The 59^th Ostrava Golden Spike Kicks Off Coverage From Czech Republic – Today at 12:15 p.m. ET on Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA

Tour Stops Include Ostrava, Czech Republic; Samorin, Slovakia; Berlin, Germany; & Zagreb, Croatia

Coverage Live Streamed on NBCSports.com, the NBC Sports app and NBC Sports Gold’s “Track and Field Pass”

All Olympic Sports Coverage Across NBC Sports Platforms is Presented by Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA

STAMFORD, Conn. – September 8, 2020 – Two-time Olympic triple jump gold medalist Christian Taylor, reigning Olympic shot put champion Ryan Crouser, and 2016 Olympic pole vault bronze medalist Sam Kendricks headline Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA’s live coverage of the inaugural World Athletics Continental Tour series this week, starting today at 12:15 p.m. ET, from Ostrava, Czech Republic. Taylor and Crouser highlight the Americans expected to compete in the 59^th Ostrava Golden Spike, while two-time reigning world champions Sifan Hassan (Netherlands) and Karsten Warholm (Norway) headline the international field.

Crouser is coming off a historic performance at a World Continental Bronze event – Drake Blue Oval Showcase in Des Moines (August 29) – where he produced the 13^th-best throw in history with 22.72m. Also, Crouser became just the second man ever to finish with all six throws surpassing 22 meters. The last athlete to accomplish this feat was 1984 Olympic champion Alessandro Andrei (Italy) in 1987.

Hassan (Netherlands) is competing in the women’s 5000m, just four days after setting a world record in the women’s one hour race at the Diamond League Brussels meet. Just over two weeks ago in the Diamond League Stockholm meet, Warholm (Norway) came within a tenth of a second of breaking a 28-year old world record in the 400m hurdles event, held by American and 1992 Olympic champion Kevin Young.

Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA will continue live television coverage from Samorin, Slovakia on Friday, September 11, at 12:30 p.m. ET. On Sunday, September 13, the Berlin, Germany meeting airs at 10:30 a.m. ET on Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA. Taylor and Kendricks are expected to headline the American contingent at ISTAF Berlin.

The week’s meetings conclude from Zagreb, Croatia, next Tuesday, September 15, at 12:30 p.m. ET on Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA. 2016 Olympic medal-winning shot putters Crouser and Joe Kovacs highlight the Americans expected to compete at Hanžeković Memorial in Zagreb.

Meetings from Ostrava, Berlin, and Zagreb will stream live throughout the week on NBC Sports Gold’s “Track and Field Pass.”

Replacing the World Challenge series, the World Athletics Continental Tour is a new annual global circuit of the best one-day competitions outside of the Diamond League. The Continental Tour is divided into three levels – Gold, Silver and Bronze – meet status is determined by the quality of competition and prize money offered.

Coverage of Olympic Sports on NBC Sports Group platforms is a presentation of Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA. All coverage on Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA will stream on OlympicChannel.com and the Olympic Channel app, in addition to NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app.

NBC SPORTS GOLD: NBC Sports Gold — NBC Sports Digital’s direct-to-consumer live streaming product — gives fans access to major marathons, and top U.S. and international track and field events with its “Track and Field Pass.” The direct-to-consumer pass offers fans unprecedented coverage — including some exclusive coverage beyond what is available on linear TV in the United States — live and on-demand, online, on mobile, tablets and connected TV devices.

NBC Sports Gold’s “Track and Field Pass,” is available for $74.99 (originally $99.99) and can be purchased by visiting NBCSportsGold.com. NBC Sports Gold is available on Apple iOS & tvOS, Android, Android TV, Amazon Fire TV, Roku, Chromecast and NBCSportsGold.com, and also on Xfinity X1 and Xfinity Flex.

NBC SPORTS APP: The NBC Sports app — NBC Sports Group’s live streaming product for desktops, mobile devices, tablets, and connected TVs — will stream coverage via “TV Everywhere,” giving consumers additional value for their subscription service, and making high quality content available to MVPD customers both in and out of the home and on multiple platforms. The NBC Sports app is available on Apple iOS, Android and select Samsung devices, as well as on Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, Roku, Win10, and Xbox.

Following is NBC Sports’ World Athletics Continental Tour schedule for the week (all times ET, subject to change):

–NBC SPORTS–