Best of DyeStat: Nepo's best photos of 2018

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

There were almost 43,000 photos uploaded from events in our files for 2018. 

Before we get to John Nepolitan's photos, please allow me to say thanks publicly to a few of the photographers who contributed greatly to our effort to illustrate the sports of track and field and cross country in the United States, and abroad, in the past 12 months. To Kim Spir, Phil Yearian, Margot Kelly, Murray Schukar, Carol Chen, Chuck Aragon, Parker West, Phil Johnson, Walter Pinion, Bert Richardson, Ross Dettman and Ian Tsang -- thank you! And to the esteemed Kirby Lee of Image of Sport, thanks to you as well. 

Nepo (you can follow him on Twitter) just keeps getting better and better. A school teacher at Don Bosco Prep in New Jersey, he covers all the big events in NY/NJ, Boston, sometimes the West coast and even Europe.

Nepo: After a disappointing sixth in the 400-meter hurdles final at the IAAF U20 Championships in Finland, Alastair Chalmers celebrates his team's third-place finish in the 4x400 relay.

Nepo: Volha Mazuronak (Belarus) came around the first loop (just past six miles) of the European Championship marathon in Berlin with her face covered in blood. Mazuronak later told the media she got a bloody nose early on and wiping the blood away only made it worse. By the time she crossed the finish line in first she was able to sponge off the blood and was cleaned up at the finish.

Nepo:  The start of the NCAA Division 1 Northeast regional men's race. When I posted this it got lots of comments from people saying how much they liked it.

Nepo: I saw Jakob Ingbrigtsen race three times this year (Pre Classic, World U20 and European Championships) and he saved his best performance for the European finals in Berlin, winning the 1,500 and 5,000 meters. After the 1,500 win, he went on his victory lap with a viking helmet and flag handed to him from fans.

Nepo: On one of the hottest days of the summer Ben Cross (Canada) had a three-meter PR to get third at the NSAF JavFest in Pennsylvania with a throw of 230 feet. 

 Nepo: Tara Davis came into the IAAF World U20 Championships as one of the featured athletes, but things did not go particularly well for her and she ended up with a bronze in the long jump. Moments after the final jump, everything caught up to Davis and she had to take a step away. She turned her back on the media and she shed a few tears but then even though she was extremely disappointed, Davis got her emotions together and was still able to put on a happy face and came back to face us and have some fun.

Nepo: The joy of winning has no age limit. The Millrose AA wins the Armory Indoor Marathon relay.

Nepo: Pure joy of youth is on display here as Finlay Ross kicks to the win in the Under-13 championship, one of the Inter district races at the Great Edinburgh XC meet in Scotland in January.

Nepo: New Balance Nationals never fails to provide excitement, especially in the relays. Team War (Nansemond River, Va) takes the boys 4x200 title.

Nepo: Adrian Piperi earns the silver medal in the men's shot put at the IAAF World U20 Championships in Finland.

Nepo: Lonah Chemtal Salpeter (Israel) had already won the 10,000 and was in the hunt for a medal in the 5,000 when she kicked early and celebrated crossing the finish line, thinking that she had pulled off the double. Sifan Hassan (Netherlands) knew Salpeter had miscounted and kicked away for the win. Salpeter would restart but would not medal.