World Athletics defend SPRINT docuseries amid criticism from Fred

orld Athletics defended Netflix’s “Sprint” docuseries, countering criticisms from Fred Kerley and Justin Gatlin, saying it revitalizes fan interest, markets athletes, and helps transition the sport beyond the Usain Bolt era.

World Athletics director of broadcasting James Lord has dismissed claims from Fred Kerley and Justin Gatlin concerning the ‘Sprint’ docuseries on Netflix as he believes it is beneficial to the sport and will help in shading off the Usain Bolt era.

Track and field has changed since the times of Usain Bolt and James Lord believes the Netflix docuseries is a great step in the right direction and will bring back fan interest. The Paris 2024 Olympic Games were a step in the right direction following the strong coverage and some of the star athletes who competed at the Olympic Games will feature in the documentary.

Speaking during the Sportel sports business conference in Monaco, James Lord, explained that through the Sprint docuseries, athletes have a chance to air their views and market themselves. He spoke on the positive impact of the docuseries, noting that it has marketed a lot of athletes who are now getting brand deals.

Usain Bolt snubs Noah Lyles as he names his dream 4x100m relay team

“After Bolt retired, we needed to build a new generation of stars but only a handful have more than one million social followers. If we can give back and they benefit, then we benefit,” James Lord said as per Sports Pro.

He explained that with the docuseries, track and field fans will get another view of how their favourite athletes prepare for global championships and it will also help their media partners benefit in terms of visibility.

World Athletics also wants to give athletes a chance to earn what they deserve as they look to launch the World Athletics Ultimate Championship will launch in 2026, offering a US$10 million prize.

“(Sprint) is not a silver bullet for all our problems, but we hope it will translate into people watching major championships for longer,” said Lord.

“Our (media) partners should benefit, our commercial partners will get more exposure and it will give us brand equity by driving awareness of our recent rebrand.”

He added that being approached by Netflix is a sign that track and field is growing and that they should not slam what Netflix and production company Box to Box Films are.

Noah Lyles in epic battle for prestigious US award as he is pitted against standout out male performers

“That a company like Netflix believed in what we are doing is huge validation of our vision for athletics,” continued Lord.

“We were a major beneficiary of the docuseries that came before us. But those were all male heavy whereas we had a 50-50 gender balance and that gave us a unique selling point. The women’s 100-metre final was arguably a stronger story. A lot of our athletes are looking at their disciplines and want theirs to be (featured) next,” he added.

However, his sentiments contradict what Fred Kerley said on the Ready Set Go. The Olympic 100m bronze medallist believes that the docuseries undermines the achievements of the athletes.

‘I think he has a lot more confidence’ – Why Justin Gatlin is excited by Courtney Lindsey ahead of 2025 World Championships

“They really ain’t show us how they really filmed us. This s*** is Hollywood. They should start this season two with the World Championship and Noah [Lyles] and then the obvious finish of the season when he won the Olympics, but… it’s Hollywood,” he said.

“We ain’t getting no money for this s***. Like I said, we slaves to these people… They making money off of us, and we ain’t getting no money from it,” he lamented.

On his part, legendary American sprinter Justin Gatlin also expressed his dissatisfaction with the docuseries, noting that they undermined the potential of many sprinters, with their main focus bein” on triple world champion Noah Lyles.

‘It’s hurting our sport’- Fred Kerley explains why prodigies like Quincy Wilson should not race against senior athletes

“I didn’t like it… they blindsided a lot of the characters. The portrayal of you was never the champion you were. It should have shown your backstory, the journey that made you the champion you are before setting up this so-called rivalry with Noah,” he added.