On July 2, Netflix dropped the perfect docuseries for Track and Field fans right before the Paris Olympics. Imagine watching 45-minute-long BTS clips into the undocumented lives of speedsters Noah Lyles and Sha’Carri Richardson and others; now, who wouldn’t want that? But as it turns out not everybody is a fan and it includes a London Olympic gold medalist.

Titled “SPRINT:  The World’s Fastest Humans,” the six-episode docuseries features America’s fastest phenomenon and their candid chatter, blended with some of their iconic on-track moments. It hopes to tick all the boxes for a fan favorite. But does it deliver? Well, according to a former Olympian, it falls short of the promise.

London Games gold medalist Bianca Knight is not a fan of the SPRINT series, and she made that clear on Monday. Taking to her X handle, Knight added a tweet informing her that three episodes into it, she is not dazzled. “Watching “Sprint”. 3 episodes in and I dont know… the way it’s cut, it’s still not providing enough info for a person unfamiliar with this sport itself,” she wrote.

Sprinting is a sport largely defined by the barest of margins. But the docuseries doesn’t dive deep into the technical details that make all the difference. A casual viewer isn’t given insights into how certain aspects like the drive phase, and stride phase affect the outcome of the race with a mere fraction of seconds separating a winning effort from a disappointing one.

Knight pointed out another issue with the docuseries: the alignment and narrative style of the docuseries are such that those unaware of the stars might not get the hang of it. She wrote, “All of this information could be obtained by following socials. I feel like I expected more BTS “raw” footage.”

While the docuseries shows clips from important races capturing the intensity of sprinting, there is little focus as to why these particular athletes are currently the best in the lot.

Well, Knight has been a veteran in the sport. Multiple titles adorn her track record, including an Olympic medal, a World Championship gold, seven Diamond League victories, and more. Thus, her opinions come from a place of great experience.

In addition to Lyles and Richardson, the series features British 100- and 200-meter record holder Zharnel Hughes, Jamaican legends Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Shericka Jackson, American Gabby Thomas, and Italian sprinter Marcell Jacobs. The series does provide a look into the physical and emotional challenges that come with competing at the elite level and reveals bits of their personal lives off the track.

However, it steers clear from sensitive issues such as doping which have hampered the sport over the years. The result is a docuseries heavily focused on highlighting how athletes overcome adversity while giving more individual space to the likes of Lyles and Sha’Carri Richardson.

Interestingly, the show’s executive producer Paul Martin worked on the 2023 Formula 1 Netflix docuseries titled, Formula 1: Drive to Survive. The series proved to be a massive hit among the hardcore and casual fanbase. The docuseries focused on various subplots and dived into the rivalries around the circuit. We got more than run-of-the-mill BTS footage, with the series bringing up conflict, and friendship and giving each of its stories “characters” that the fans can relate to. Perhaps, the Formula 1 docuseries’ 10-episode length gave them room to do that, to give a more fleshed-out story to the viewers. Still, the “Sprint” stands out on its own and may be worth a watch.

However, Knight wasn’t the only one who voiced their opinions about the series. Shortly after the series streamed on Netflix, 3x world champion Fred Kerley also made his thoughts clear and he isn’t impressed.

“Basically a YouTube doc,” Fred Kerley’s hot take on the Netflix show

Taking to his X handle, 2023 World Champion, Fred Kerley added a post that referred to the SPRINT. In a one-liner, Kerley wrote, “That show is not about sprinting.” It seems that the portrayal of the sport in the series did not settle well with Kerley, who took a stand for it.

It did not end here. Subsequently, making his outlook even firmer, Kerley added another social media post. He wrote, “That basically a YouTube doc.” Kerley himself features in the series, although quite down along the later episodes, as opposed to Noah Lyles and the other contemporaries who appear on screen from the get-go. However, he doesn’t sound appreciative of the docuseries in both of his comments.

As spectators, have you watched the SPRINT yet? If yes, do you agree with Knight or Kerley? Let us know in the comments below.