Ato Boldon 'smokes' Snoop Dogg in 200m exhibition race

Four-time Trinidad and Tobago Olympic medallist Ato Boldon “smoked” legendary rapper Snoop Dogg in a friendly 200m race during the US Olympic Trials at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, on June 23.

Boldon, 50, a 200m gold medallist at the 1997 World Championships, is a respected sports commentator for NBC. Snoop, 52, will join NBC Primetime coverage of the Paris Olympics, starting next month.

Also in the race was retired American 200m star Wallace Spearmon, 39.

Snoop clocked 34.44 seconds in the exhibition race and said his performance wasn’t “too bad for a 52-year-old.” Boldon's and Spearmon's times were not recorded despite finishing ahead of the rapper.

In a Facebook post on June 24, Boldon posted a picture of Snoop trailing him and captioned it, "Some days are different than others…#DeathRowRecords (I told him he’d much prefer a 100m and he insisted on a “deuce” (200m) because he’s five-deuce (52)."

Snoop paid tribute to the late Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant by running in a red, blue and white tracksuit in the colours of the US flag with Bryant's face displayed on the front.

Snoop is no stranger to sports commentary having earned plaudits for his colour commentary during a boxing card in 2020.

Boldon has four Olympic medals: 100m bronze and 200m bronze at the 1996 Atlanta Games and 100m silver and 200m bronze at the 2000 Sydney Games.