Sam Kendricks, McKenzie Long and Tiarnan Crorken, former Ole Miss Track and Field athletes, represented their respective countries on the international stage in the 2025 World Athletics Outdoor Track Championships in Tokyo.
Photos by Reed Jones/Ole Miss Athletics
Since the inaugural World Championships in 1976, the now-biennial event has attracted the greatest athletes from around the world. Many legendary records have been set at the World Championships, most notably Usain Bolt’s 9.58 second 100 meter mark and Bolt’s 19.19 second 200 meter record.
Tiarnan Crorken
Crorken, a 2023 Ole Miss graduate, currently competes for Great Britain. Though Crorken was only at Ole Miss for two years, he left his mark in the record books.
The three-time all American currently holds the fifth-fastest Rebel Outdoor 800 meter time at 1:46.81, good enough for No. 8 in the 2023 NCAA final. In addition, he was an SEC Outdoor 800 meter bronze medalist and helped win the 4×800 meter relay at Penn Relays the same year.
He qualified for team Great Britain after placing second at the 2025 United Kingdom Athletics Championships last August.
The Britain native toed the line with the greatest male 800 meter runners in the world on Sept. 16. In his heat, Crorken ran 1:45.63 and finished No. 5 out of 9 competitors. Unfortunately, Crorken missed the top three by just 0.24 seconds, meaning he did not advance to the semifinals.
Crorken explained in an interview with Citius Mag, a website that covers track and field news, that he is proud of his finish and optimistic for the future.
“I’m not going to be too hard on myself,” Crorken said. “Not having the experience at this stage before, we learn from it next time. It’s only going to be more fun to be back here again to try the next World Champs.”
Sam Kendricks
American Kendricks is one of the best pole vaulters in the world. Before he was an international star, Kendricks was a vaulter at Oxford High School.
At the 2025 World Championships, Kendricks sailed through the preliminary pole vault round with a vault of 5.75 meters (18-10.38). The final, held on Sept. 15, featured some of the greatest pole vaulters in the world, including Swedish world record holder and former LSU standout Armand “Mondo” Duplantis.
Against stiff competition, Kendricks finished No. 4 with a 5.95 (19-6.25) meter vault. Mondo set a new world record with 6.30 meters (20-8.03).
“My goal was to come out onto this track and just give my all,” Kendricks said in an interview with RunnerSpace, a website dedicated to track and field. “I’m an athlete, you sacrifice your whole life to try and achieve something glorious. It’s a duel… and you gotta be able to handle it all the time.”
McKenzie Long
Long is perhaps the most accomplished sprinter in Ole Miss history, and she is quickly becoming one of the greatest sprinters in the United States over the 100 and 200 meter distance. She represented Team USA in the 200 meter event in Tokyo.
Long spent her first four seasons with North Carolina State University and transferred to Ole Miss in 2023. In her lone season with the Rebels, she was a three-time NCAA champion and a two-time SEC champion. She also holds individual school records.
Tokyo was her first competition on the World Championship team, and she exceeded all expectations.
Long won her heat on Sept. 17 with a 22.51. In heat three of the semi-final on Sept. 18, Long finished third. Her 22.48 run exceeded the time qualifier, and she advanced to the finals, where she finished No. 8.
Following her performance, Long shared some advice with the world via the US Track and Field Foundation Instagram.
“Be proud of who you are,” Long said. “Be trustworthy in what your abilities are, go out there and be brave, be bold (and) don’t be afraid.”
