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4 days ago | 
essentiallysports.com | Maleehah Shakeel |Ayushi Dutta
Day one. May 9. This was supposed to be Team USA’s reset button — a chance to bounce back strong at the World Relays. Instead? It turned into a relay nightmare, and the debut of the mixed 4x100m was the main stage for it. This new event brought chaos and intrigue right from the jump, with a format that goes woman–woman–man–man. It added unpredictability, excitement… and, for Team USA, disaster. Lining up for the U.S. were Kennedy Blackmon, Jada Mowatt, Kendal Williams, and Pjai Austin. On paper?
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4 days ago | 
essentiallysports.com | Maleehah Shakeel |Deepanjan Mitra
May 9? Yeah, that one’s going down as a total nightmare for Team USA. Like, what even happened out there? At the World Athletics Relays in Guangzhou, the U.S. men’s 4x400m team—Jevon O’Bryant, Lance Lang, Kennedy Lightner, and Elija Godwin—was supposed to handle business, lock in that spot for Worlds in Tokyo, and keep it moving. Instead? They didn’t qualify for the World Relays. Just like that. No pass, no Tokyo, just stunned faces.
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5 days ago | 
essentiallysports.com | Maleehah Shakeel |Ayushi Dutta
Dark clouds are definitely hanging over Jamaica right now—and not the rain kind. First, they weren’t the fastest in the mixed 4x100m relay (Canada stole that spotlight), and then came the women’s 4x100m heats on May 9 at the World Relays. Jamaica rolled out a heavy-duty lineup in Heat 2 and still ended up finishing second. Not ideal, but hey, it wasn’t the end of the world… until the men’s 4x100m heat hit the track. Let’s talk about Heat 2.
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5 days ago | 
essentiallysports.com | Maleehah Shakeel
What’s going on with Jamaica’s relay teams? First off, in the mixed 4x100m, Jamaica didn’t top the charts either. Canada edged them out as the fastest, but they still qualified. Now, flash forward to the women’s 4x100m heats at the World Relays on 9th May. Jamaica came into Heat 2 with a heavy-hitting squad: Tina Clayton, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Tia Clayton, and Shericka Jackson. On paper, they should’ve cruised through. But what happened on the track? Well, Spain happened.
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6 days ago | 
essentiallysports.com | Maleehah Shakeel |Deepanjan Mitra
The heat is on… no, scratch that, the heat was on until the nations couldn’t pull through! The world’s best sprinters were all ready to light up Guangzhou, China, this weekend (10–11 May) for the World Athletics Relays. Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Shericka Jackson, and Wayde van Niekerk were all set to go head-to-head in a race for those precious spots at the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo and the 2024 World Relays in Paris.
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6 days ago | 
essentiallysports.com | Maleehah Shakeel |Deepanjan Mitra
When you’re a legend and a future, everyone’s got eyes on you. And that’s exactly what happened when Kishane Thompson stepped up to his first outdoor 100m race of the 2025 season at the Shanghai Diamond League in May. The hype was real, and everyone was watching. From the moment that gun went off, Thompson looked every bit the part, coming out strong and positioning himself perfectly among the leaders. For most of the race, it seemed like he had this one in the bag.
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6 days ago | 
essentiallysports.com | Maleehah Shakeel |Garima Yadav
What happens when you finally live the dream? Olympic gold, million-dollar deals, your name in lights — it’s everything a track and field star could ask for, right? Well, Tara Davis-Woodhall has all of that and more. She’s got a 2024 Olympic gold medal in long jump, a net worth hovering around $2 million, and a brand lineup that sounds like a shopping haul — Nike, Netflix, Bath & Body Works, UGG, Stanley, Tecovas. And yet, somehow, she’s still the same Tara. Why?
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1 week ago | 
essentiallysports.com | Maleehah Shakeel |Ayushi Dutta
Sha’Carri Richardson is at it again, keeping us all on the edge of our seats! After absolutely owning the 2025 Met Gala in New York, the 25-year-old sprinter showed us she’s not just fast on the track—she’s got style for days. Rocking a lavender lace bodice and a butter-yellow Valentino gown, she swapped her usual race kit for something show-stopping. Her hair was adorned with 14 yellow bows, and her colorful nails and chunky jewelry by Alex Moss added that extra pop.
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1 week ago | 
essentiallysports.com | Maleehah Shakeel |Shrabana Sengupta
Track and field might bring the speed, the drama, and the gold medals, but it doesn’t bring the cash. Ever wonder how Noah Lyles is sitting on a $5 million net worth in a sport where even Olympians sometimes have to pick up side gigs? If you’re not one of the chosen few with a sponsor, surviving in this sport is a hustle. Prize money is hit or miss, appearance fees are only for the top dogs, and TV deals? Forget about it. Want to know how rough it is?
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1 week ago | 
essentiallysports.com | Maleehah Shakeel |Ayushi Dutta
Ilona Maher is out here changing the game, and she’s doing it one bold lipstick look at a time. If you’ve seen her on the rugby field, you know she’s not your average athlete. She’s not just tackling opponents—she’s tackling the stereotypes that come with being a woman in sports. After a viral TikTok where she confidently responded to body shaming, Maher made it clear: “I do have a BMI of 30 – or 29.3, to be more exact,” but that doesn’t define her. Her fitness, her strength, her worth?
