World Athletics Extends Ban on Russia and Belarus

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Cole Hocker and Grant Fisher to face off at Millrose Games

Each off their podium performances in Paris, Fisher and Hocker are set to compete in the 3000 meters at the 2025 Millrose Games on February 8. In head-to-head competition, Fisher was undefeated against Hocker in 2024, having bested him twice outdoors in the 5000m and once indoors, at last year’s Millrose 2-mile race.

Jane Hedengren named MileSplit’s Indoor Athlete of the Year

In a feature with Self Magazine, Freitas, a two-time Olympian from Portugal, was diagnosed with stage 1, triple-positive breast cancer in May 2024 while training for the Paris Olympics. Despite undergoing a lumpectomy and radiation therapy, she continued to train and compete, achieving her best times of the season in two races before deciding to pause her Olympic pursuit due to fatigue. Freitas’s first race back was at the Sound Running Cross Champs in November and plans to vie for a spot at the 2025 World Championships in Tokyo.

NCAA settlement leading to cuts at NCAA XC / T&F programs

A recent legal settlement allows Division I universities to share revenue with athletes, primarily benefiting football and men's basketball programs, while imposing new roster limits on other sports. For instance, track and field teams will be capped at 45 athletes per gender, with cross-country teams limited to 17, and cross-country athletes counting toward the track and field total. As a result, schools are preemptively cutting athletes to comply with these impending restrictions, affecting thousands of student-athletes nationwide. The changes are set to take effect in the 2025-2026 academic year, pending approval at an April 7 hearing.

Villarreal commits to LSU

Despite securing ten medals at the Paris Olympics, UK Athletics is facing a potential £2 million reduction in government and lottery funding for the upcoming Olympic cycle. This anticipated 10% cut from the £22.7 million received for Paris comes amid the organization's financial challenges, including a reported £3.7 million loss in the 2022-23 fiscal year. UK Athletics is actively lobbying UK Sport to reconsider the funding decision, emphasizing the potential negative impact on athlete support and preparation for future competitions.

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, Masai Russell, and Quincy Hall are USATF Wing Award winners

McLaughlin-Levrone was honored as the most dominant American track and field athlete of the Games, while Russell captured the Breakthrough Performer award and Hall the Most Inspirational Performance honor. The Wing Awards are decided by a fan vote and were presented at the recent USATF Annual Meeting in Orlando. Other contenders for the awards included Valarie Allman, Ryan Crouser, Rai Benjamin, and Anna Cockrell, among others.

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