Liam Tharme
liamtharme.bsky.social
Liam Tharme
@liamtharme.bsky.social
Football Tactics Writer at The Athletic ⚽️

MSc Sports Performance Analysis. Passions include athletics, Ligue 1 and flat whites.
I spent 30 mins talking with Eliud Kipchoge. The nicest man in athletics.

Everything about his new “world tour” (7 marathons, 7 continents, 2yrs), racing Bekele, 1:59 in Vienna, WRs in Berlin, books, mentorship & Kipyegon’s sub4 attempt

@theathletic.com 🇰🇪

www.nytimes.com/athletic/679...
Eliud Kipchoge exclusive interview: Breaking records, the sub-two-hour marathon and his new 'World Tour'
www.nytimes.com
November 13, 2025 at 10:18 AM
Reposted by Liam Tharme
"I wrote down in my goal book that I want to become a 100m and 200m world champion, and then a 4x100m champion again.”

Melissa Jefferson-Wooden had more than a breakout year in 2025.

The American spoke to @liamtharme.bsky.social about it.
Melissa Jefferson-Wooden interview: ‘I really did everything that I wanted to do this year’
The 24-year-old American’s remarkable season brought 19 wins from 20 individual races, and seven revisions to her personal bests
www.nytimes.com
October 8, 2025 at 8:32 AM
Reposted by Liam Tharme
Pod tomorrow on this very subject.

Any questions for the panel?

@zonal-marking.bsky.social @markcarey93.bsky.social @liamtharme.bsky.social
Lots of new signings - not many goals. It's quite tough to get cohesion between new attackers at this stage of the season, and watching some really quite bad Premier League games so far underlines that.
www.nytimes.com/athletic/663...
Lots of signings, not many goals: Why most Premier League sides are yet to click
The quality of attacking football this season has been way down on previous campaigns, but new players need to time to settle
www.nytimes.com
September 17, 2025 at 10:12 AM
Reposted by Liam Tharme
Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce wants a dream ending at the World Championships but, whatever happens, the 38-year-old's incredible legacy is assured, writes @liamtharme.bsky.social ⤵️

🔗 theathletic.com/6615685/?sou...
September 13, 2025 at 11:41 AM
It’s World Champs week! 🇯🇵

First up, I spoke to Mondo Duplantis’ former coaches @lsu.bsky.social and the Swedish NT 🇸🇪 to understand how he went from child prodigy to doubly Olympic champ and 13x world records

www.nytimes.com/athletic/657...
Armand Duplantis, the making of a generational talent: ‘It’s like I’m a performing artist’
Armand Duplantis is just 25 but is already an all-time sports great
www.nytimes.com
September 11, 2025 at 6:12 AM
Reposted by Liam Tharme
Send in your questions for @theathleticfc.bsky.social Tactics Podcast special mailbag episode!

What trend, team, or player has caught your eye from the season so far?

Or are there any tactical/data questions you would like us to address?

Let us know below!

www.nytimes.com/athletic/660...
Mailbag: Send in your questions for The Athletic FC Tactics Podcast
Send in your questions now ahead of a special episode of The Athletic FC Tactics Podcast
www.nytimes.com
September 8, 2025 at 8:44 AM
A piece I’ve wanted to write all summer: why four Jamaican 🇯🇲 field athletes, three of whom were Olympic medalists in Paris, are switching allegiance to Turkey 🇹🇷

I asked Rajindra Campbell (shot put) + Roje Stona (discus) about their decisions in Zürich

www.nytimes.com/athletic/659...
Why are Jamaica's Olympic medalists switching to represent Turkey?
www.nytimes.com
September 8, 2025 at 12:51 PM
Reposted by Liam Tharme
Send in your questions now ahead of a mailbag episode of the pod next week.

Drop them here, or follow the link below.

www.nytimes.com/athletic/660...
Mailbag: Send in your questions for The Athletic FC Tactics Podcast
www.nytimes.com
September 5, 2025 at 3:13 PM
No Gabby Thomas in Tokyo. A real shame.

She’s out with an Achilles problem which started in May and resurfaced in July.

She was the only track athlete with three golds (200m, 4x100m, 4x400m) in Paris, and took silver in Budapest over 200m.

www.nytimes.com/athletic/659...
Olympic 200m champion Thomas to miss World Championships with injury
www.nytimes.com
September 2, 2025 at 3:14 PM
Reposted by Liam Tharme
Track coach Gjert Ingebrigtsen, the father of double Olympic champion Jakob and his six siblings, was convicted of hitting daughter Ingrid with a towel but cleared of all of the abuse charges made by his children after a high-profile trial in Norway this year.

He speaks to @liamtharme.bsky.social.
Gjert Ingebrigtsen interview: ‘Of course there is a winner when it comes to the verdict’
Gjert Ingebrigtsen speaks after a harrowing trial in which his double Olympic champion son Jakob and daughter Ingrid accused him of abuse
theathletic.com
August 4, 2025 at 9:32 AM
Reposted by Liam Tharme
Part five of Football Architects — it's a topical one....

This is how the implementation of the FA's England DNA project supercharged the national teams — women, men, and juniors — to the most successful period in their history.

W/ @liamtharme.bsky.social:

www.nytimes.com/athletic/646...
Football Architects: The England DNA behind the pursuit of tournament-winning teams
In December 2014, The FA laid out its vision for future internationals to be exceptional across four “corners” - this is what happened next
www.nytimes.com
July 31, 2025 at 7:57 AM
US T&F trials start today! 🇺🇸

Here’s your preview:
• Qualification process
• Syd’s switch to 400m flat
• Lyles’ 200m defence
• Quincy Wilson but not Hall in 400m
• Brazier/Muhammad’s comebacks
• Houlihan’s return
+ more

Coverage @theathletic.com

www.nytimes.com/athletic/652...
U.S. track and field championships: Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone and more to watch in Eugene
www.nytimes.com
July 31, 2025 at 11:19 AM
Refreshing + insightful chats with Donovan Brazier and Jake Wightman at the London DL 💎 yesterday as two former World Champs attempt comebacks in the 800m and 1,500m

Faster races, aggressive tactics, less room for error. US & GB trials soon - both could make Tokyo

www.nytimes.com/athletic/650...
Wightman and Brazier's tough comebacks show turbocharging of men's middle-distance running
www.nytimes.com
July 20, 2025 at 2:36 PM
Interviewed KJT yesterday ahead of her long jumping in the London DL 💎

Her Paris thoughts and review, chasing Thiam & Hall, reinventing herself and becoming more than a jumper, and her connection with heptathlon 🇬🇧

www.nytimes.com/athletic/650...
Katarina Johnson-Thompson interview: 'I just want to continue heptathlon for as long as I'm capable'
www.nytimes.com
July 19, 2025 at 7:39 AM
Reposted by Liam Tharme
ICYMI

Episode one of Football Architects on Ajax is available to listen to now!

With @michaeljbailey.bsky.social @jacobwhitehead.bsky.social @liamtharme.bsky.social and excerpts of an interview with Jasper van Leeuwen and Ruben Jongkind.

pod.fo/e/2f4b77
July 8, 2025 at 10:02 AM
Reposted by Liam Tharme
Had the privilege of chatting to Olympic and World 200m silver medalist Kenny Bednarek for 45 mins

Olympics review, his upbringing, racing Tebogo, block starts, relaxing off the bend, JuCo and UO dreams, wanting triple gold in Tokyo, fixing US men’s 4x100 & more

www.nytimes.com/athletic/645...
Kenny Bednarek knows what he wants, if he can just relax: ‘Make money, get gold medals and just run fast’
The American is on a mission to become the world's fastest sprinter
www.nytimes.com
June 28, 2025 at 10:09 AM
What’s it going to take for Faith Kipyegon to become the first female four-minute miler?

I spoke to people from Breaking2 in 2017 (Kipchoge’s sub-two marathon shot) to understand physiological + drafting demands for Breaking4.

Spoiler: it’s a huge “moonshot” 🇰🇪

www.nytimes.com/athletic/644...
What it would take for Faith Kipyegon to become the first female sub four-minute miler
How learnings from the sub-two hour marathon project have been carried into Thursday's sub-four mile record attempt in Paris
www.nytimes.com
June 26, 2025 at 1:56 PM
Reposted by Liam Tharme
The end of 2024-25 was a good advert for how youth development in England has been transformed.

But no two players have the same pathway — @liamtharme.bsky.social spoke to the Premier League’s Director of Football Neil Saunders and Liam Delap about the nation's talent revolution.
How the Premier League revolutionised academies to create pathways for Delap, Eze, Johnson and many more
For a while, the footballers developed at English clubs were considered inferior. But no longer. What has changed?
www.nytimes.com
June 7, 2025 at 12:25 PM
Reposted by Liam Tharme
Tomorrow the Tactics pod brings you a classic: Alternative Team of The Season!

One player from every club in the bottom half of the table plus one wildcard - send us your suggestions below 👇
May 21, 2025 at 9:02 AM
Reposted by Liam Tharme
Jean-Philippe Mateta: My Game In My Words

“I don’t just want to be, ‘JP scores when he makes the run in behind’. I can dribble, I can shoot first touch, I can score with my left or right, and more with my head"

@mattwoosie.bsky.social @liamtharme.bsky.social #CPFC

www.nytimes.com/athletic/635...
Jean-Philippe Mateta: My Game in My Words
The Crystal Palace striker talks instincts, finishing technique with both feet and that protective headgear ahead of the FA Cup final
www.nytimes.com
May 16, 2025 at 6:44 AM
Jakob Ingebrigtsen testified today (he will for 1hr 30 tomorrow too) against his father, Gjert, who is on trial for abuse charges against Jakob and his younger sister Ingrid.

A report from day two of the trial, w/ @sigvekvamme.bsky.social

www.nytimes.com/athletic/622...
Jakob Ingebrigtsen says he was slapped, kicked by father Gjert who ‘had control over my entire life’
The 59-year-old Gjert Ingebrigtsen denies charges of abuse against two of his seven children.
www.nytimes.com
March 25, 2025 at 9:27 PM
Eddie Howe stressed that, with patience, Lewis Hall would become a top player.

He was right. Hall has replaced Trippier’s creativity and brings so much out of Gordon with his underlaps.

Involved in all 4 goals v Forest yesterday. Give him his flowers.

www.nytimes.com/athletic/615...
Lewis Hall is Newcastle’s new attacking weapon – as Nottingham Forest discovered
Why Eddie Howe's patient restructure of his defence is paying dividends
www.nytimes.com
February 24, 2025 at 3:06 PM