Sprint is a television documentary series produced in a collaboration between Netflix and World Athletics, to give a behind-the-scenes look at the athletes and races of the Diamond League, World Athletics Championships, and Olympic Games. The series debuted with six episodes on 2 July 2024 covering the 2023 Diamond League and 2023 World Athletics Championships. The series was renewed for a second season which covered athletics at the 2024 Summer Olympics, released on 13 November 2024.[1]
| Sprint | |
|---|---|
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| Genre | Docudrama |
| Created by | |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 10 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
|
| Running time | 33-48 minutes |
| Production company | Box to Box Films |
| Original release | |
| Network | Netflix |
| Release | 2 July 2024 – present |
Production and concept
editThe series was produced by Box to Box Films, the same organization that produced the popular Formula 1: Drive to Survive series since 2019.[2]
Cast
editSprinters
editMain cast
editSeason 1 (S1) and season 2 (S2) appearances are denoted.[3][4]
- Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (S1, S2)[3]
- Zharnel Hughes (S1)[3]
- Shericka Jackson (S1, S2)[3]
- Marcell Jacobs (S1, S2)[3]
- Fred Kerley (S1, S2)[3]
- Noah Lyles (S1, S2)[3]
- Sha'Carri Richardson (S1, S2)[3]
- Gabby Thomas (S1, S2)[3]
- Elaine Thompson-Herah (S1)[3]
- Kishane Thompson (S2)
- Oblique Seville (S2)
- Kenny Bednarek (S2)
- Christian Coleman (S2)
- Letsile Tebogo (S2)
- Twanisha Terry (S2)
- Melissa Jefferson (S2)
- Julien Alfred (S2)
Secondary cast
editPersonnel
edit- Keisha Caine (mother of Noah Lyles)[5]
- Lance Brauman (coach of Noah Lyles)[5]
- Nicole Daza (wife of Marcell Jacobs)[5]
- Paolo Camossi (coach of Marcell Jacobs)[5]
- Dennis Mitchell (coach of Star Athletics)[5]
- Paul Francis (coach of MVP Track Club)[5]
- Stephen Francis (coach of MVP Track Club)[5]
- Linford Christie (former British 100 m record-holder)[5]
- Shenel Francis (girlfriend of Zharnel Hughes)[5]
Pundits
editEpisode lists
editSeason 1 (2024)
edit| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "Heir to the Throne" | 2 July 2024 | |
| 2 | 2 | "Queens" | 2 July 2024 | |
| 3 | 3 | "Belonging" | 2 July 2024 | |
| 4 | 4 | "Trials & Tribulations" | 2 July 2024 | |
|
Sprinters qualify for world teams at the 2023 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships and the 2023 Jamaican Athletics Championships.[3] | ||||
| 5 | 5 | "The Gold Standard" | 2 July 2024 | |
| 6 | 6 | "The Double is Alive" | 2 July 2024 | |
|
Season 1 ends with the 2023 Worlds men's 100 m finals and both the men's and women's 200 m finals.[3] | ||||
Season 2
edit| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | 1 | "All American" | 13 November 2024 | |
|
Noah Lyles and Fred Kerley race at the 2024 United States Olympic trials. Kerley also competes at the 2024 USATF NYC Grand Prix.[4] | ||||
| 8 | 2 | "Changing of the Guard" | 13 November 2024 | |
|
Oblique Seville beats Lyles at the Racers Grand Prix, then Kishane Thompson, Seville, Shelly-Ann Fraser Pryce, and Shericka Jackson race at the 2024 Jamaican Athletics Championships. At the end of the episode, Julien Alfred and Gabrielle Thomas race at the 2024 London Athletics Meet.[4] | ||||
| 9 | 3 | "Going for Gold: Part 1" | 13 November 2024 | |
| 10 | 4 | "Going for Gold: Part 2" | 13 November 2024 | |
Reception
editCathal Dennehy of Athletics Weekly wrote that the series would be good for the sport of athletics, but not to expect the same level of interest that Formula 1: Drive to Survive generated.[2]
Noah Lyles' portrayal in the documentary received criticism, with some accusing the documentary makers of focusing too much on Lyles at the expense of other athletes. Some also argued that Lyles appeared arrogant and "not likable at all".[6]
See also
edit
References
edit- ^ "Netflix Unveils New Sports Docuseries on Simone Biles, Jerry Jones, Olympic Men's Basketball". Variety. Retrieved 8 July 2024.
- ^ a b "Why Netflix series is unlikely to trigger a track and field revolution". Athletics Weekly. Retrieved 8 July 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t "Athletics hits Netflix with release of new series SPRINT". World Athletics. Retrieved 8 July 2024.
- ^ a b c d e "SPRINT Part 2 out now on Netflix". Retrieved 17 November 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "A Running Review Of 'Sprint,' The Track And Field Documentary On Netflix". FloTrack. Retrieved 8 July 2024.
- ^ ""Not Likable at All": Noah Lyles Receives Heavy Criticism From Twitter's Track & Field Community for Netflix's Sprint Documentary". Retrieved 8 July 2024.
