!
SL Tablet: We are about halfway through the Olympic games. What will the plan be in the next weeks and months to come?
Gregory: The post-Olympic plan centers around what we call the “second half” of the season. Whether it is an Olympic or World Championship year; those represent the biggest events of the year, but there are certainly more opportunities across Europe throughout the rest of the summer months. These are lucrative opportunities for freshly crowned champions of their event!
Personally, I’ll be heading to Cape Cod to get married on September 7th to my fiancee Nicole Genereux!
SL Tablet: Readers may remember you in the Opening Ceremonies at last Olympics Games. What was your favorite memory three or so years later?
Gregory: Reflecting on the Tokyo opening ceremony, I would say that my favorite memory is just being selected to participate in the first place. Participating in the opening ceremony for a country like the USA is almost impossible considering how many people are vying for those spots. Panama needed a face guy, and I arrived at the village at the right time. Everybody got to see my masked face on NBC!
SL Tablet: What are some additional takeaways from Track and Field competition this summer:
Gregory: Just because the Olympics ends, doesn’t mean the track action stops. If you enjoyed it, tune into the Diamond League on NBC after the Olympics have finished to see the rest of the results of the professional circuit.
