Ahead of the Paris Summer 2024 Olympic Games, Netflix’s new 6-episode docuseries Sprint follows track athletes who competed in the 2023 World Championships — and it’s already ranked 6th among the most-watched Netflix shows in the world right now.
The show was officially announced by Netflix last summer, and Citius Mag reports it’s already been renewed for a second season for Paris 2024. The series debuted on July 2 and had 2.4 million views in its first week.
Sprint arrives just in time for the Olympics, giving the sport of track and field more attention, as well as insight into the mental and emotional lives of the fastest humans in the 100- and 200-meter sprint. The series focuses on fourteen successful athletes including Sha’Carri Richardson, Noah Lyles, Allyson Felix, and Usain Bolt.
Netflix’s choice to release the series mere weeks away from the Games puts all eyes on these athletes as they take on a new level of competition in Paris, facing some of their friends as competitors. It also keeps fans mindful of the years of work and preparation for a race that lasts seconds on home television screens.
“Everything I do — what I eat, what I drink, if I stay up too late — it’s all reflected on the track,” Richardson told Vogue. “Every choice. That’s what the world doesn’t see.”
Not all viewers thought the show did the sport justice. One opinion piece on the show wished for more coverage of other notable athletes and fewer scenes focused on Lyles. But, as one Twitter user pointed out, the show is meant to educate new track fans, not appease “track junkies.”
Despite a mixed reception, the show’s stats prove fans are flocking to Netflix to watch the six 45-minute episodes. More viewership of the series will bring more of an audience when these athletes take the Paris stage, giving more attention to the sport of track.
“Thank you everyone,” Gabby Thomas wrote on X. “The docuseries shows such a small part of our journeys, but so glad people are able to see a glimpse of it.”
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