Trinidadian sprinter Ato Boldon broke history twice at the 2000 Sydney Olympics: first, with his two medals, which made him the most decorated Olympian from Trinidad and Tobago, and second, with his sunglasses.

Boldon stepped onto the track for the men's 4x100 relay wearing a pair of dystopian, bug-like Oakley shades that wrapped around the top of his head rather than the sides, capturing the attention of both the crowd and the announcers. What's more, he wore them throughout the race. 

Ato Boldon of Trinidad and Tobago wears Oakley sunglasses September 29, 2000 during the men's 4x100m relay semi-finals at the Olympic Stadium on day 14 of the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

Photo by Michael Steele/Allsport

From then on, a runner's decision to wear sunglasses during their race became motivated not only by strategy, but by fashion, too.

On the latest daily episode of The Podium: An NBC Olympic and Paralympic podcast, titled "Day 9: Olympic Spectacles," Canadian sprinters Andre De Grasse, Brendon Rodney and Duan Asemota weigh the importance of bringing the perfect pair of specs to each race.

"Look good, feel good, run good," said Rodney, a three-time Olympian. "This is part of the game."

Hear all of that and more on the ninth daily edition of The Podium.

New episodes of The Podium will be released every day during the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. 

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