Netflix’s Sprint Part 2 has the track & field world buzzing, but not all the talk is praise. Sure, fans love the deep dive into the lives of some Olympic stars, but this season’s heavy focus on Team USA has raised a few eyebrows. While viewers have been wondering why global icons seem overlooked, Sha’Carri Richardson’s teammate and rival, McKenzie Long, just made things even more interesting with a candid confession.
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It all started when McKenzie jumped into the mix on X, replying to a post by OwenM. The post took a shot at the series’ American bias, reading, “It’s funny you say that Letsile because that’s what we all said last season. Just like they were so quick to cut out Marie Josée Ta Lou-Smith despite being filmed all year. You won’t hear the American media talk about any of this though because it suits their narrative. I’m glad fans and international athletes are continuing to speak up about the obvious bias the ‘SPRINT’ Netflix series has and continues to display.” OwenM’s post was a response to none other than 200m Olympic champ Letsile Tebogo, who commented on the show saying, “This is an American show.”
Turns out, Netflix had filmed Long’s journey too but later cut her from the final lineup! McKenzie, a former NCAA 100m champ and a top-ten finisher in Paris, added fuel to the fire by confirming her own scenes got the axe, leaving track & field fans both shocked and fired up. “I was another who they had followed all post-collegiate…” admitted the national champion. However, amidst Sha’Carri Richardson’s double medal-winning success, Netflix chose to cut Long’s journey from the documentary. “Was informed I wasn’t making the cuts in this season.” the track and field star added to her heartbreaking revelation.
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“Sigh, so sorry to hear McKenzie,” commented an X-user who seemed at a loss for words. Meanwhile, other track & field fans expressed their disbelief that Netflix had cut Long’s journey so unceremoniously. “@netflix are you actually joking?” one fan asked in disbelief, even tagging the official Netflix handle on X.
McKenzie Long also explained how making time and space for Netflix to film her was not an easy adjustment to make. After all, the athlete was training for the Olympics while filming the show. “It’s sad we put ourselves outside our comfort zone for this series, yet our stories can’t be told,” she added. Hence, not making the final cut hurt.
The track & field community empathized with McKenzie Long for speaking up.
While the 24-year-old’s revelation came as a shock, the track & field fans didn’t shy away from showing their support for former University of Mississippi alumni. One fan empathized greatly with the Olympian giving Netflix her valuable time and effort and getting cut in return. “Literally inviting someone coming around to your house to film for days at a time then deciding to drop you,” commented the fan.
In fact, the individual even stated what happened to the athlete wasn’t so uncommon. “Incidentally an experience common to how T&F (has) been run, but even worse…” said the fan. The track and field fan didn’t explicitly state any examples, he may have hinted at the media’s extensive focus on more popular athletes such as Sha’Carri Richardson, who had a dramatic Paris Olympics journey.
The original poster OwenM had initially shared how Netflix overlooked several African and global athletes. However, Long’s comment moved the report to make a heartfelt response. “I’m so sorry, Mckenzie you’ve got such an inspiring story as well, and it’s a shame they didn’t take the opportunity to show that and follow your journey as you made that transition from a collegiate to a professional athlete, which can be such a difficult step, but you’ve handled it so well,” encouraged OwenM.
Another individual took this opportunity to highlight how they weren’t the only ones who got the short end of the stick. “At least they will stop the narrative of ‘only African athletes get cut out of the season two.’ You got this McKenzie.” commented the fan. However, the most startling fact about the incident was that none of it would’ve come to light if the track & field star hadn’t revealed it herself.
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Edited by
Christaline Meyers