Snoop Dogg is used to recording tracks, not racing on them. But that didn’t stop the legendary rapper from putting on quite the show at the U.S. Olympic athletics trials in Eugene, Oregon on Monday.
Donning a tracksuit in the colours of the American flag and a Team USA shirt that paid respect to the late NBA Hall of Famer Kobe Bryant, Snoop Dogg laced up for a 200-metre exhibition race against Trinidadian former Olympic medalist Ato Boldon and two-time NCAA outdoor 200m champion Wallace Spearmon.
Snoop was unsurprisingly smoked by his competition in the exhibition race at Hayward Field, finishing a distant third, but he still posted a very respectable time of 34.44 seconds.
“34.44 for a 52-year-old? Ain’t bad,” he said after the race before posing with his time.
Snoop is heading to Paris as Special Correspondent for NBC’s primetime Games coverage alongside Olympics host Mike Tirico and the rapper, who is also an actor and entrepreneur, then gave TV viewers his unique take on the trials.
Snoop was left behind by Boldon and Spearmon. (Christian Petersen / Getty Images via CNN Newsource)
Snoop, was trackside for NBC’s coverage of the men’s 3000m steeplechase, told the broadcast: “What we’re about to see right now is they’re about to get to dipping, gripping, riding, slipping and hopefully not sliding.”
The steeplechase is an event where runners are able to leap off the top of the hurdles, which initially seemed to catch Snoop off guard.
“Oh he’s jumping on top of the hurdle,” Snoop said in disbelief. “You can do that?! That was a cold trick right there. I like that one. Went off the tippy-top.”
On its X account, NBC described Snoop’s commentary as “ELECTRIC” and “the content we never knew we needed.”
The U.S. trials are well underway, with big names such as Sha’Carri Richardson and Noah Lyles already punching their ticket to this summer’s Games.
“This wknd was fun … much respect to all tha world class athletes … see yall in Paris,” posted Snoop on his X account.