Out of the Blocks with Jasmine Todd And Katelyn Hutchison

“It would be nice to get more recognition. Sometimes I go back and watch the races on YouTube and they’ll talk about everybody else in the field and they didn’t even mention my name…Damn, I’m here too…I’ve been in these races. I’ve been on these relays. I’ve been in the mix. Why is it that I’m always overlooked like that? It’s very weird. Do I enjoy it? I’ve accepted it. I just have to keep doing what I’m doing. I can’t do much about that. I just have to keep improving for myself.”

U.S. 400m champion Bryce Deadmon joins Out of The Blocks to reflect on the success of the past few years, which includes gold medals in the 4x400m at the 2021 Olympics and the 2022 World Championships.
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“I’ve kind of taken on this role as an unofficial ambassador for Dominica. I feel like I’m one of the few people representing us on this international athletic stage. When I step out and when I compete and when I talk to people, I want them to really get a taste of the kindness, love and power and amazingness of my home country. I hope that’s how people feel.”

Thea LaFond-Gadson made history at the World Indoor Championships in Glasgow by becoming the first world champion in history for Dominica – the Caribbean island that boasts an estimated population of 72,000+ people. This was her first global championship medal after a few close calls, which included fifth place finishes at the 2022 and 2023 World Championships.

She joined Jasmine Todd on Out of The Blocks to recap her brilliant indoor season, and what it’s like being coached by her husband Aaron Gadson. She shares the story of how she surpassed 15m for the first time and what her hopes are for the 2024 outdoor campaign and the Paris Olympics. This will be the third Olympic Games for the former Maryland Terp.

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Jasmine Todd and Katelyn Hutchison catch up to discuss:

– How ridiculous is it that Christopher Morales-Williams' 400m world record was not ratified?

– How long jumpers are even more up in arms about the World Athletics' proposal to change the long jump take-off zone?

– Is "short track" still a thing?

– A good change is coming: Starting in 2025, the track and field season will end at the World Championships.

– Life updates including Katelyn writing for Forbes, doing a brand deal with Lululemon and reuniting at New Balance Nationals. Jasmine has been training, meeting with World Athletics, hosting track camps and more.

+ more reactions to results from the 2024 World Indoor Championships

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“Truthfully, this training season, I have been grinding like I’ve never grind before. I think getting second in Budapest was a blessing in disguise. Last year, I was working hard but wasn’t doing the last rep of abs or finishing the last rep of 150s as hard as possible. I was going through the motions. This year, I am taking every rep and making it like my first rep…This year, I am just giving myself a chance. It’s almost insane to watch myself do this because I’ve never been that die-hard of a track athlete. This year, I’m honing in on that. I think that also comes with my maturity in the sport. I’m turning 25 this year. I feel like I’m getting older and figuring out the way of life a little bit.”

Tara Davis-Woodhall joins the show just days after winning the U.S. Indoor Track and Field Championships. She went 7.18m for the world lead, the second longest mark in U.S. women’s history and moved her to No. 6 on the all-time world list.

Last year, she earned her first global championship medal with a silver at the World Championships in Budapest. She is the U.S. long jump favorite for the 2024 U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials, where she’ll try to make her second Olympic team. She was sixth at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.

Among the topics discussed in this episode:

– Why she decided to give the 60m hurdles a try and how it benefits her long jump

– Her reaction to jumping 7.18m

– What are her goals for the World Indoor Championships in Glasgow

– What is her training group like under coach Travis Geopfert

– Sandi Morris’ influence on her in the weight room

– How has her mindset changed from how she approached the Tokyo Olympics and future championships

– Her reaction to World Athletics’ proposal to change the long jump

– What event is she looking forward to the most as a fan at the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials

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"I'm always going to talk my talk but I never mean it in a crazy way to anybody. This is why I'm excited but terrified of what I could do this season because I did all of that last year off getting on a flight, flying down here and not doing any serious workouts for the (indoor) season. This is all off the couch, natural, God-given ability. Don't get me wrong. You need that in the sport to be great...I didn't have fall training. I didn't do any of that and all this has happened?" 

In a span of eight months, Cordell Tinch went from selling cellphones and watches in Green Bay, Wisconsin to competing at the World Championships in Budapest in the 110m hurdles. Within that time period, he enrolled at Pittsburgh State and went on to dominate in the NCAA Division II level in the hurdles, high jump and long jump before running a world-leading time of 12.96s in the outdoor season. The world took notice. He signed a professional contract and is now representing Nike.

What does the Olympic year have in store for Tinch now that he's able to train full-time and explore his talent?

Katelyn Hutchison caught up with him during the indoor track season.

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"I feel validated. I feel validated in my sport. Everybody knows that after college, it is now a job. Not that it isn't fun – but this is a legit job. There are times when you think, 'Am I even good at my job?' This was validating because it let me know that I was punching in the time card for the right things."

Laulauga Tausaga-Collins joins us to catch up on how life has changed since she shocked the world to win gold in the discus at the 2023 World Athletic Championships in Budapest, Hungary.

It was one of the most clutch breakouts of the year since she launched the disc 69.49 meters to beat her previous personal best by nearly four meters. It made history as the United States’ first-ever world championship gold in women’s discus.

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"My body is not fully developed yet. You don't want to do too much. You want to take baby steps to the ultimate goal...I want to still be jumping 18m or 17-high when I'm 30 years old. It's all about the process."

Katelyn Hutchison chats with World U20 triple jump record holder and 2023 Bowerman Award winner Jaydon Hibbert, who just recently announced his decision to turn professional after just one year at the University of Arkansas.

Last year, he broke the NCAA indoor and outdoor triple jump record. His outdoor mark of 17.87m was also the world's best jump of 2023. Unfortunately, he was unable to win gold at the World Championships in Budapest after suffering a hamstring injury during his first jump of the final.

He signed an NIL deal with PUMA but then decided to remain with the brand as he enters his professional career in the Olympic year. He will remain under the guidance of coach Travis Geopfert.

Make sure you subscribe, download and listen to the show on Spotify and Apple Podcasts so you don't miss out on the latest episode. We will also soon be launching the show on YouTube.

Jasmine Todd and Katelyn Hutchison catch up after taking a break during the fall to discuss some of their plans and hopes for Out of The Blocks heading into 2024. It's an Olympic year so expect to hear more of their takes, analysis and commentary on the latest news and happenings in the sprints + field events. We're also going to be staggering interviews with special guests starting next week.

Make sure you subscribe, download and listen to the show on Spotify and Apple Podcasts so you don't miss out on the latest episode. We will also soon be launching the show on YouTube.

While in Budapest, Jasmine Todd and Katelyn Hutchison sat down with 110m hurdles Freddie Crittenden after he finished fourth in the 2023 World Athletics Championships final. Grant Holloway (12.96) won his third consecutive gold medal and Daniel Roberts (13.09) took bronze as the United States took three of the top four spots.

Crittenden shares how he's supported his dream of being a professional runner despite not having a contract from a major sportswear company and how he's also gotten involved in producing his own track and field content.

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Jasmine Todd and Katelyn Hutchison recap their recent trip to New York City. They spent a few days undergoing some media training as part of The Magic Boost program ahead of the NYC Grand Prix. They covered the meet for CITIUS MAG and provided the team with insights and interviews from the mixed zone.

Jasmine and Katelyn recap all the highlights from the meet including Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone's 400m improvements, Athing Mu's return to racing, Daniel Roberts + Devon Allen rounding into form in the men's 110m hurdles and more.

Other topics include Katelyn's feelings about Cordelle Tinch being snubbed from The Bowerman Award + she responds to Instagram commenters who are upset when she mentions someone could break Usain Bolt's sprint records.

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Jasmine Todd and Katelyn Hutchison unpack all of the action at the 2023 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Austin, Texas. Katelyn was on the scene providing CITIUS MAG with a slew of athlete interviews and nightly recap shows.

Among the topics discussed this episode:

– Stop Hating On Britton Wilson For Not Completing The Double

– What The Hell Is Going On In the 100M Hurdles?!

– Arizona State's Turner Washington Hit Us With Some Real Talk

– The Craziest 4x400s Ever Witnessed

+ much more

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Jasmine Todd and Katelyn Hutchison break down their predictions for the 2023 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships which are set for June 7-10 at the University of Texas. Hear their thoughts on all of the sprints and field events including Britton Wilson's double gold potential, a STACKED women's 100m hurdles race, and how will Julien Alfred fare on her home track in the women's 100m.

You'll be able to watch the meet on ESPN2 and ESPN+.

You can find the complete start lists here: https://on.ncaa.com/1pya1b

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"The women's 100m hurdles is a premier race and I feel like no mater how many times they do something crazy, nobody is paying attention."

The women's 100m hurdles doesn't get enough hype because the top stars in the event don't duck each other. The race at the USATF Los Angeles Grand Prix features world record holder and world champion Tobi Amusan, Olympic champion Jasmine Camacho-Quinn, former world record holder Kendra Harrison, Alaysha Johnson, ODanielle Williams, Tia Jones and Tonea Marshall.

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In this edition of "K&J Diaries" – Jasmine Todd and Katelyn Hutchison re-group after a short break following the 2023 indoor track and field season to update the listeners on what's been going on lately in their lives. Katelyn is still redshirting at Kentucky but may race soon unattached. Jasmine teases a potential return to the 100m and discusses how she felt after opening up her season with a 6.64m jump at the Mt. SAC Relays.

PLUS: Katelyn has a very special announcement.

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"Now as I get older, people are like, 'Where's the bow?' I am bald! Y'all trying to have me look like a newborn baby? I ain't doing that. I'm trying to get on my grown and sexy and y'all talking about this dang bow."

In this episode, Shamier Little joins Jasmine Todd and Katelyn Hutchison to discuss her rise as one of the best 400m hurdlers in the world. She owns a World Championship silver medal from 2015. She is a two-time U.S. champion and three-time NCAA champion in the 400m hurdles. In 2022, she finished third at the USATF Outdoor Championships and finished fourth at the World Championships in Eugene, Oregon. Her personality shines in this conversation as she shares stories from her upbringing in Chicago, the story behind her signature bow (and whether it will make a return) + where she sees the 400m hurdles going.

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"Last season was a big game-changer for me mentally. My confidence grew so much...I've manifested all of my success but just seeing it actually unfold is kind of crazy."

Alia Armstrong joins Out Of The Blocks to discuss her journey to becoming one of the best U.S. hurdlers in the United States. She won the NCAA Championship in the women's 100 hurdles in 12.57. She went on to finish third at the USATF Outdoor Championships and qualified for the World Championships. In her first senior global championship, she clocked a personal best of 12.43 in the semifinal and then finished fourth in the final – just .08 seconds away from a medal. 

We appreciate Alia opening up about the hardships that come with being a student-athlete in the NCAA and how she dealt with disappointments like false starting in a championship race and knowing her moment was still to come.

Also discussed: Her NIL deal with the WWE, her thoughts on pros vs. collegiate athletes, her stuffed animal story + more.

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Your hosts Jasmine Todd and Katelyn Hutchison share personal updates on their own training and plans for the indoor track season. Katelyn made her Division I collegiate debut but has made the decision to redshirt her indoor season at Kentucky. Jasmine has decided to bypass the indoor season to focus on opening up at Mt. SAC and try to make the World Championship team this summer. 

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Jasmine Todd and Katelyn Hutchison are joined by Alaysha 'Lay' Johnson, who was one of the biggest breakout stars of 2022. She was the U.S. Indoor Championship runner-up in the 60m hurdles before reaching the semifinals of the World Indoor Championships in Belgrade, Serbia. She got off to a hot start to the outdoor season by dropping a personal best of 12.50 while upsetting Olympic champion Jasmine Camacho-Quinn in Puerto Rico, then running 12.40 to win the NYC Grand Prix and then finishing second at the U.S. Outdoor Championships with a 12.35 PR. She was DQ'ed from her heat at the World Championships in Oregon but closed out the season by winning the NACAC title. She did all of that while unsponsored. She talks about that journey and her hopes moving forward.

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"I made a name for myself in track and field history but we've got a lot more stuff to do and a lot more to accomplish."

Jasmine Todd and Katelyn Hutchison are joined by Kenny Bednarek. At just 24 years old, he's already made a name for himself on the global stage with two individual global medals under his belt - a 200m silver at the Tokyo Olympics and another at the 2022 World Championships. Kenny has proven that he's a force to be reckoned with. His journey to becoming a professional athlete and on top the podium hasn't always been easy. He grew up in Rice Lake, Wisconsin and attended Indian Hills Community College in Ottumwa, Iowa. Kenny has had to overcome being overlooked and carry the weight of a chip on his shoulder. In this conversation, Kenny opens up about his path to success, his adoption story and the hard work and determination it took to get where he is today. 

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“We are a whole family. Every day I see you on the track working hard and I’m right behind you working hard. We’re going through the same connection and same process. Being a Gator, there’s nothing like it.”

Jasmine Todd and Katelyn Hutchison chat with sprinter Joseph Fahnbulleh, who turned pro this summer after leading Florida to an NCAA outdoor team title. He was named a Bowerman semifinalist after winning the NCAA 100m and 200m titles and anchoring the Gators to a runner-up finish in the 4x100m relay. After the collegiate season, he went on to finish fourth at the World Athletics Championships 200m final. In this conversation, he shares his journey to the biggest stages in the world including the Tokyo Olympics and walks though the process of turning professional, signing with an agent and landing a major sportswear and footwear contract with Asics.

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“Was I shocked? No, because we know that people do it. 10 years later, am I happy? No. That took a lot of money away from me and a moment.”

Jasmine Todd and Katelyn Hutchison speak with former U.S. 400m hurdle star Lashinda Demus just a few weeks after the news broke that Russia's Natalya Antyukh has been stripped of her results from July 2012 to June 2013, which includes the 2012 Olympic gold medal. Demus is now in line to be upgraded to gold. They get her reaction to that news but also go through her full career as one of the best 400m hurdles in history. She was a four-time world championship medalist and two-time Olympian. Now, she is a mother of four boys and is working in clinical research while also coaching at the high school level.

Once Demus is officially upgraded, she will make history as the first American woman to win an Olympic gold medal in the event and joins a small class that includes Dalilah Muhammad (2016) and Sydney McLaughlin (2021). This is her first interview since the news of the possible upgrade.

 Subscribe, download and listen to the show on Spotify and Apple Podcasts by searching Out of The Blocks with Jasmine Todd and Katelyn Hutchison.

TeeTee Terry joins Jasmine Todd and Katelyn Hutchison to discuss her first season as a professional runner, which she wrapped up by anchoring Team USA to a gold medal in the women's 4x100m at the World Athletics Championships. Before signing a contract with Nike, she set the 100m school record at USC and anchored the 4 fastest 4x100m relays in USC history. This season, she also set a personal best of 10.87 for 100m. TeeTee trains under coach Dennis Mitchell with Star Athletics in Florida.

Over the next few episodes, Jasmine and Katelyn are exploring the transition between collegiate and professional running with some of the rising stars of the sport.

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"Believe in yourself. I got it tatted on me."

Jasmine Todd and Katelyn Hutchison are joined by Champion Allison, a 400m specialist who was part of the Florida Gators' NCAA Outdoor Championship winning team this past spring. He went on to finish second at the U.S. Outdoor Championships in June with a personal best of 43.70. The time puts him at No. 10 on the all-time 400m World list and No. 8 on the all-time U.S. 400m list. He signed a professional contract with Puma before finishing fourth in the 400m final at the World Championships. In this conversation, Allison discusses the power of self-belief he's had in becoming a world-class sprinter after showing early signs of success in high school. 

Over the next few episodes, Jasmine and Katelyn are exploring the transition between collegiate and professional running with some of the rising stars of the sport.

Subscribe, download and listen to the show on Spotify and Apple Podcasts by searching Out of The Blocks with Jasmine Todd and Katelyn Hutchison.

Jasmine Todd and Katelyn Hutchison sit down with Tori Franklin after winning a bronze medal in the women's triple jump at the 2022 World Athletics Championships Oregon22. Tori is a Michigan State alum and Chicago, Ill. native. She has competed at three World Outdoor Championships, one World Indoor Championship and the 2021 Olympics. In this episode, she discusses the major life and career changes that she made and overcame to catapult herself from a 9th place finish in Doha to the first American woman to medal in the triple jump in World Championship history. Katelyn and Tori geek out about their shared roots from Chicago. There's plenty of advice for young and rising athletes packed into this one.

Jasmine Todd and Katelyn Hutchison talk with Erica Bougard, a five-time U.S. champion who finished 4th at the 2019 World Championships and competed at the Tokyo Olympics. Bougard caught global attention at the 2019 World Championships in Doha for wearing high jump shoes with the rainbow flag while competing in Qatar, where homosexuality is illegal. She is openly bisexual. 

Jasmine Todd and Katelyn Hutchison share some of their own respective backstories in how they got involved with running and how they've found motivation. For Jasmine, her faith and her early success put her on a path to be motivated to chase records and titles while in high school and then at the University of Oregon. Katelyn is currently using her own lessons on motivation as she continues to improve upon her own personal bests while competing as a sprinter at the University of Kentucky this upcoming year. Both hosts have set it as a goal to compete at next year's U.S. Outdoor Championships and possibly the World Athletics Championships together someday.

Jasmine Todd and Katelyn Hutchison speak with Noah Lyles just weeks after he successfully defended his 200m world championship gold medal and broke Michael Johnson's American record with a 19.31 performance in the final. His previous personal best before that race was 19.50. He led a Team USA medal sweep in the event. Only Jamaica's Usain Bolt (19.19) and Yohan Blake (19.26) have ever run faster. In this episode, he takes us through the progression of his career, what led to the breakthrough after finishing 4th at the 2016 Olympic Trials and where his mindset goes after becoming the fastest American. 

You can listen to 'Out of The Blocks' on Spotify and Apple Podcasts by searching Out of The Blocks with Jasmine Todd and Katelyn Hutchison.

The guest for this episode is the reigning 110m hurdles world champion and Olympic silver medalist Grant Holloway. He is a professional hurdler for adidas running and we recorded this from the adidas hospitality suite in Eugene, Oregon last weekend. He is the second-fastest 110 hurdler in history but he’s had the world record on his mind for a while. This past winter, he ran 7.29 to tie his own world record in the 60m hurdles and won gold at the World Indoor Championships. He’s one of the most fun personalities in the sport and I’m sure you’ll have some laughs in this episode. 

You can watch the full episode here but also catch the conversation in podcast form on Spotify and Apple Podcasts by searching Out of The Blocks with Jasmine Todd and Katelyn Hutchison.

Olympic Trials shot put champion and adidas professional thrower Jessica Ramsey joins Jasmine Todd and Katelyn Hutchison for an update on how she's feeling ahead of the 2022 U.S. Outdoor Track and Field Championships, the community shared by the field event athletes within the sport. She takes us through some of the highest moments of her career including a PanAm Games championship gold medal.

"I really wanted to get a national team title. Of course, I wanted to win as an individual but a true measure of an athlete is how great you can be with others. I really wanted to have an opportunity to do that. That’s why I decided to go to Florida. During my freshman year, we had a strong team but we were just missing a couple of pieces. Then we got Jasmine Moore, Anna Hall and we had some dogs on our team. The next year, I believed we have the most complete team and we were going to win. And then we did."

For this episode of Out of The Blocks with Jasmine Todd, we are joined by Florida sophomore Talitha Diggs. She won the NCAA 400m title in March and just added the outdoor title with a clutch 49.99 personal best in the final. Only four other women in NCAA history have run faster. In this episode, she talks about the team culture with the Gators, growing up as the daughter of a four-time Olympian, how she approaches the 400m and much more. She will also be competing at the upcoming U.S. Outdoor Track and Field Championships.

Fun questions include:

– What's your favorite story about coach Mike Holloway + the angriest she's ever seen him

– If you can combine forces with another athlete on your team to create a super athlete, who would it be? And it can't be Anna Hall. 

– What's the most disgusting thing you'd eat to get a world championship medal?

+ More

Plus, we introduce you to our new co-host Katelyn Hutchison – a fellow member of The Magic Boost Class of 2022. Katelyn is a sprinter at Ithaca and will be running at the University of Kentucky next year.

"In 2016, I was fourth at the U.S. Olympic Trials. In the fall of that year, I was just like, 'That can't happen again.' I had this motivation. I didn't let the Olympic Trials tear me down. I went into that (2017) season hard – going hard every day..."

Out the Blocks with Jasmine Todd with special guest Adidas long jumper and world championship finalist Sha'Keela Saunders! In this conversation, we touch on her versatility outside of the jumps with experience in the sprints, hurdles and relays; helping Kentucky's program rise; her experience representing the U.S. at Worlds and NACACs (2018 gold medalist); being one of the fellow veterans of the long jump and much more. 

Sha'Keela finished third in the 2017 and 2018 Diamond League and represented the United States at the 2017 and 2019 World Championships. She finished 9th in the long jump final at the 2019 World Championships in Doha. 

"Out of college, I was working at Family Dollar, Dick Sporting Goods and just trying to keep some money in my pocket while I trained. I just knew I shouldn't be too worried because I knew what I had coming. It's definitely stressful if you don't have a contract in this sport, especially as a field eventer. We get no love."

Donald Scott takes us through his progression as an athlete who dipped his toes in different events before truly mastering the triple jump at Eastern Michigan University. He is now a professional jumper for Adidas, a 2021 U.S. Olympian (7th at the Tokyo Olympics), six-time U.S. Champion and 2022 World Indoor Championship bronze medalist. His personal best of 17.43m puts him at No. 16 on the all-time list.

In this conversation with Jasmine Todd, he opens up about balancing being a professional athlete and a father. He also shares his experience with the U.S. foster care system that he experienced as a kid.

Notable quotes

"My sisters and I were adopted by my aunt and uncle. We weren't in the shelter for too long before they came and got us. I grew up in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. It's hard down there with poverty and all that hard stuff. I was caught up in all this is type of stuff. To be moved from that to almost-middle-class, it was a big adjustment. Where I'm from, it's basically African-Americans. My aunt and uncle are Caucasian. We had to battle that a little bit because we weren't comfortable around Caucasians. We were always told this, this and yada, yada, yada. That was an adjustment but overall it was good for me and my sisters to finally be shown love and what it's like to be in a stable household. Although my uncle moved out after a couple of years and it was just my aunt, it felt like home. It felt good. I started becoming active in sports, getting good grades and turning my life around. Blessed enough, that's how I earned my scholarship to Eastern Michigan. If I never would've got adopted, I don't know what I would be doing – probably locked up or something. My life has been a journey, a blessing and I just want to inspire people to set a goal and just chase it. Especially the people who come from where I come from. Most people get stuck down there. Most people don't ever leave Florida. For me to be able to do that, family and people I grew up with being able to see all this stuff is good."

"Life is going to have ebbs and flows. When we start to get doubtful, we start to make rash decisions. If you can see the path clearly, stick to it. If you can't, figure out the unclear parts. Chances are if you're a developmental athlete, you're pretty low on your developmental path. It takes a lot work to be far along on that path. So if you are low, there's a lot of things you can pick at to get better. If you just think that it's going to take care of itself or you're falling back on the place that you're at, it's kind of being lazy. If you want to be as good as these other people, you can't assume it was handed to them. You're better off assuming they trusted the process, they were analytical – that's how they got to that place. Their path could've started years earlier than you but it's better to assume everybody is working hard and you need to be working hard too. Trust in that hard work."

Two-time Olympic triple jumper and training partner Chris Benard kicks back to share a bit about his career path from Riverside City College to Arizona State to two Olympic Games. Benard also dives into the mindfulness practice that has helped him stay focused in some of the biggest national and global stages. 

"It was honestly a great experience. This is my first year not being sponsored so I felt like I had a chip on my shoulder this whole season just trying to prove that I am deserving of something...It was nice to see all of my hard work paying off and do something I've never done before and something that hasn't been done in the U.S. in a couple of years."

One of the best stories to come out of the 2022 World Indoor Track and Field Championships in Belgrade, Serbia was Team USA's Mikiah Brisco coming away with a silver medal in the women's 60m in 6.99 seconds. That is the fastest time by an American woman since Gail Devers in 1999.

Switzerland’s Mujinga Kambundji won gold in 6.96 to move into No. 4 on the all-time list. Brisco's Team USA teammate Marybeth Sant-Price took bronze in 7.04.

In the first "Out of The Blocks" conversation with Jasmine Todd, Mikiah sat down to talk about her time in Serbia and how she's looking to keep the momentum going into the outdoor season ahead of the U.S. Championships and World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon this summer.