Summary
Netflix’s latest sports documentary,Sprint: The World’s Fastest Humans, features plenty of world-famous athletes and a few lesser-known faces.Sprintcontinues the trend of greatNetflix sports documentaries, just likeQuarterback, BeckhamandF1: Drive to Survive.Sprintfollows a few track and field athletes from all over the world as they prepare for the 2023 World Championships in Budapest, and it’s theperfect show to prepare for the 2024 Olympicstaking place in Paris in just a few weeks.
Sprinthas a great soundtrackand plenty of gorgeous location shots, all of which add to the epic atmosphere of elite-level athletics. Just like the best sports documentaries,Sprintcan make audiences interested in events that they hadn’t previously paid much attention to. The interesting characters on display are also a big help. From brash American sprinter Noah Lyles to the legendary Jamaican Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce,Sprinthas the biggest stars in the world of athletics. It also provides some insight into fascinating athletes who casual fans might not know about.
14Noah Lyles
100m & 200m World Champion
Noah Lyles describes himself as having"main character energy,“so he’ll be pleased with how prominently he features inSprint.The American sprinter is known for his loud personality just as much as his athletic ability. He loves the spotlight, and he has gained attention on social media for holding up Yu-Gi-Oh cards to the camera before his races. However, Lyles backs up his talk with blistering speed. He won three gold medals at the 2023 World Championships, and his 200m personal best of 19.31 seconds is an American record.He is heavily favored to win gold in the 100m and 200m at the Paris Olympics.
13Sha’Carri Richardson
100m World Champion
Like Lyles, Sha’Carri Richardson is a big personality with the talent to back it up. She can be instantly recognized by her long acrylic nails and her colorful wigs. Richardson is the sixth-fastest woman ever over 100m, with a personal best of 10.65 seconds. She missed the Tokyo Olympics after being suspended for marijuana use, but she isthe overwhelming favorite to win the 100m gold in Paris this summer. She won gold at the 2023 World Championships, and she claimed bronze in the 200m, despite this not being her preferred event.
12Gabby Thomas
2x Olympic Medalist
Gabby Thomas is jokingly referred to as “Miss Harvard” at one point inSprint.She first rose to fame at collegiate level, and her reputation has grown even more during her professional career. Thomas is best-suited to the 200m rather than the 100m.She won bronze in the women’s 200m at the Tokyo Olympics, and she will be among the top contenders in Paris this summer.Sprintshows her winning silver at the 2023 World Championships, narrowly beating Sha’Carri Richardson. Thomas and Richardson won gold together in the 4x100m sprint relay, competing for the United States.
11Michael Johnson
4x Olympic Gold Medalist, 8x World Champion
Sprinthas interviews with retired athletes to provide some context and further insightinto the world of track and field. One of the most prominent voices is Michael Johnson, the legendary American sprinter who previously held the world records for both the 200m and 400m. He still holds the record for the 4x400m relay. Very few sprinters could match Johnson’s longevity and consistency. He didn’t tend to compete in the 100m, but he was often unbeatable over slightly longer distances. Since retiring from the sport, Johnson has been a pundit and a great ambassador for track and field.
10Usain Bolt
100m & 200m World Record Holder, 8x Olympic Gold Medalist
Sprintgains a little extra credibility by featuring interviews with the fastest man who ever lived.Noah Lyles often says that he wants to transcend the sport, and Usain Bolt is one athlete who has managed to do that.In his prime, the Jamaican sprinter would blow away his competition. When he set a world record of 9.69 seconds in the 100m at the Beijing Olympics, none of his competitors were anywhere near him. A year later, he shattered his own record with an incredible 9.58 second run at the World Championships, and beat his own world record to reach 19.19 seconds in the 200m. He has eight Olympic gold medals.
9Allyson Felix
7x Olympic Gold Medalist
8Marcell Jacobs
Reigning Olympic 100m Champion
Italian sprinter Marcell Jacobs pulled off one of the great shocks of the Tokyo Olympics when he stormed to gold in the 100m in 9.80 seconds. Since then, he has struggled with injury, and his critics have been piling on the pressure.Sprintshows Jacobs' patchy preparation for the 2023 World Championships, and his poor performance didn’t come as much of a surprise. He is in slightly better form heading into the Olympics this year.He won the men’s 100m gold at the European Championships in June, but he will need to improve on his time of 10.02 seconds to have any hope of defending his Olympic crown.
7Ato Boldon
4x Olympic Medalist, 4x World Championship Medalist
Ato Boldon is another retired pro who features in talking head segments inSprint.He is the most successful individual Olympic athlete from Trinidad and Tobago, taking home four medals for his country. His best result was his second-place finish in the men’s 100m at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Since his retirement, Boldon has enjoyed a successful career in broadcasting, commentating on several Olympic Games for NBC. He may not have the silverware of some of the other experts inSprint,but he knows the sport inside and out.
6Shericka Jackson
200m World Champion
Sprint’s final episode focused on the tension leading up to the highly competitive 200m women’s final at the 2023 World Championships in Budapest. Shericka Jackson was one of the favorites alongside Gabby Thomas and Sha’Carri Richardson, and she blew them away with a championship record time of 21.41 seconds. Although this is the second-fastest time ever, Jackson looked briefly disappointed not to break Florence Griffith Joyner’s world record from 1988.She is also the fifth-fastest woman of all time over 100m, and she will be a major contender in both disciplines at the Paris Olympics this summer.
5Zharnel Hughes
British 100m & 200m National Record Holder
Zharnel Hughes is the fastest British man of all time, having set the national record for the 100m and the 200m.Sprintplays up his rivalry with Noah Lyles, but in reality, Lyles is on a whole different level.Hughes qualified for the men’s 100m final at the Tokyo Olympics, but he was disqualified for a false start. He has enjoyed the best years of his career since then, so he will be hoping to set the record straight at the Paris Olympics. Hughes was born and raised in Anguilla, so his decision to compete for Great Britain in international competitions was initially met with some criticism from rival British sprinters.
