The Day That Changed Track & Field Forever... || Tyson Gay Shocks The World

After one of the longest and most grueling seasons in this year's track and field campaign, Abby Steiner has emerged as one of the most talented and accomplished sprinters in the entire world. Starting back as early as December of 2021, a full month before her senior season even officially started, Steiner was already throwing down some of the fastest times that we had ever seen. However, as her season progressed, there was next to nobody that could stand in her way. From her record-breaking indoor campaign, to her incredible NCAA outdoor season, to one of the most compelling and unique world championships of any athlete in the world, Abby Steiner has clearly made her mark in the world of sprinting, and despite the fact that she ran a total of 58 races for her senior year, more than anyone else in the world that I can find, she was still able to compete with the best in the world on the world's biggest stage. In just seven months time, Steiner revolutionized the possibilities for a collegiate athlete, and looking back on what she managed to achieve this year, it makes her one of the most promising young prospects for future global medals. Now, for her very first race of this senior year, we have to go all the way back to December of 2021, where she competed in an indoor 300 meter race at the University of Kentucky. At the Cardinal Classic, various athletes from the gathered to compete in what was supposed to be more of a practice-type competition, but apparently Steiner missed that memo, because she went on to break the NCAA record in the 300 meters, with a time of 35.80 seconds. This time now places Steiner at number 6 all-time for the indoor 300, and remember, this was months before she was even supposed to be at her peak fitness. With her classic top-end speed and her ferocious finish down the home stretch, Steiner was clearly ready to run very, very fast, and as her 2022 indoor season finally arrived, it was evident that she was going to be very difficult to take down. After setting the track on fire with her 35.80 300 meter record, Steiner opened her 200 meter indoor campaign with another collegiate record at 22.37 seconds, taking down her own indoor record which she set previously at 22.38. At the Indoor Clemson Invitational on February 12th, Steiner made winning look remarkably easy in this race, as she took down the field by a comfortable margin up front at 22.37, and she now had the two fastest times in collegiate history in the indoor 200. This was quite the way to continue her dominance as the 2022 season unfolded, however, her record-setting performances were just getting started. At this year's Indoor SEC Championships, Steiner was set to clash against Favor Ofili from LSU, one of the most promising young sprinters in the NCAA rankings, but with one of the most amazing performances in collegiate history, Steiner was just unstoppable here, as she dropped a time of 22.08 seconds, which was a massive collegiate record, a massive American record, and it was now ranked number two all-time for the Women's Indoor 200, only falling behind Merlene Otte from Jamaica. This win was so convincing that the NCAA Championships just two weeks later were somewhat of a formality, and again, Steiner went on to win this championships at 22.16 seconds, again dominating the competition. On the all-time list of NCAA Women's Indoor 200 meter dashes, Steiner now holds the top four positions, and out of the top 12 times ever run in this event, Steiner holds seven of these times, more than half of this list, which covers some of the most talented athletes in sprinting history. If there was ever a table showcasing Steiner's unrelenting dominance in the collegiate ranks, this would be it. With her amazing turns, her solid starting abilities, and her outstanding sprinting strength, she practically owned this event for her senior year, and even though this was impressive, over the following few months, Steiner would again prove her dominance in the outdoor season. For the first few months of this year's outdoor campaign, Steiner was unchallenged over pretty much any racing distance. In fact, from April 2nd up to May 13th, she won 12 consecutive races in the 100 meters, the 200 meters, the 4x100 meter relay, and the 4x100 relay.