The dust has finally settled on the 2013 World Championships in Moscow, and that means it’s time for FloTrack's FloAwards. Without further ado:

Best Performance: Bolt, SAFP, and Mo. Just pick one.



One Jamaican double treble, one Jamaican single treble, and one British double double. As performances at the 2013 World Championships go, these could all request top-billing. Usain Bolt’s three gold medals in the 100m, 200m, and 4x100m; Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce’s same accomplishment, but on the women’s side, of course; and Mo Farah’s runaway (literally, not metaphorically) in the 5k and 10k.

We wanted to include all three because they all deserve some spotlight (we didn’t know where to put them elsewhere), but which of the three is most impressive?

If you want to vote based on history, it’s Bolt. The Greatest Sprinter of All-Time just tied Carl Lewis with 10 medals at the World Championships, but technically passes the American. Though the two each have eight golds, Bolt has two silvers compared to Lewis' one silver and one bronze. 

If you want to vote based on running away with the win (this time, metaphorically), then it’s SAFP. Her margin of victory in the three sprint events were silly, Bolt-in-Beijing-esque.

@nzaccardi @Flotrack It is more than double of previous high which was 0.10 from 1987

— K Ken Nakamura (@KKenNakamura) August 12, 2013

If you want to vote based on silencing the doubters and being crowned the country’s hero by the country’s heroes, then it’s Mo Farah. While the two Jamaican sprinters came in as the heavy favorites, Farah had to fend off some mighty Ethiopian and Kenyan challengers en route to his two distance wins. His performance garnered praise from the British greats, such as Lord Sebastian Coe, Brendan Foster, and Steve Cram, who were alright in their day.

Best Race: Americans Rollins and Freeman show their grit

Either Brianna Rollins giving everyone a head start in the women’s 100mH or Octavious Freeman’s incredible anchor leg that brought Team USA from a distance fifth to a close third in the women’s 4x100m.

Honorable Mention: It’s not a race, but Teddy Tamgho’s win in the triple jump was the third farthest jump of all-time. Also, we wish we covered field events more often.

Kick of the Week: Team GB Captain Christine Ohuruogu

Four one-thousandths of a second. This race even warranted a “WhatsApp” international text from the guys in Moscow.

Check out our recap HERE and just watch the race below.



Honorable Mention: Weldon Johnson of LetsRun winning his heat of the Media 800m in full pants (also, Robert Johnson in a dress shirt).

Biggest Surprise: Team USA's gold medal tally

Stupid home-field advantage. Team USA left the World Championships atop the overall medal count with 25 to Russia’s 17, but did not lead the gold category. Russia won seven golds and the U.S. took six, which is the lowest amount since the ’01 World Championships. Even still, it’s the first time the U.S. did not lead that category since the inaugural World Championships in 1983.

The Run Junkies predicted that Team USA would fly home with 10 golds 30 medals overall. They didn’t take into account home-field advantage.

Biggest Let Down: Kirani James

Entering the 2013 World Championships, Kirani James had the world leading 400m time, a 2011 and 2012 Gold medal from the World Championships and Olympics respectively, and a personal endorsement from Michael Johnson. Leaving Moscow, however, the 20 year old Grenada Native left with a big ol' goose egg after finishing second to last in the final.


Least Surprising: U.S. Men’s 4x100m

After surprisingly making it around the oval in the final at the 2012 Olympics in London, it was back to business as usual for the US Men’s 4x100m team in 2013. Following the disasters of 2008 (dropped baton), 2009 (DQ’d, illegal handoff) and 2011 (Darvis Patton eating track), it wasn’t surprising to see an abysmal third handoff between Rakieem Salaam and Justin Gatlin that cost them a shot—however outside it may have been—at taking down Jamaica.



Saddest Interview: Cam "NoFro" Levins

If you cue up Sarah McLachlan’s “In the Arms of an Angel,” and look at this picture of Cam Levins you’re going to have a bad time.



Best Hair: The '90s

Straight out of 1998, Bruno Hortelano of Spain takes the win here. He could easily give Justin Timberlake or Ryan Fenton a run for their money.



Honorable Mention: Jason Livermore for starting to dye the Jamaican flag on his head, but either ran out of dye or just gave up.

Most Likely To Create A Super Human Baby: Ashton Eaton & Brianne Theisen-Eaton

Eaton and Theisen-Eaton finished 1st and 2nd at Moscow in the decathlon and heptathlon, respectively. And when the former Oregon athletes, and current all-around power couple, decide it’s time to procreate, expect the child to enter this earth with a hardened six pack and mini javelin.

@B_Smith83 @AshtonJEaton @briannetheisen @Flotrack might expect some regression to the mean, but probability is much above avg.

— David Epstein (@SIDavidEpstein) August 14, 2013

Best Wardrobe Malfunction: Warren Weir

After getting second to fellow countryman Usain Bolt in the 200m, it became apparent that Warren Weir must have forgotten his Jamaica kit back on the island.



Best Photo: Olivier Morin


Credit: Olivier Morin

Best Highlight Video: Evan Jager

Evan Jager’s hair has risen to celebrity status in the states—it has its own twitter account. But the Swedes took it a step further when they produced—and aired—this video of Jager flipping his locks without a care in the world.

Best Political Statement: We're not going near this one

Lightning round! The winner totally depends on which side of the fence you sit.

- Nick Symmonds for dedicating his second-place finish in the men’s 800m to all his gay friends back home.

Pros: He was on virtually every major news outlet, but more importantly, earned his own BuzzFeed article.
Cons: The top search results on Google for him were “nick symmonds gay” and “nick symmonds dipshit.” You can’t win ‘em all.

- Emma Green-Tregaro loves irony, paints her nails rainbow and is then asked by the IAAF to change them. Here’s our interview with the Swedish high jumper, who has no regrets for her actions.



- Yelena Isinbayeva for sort of coming out as anti-gay, then redacting her comments (Get it - coming out? C’mon, this is gold)

The pole vaulting sweetheart of Russia won gold on her home soil. Absolutely beautiful. Then during a press conference on Thursday, Isinbayeva said that Green-Tregaro’s actions were “disrespectful to our country, disrespectful to our citizen’s because we are Russians.”

Isinbayeva added, “We consider ourselves, like normal, standard people, we just live boys with women, girls with boys... it comes from the history.”

A few days later, Isinbayeva wanted to clarify her remarks. "English is not my first language and I think I may have been misunderstood when I spoke yesterday," she said. “What I wanted to say was that people should respect the laws of other countries particularly when they are guests.”

- This kiss on the podium from Russian 4x400m team, which was totally not a political statement and definitely not an homage to t.A.T.u.’s “All The Things She Said.”


Credit: Grigory Dukor, Reuters

Honorable Mention: Edward Snowden for not staying long enough in the Moscow airport to greet the athletes.

The gay not in Moscow award: Tyson

Play us out, Dschinghis Khan!



By Ryan Sterner and Mitch Kastoff