Top Track Athletes Vie For Attention With Social Tools 

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

The ability to succeed in track and field on the merits of elite genetics and hard work, combined with a dash of charisma and accessibility, can drive a career in professional athletics. 

Over the past decade, as the world has adapted to new forms of communication and news, track and field athletes have increasingly turned to social media accounts to grow their brands, spread their influence on behalf of sponsors, and engage fans. 

In her new book, The Oval Office, former Summer and Winter Olympian Lauryn Williams advises, "Whether you love it or hate it, social media is not going away. Right now, there is no better way to share your brand than by having a consistent, social media presence. Engaging your audience with thoughtful, creative and interesting content is important."

Some athletes have grown large followings through years of steady effort in posting pearls of wisdom, training tips, return-from-injury updates, and behind the scenes glimpses into day life while pursuing Olympic dreams. 

At the top of the mountain is Allyson Felix, who is the most-followed athlete competing in next week's Toyota USATF Outdoor Championships. In her return from pregnancy last fall, Felix is attempting to make the U.S. team in the 400 meters that will compete in Doha, Qatar in October. 

Felix, who has enjoyed mainstream appeal as a highly decorated Olympian for more than a decade, has 740,000 followers on Twitter and 579,000 on Instagram. 

Those numbers have certainly gotten a recent boost as she raised the issue of shoe companies penalizing female athletes who sought to start families, including her own sponsor, Nike. Felix's argument won new admirers and changed Nike's policies regarding its contracts with female athletes who become pregnant. 

Felix has become a bit more open, in general, since she gave birth. Her Instagram account details how she balances motherhood with athletics, whereas a year ago many people didn't even know she was married, let along pregnant. 

Athletes have the ability to manage their own messages like never before. 

Here are 10 social media accounts by athletes that are worth paying attention to as the Toyota USATF Outdoor Championships get under way. It is by no means a comprehensive list. 

1. Colleen Quigley - @steeple_squigs (144k IG followers)

Quigley, of the Bowerman Track Club, was a budding fashion model in her teens before she landed a scholarship at Florida State and began pursuing athletics full-time. As such, she has natural gifts as a spokesmodel for her own brand. And her "Fast Braid Friday" motivational hashtag is an easy entry for girls and female athletes of all stripes. She is a frequent poster who keeps fans up to date on where she is, and what she's doing. 

2. Sydney McLaughlin - @sydneymclaughlin16 (379k IG followers)

McLaughlin's popularity soared through her high school years at Union Catholic NJ as she became one of the greatest prep track and field athletes of all-time. She made the U.S. Olympic team after her junior year of high school and her ability to capture imaginations with sublime grace and beauty, while also remaining grounded, has made her one of the sport's most compelling athletes. The New Balance star is doing track and field for now, and seems destined to surpass Felix as the most popular American athlete in the sport, but where will this go eventually? Hollywood? She has acquired 379k followers with only 57 posts. That's star power.

3. Justin Gatlin - @justingatlin (255k IG followers)

Gatlin, with a sprig of gray hair, is still one of the world's fastest sprinters at the age of 37. Up until a few years ago, there was some general reluctance to pull for this guy because of a drug suspension. But that cloud has dissipated for the most part and Gatlin has embraced the role of elder statesman. As such, he uses his social platforms to dispense advice on almost every topic related to sprinting, competing, and leading a productive life. He has two decades of experience to pull from and this guy has been through just about everything, from Olympic gold to a four-year suspsension, and back again.

4. Sha'Carri Richardson - @itskerrii (43.8k Twitter followers)

A newcomer to professional track and field, Sha'Carri Richardson parlayed a fast time of 10.75 seconds to win the NCAA Championships women's 100 meters final into a pro deal after one year at LSU. A native Texan, Richardson has sass and diva style that make her fun for all the right reasons. Time will tell if she has what it takes to become a global force in sprinting, but this 19-year-old is going after it. 

5. Craig Engels - @craigathor (28.7k IG followers)

Engels, of the Nike Oregon Project, generally seems like a guy who is having way too much fun. First, he's a car guy who loves touring around in an old camper van but also has a soft spot for anything with a motor in it. He has gotten more mileage out of his mustache and flowing mullet than he has his camper. The hair gives this nice guy from North Carolina a chance to rock an alter-ego that is hugely popular with teenage boys in particular. 

6. Emma Coburn - @emmacoburn (260k IG followers)

The seven-time U.S. steeplechase champion, and 2017 world champion, combines fitness and glamour and blond hair into a package that is always inspiring and also relatable. The Colorado native knows how to effectively use Instagram to tell her story, offer glimpses of her home life, her family, her workouts, her travels, and her genuinely charmed life. 

7. Noah Lyles - @nojo18 and @LylesNoah (70k IG followers, 13.1k Twitter followers)

Recently turned 22, Lyles brings electricity and a sense of youthful wonderment to his sprinting. He ran 19.50 seconds in the 200 meters earlier this month, an indicator that he is poised to fulfill his promise and become of the replacements for Usain Bolt on the global stage. Lyles' impromptu dance moves, his love of cartoons, his interest in expressing himself through music, and a budding social conscience demonstrated by a recent post about the plight of Sudan, all speak to a person with depth. Lyles has been showing us his world with little or no filter since high school and we are seeing him mature into the man he wants to become.

8. Chari Hawkins - @_charihawkins (153k IG followers)

For someone without a great deal of name recognition, Hawkins, a heptathlete with a chance to crack the top three in Des Moines, has managed to gain a huge social media presence. Most of Hawkins' posts feature photos of her. But after she grabs your attention, she holds it with her words. She may write about mental health and the challenge of maintaining a positive outlook. Or remind her followers to seize every opportunity. Or delve into her own issues with confidence. She doesn't waste the chance to deliver an uplifting message.

9. Ryan Crouser - @rcrouser (33.5k IG followers)

Holding it down for the big guys, the Olympic shot put champion maintains a consistent presence on social media. He learned after winning the gold medal in Rio that the thrill isn't in wearing it, but letting others hold it, touch it, put it around their neck. Crouser wants to lift throwers everywhere, not just his own profile. So for that reason, he shares. There's workout material, descriptions of technique, advice to young throwers, and plenty of weigh lifting videos. He wants everyone to come along for the ride as he pursues the world record. Also, there's quite a few fish. If Crouser wasn't throwing 16 pounds of metal for a living, he'd love to spend his days catching fish. Fortunately for him, he can do both.

10. Ariana Ince - @arianaince (707 IG followers, 174 Twitter followers)

She recently threw the javelin 208 feet, 5 inches to become the fourth-farthest thower in U.S. history. But you've probably got more followers on social media than she does. It's kind of a shame, because she's actually quite funny. Do yourself a favor and help her get to 1,000.