Netflix is bringing the world of athletics to our screens, as filming for a documentary focused on elite sprinters is now underway. The news follows a wider trend of popularising and promoting global sports via accessible media platforms.
Sources indicate that a camera crew has been tracking the track and field season, including the recent Diamond League meet in London. The forthcoming series is expected to spotlight the fastest 100m and 200m sprinters, notably Britain’s Dina Asher-Smith, the 2019 world 200m champion.
The sporting world is hopeful that this initiative will significantly amplify the appeal of athletics worldwide. It draws inspiration from the success of the Netflix series Drive to Survive, which significantly bolstered the global fanbase of Formula One.
Details regarding the title and release date of the documentary remain undisclosed. However, World Athletics, celebrating the 40th anniversary of their World Championships, confirmed the presence of multiple film crews documenting the sport and its athletes.
Prominent US athletes, such as 200m world champion Noah Lyles and 100m world champion Fred Kerley, are poised to feature heavily in the series. Kerley has expressed his support for such a Netflix series, citing its potential benefits to the sport in a recent interview with the BBC, saying, “‘It would definitely be beneficial to the sport itself. We could be an F1.”
The documentary is part of a broader initiative to showcase athletics, with UK Athletics chief executive Jack Buckner also seeking a broadcaster for a documentary following Britain’s top athletes in the lead-up to the Paris Olympics next summer.
Despite an initial rejection from the BBC for the project, tentatively titled 365 to Gold, it is understood that UK Athletics continues to explore opportunities with potential partners.
