Citius Mag Podcast

21-year-old Muzala Samukonga won Zambia’s only medal at the Paris Olympics, which was the country's first since the 1996 Games in Atlanta. He rose to prominence at the 2022 Commonwealth Games when he stormed to gold in 44.66 and beat out Great Britain’s Matthew Hudson-Smith, who took silver in Paris. There isn’t a ton on the internet on Samukonga so that’s why it was nice when our very own Anderson Emerole had the chance to chat with him in Brussels just after he signed a contract to join Grand Slam Track as a 200m/400m racer in 2025. It’s life-changing money for Samukonga, who came from nothing. You’ll hear from him and his coach Douglas Kalembo on his poor beginnings and how he’s become one of the best 400m runners in the world. You can read more about Samukonga and all of the other recent Grand Slam Track Racer signings at CITIUSMAG.com SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS LEVER MOVEMENT: Elevate your running with the LEVER system, just like Olympian Eilish McColgan. Reduce impact on your joints, boost your training volu

 We actually recorded this while we were in Paris but had to keep it under wraps for a bit. This was just a few days after Alison Dos Santos earned his second Olympic bronze medal in the men’s 400m hurdles. He went on to win the 2024 Diamond League title and finished the year with a personal best of 46.29, which puts him at No. 3 on the all-time list behind Karsten Warholm and Rai Benjamin. We talk a bit about the state of the men’s 400m hurdles. His experience in Paris and his excitement around becoming the first South American athlete to sign with Grand Slam Track. He will be contesting the 400m and 400m hurdles four times per year at the four Slams in 2025 for the inaugural season of Michael Johnson’s professional track league. You can read more about Dos Santos and all of the Grand Slam Track recent signings over at CITIUSMAG.com. SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS LEVER MOVEMENT: Elevate your running with the LEVER system, just like Olympian Eilish McColgan. Reduce impact on your joints, boost your training volume,

"Running is for everyone and that's so important for me as a person. One of the coolest things about the marathon is you could be running on the same course as people breaking world records. You have trained differently but you have put so much of yourself into it. You're not running a marathon alone – your spouse, children, co-workers or friends know that you've been training really hard and given up a lot to make it to the start line, push through the marathon and get to the finish. That's truly really important to me...Finding running looks different for everyone." In less than four years of marathoning, Gabi Rooker has been a rising star for the U.S. Last year, she was the fourth American at the 2023 Chicago Marathon with an impressive 2:24:35 personal best. She went on to finish 19th at the U.S. Olympic Trials. With a background in competitive gymnastics, Gabi has taken to the roads super well since her marathon debut in 2021. She spent time elevating her training as part of the Dreamweaver program, whic

Chris Chavez and Preet Majithia recap the third and fourth episodes of the Ingebrigtsen brothers’ new documentary series, "Ingebrigtsen - Born To Run.” Episode 3 focused on Henrik and Filip’s families and personal development. Episode 4 explored Jakob and Josh Kerr’s rivalry and how it unfolded over the 2024 season. We wrap up with what we’re looking forward to most in episodes 5 and 6. Time Stamps: Episode 3 2:38 - The focus on Henrik and Filip’s personal development 4:50 - The toll of the brothers’ intense training  6:37 - Spotlight on Henrik’s wife  7:19 - Jakob’s season opener at Pre Classic  9:21 - The episode’s focus on family Episode 4 10:49 - Overview + Jakob vs. Josh Kerr at the Pre Classic Press Conference  14:03 - Jakob vs. Josh rivalry timeline  19:25 - Who started the rivalry?  22:42 - The problem with the rivalry  25:38 - Remainder of episode 4 + what to look forward to in next episodes  Mentioned in this episode… Listen: Keeping Up with the Ingebrigtsens | Recapping 'Ingebrigtsen - Born To Run,

This week, Chris Chavez and Preet Majithia break down the first edition of the women’s-only track event, Athlos NYC. They recap the meet’s prize money structure compared to Diamond League meets and Grand Slam Track and share how Athlos may impact the pro scene in coming years. They also unpack some of the event’s unique elements, like the interactive broadcast, fashion show walk-ins, and smaller bib sizes.  You can read our full Athlos recap on CITIUSMAG.com here.  Time Stamps: 1:53 - Athlos overview. 3:31 - Broadcast: what made it unique + how it’s helping grow the U.S. audience for track. 9:00 - Breaking down the meet’s prize money structure. 13:13 - Diamond League responding to increased prize money from Athlos. 15:03 - How Grand Slam Track’s schedule will stack up with the DL season.  21:44 - More highlights: athlete experience, NYC ads, fashion show walk-ins. 23:31 - How Athlos is creating more track and field stars. 25:17 - Men’s vs. women’s pro contracts in track and field. 26:26 - Smaller bibs, breaki

Chris Chavez and Isaac Wood, CITIUS MAG's cross country expert and founder of The Wood Report (2012-2022), preview the 2024 NCAA cross country season. Join us for our predictions, analysis, and takeaways as the season gets underway, including: top teams and individual contenders to watch for, most improved programs, and lots more. Host: Chris Chavez | @chris_j_chavez on Instagram Guest: Isaac Wood | @isaacew on Instagram  Time Stamps: Intro: 3:33 - Roster limits + scholarship changes; Impact of conference realignment on cross country.  Women's Preview: 7:28 - NC State vs. NAU for team title. 9:32 - NC State: how this year’s team compares to 2023.  13:41 - NAU: top returners, freshmen, transfers. 16:48 - Context on USTFCCCA rankings. 17:34 - Most improved teams: Gonzaga, Utah Valley, Providence. 23:00 - Teams with recent coaching changes to watch: UNC, New Mexico, Northwestern. 25:31 - Teams outside top 30 ranking to watch: Clemson, CBU. 27:21 - Podium contending teams: Notre Dame, Oregon, Washington.

Chris Chavez and Preet Majithia dive into the first two episodes of the Ingebrigtsen brothers’ new documentary series, "Ingebrigtsen - Born To Run.” We break down how it builds off the "Team Ingebrigtsen" YouTube series from 2016-2021, discuss the notable absence of Gjert following his abuse allegations, highlight Elisabeth’s personality, and talk details on Henrik and Philip’s storylines. We wrap up with some of our hopes and expectations for the series. Time Stamps: 6:11 - Details on “Team Ingebrigtsen” YouTube series from 2016. 10:39 - Context for new series: “Ingebrigtsen - Born To Run.” 13:23 - Gjert Ingebrigtsen absent from series + context on situation.  22:49 - Elisabeth, Jakob’s wife: role + personality in the show. 28:21 - Jakob’s car collection. 30:00 - Pace lights installed at the brothers’ training stadium for practices. 32:06 - Henrik’s storyline + role in the show. 34:31 - Father theme throughout the first two episodes. 40:33 - Key parts of episode two: training in Flagstaff.  42

This week, Anderson Emerole and Preet Majithia recap the top performances at the Brussels Diamond League Final. They discuss everything from Faith Kipyegon and Jakob Ingebrigtsen’s dominance in the 1500m races to Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone’s standout 400m/200m double in the invite sections. Anderson and Preet also break down Jakob’s half marathon debut two days after he won the Brussels Diamond League 1500m and share a few updates on Grand Slam Track. Time Stamps: 2:49 - Behind-the-scenes at the Brussels DL: mixed zone, post-meet party. 10:40 - Analysis on SML’s 400m/200m double. 20:24 - Women’s 100m: Julien Alfred ends her season victorious. 25:34 - Men’s 1500m: rematch among top contenders. 29:35 - Recapping the rest of day one. 37:34 - Women’s 400mH: Femke Bol back on top. 41:12 - Men’s 200m: Kenny Bednarek breaks through + Letstile Tebogo’s rise to stardom.  47:21 - Recapping the rest of day two. 48:15 - Women’s 1500m: Faith Kipyegon’s dominance + what’s next for her. 54:47 - Jakob’s half marathon debut in

"Paris revealed a lot to us, and we got busy talking to athletes and agents, helping them understand what we're trying to build and how they can be a part of this. It's been a great response to what we're building, we always thought that would be the case. The proof now is that athletes have shown they are excited about this and are excited to be a part of the league." Anderson Emerole caught up with Grand Slam Track Commissioner Michael Johnson live from Brussels to catch up on recent developments with his new professional track league, Grand Slam Track. Michael shares his excitement for the growing roster of top-tier racers and the positive response from athletes eager to join the league. He also discusses the role of broadcasting in expanding the sport's reach, including ongoing negotiations for the best partners, and the importance of including new technology and content creators. Michael also shares insights on upcoming host cities, the balance between Grand Slam Track and othe

"You’re going to have stuff go wrong regardless. This year I had a lot of stuff go wrong, but it’s not necessarily about not having anything go wrong. It’s about how you respond to those issues that will inherently come up.” Today’s guest is Ryan Crouser. Ryan just won his third straight Olympic gold medal in the men’s shot put in Paris, becoming the first shot putter in history to win three Olympic titles. He did so with a mark of 22.90m, which is the second best in Olympic history, behind only his performance from Tokyo in 2021. The season wasn’t easy for Ryan after winning World Indoors in Glasgow in March, he battled through pectoral and elbow injuries throughout most of the spring and the early summer that forced him to open his season at the U.S. Olympic Trials. Despite this adversity, he still came out on top when it mattered most, and now he’s chasing something big in the last few Diamond League meets of the year. In this episode, he talks through the recovery process after picking up an elbow in

"I genuinely told myself that I was born for it. On the start line, I kept saying that to myself. I was like, ‘I was born for this.’ It just made me feel like I was totally meant to be there, and as long as I was going to be brave, I would be rewarded." My guest for today’s episode is Georgia Bell just a month or so after her first appearance on the show where we detailed her remarkable comeback to the sport. Well…now she’s an Olympic bronze medalist in the 1500m.  In the Olympic final, she shocked many – not really the CITIUS MAG crew – by running a British record of 3:52.61. She was just 0.05 seconds shy of a silver medal, but her perfectly timed push in the final stretch earned her a place on the podium, overtaking Ethiopia's Diribe Welteji by a mere 0.14 seconds. As Faith Kipyegon claimed her third consecutive title, Bell’s remarkable performance capped an unforgettable night for Team GB. If you haven’t listened to her first episode go back and do that because this one picks up right where

This week, Chris Chavez, Paul Hof-Mahoney and Preet Majithia recap the Rome Diamond League and the Track Lab event in Switzerland. Rome Diamond League – The women's steeplechase saw Winfred Yavi come heartbreakingly close to a world record, missing by just .07 seconds. – Faith Kipyegon extended her unbeaten streak in the women's 1500. – In the men's 5000m, Hagos Gebrhiwet outkicked a loaded field to win after the world record attempt fizzled out. – Letsile Tebogo dazzled in the men's 100, celebrating early and still securing a win in 9.87 seconds. – Ryan Crouser continued his dominance in the shot put, recording six throws over 22 meters, including a meet-record 22.49m. Track Lab This unique event introduced new and modified disciplines, including a completely new mile steeplechase and adjusted sprint formats with zero-tolerance reaction times. The field events saw significant changes with the pole vault measuring being changed, the long jump featuring an extended take-off zone and the javeli

"The most pivotal moment of my life was when my doctor sat me down as kind of an exit interview from the hospital… He said, ‘Nate, you’re never going to walk without a limp, competitive sports are not in your future, and you're not going to graduate high school. I still get a tingling sensation all over my body just saying it. For me, I could take this one road that's pretty flat and I won't fail a lot and I'll just listen to him. Or I could take this winding road and I could fail a whole lot. A lot of tears were shed, for sure, but I could end up on top of the podium at the Paralympic Games, or I could achieve something that I'd always dreamed of. I was always a really big dreamer, so I decided to take that route. I got out of the hospital on Sunday and went to school on Monday. It was almost like a new life." Nate Riech won gold in the T38 category for the 1500m at his first Paralympic Games in Tokyo and is now back to defend his title. He is also an Asics-sponsored pro athlete

We asked our followers on Instagram who they wanted to hear from after the Paris Olympics and while we're in the process of booking and recording with some of the Olympians who starred in the Games, some people asked for a behind-the-scenes chat on CITIUS MAG and a recap of my near DNF at the Marathon Pour Tous (the Marathon for All – an organized marathon for the public to run on the same course as the Olympic athletes). I managed to complete the race in 3:48 despite every effort to drop out of the race. Guest hosted by my fiancée, Kari.

This week in track and field, Chris Chavez and Paul Hof-Mahoney recap all of the top action at the Lausanne and Silesia Diamond League meets including Jakob Ingebrigtsem breaking a 28-year-old world record in the 3000m; Mondo Duplantis breaking the pole vault world record for the 10th time; Chase Jackson getting revenge after her Paris flop and more. SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS ASICS: It’s no surprise that many of Asics’ top athletes have been racing in the MetaSpeed Edge and MetaSpeed Sky. They're both lightweight, responsive, and built to help you fly. ⁠⁠⁠Head over to Asics.com⁠⁠⁠ and check them out because your next PR may be a few clicks away. OLIPOP: For the past year, we’ve redefined Olipop as more than just a healthy drink known for its gut microbiome with a low sugar content and a much better alternative to regular soda. You know there are more than 16 flavors, including classic root beer, cherry cola, and lemon-lime. You know it as The Runner’s Soda. ⁠⁠⁠Get 25% off your orders by using code CITIUS25 at

"I realized I was starting to open up a little bit of a gap and I'm like, ‘Oh my gosh, am I going to win?’ I probably was looking around way too much. But in my mind I was like, ‘Is this really happening right now? That’s what was going through my head. It was just adrenaline and just taking in the moment of, ‘Wow, this is incredible. Is this really happening?’ Then just trying to dig deep to finish the race." Kenneth Rooks just brought home a silver medal in the men’s 3000-meter steeplechase at the Paris Olympics. How’d he do it? Well, if you haven’t watched the race yet. Go on NBC Sports’ YouTube channel, watch it and then pick this podcast back up because he comes from the back of the pack to nearly pull off one of the biggest upsets in Olympic history. His final time of 8:06.41 shattered his personal best by an astounding nine seconds and makes him the second-fastest American ever in this event. Kenneth’s past 14 months have been amazing. Just a year ago, he was relatively unknown on the int

"I told (Quincy Wilson), ‘Don’t worry about this. I'm going to get you a gold medal. I promise you.’ I kept telling him, 'Don't worry about this, you're good.’ I think he was just a little bit disappointed in how he performed, but I'm like, ‘Don't even worry about that stuff. You're about to walk away with an Olympic gold medal at 16-years-old. There are people who would love to be in your position who are just not. Remember this, feed off this, and understand that this is only going to make you better because now you see how an international competition is.’" Vernon Norwood joins the show fresh off a successful trip to the Paris Olympics, where he played a pivotal role in Team USA’s triumphs as one of the veterans and hypemen of the squad. Vernon was the second leg of the American men’s 4×400-meter relay team to their third consecutive Olympic gold, clocking an astonishing split of 43.30 seconds on his leg.  This was just one day after he blazed through the heats with a

"I love when I can hear, ‘Look at how good she looks!’ or, ‘She's smiling, that's awesome!’ I hope that one person sees it and is like, ‘If an elite marathoner can have fun while doing this, maybe I can.’" Dakotah Lindwurm just wrapped up an impressive performance at the Paris Olympic Marathon, finishing in 12th place with a time of 2:26:44. She was the Olympic Trials third place finisher but just finished as the top American in Paris. Training went really well in the build-up and she admits to believing she was capable of medaling. After the halfway mark, she even found herself in the lead of the race. On a course that was tough and hilly, Dakotah stuck to her steady strategy. While others were surging and falling back, she maintained her pace, staying within striking distance of the leaders. She fared well on the hills that broke several of the top marathoners and then shared a story of how a little boy on the side of the road helped energize her enough to finish strong and pass reigning O

"I was going in with the mentality that I could medal even before we left. I just knew my fitness was at a different level. Yes, eighth is great and I'm happy about that, but I don't think my fitness really showed in this marathon. I think I have another level that I'm trying to bridge the gap to. But seeing them do so well, I was definitely thinking of it in the race. Kenneth was second, Grant was third, like I can go out here and medal… I know these guys, I run with these guys, I get my doors blown off by these guys, but I can go medal." My guest for today's episode is Conner Mantz, who recently finished an impressive eighth place at the Paris Olympics Marathon with a time of 2:08:12.On a course that was as unforgiving as it was historic, Conner mixed it up with the best marathoners in the world, tackling the relentless hills and intense heat of Paris. At mile 9, when Tamirat Tola, the eventual Olympic champion, made his first big move up one of the course’s steepest hill, Conner w

"I've had this question asked once before, right after the Olympic Trials: What would you tell Clayton of four years ago, three years ago, two years ago? I had to think about it for a while and I kind of came to the conclusion that I would just give him a big hug and say, ‘Keep doing what you're doing,’ because I wouldn't want to rob him of all of the experience that he had to gain. The only reason that ninth place finisher Clayton Young – 2:08 on the Paris course – exists is because of what I had to go through the last four years. So I wouldn't want to rob him of those opportunities. There's no shortcut to this. While I wish that podium would have come sooner, I think there were valuable lessons that I had to learn that are going to continue to pay off for the next decade, whether that's in life or whether that's in sport. That’s all I would really do: Just give Clayton of 2019 when he's suffering, or 2020 in the marathon, a big hug and say, ‘It will all work out. That