USATF Championships 2026 Preview Show With Carter Cutting! Presented by HOKA and Fleet Feet
FloTrack's Nia Gibson and Devontae Ford provide a quick preview of the action ahead at the 2026 USATF Championships before ultimately being joined with Carter Cutting. They discuss his 2026 USATF Championship and pick his mind on what to expect.
Video Transcript
What's up everyone?
Welcome to the USATF Outdoor Official Preview Show, presented by Hoka and Fleet Feet.
My name's Nia Gibson and I'm here with Devonte Ford.
We're in New York.
Yeah, New York City.
All right.
We're in the Columbus Circle Fleet Feet, and we are here ahead of USAs to talk everything what?
USAs.
But this is a special one.
This is a special one.
Oh, yeah.
There is no team to make this time around, so it's going to be fun.
Right now it's, like, bragging rights on the line, world rankings on the line.
Oh, yeah.
And in my opinion, this is the beginning, this is the start of the road to LA '28.
What are you looking forward to seeing the most?
Honestly, all the rookies.
It's a lot of- It's a whole lot of young athletes in the field today, so that's really what I wanna see this meet.
Yeah, speaking of that, there's a couple young ones I wanna see, but also I'm gonna put it in conjunction with coming back from an injury type of thing.
Max is, performing.
Right.
I'm really looking forward to see what Max Thomas has been cooking up and what he can do.
And again, a lot of people scratched, a lot of people are not here.
But I don't think that necessarily makes this a weak meet.
No.
I do think this is a amazing opportunity as fans for us to see the people that we tend to overlook.
Well, for starters, it's still the USA National Meet, so- Of course athletes like Max Thomas will get a chance to run in those finals, you know, a little more open for the championship to get to win the title, things like that.
But Max Thomas, like you mentioned earlier, he opened up really fast, sub-10 performances.
He's ran sub-20 this year.
Did have to deal with that injury for a little bit, but we see him open up fast, so obviously coming to a meet like this should be a no-brainer that he can run fast because if he can open up fast, he can run fast at the end of the season.
I have my eyes on three people.
All right.
Let me hear it.
I have my eyes on Gary Martin, Quincy Hall- and Chris Robinson.
Wow.
All for very different reasons.
So Gary's doing the double, 15 and 5K.
Newly signed, newly pro, and I'm trying to see how does he adapt to this world?
Yeah.
Pro scene is very different from NCAA, and the double is-- it's hard.
Right.
It is not, it is not easy.
Regardless of whether people scratch or not showing up, whatever the case may be, it's not a easy feat.
So I'm really, really curious to see what he can do in New York this week.
Also, Quincy Hall.
You know, he- he's been-- he-- the injury bug bit him.
Yeah.
You know, he had to pull out of some Diamond Leagues, Prix, things of that nature.
So what version of him will we be seeing?
Yeah.
Because it seems to be, like, this nagging injury.
I'm not too sure what it was exactly, but it is something where the question is where is he at right now?
Well, I think it really depends on how he also approaches the meet because as we've seen earlier in the season, he c- he doesn't mind opening up slow.
He doesn't care about opening up with a 44 or 43.
All he cares about is being there when the time counts for what he thinks matters.
Exactly.
And so it depends on how he's, you know, approaching this meet, if he cares about the Ultimate Championships more than everything, or he, if he really wants to come out here and dominate, or if he's like, "Okay, cool, let me get a rust-buster out the way.
Let me get some good times.
Let me get a few rounds in and feel, you know, the competition" It depends on I, I, I'm skeptical about that one- Yeah because I don't know how much he actually cares.
Not skeptical about him as a talent at all, just this meet right here because he might not even care about it.
That's what makes this so odd, 'cause imagine USA Nationals being a rust-buster.
Man.
But that, that's just the world we're in right now.
He, he's an Olympic champion, so- He's an Olympic champion USA Nationals is nothing.
It ain't nothing.
It ain't nothing.
Let me, let me hear about your last one, actually.
Chris Robinson.
Chris, Chris Robinson.
Yes.
I think right now Okay, for starters, he is currently ranked number 17 in the world.
Right.
It is top 16 that makes it into World Ultimates in Budapest, and I think if he's able to place high or maybe even win, he can get into those qualifying standings.
We had that conversation the other day.
I think that was two days ago, actually.
We talked about it.
It might not be a direct qualifier, but this meet is still important for a lot of athletes, 'cause this is the opportunity for some athletes to take their position, their ranking from 17, 18, maybe even 20th, honestly- Yeah and try to jump up, especially the NCAA athletes, because those NCAA points aren't a lot.
Now, I'm gonna come back with you, give you my three, actually.
Okay.
I'll tell you one of my athletes who I had in here, Brandon Miller.
He's scratching the 800.
That's really sad for me.
That one broke my heart.
I really had him on my list.
Yeah.
But now my updated list now is obviously Max Thomas.
Expect him to do great things.
First year, rookie year.
Number two, Chris Bailey.
I'm really excited to see him.
He's been on a, you know, rampage all season.
National title watch, I'd say.
Last-- National title watch.
And then last but not least, the random, you know, just unpredictable pick.
Ooh.
Just some random guy off the field I'm gonna pick, Caleb Dean, the 400 hurdles.
I'm really excited for that.
There is no Ryne Benjamin in the 400 hurdles this year, and so I believe Caleb Dean has a, a huge shot to go out there and take away a national title.
I think I may actually for the first time hop on the same bandwagon as you because I think I think it's Caleb Dean's to lose, to be honest with you.
Yeah.
I don't think this is a he could go out there and win it or he can go out there and take it.
I think this is his title to lose.
The Deanster.
They call him that?
I call him that.
I call him a lot of things, though.
You don't, you don't wanna hear the names I call him.
Okay.
Love to hear it.
But speaking about big names, we have a very special guest, and I'm so excited to talk to him.
And his name is Carter Cutting from BYU, the newest Hoka NIL athlete, and we will be talking to him right after this break.
We are back, and we are here with the one and only Carter Cutting of BYU.
The last time I spoke to you, it was in the mixed zone.
We were in Oregon.
But now we are in New York at Fleet Feet, and you are a Hoka NIL signee.
How are you feeling?
Feeling great.
It's fun to be here.
It's the first time in New York, so I'm super pumped.
I'm just excited to get racing.
I mean, prelims start tomorrow, and new kit, new spikes with, Hoka, Hoka NIL, so I'm, I'm super pumped to get going.
That's good.
Yeah.
So how does your body feel?
You know, you r- you did the NCAA season.
Yeah.
And now you're coming back.
You're at USA Nationals.
It's a big meet, arguably the biggest meet of the season for you.
How does that feel?
Yeah, I mean, I feel like, I handle pressure well, and so I'm excited for it.
Did the whole NCAA circuit, went through all the rounds and stuff, and that was just mainly about competing.
And so this summer I gotta, you know, go out and time trial and run some fast times, and now it's back to racing.
So feel like that's the, like, the scene where I, thrive in most is just competing with these guys.
And so I'm excited to take on the pros and, and, see how I mix up.
There's a common theme with you, Carter, and it tends to be the underdog.
Yeah.
You surprised everyone at NCAA Indoors.
Again, spoke to you at Outdoors, and you said you and your coach were sitting there watching the MJ doc, and you took it personally- Yeah, yeah people were counting you out.
And now we're here at USAs.
How do you thrive in these conditions of just continuously being the underdog and proving people wrong?
Yeah, I mean, I, I- my belief kinda stems from my training and my support system, the people in my corner.
And so, you know, I always have the belief that I can go out and win on any given day against, against these people.
And so, I'm just coming out to, to know that I put in the work.
I did all the training to get here, and so I get to go out and have fun now, and go compete against these guys.
And, you know, if, if they wanna say I, you know, undercount me.
I guess at NCAs I didn't have the best showing, and so I'm kinda coming back from that and trying to prove my rank again.
So, yeah, it'll just be fun to, to go against these pros, and I really wanna make the final, and, and hopefully get top three.
That would be, that'd be really cool.
I love that.
Yeah.
What did Coach Eyestone say to you before all this?
Yeah, I mean, I, he's, he's super pumped that I'm out here.
I think this was a great, opportunity to kinda practice, like you said, for LA.
This is kinda a great, like, repetition, getting on the pro circuit.
I did Prefontaine and a couple other meets.
So, just kinda getting some reps.
He really just is excited about the experience I get to gain from this and, just the, the competition.
These are guys that I'll be competing against for the next couple years, hopefully, after, my time at BYU.
So, just embrace the moment and, and have fun with it.
And do you think that doing meets like Pre- Yeah helps you prepare you for events like this?
Oh, for sure.
I think a big thing I learned at Pre was just not to be so far back.
And the pros, it's, it's a whole different scene.
I mean, NCAs is, it's physical and stuff, but these pros, it's, it's, it's a whole different, I mean, the pace gets out so much faster in a lot of these races.
And so, even, even a more tactical race on the pro scene gets out a lot faster than you'd see at a Big 12 meet or an NCAA meet.
And so, a lot of the NCAA guys, though, are really scrappy.
And so, a, a lot of great experience learned there.
I'm just gonna try to take that to tomorrow and, and apply that, in these next couple races.
I know you can't give us all the sauce, but what was, what's a little bit of the strategy going into tomorrow?
You know, I, I feel like the race in most of these 1500s starts at 800 meters, so just gonna kinda bide my time, be patient, and then, let everything loose the last 800.
Is there something that you learned?
I know you said, like, staying up there, but is there something that you learned just holistically just from running all of these races on the pro circuit plus NCAA that you really wanna take into this one?
Yeah, I mean, I think just being in the top third of the race.
A, a lotta guys get trapped in the back, and it's so physical that it's hard to get around, especially when the pace gets going.
So getting yourself into good position's always super important.
And then, I don't know.
I always find myself, when I'm up towards the front, I do really well that last 400 meters.
I've got, I have a good kick, but I also, I believe that I've, I've got a really good base of strength.
And so I, I, I feel like I can handle almost any sort of race, whether it goes out hot or it's slow.
So, you know, whatever, whatever comes tomorrow, I'm ready for and I'm excited for it.
Put your analyst hat on real quick.
Yeah, let's do it.
All right.
I know you're running, I know you're running, but is there any other athlete or race you have your eye on or you're excited to watch?
Ooh, ah, I mean, I'm, I'm excited to watch the 800.
I, I was sad to see that Brando scratch 'cause I wanted to see a- Oh a rematch with Cooper.
We all were.
Cooper versus Brando would've been a really cool rematch.
You know, I think, it'll be sick.
I was warming up and looked over to see Noah Lyles.
That'll be sweet to see.
And then I think in the steeplechase, I gotta go with my guys Kenny, and Dan, and James.
I love it.
Kenny and Dan are one and two last year at USAs, and then James is an Olympian.
So it's gonna be sweet.
Hopefully they can do the one, two, three.
Okay.
Yeah.
You mentioned Noah Lyles.
I'm gonna bring it to the sprint side real quickly.
Yeah.
Can he take the double again?
Yeah, I mean, I, I, I think he will.
I mean, he's been looking good.
He's been coming into form really well the last, couple races.
So I, I, I think so.
Okay.
I, I'm not gonna give my opinion right now about that.
But hey.
Why not?
'Cause I don't, I don't think Noah Lyles is gonna take the double, all right?
I don't think he's done enough 100s.
I think the field is too deep, and I think someone might sneak him out of the 100. Who?
Maybe Kenny.
Maybe Max Thomas.
Maybe Kenny.
But maybe Kenny.
Maybe Kenny.
Yeah, that would be good.
That'd be good race.
Kenny might do it.
Yeah.
Yeah, for sure.
I think I'm still gonna go with Noah.
I think I'm still gonna Yeah, he just, I like the, I like the way he races a little better than Kenny.
A little better.
Like, Kenny has, he's like the prototypical sprinter, for sure.
Yeah.
But I think Noah has, like, this mindset that's a little unmatched at this point in time.
Yeah.
Well, the thing is, though, I don't think that, like I mentioned before, I don't think they care as much.
Right now, I think it's solely just head-to-head me beating you.
Yeah.
We talked about this a few days ago.
That's all that matters.
And you know, when you have a ri- I think beating a rival holds a little more weight sometimes- Yeah than, you know, making a team.
Like, you really wanna make the team, it holds, you know, it's in your head.
But something about that rival, you know?
It, it pulls a little something extra out of you.
But see, that's why I think they care.
I'm saying.
That's what- That's, that's what it's gonna be, though.
Okay.
And I think Kenny's gonna Kenny has a lot more on his shoulders, 'cause Noah's been the one winning most of the races.
Yeah.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
So when, if you're the guy losing to your rival, aren't you gonna be like, "Oh, no"?
Like- Yeah, he's fired up you know?
Grr.
Yeah.
Oh, my.
Would you ever do that in a race?
Like just growl at your opponent like that?
Growl?
Ah, I don't know.
I mean, maybe with 400 to go I'll hit one of those growls 400 to go and then, then- What's, what's the craziest thing you've ever done in a race, actually?
Oh, I don't know.
I, I've been tempted to, like, go out to, like, lane eight and get water from my coach, but I, I've never, I've never pulled it off.
But yeah, I don't know.
I don't know.
That's a good question.
I'm gonna be watching to make su- I, I wanna see something crazy.
There's no team to make, I mean, win obviously.
Yeah.
Win.
But I wanna see something crazy.
I wanna see you do something that's, wow.
You gotta celebrate.
We got an oar farm, all right?
Yeah, all right.
I gotta win, I gotta win first an oar farm, but yeah.
Well, you got, okay, look, right, if you're on pace to win, right?
Let's say you're in the lead and it's 200 meters left to go, I'm gonna be right there yelling and shit.
I'm g- I'm gonna tell you your celebration, all right?
Yeah, I need a cue to, like, yeah.
I got you.
We'll work on it.
Yeah, all right.
I got you.
Perfect.
He's gonna be right there watching you.
Okay.
He got you.
He got you.
There we go.
Eyes on coach, eyes on him.
Yep.
And everybody make sure you guys are watching USATF National Championships this week.
You will be seeing everyone perform, including Carter Cutting.
We are so excited to watch.
And Carter, thank you for joining us.
I'm Nia, this is Devonte, and again, Carter Cutting.
And we are at the Columbus Circle Fleet Feet ahead of USATF Nationals.
Make sure you guys tune in.
And we'll see you guys next time.
There we go
