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Ferdinand Omanyala, Christian Coleman to go head-to-head in Eugene

Ferdinand Omanyala has his work cut out as he continues his Olympic build-up campaign at the Prefontaine Classic this weekend.

Africa’s fastest man Ferdinand Omanyala is not resting on his laurels as he will be in action this weekend, at the Prefontaine Classic, the Diamond League Meeting in Eugene, Oregon.

Omanyala will be competing in his third 100m race of the season, hoping to bag his first win in 2024, but that is not the main priority at the moment.

The Commonwealth Games champion had a great indoor campaign, finishing fourth in the 60m at the World Indoor Championships in Glasgow, Scotland. He then kickstarted his 100m campaign at the Kip Keino Classic, finishing fifth in the race that was won by America’s Kenny Bednarek.

The 28-year-old then proceeded to the Atlanta City Games last weekend where he finished second behind South Africa’s Akani Simbine who set a world leading time of 9.90 seconds.

He now heads to the Hayward Field in Eugene, hungry for more and will be up against a formidable field of sprinters who will also be looking to impress.

One athlete to look out for will be Christian Coleman, who will be looking to bounce back following his second-place finish at the Diamond League Meeting in Shanghai. He started his 100m campaign at the Diamond League Meeting in Xiamen with a win.

Another athlete to watch will be Jamaica’s Ackeem Blake who has been turning heads with his great form. Blake finished second at the Miramar Invitational before finishing third in the Diamond League Meeting in Xiamen.

The 22-year-old faltered and was forced to finish fifth at the Diamond League Meeting in Shanghai and then shone on home soil with a second-place finish at the Jamaica Athletics Invitational Meet.

Others included in the field are Benjamin Azamati, the American duo of Brandon Hicklin and Brandon Carnes with another Jamaican, Sandrey Davison, also included in the field.

(05/25/2024) Views: 144 ⚡AMP
by Abigael Wuafula

Mile clash the big attraction in Eugene

Going strictly by time, the Bowerman Mile at the Prefontaine Classic on Saturday (25) is one of the fastest races in the meeting’s 49-year history.

Add in the storylines, and it’s one of the most anticipated, too.

Featuring seven men with lifetime bests faster than 3:50, Olympic and world championship gold medallists, world record-holders and rivals whose banter has preceded the matchup for months, the mile caps a Wanda Diamond League meeting at Hayward Field whose potential for world-leading marks extends far beyond its final event.

Consider, for one, the women’s 800m, and the early window it will open into this summer’s Olympics. The field includes six of the eight competitors from last year’s World Championships final in Budapest, including gold medallist Mary Moraa and silver medallist Keely Hodgkinson. Notably absent will be bronze medallist Athing Mu, the Olympic champion, who was initially scheduled to race but has been withdrawn out of precaution because of a sore hamstring.

Raevyn Rogers, the 2019 world silver medallist whose image adorns a tower standing high above Hayward Field, also is entered, along with Jemma Reekie, Nia Akins and Halimah Nakaayi, who is coming off a victory at the USATF Los Angeles Grand Prix.

World champion Sha’Carri Richardson and Elaine Thompson-Herah headline the women’s 100m, along with world indoor 60m champion Julien Alfred and Marie-Josee Ta Lou-Smith, while world indoor 60m champion Christian Coleman and Ackeem Blake are among the fastest entered in the men's 100m.

Perhaps the most dominant athlete entering the meeting is Grant Holloway, the world 110m hurdles champion who has won all 10 races he has contested this year, including the indoor season and heats. That also includes running a world-leading 13.07 into a headwind to win in Atlanta last weekend.

The three-time world champion's last loss came on the very same Hayward Field track, at last September’s Prefontaine Classic. The only remaining gap on Holloway’s resume is an Olympic gold medal, and Saturday’s race could be an early preview of Paris, as the field includes five who raced in last summer’s World Championships final in Budapest, including silver medallist Hansle Parchment and Daniel Roberts, who earned bronze.

Shot put world record-holder and multiple world and Olympic champion Ryan Crouser will open his outdoor season in his home state and at the stadium where he owns the facility record, while trying to best Leonardo Fabbri’s world-leading mark of 22.95m.

Since 2023, Crouser has lost in just one final – and it was at September’s Prefontaine Classic to Joe Kovacs, who won in Los Angeles last weekend with 22.93m, and is entered again. Payton Otterdahl, who owns the world No.3 mark this year, also is in the field.

Those events offer no shortage of global medallists. Few, however, carry the prospect for as much drama as the mile.

Over the past year, Olympic 1500m champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen and Josh Kerr, who outkicked Ingebrigtsen for last year’s world title in Budapest, have carried on a battle of words through the press about who could prevail in Paris.

Commonwealth champion Olli Hoare, who is part of the field following his 1500m win in Los Angeles last week, said the sport was better for the attention drawn by the back-and-forth between Ingebrigtsen and Kerr – but added that other racers wanted to strike the appropriate level of respect for their competitors, such as Yared Nuguse, whose PB of 3:43.97 was set battling Ingebrigtsen (4:43.73) down to the line at September’s Pre Classic.

“This is a big one. This is going to be a big one for a lot of egos,” Hoare said in Los Angeles. “But I think it’s going to be a big one for me because it’ll be the first race where I’ll have an inkling of where I am with the world’s best. There’s a bit of tossing and turning with the banter but you can’t disrespect that field. If you do, you’ll get eaten alive.”

That list of seven men under 3:50, which includes Hoare, notably doesn’t include Jake Wightman, who will be racing Ingebrigtsen for the first time since their duel at the 2022 World Championships in Oregon, when Wightman won gold; Abel Kipsang, who was fourth at the Tokyo Olympics; Geordie Beamish, less than three months after he stormed to the world indoor title; or Lamecha Girma, the steeplechase world record-holder who is making his mile debut.

“Jake Wightman’s back, he’s a world champion,” Hoare said. “Yared Nuguse, 3:43 mile – these guys are keeping quiet and they’re going to wait for their opportunity to strike. And when they do strike, I guarantee they will make a comment.”

They are not the only accomplished names entered in the distances.

Athletics Kenya will determine its men's and women's Olympic 10,000m qualifiers at Hayward Field, with Kenya's two-time world cross-country champion Beatrice Chebet, the world leader at 5000m this season, part of a women's race that will include world champion Gudaf Tsegay of Ethiopia, eight months after Tsegay set the world 5000m record on the same track.

World record-holder Beatrice Chepkoech will attempt to retain her controlling hold over the steeplechase when she races top challenger Faith Cherotich. The Kenyan duo produced the two fastest times in the world this year at the Diamond League meeting in Xiamen, which Chepkoech won in 8:55.40 to Cherotich’s 9:05.91. Olympic silver medallist Courtney Frerichs will no longer run after injuring the ACL and meniscus in her right knee.

One week after winning in Los Angeles, Diribe Welteji leads the 1500m field that includes 13 women who have run under four minutes. World indoor 3000m champion Elle St Pierre, who won the 5000m in Los Angeles, is running her first 1500m of the season, with Laura Muir, Nikki Hiltz, Jessica Hull, Hirut Meshesha and Cory McGee also entered.

Multiple world and Olympic gold medallist Sifan Hassan, as well as world No.2 Ejgayehu Taye, will feature in the 5000m.

In the field, world and Olympic pole vault champion Katie Moon opens her outdoor season against Sandi Morris, and in the triple jump four of the top five women this season are entered, led by Thea LaFond, whose 15.01m jump to win the world indoor title in Glasgow still stands as the mark to beat.

Olympic discus champion Valarie Allman has not lost in Eugene in two years, a run that includes claiming September’s Diamond League final. That could change on Saturday because of the presence of world leader Yaime Perez, who finished second to Allman in Xiamen last month.

In the men’s 200m, top US sprinters who will duel at the Olympic trials only weeks later will face off. Kenny Bednarek, fresh off a world-leading 19.67 in Doha, is scheduled to race against world No.2 Courtney Lindsey (19.71), with world silver medallist Erriyon Knighton making his season debut. Joe Fahnbulleh and Kyree King, winner of the Los Angeles Grand Prix 100m, are also entered.

Another winner in Los Angeles, Rai Benjamin, headlines the men’s 400m hurdles, and he enters with considerable confidence after running 46.64, the ninth-fastest performance of all time.

“I think I’m the fastest guy in the field, honestly,” Benjamin said of potential Olympic chances.

The women’s 100m hurdles and women’s hammer will not count towards Diamond League points totals, but will be more potential previews for global championships.

Women who account for five of the year’s six fastest times, all of whom are separated by fractions of a second, will face off in the hurdles. Tonea Marshall, fresh off her victory in Los Angeles in 12.42, leads 2019 world champion Nia Ali, Olympic champion Jasmine Camacho-Quinn, two-time world champion Danielle Williams and world indoor champion Devynne Charlton.

Brooke Andersen’s 79.92m throw from earlier this month remains the world-leading hammer mark this season but she will be challenged by world champion Camryn Rogers, 2019 world champion DeAnna Price and world silver medallist Janee’ Kassanavoid, who own the next three farthest throws this season.

(05/24/2024) Views: 164 ⚡AMP
by Andrew Greif for World Athletics

Kenny Bednarek, Letsile Tebogo, and other top track athletes line up for the 200M sprint at the Prefontaine Classic

The 200-meter division is the subject of much discussion as the Olympic season develops further. While many athletes have talked about breaking the world record set by Usain Bolt, Kenny Bednarek is the one who recorded the fastest 200-meter time in 2024. However, he still has a long way to go and will be facing athletes of equal caliber at the Prefontaine Classic 2024.

Track Gazette took to X to post the list of athletes who will compete in the annual 200-meter sprint at the Prefontaine Classic 2024. It begins with Bednarek, who just won the Doha Diamond League, setting a world lead, a meet record, and a personal best. His time of 19.67 seconds has since become the standard, but the track world moves fast, and other athletes will soon be closing the gap.

Erriyon Knighton, a 20-year-old American prodigy, is also scheduled to compete at the tournament while being heavily favored for a spot in the Olympics. Furthermore, the list includes Botswanan sprinter Letsile Tebogo, who broke the 300-meter world record earlier this season. The 20-year-old has been confident since his ASA Grand Prix Tour and has not underperformed in any event.

Even at the World Relays, Tebogo had the fastest time among all of the other teams in the finals and won the gold medal, making Botswana and the entire continent of Africa proud.

Meanwhile, Tebogo’s rival Courtney Lindsey will also compete in the Prefontaine Classic, as he was the first person to defeat the 20-year-old  in the 200 meters at the Kip Keino Classic. On the other hand, Aaron Brown, a Canadian sprint standout, has registered for the tournament and hopes to have a successful 200-meter seasonal debut.

Another standout name on the list is Kyree King who ran an outstanding 20.21 with a +1.7 tailwind on the Qatari circuit and might pose a major threat to other runners, including his fellow Team USA athletes. In addition, Liberian sprinter Joseph Fahnbulleh, who delivered many inspiring words at the World Relays after securing his country’s ticket to the Paris Olympics, has also registered for the 200-meter sprint alongside Jeremiah Curry of the United States and Alexander Ogando of the Dominican Republic.

The event’s lineup of athletes with diverse talents has naturally gotten fans excited. The Prefontaine Classic has never disappointed and from the looks of it, 2024 will definitely take the legacy forward.

At the same time, fans can have varying expectations, and many took to X to make their feelings known.

American athletes Bednarek and Knighton will undoubtedly give their all, but for this fan, the Botswanan athlete appears to be the clear winner.

This season, the entire grid has demonstrated their prowess and this user believes there will be a new world lead.

(05/18/2024) Views: 289 ⚡AMP
by Rahul Goutam Hoom

Sha'Carri Richardson will headline the women's 100m at the Prefontaine Classic

Track superstar Sha'Carri Richardson will headline the women's 100m at the Prefontaine Classic Diamond League event on 25 May at Eugene's Hayward Field.

The reigning world champion is set to make her 100m debut in the Olympic season, facing the 60m world indoor champion Julien Alfred of St. Lucia and Marie-Josée Ta Lou-Smith of Côte d'Ivoire.

Richardson is still on the hunt for her first win of this year's Diamond League season after finishing second over 200m at the Diamond League opener in Xiamen and third seven days later in Suzhou.

Last year's Prefontaine winner, Christian Coleman, is hoping to defend his 100m title. He will face off against Kenya's Ferdinand Omanyala and Jamaica's Ackeem Blake.

In the men's 200m, world silver medalist Erriyon Knighton is up against Olympic silver medalist Kenny Bednarek and Letsile Tebogo of Botswana.

(05/17/2024) Views: 182 ⚡AMP
by Sven Busch

Noah Lyles signs record-setting contract with Adidas

The world 100m and 200m champion, Noah Lyles, has signed a record-setting deal with Adidas that will run through the L.A. 2028 Olympics. The exact dollar figures have not been disclosed, but it has been dubbed the richest contract in track and field since the retirement of Usain Bolt.

Bolt’s contract with Puma in 2013 was estimated at around $10 million a year, and the deal took him to the end of his career, in 2017. Lyles’s new contract is likely in the ballpark.

Adidas has been Lyles’s sponsor since the 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials, when he finished fourth in the men’s 200m as a high school senior. Lyles has since become the world’s most dominant sprinter, winning three consecutive World Championships titles over 200m, breaking the 26-year-old American record in 2022 (19.31 seconds) and winning all three sprint gold medals in the 100m, 200m, and 4x100m relay at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest. He is only the fifth man to accomplish that feat, and the first since Bolt at the 2015 World Championships in Beijing.

 

“When I first signed with Adidas in 2016 along with my brother, Josephus, it was like a dream come true for us,” Lyles said in a press release. “Today is just a continuation of that childhood dream.” Lyles shared his vision of achieving all he can on and off the track, and his goal to make a change for future generations. “This is what drives me,” he said.

Lyles has had a fast start to the 2024 season, clocking a new personal best of 6.45 at the New Balance Grand Prix earlier this month, then following up his performance with a 60m win at the U.S. Indoor Track and Field Championships in a world-leading 6.43 seconds, beating his compatriot and former 100m world champion Christian Coleman.

The 26-year-old is the favourite to win gold in the 100m and 200m at this summer’s Paris Olympics. (He has yet to win an Olympic gold medal.) He won bronze in the men’s 200m in Tokyo, losing to Canada’s Andre De Grasse and American Kenny Bednarek.

Along with Adidas, Lyles also has partnerships with Omega Watches, Celsius Fitness Drinks, Comcast and Visa.

(02/27/2024) Views: 311 ⚡AMP
by Marley Dickinson

African 100m record holder pledges to plant 1 million trees in 2023

African 100m record holder Ferdinand Omanyala of Kenya has signed on to an initiative to personally plant one million trees in the 2023 track season. The Kenyan news outlet Nation reported that Omanyala, the 2022 Commonwealth Games gold medallist in the 100m, discussed his tree-planting plans at a ceremony on Friday ahead of the Kip Keino Classic meet in Nairobi. 

Omanyala (whose 100m PB of 9.77 seconds is the fastest in African history) has been working on his tree-planting project since the start of 2023. He is working in tandem with Athletics Kenya, which has reportedly engaged in similar initiatives surrounding climate change and air quality. Jack Tuwei, Athletics Kenya’s president, told Nation that both climate change and air quality have negative effects on sport, which prompted the organization to act. 

Omanyala told the press that he hopes more athletes will support this campaign. “I’m aiming to plant one million trees this season, and my plea to the other athletes and anyone supporting sports is to join the campaign, because this is what we need as sports men and women,” he said.

He continued, saying, “by planting trees, the community is also set to benefit from clean air.” This is Omanyala’s main reason for setting out on his project of planting one million trees, adding that he wants to “fill every space available [in Kenya] with trees.” While he is only focused on working in Kenya, Omanyala acknowledged the global issues presented by climate change, saying it is “a worldwide concern.” 

A day after his tree-planting ceremony, Omanyala raced in front of a home crowd at the Kip Keino Classic. He beat Americans Kenny Bednarek and Marvin Bracy-Williams to the line, running a world-leading time of 9.84 seconds to take the win. Bednarek finished in second in 9.98 and Bracy-Williams crossed the line in 10.03. 

(05/21/2023) Views: 508 ⚡AMP
by Running Magazine

Noah Lyles storms to 200-meter gold at World Championships, leading U.S. sweep clocking the third fastest time ever

Thursday night was for the sprinters at the World Athletics Championships, as the men's and women's 200 meter finals took center stage in the only medal races of the session in Eugene, Oregon.

American Noah Lyles ran the third-fastest time in history and broke Michael Johnson's American record, crossing the line in 19.31 seconds and winning the men's race in dominant fashion. Not known for running a great curve, Lyles had a tremendous start and took all of the suspense out of the finish before it was halfway over.

Just as they did in the 100 meters, the United States swept the medals in the 200: behind Lyles was Kenny Bednarek in 19.77 seconds, and 18-year-old sensation Erriyon Knighton in 19.80 seconds.

The 25-year-old Lyles was the defending World champion but at the Tokyo Olympics last summer was disappointed to finish as bronze medalist; he has since revealed that he ran with a swelling in his knee, bad enough to affect him but not so bad that he couldn't race.

A Virginia native — he and his brother Josephus starred at T.C. Williams High, immortalized in "Remember the Titans" — Lyles is beloved for his playful spirit and candor. After the medal ceremony he joyously jumped on the back of the Championships. Fluffy yellow mascot, Legend, and got a piggy-back for a few seconds, jumping off and immediately going to the stands for autographs and selfies. Lyles' long coils are currently dyed a light brown, but in the past he's colored it silver, an homage to Goku of "Dragon Ball Z," and he's always open about his mental health journey.

Bednarek, who is 23, matched the silver he'd won in Tokyo in the 200, while Knighton became the youngest man to win a sprint medal in Worlds history.

After a poor showing from the American men at the Olympics last summer when they only won two gold medals — in shot put and the 4x400m relay — they have certainly bounced back this year at Worlds; Lyles' win is the fourth gold for the U.S. men, with a strong chance for three more in the closing days of the meet.

The thrilling men's race matched the women's race, which had been contested just minutes earlier.

Jamaica's women again asserted their short-distance dominance, with Shericka Jackson winning gold in a stunning 21.45 seconds and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce silver in 21.81 in the women's 200; Great Britain's Dina Asher-Smith, the defending champion, ran to bronze in 22.02.

Jackson's time makes her the fastest living woman on Earth — only the late Florence Griffith-Joyner, who ran a 21.34 in 1988, has ever run faster.

Fraser-Pryce, as is her way, was stellar out of the blocks but couldn't sustain it; Jackson passed her with around 90 meters to go and just kept pulling away, her arms driving her to the finish line. A veteran of several global championship meets, Jackson has multiple 400-meter bronze medals, from the 2015 and 2019 World Championships and the 2016 Rio Olympics as well as relay golds, but has since dropped down to the 200 and 100.

Earlier this week, she won silver in the 100m behind Fraser-Pryce, but Thursday was finally her night to get an individual gold.

(Third photo taken by Jivko at the USATF National Championships.)

(07/21/2022) Views: 1,010 ⚡AMP
by Shalise Manza Young

USA names 151-strong team for World Championships in Oregon

A team of 151 athletes will represent the USA on home soil at the World Athletics Championships Oregon22 on July 15-24.

Multiple global champions and world record-holders feature in the squad as Eugene’s Hayward Field gets ready to welcome the world for the first-ever outdoor World Athletics Championships to be hosted in the USA.

World record-holder and Olympic champion Sydney McLaughlin will take on the former world record-holder and reigning world champion Dalilah Muhammad as they look to further cement the US women’s global dominance in the 400m hurdles final on July 22.

In the men’s shot put on July 17, world record-holder and Olympic champion Ryan Crouser will go after the one title that has so far eluded him – that of world champion – and will take on two-time world champion Joe Kovacs.

Such is the strength of the women’s 800m squad of Athing Mu, Ajee Wilson and Raevyn Rogers, as well as the men’s 200m team of Noah Lyles, Erriyon Knighton, Fred Kerley and Kenny Bednarek, that athletes will be aiming for USA medal sweeps.

Returning to defend the titles they won in Doha in 2019 are Nia Ali (women's 100m hurdles), Donavan Brazier (men's 800m), Christian Coleman (men's 100m), Grant Holloway (men's 110m hurdles), Kovacs (men's shot put), Lyles (men's 200m), Muhammad (women's 400m hurdles), DeAnna Price (women's hammer) and Christian Taylor (men's triple jump).

Making her 10th World Championships appearance will be Allyson Felix, who has 18 world medals, including 13 golds, to her name and will be in the mixed 4x400m pool.

“I couldn’t be prouder to lead this amazing team for this once-in-a-lifetime event,” said USATF CEO Max Siegel. “We have been given the unique opportunity to impact the track and field landscape in the US, and we’ve put our best team forward.”

USA team for Oregon

Women

100m: Aleia Hobbs, Melissa Jefferson, Twanisha Terry

200m: Tamara Clark, Jenna Prandini, Abby Steiner

400m: Talitha Diggs, Kendall Ellis, Lynna Irby

800m: Athing Mu, Raevyn Rogers, Ajee Wilson

1500m: Sinclaire Johnson, Cory McGee, Elle St. Pierre

5000m: Elise Cranny, Emily Infeld, Karissa Schweizer

10,000m: Alicia Monson, Natosha Rogers, Karissa Schweizer

Marathon: Emma Bates, Keira D’Amato, Sara Hall

3000m steeplechase: Emma Coburn, Courtney Frerichs, Courtney Wayment

100m hurdles: Nia Ali, Alia Armstrong, Keni Harrison, Alaysha Johnson

400m hurdles: Shamier Little, Sydney McLaughlin, Dalilah Muhammad, Britton Wilson

Heptathlon: Michelle Atherley, Anna Hall, Kendell Williams, Ashtin Zamzow-Mahler

High jump: Vashti Cunningham, Rachel Glenn, Rachel McCoy

Pole vault: Gabriela Leon, Sandi Morris, Katie Nageotte

Long jump: Quanesha Burks, Tiffany Flynn, Jasmine Moore

Triple jump: Tori Franklin, Jasmine Moore, Keturah Orji

Shot put: Adelaide Aquilla, Chase Ealey, Maggie Ewen, Jessica Woodard

Discus: Valarie Allman, Rachel Dincoff, Veronica Fraley, Laulauga Tausaga-Collins

Hammer: Brooke Andersen, Annette Echikunwoke, Janee Kassanavoid, DeAnna Price

Javelin: Ariana Ince, Maggie Malone, Kara Winger

20km race walk: Robyn Stevens, Miranda Melville

35km race walk: Stephanie Casey, Miranda Melville, Maria Michta-Coffey

4x100m: Celera Barnes, Tamari Davis, Gabby Thomas (plus athletes named in individual sprints)

4x400m: Wadeline Jonathas, Jaide Stepter, Kaylin Whitney (plus athletes named in individual sprints) 

Men

100m: Marvin Bracy, Trayvon Bromell, Christian Coleman, Fred Kerley

200m: Kenny Bednarek, Fred Kerley, Erriyon Knighton, Noah Lyles

400m: Champion Allison, Michael Cherry, Michael Norman, Randolph Ross

800m: Donavan Brazier, Bryce Hoppel, Jonah Koech, Brandon Miller

1500m: Johnny Gregorek, Cooper Teare, Josh Thompson

5000m: Grant Fisher, Woody Kincaid, Abdihamid Nur

10,000m: Grant Fisher, Joe Klecker, Sean McGorty 

Marathon: Elkanah Kibet, Colin Mickow, Galen Rupp

3000m steeplechase: Hillary Bor, Evan Jager, Benard Keter

110m hurdles: Devon Allen, Trey Cunningham, Grant Holloway, Daniel Roberts

400m hurdles: Trevor Bassitt, Rai Benjamin, Khallifah Rosser

Decathlon: Steven Bastien, Kyle Garland, Zach ZiemekHigh jump: Darius Carbin, JuVaughn Harrison, Shelby McEwen

Pole vault: Andrew Irwin, Chris Nilsen, Luke WinderLong jump: Marquis Dendy, Steffin McCarter, Will Williams

Triple jump: Chris Benard, Will Claye, Donald Scott, Christian Taylor

Shot put: Josh Awotunde, Ryan Crouser, Joe Kovacs, Tripp Piperi Discus: Andrew Evans, Sam Mattis, Brian Williams

Hammer: Daniel Haugh, Rudy Winkler, Alex Young

Javelin: Ethan Dabbs, Tim Glover, Curtis Thompson

20km race walk: Nick Christie, Dan Nehnevaj

35km race walk: Nick Christie 

4x100m: Kyree King, Josephus Lyles, Elijah Hall-Thompson (plus athletes named in individual sprints)

4x400m: Bryce Deadmon, Vernon Norwood, Elija Godwin (plus athletes named in individual sprints)

Mixed

4x400m: Allyson Felix, Kennedy Simon, Ismail Turner, Noah Williams (plus athletes named in individual sprints).

(07/06/2022) Views: 919 ⚡AMP
by World Athletics

Seven reigning global medalists to renew rivalry in Eugene 100m

The medalists from the men’s Olympic 100m and 200m finals in Tokyo, plus the men’s world indoor 60m final in Belgrade, will all clash in a stacked 100m field announced for the Prefontaine Classic, part of the Wanda Diamond League series, in Eugene on May 28.

Reigning Olympic champions Marcell Jacobs and Andre De Grasse will go up against Fred Kerley, Kenny Bednarek, Noah Lyles, Marvin Bracy and Christian Coleman, as well as Olympic 100m fifth-place finisher Ronnie Baker, at Eugene’s Hayward Field.

They will all be looking to make their mark ahead of the World Athletics Championships Oregon22 taking place in the same stadium in July.

“I am honored and excited to be part of this year’s Prefontaine Classic at the University of Oregon in Eugene,” said Italy’s Olympic 100m champion Jacobs, who also claimed the world indoor 60m title in Belgrade last month.

“It’s going to be my first race in the US since the Tokyo Olympics and the adrenaline is already pumping. I can’t wait to feel the track beneath my feet.”

De Grasse won the 100m at last year’s Prefontaine Classic, a few weeks after becoming a three-time Olympic medalist in Tokyo. The Canadian claimed 4x100m silver and 100m bronze in Japan along with his 200m title.

Kerley secured 100m silver between Jacobs and De Grasse in Tokyo, while Bednarek gained silver and Lyles bronze behind De Grasse in the 200m. At the World Athletics Championships Belgrade 22, Jacobs was joined on the podium by silver medalist Coleman and bronze medalist Bracy.

The men's 100m is the latest in a number of strong fields announced for the Eugene meeting. All three Tokyo Olympic medallists – Athing Mu, Keely Hodgkinson and Raevyn Rogers – will race in the 800m, while champion Mondo Duplantis will take on his fellow Tokyo Olympic medalists Chris Nilsen and Thiago Braz in the pole vault.

Michael Norman, Michael Cherry and Kirani James will race the 400m, while Rai Benjamin and Alison Dos Santos will go head-to-head in the 400m hurdles and the 100m hurdles will pit Keni Harrison against Jasmine Camacho-Quinn. Yaroslava Mahuchikh and Nicola McDermott will renew their rivalry in the high jump.

(04/22/2022) Views: 1,122 ⚡AMP
by World Athletics

Noah Lyles Redeems Himself at Prefontaine Classic With Record Run

The Tokyo Olympics were not very kind to American Track athletes as many of the favorites failed to win gold in events they dominated earlier in the year. One of them was Noah Lyles, who fell short in the men’s 200m race and won bronze rather than the gold that he aimed for. 

If minor setbacks, major comebacks was ever a reality, it could be applied in his case. At the Nike Prefontaine Classic 2021, Lyles stormed to win the 200m sprint at a blistering timing of 19.52 seconds, the fastest time this year in the event across all competitions! 

The Olympic bronze medalist stormed to the finish line to defeat fellow American Kenny Bednarek, who outpaced him in Tokyo for silver. Noah Lyles also competed on the same track as his brother Josephus, who has been making quite a name for himself lately. 

Josephus finished third in the race, behind Bednarek and above Canada’s Aaron Brown with a timing of 20.03 seconds. Lyles and Bednarek lived up to expectations and cracked the 10-second mark but the former stole to show with his comeback run.

Noah Lyles silenced the criticism after Tokyo

The track star managed to run 19.74 seconds in the 200m at the Olympics, while Bednarek ran 19.68. Andre De Grasse of Canada ran a national record of 19.62 seconds to win gold. However, he did not participate in the 200m event at the Pre-Classic, winning gold in the 100m race instead. 

An interesting participant in the 200 race was Rai Benjamin. The 400m hurdles star decided to drop the hurdles and the 400m to try his hand in the 200m race. He put on an impressive show to finish at 20.16 seconds and at fifth place.

Prior to the event, 110m hurdles specialist Grant Holloway tweeted his belief that Rai Benjamin would run 19.85 seconds and win the 200m race. However, he was forced to take his words back as Noah Lyles dominated the race. 

Learning from his mistakes in Tokyo, the 200m star is back and surely already has his sights set on Paris. Although it will be three long years to get there, he aims at gold and nothing short of it. 

(08/23/2021) Views: 1,179 ⚡AMP
by Luke Dias

Athing Mu runs American record at Prefontaine Classic

Less than a month after winning the 800m Olympic gold in Tokyo, Athing Mu bettered her American record over the two-lap race at the Prefontaine Classic on Saturday afternoon, stopping the clock at 1:55.04.

The 19-year old improved her previous American record by .17 seconds and set a meet record. Mu has won seven straight races since turning professional on June 19.

“I knew this was probably going to be a little tougher coming off the Olympic games and running a personal best there,” Mu said post-race. “I was not concerned about the time, I just wanted to run with whoever is there and to be competitive.”

Mu led from start to finish, covering the first lap in 54.60. She beat the field by 2.5 seconds as her fellow American Kate Grace finished second in 1:57.60 and Jamaican Natoya Goule was third in a time of 1:57.71.

Mu was not the only American who dazzled on the track. Noah Lyles, who fell short with a bronze medal finish in the men’s 200m in Tokyo, ran a world-leading 19.52 Saturday. 

Lyles had this to say on Twitter after the race:

Lyles’s brother, Josephus Lyles had a personal best performance of 20.03 seconds and finished third in the race, behind Kenny Bednarek (19.80) and above Canada’s Aaron Brown, who finished fourth in 20.12.

Canadian Jerome Blake made his Pre Classic debut, clocking a personal best time of 20.20 over the half-lap race and finishing sixth.

(08/22/2021) Views: 1,149 ⚡AMP
by Marley Dickinson

Jamaican Olympic superstar Elaine Thompson-Herah confirmed for Lausanne and Paris

Fresh from her triple Olympic triumph in Tokyo, Jamaican superstar Elaine Thompson-Herah will take on Olympic silver medalist Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce at the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Lausanne on  August 26.

In a mouth-watering clash of the titans, the top six finishers from the Olympic 100m final will be in action at Lausanne’s Athletissima meeting as Thompson-Herah and Fraser-Pryce line up against fellow Jamaican Shericka Jackson, the bronze medalist in Tokyo, as well as Ivorian star Marie-Josée Ta Lou and Swiss duo Ajla Del Ponte and Mujinga Kambundji.

Thompson-Herah and Jackson will also clash over 100m at the Meeting de Paris on August 28 when they’ll also take on world 200m champion Dina Asher-Smith.

They are three of several Olympic medalists who’ll be in action at the Charlety Stadium later this month.

All three podium finishers in the women’s high jump will reunite in the French capital as Maria Lasitskene takes on Australia’s Nicola McDermott and Ukraine’s Yaroslava Mahuchikh.

Olympic pole vault champion Mondo Duplantis takes on USA’s Chris Nilsen, the silver medalist in Tokyo, as well as two-time world champion Sam Kendricks – who was unable to compete in Tokyo – and former world record-holder Renaud Lavillenie.

Olympic steeplechase champion Soufiane El Bakkali and world champion Conseslus Kipruto – another duo that was unable to clash in Tokyo – will be in action in Paris, as will Olympic bronze medalist Benjamin Kigen.

Puerto Rican sprint hurdler Jasmine Camacho-Quinn, Indian javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra, Jamaican sprint hurdler Hansle Parchment and US discus thrower Valerie Allman are four more Olympic champions who’ll be heading to the French capital later this month. Allman will face two-time Olympic champion Sandra Perkovic and French veteran Melina Robert-Michon, while Parchment will be up against Olympic finalists Pascal Martinot-Lagarde and Aurel Manga.

Laura Muir and Kalkidan Gezahegne, who earned Olympic silver over 1500m and 10,000m respectively, will meet in the middle over 3000m in Paris. Meanwhile, Olympic 100m bronze medalist Fred Kerley and Olympic 200m bronze medalist Kenny Bednarek will square off over the half-lap distance.

(08/16/2021) Views: 1,125 ⚡AMP
by World Athletics

130 athletes named on the team to represent the United States at the Tokyo Olympic Games

World outdoor record-holders Sydney McLaughlin, Ryan Crouser and Keni Harrison are among the 130 athletes named on the team to represent the United States at the Tokyo Olympic Games.

The squad includes 13 medalists from the 2016 Games in Rio and six defending world champions from Doha. Experienced headliners include five-time Olympians Allyson Felix in the 400m and Abdi Abdirahman in the marathon, while the youngest athlete on the team is 17-year-old Erriyon Knighton, who twice broke the world U20 200m record last month at the US Olympic Trials.

JuVaughn Harrison won both the long jump and high jump at the Trials in Eugene and he will be among the athletes contesting two events in Tokyo as he has been selected for both disciplines.

Other athletes announced on the team include world indoor 60m hurdles record-holder Grant Holloway, who was just 0.01 shy of breaking Aries Merritt’s world 110m hurdles record of 12.80 in Eugene, plus former world 400m hurdles record-holder Dalilah Muhammad, the second-fastest ever 200m sprinter Gabby Thomas and multiple global long jump gold medalist Brittney Reese.

USA team for Tokyo 

WOMEN

100m: Teahna Daniels, Javianne Oliver, Jenna Prandini

200m: Anavia  Battle, Jenna Prandini, Gabby Thomas

400m: Allyson Felix, Quanera Hayes, Wadeline Jonathas

800m: Athing Mu, Raevyn Rogers, Ajee' Wilson

1500m: Heather MacLean, Cory McGee, Elle Purrier

5000m: Elise Cranny, Rachel Schneider, Karissa Schweizer

10,000m: Alicia Monson, Karissa Schweizer, Emily Sisson

Marathon: Sally Kipyego, Molly Seidel, Aliphine Tuliamuk

3000m steeplechase: Emma Coburn, Val Constien, Courtney Frerichs

100m hurdles: Christina Clemons, Gabbi Cunningham, Keni Harrison

400m hurdles: Anna Cockrell, Sydney McLaughlin, Dalilah Muhammad

20km race walk: Robyn Stevens

High jump: Tynita Butts-Townsend, Vashti Cunningham, Rachel McCoy

Pole vault: Morgann LeLeux, Katie Nageotte, Sandi Morris

Long jump: Quanesha Burks, Tara Davis, Brittney Reese

Triple jump: Tori Franklin, Jasmine Moore, Keturah Orji

Shot put: Adelaide Aquilla, Jessica Ramsey, Raven Saunders

Discus: Valarie Allman, Kelsey Card, Rachel Dincoff

Hammer: Brooke Andersen, Gwen Berry, DeAnna Price

Javelin: Ariana Ince, Maggie Malone, Kara Winger

Heptathlon: Erica Bougard, Annie Kunz, Kendell Williams

4x100m: English Gardner, Aleia Hobbs, Gabby Thomas (plus others selected in individual events)

4x400m: Kendall Ellis, Lynna Irby, Kaylin Whitney (plus others selected in individual events)

MEN

100m: Ronnie Baker, Trayvon Bromell, Fred Kerley

200m: Kenny Bednarek, Erriyon Knighton, Noah Lyles

400m: Michael Cherry, Michael Norman, Randolph Ross

800m: Bryce Hoppel, Isaiah Jewett, Clayton Murphy

1500m: Matthew Centrowitz, Cole Hocker, Yared Nuguse

5000m: Paul Chelimo, Grant Fisher, Woody Kincaid

10,000m: Grant Fisher, Woody Kincaid, Joe Klecker

Marathon: Abdi Abdirahman, Jake Riley, Galen Rupp

3000m steeplechase: Hillary Bor, Mason Ferlic, Benard Keter

110m hurdles: Devon Allen, Grant Holloway, Daniel Roberts

400m hurdles: Rai Benjamin, David Kendziera, Kenny Selmon

20km race walk: Nick Christie

High jump: JuVaughn Harrison, Shelby McEwen, Darryl Sullivan

Pole vault: Sam Kendricks, KC Lightfoot, Chris Nilsen

Long jump: Marquis Dendy, JuVaughn Harrison, Steffin McCarter

Triple jump: Chris Benard, Will Claye, Donald Scott

Shot put: Ryan Crouser, Joe Kovacs, Payton Otterdahl

Discus: Mason Finley, Reggie Jagers, Sam Mattis

Hammer: Daniel Haugh, Rudy Winkler, Alex Young

Javelin: Michael Shuey, Curtis Thompson

Decathlon: Steven Bastien, Garrett Scantling, Zach Ziemek

4x100m: Kenny Bednarek, Cravon Gillespie, Micah Williams (plus others selected in individual events)

4x400m: Elija Godwin, Vernon Norwood, Trevor Stewart (plus others selected in individual events)

MIXED

4x400m: Shae Anderson, Bryce Deadmon, Wil London, Taylor Manson (plus others selected in individual events).

(07/07/2021) Views: 1,494 ⚡AMP
by World Athletics

McLaughlin smashes world 400m hurdles record in Eugene with 51.90 and other highlights

In a culture saturated by so many other sports, those in the USA fret about who can be the face of athletics.

Who can be featured on television news? Who can be a crossover figure like gymnast Simone Biles? Who can be a Carl Lewis or a Jackie Joyner-Kersee?

As the 10-day US Olympic Trials closed on Sunday night (27) in Eugene, Oregon, there was a deep reservoir of young candidates – none more so than Sydney McLaughlin. The 21-year-old became the first woman to break the 52-second barrier in the 400m hurdles.

Record temperatures approaching 44C delayed the programme by five hours, but there was no delaying the inevitable: McLaughlin was going to break the world record, and she did so with her time of 51.90.

“I definitely saw it coming,” said Dalilah Muhammad, the world and Olympic champion. “She looked so good in the rounds.”

McLaughlin’s time broke the record of 52.16 set by Muhammad at the World Athletics Championships Doha 2019. McLaughlin, second in that race in 52.23, pulled away from Muhammad over the final two hurdles in Eugene.

Even with 2020 lost to the pandemic, the world record has been broken three times in 23 months – twice by Muhammad, once by McLaughlin.

That was the highlight of another historic day of young record-breakers. The trials ended with 11 world-leading marks, five by men and six by women.

Athing Mu, 19, set a trials record in the 800m; Cole Hocker, 20, became the youngest men’s 1500m champion in 110 years; JuVaughn Harrison, 22, became the first to make the US team in the high jump and long jump since Jim Thorpe in 1912; Noah Lyles, 23, ran a world-leading 200m, and Erriyon Knighton, 17, again lowered the world U20 record in the 200m.

McLaughlin has been projected as the sport’s face in the United States since she made an Olympic team at age 16. After one college season at Kentucky, she turned professional.

“I was growing into my own person,” she said. “My faith is the biggest change. Trusting God and knowing He will carry me through.”

Her record-setting might not be over. Not only could McLaughlin lower her world record at the Tokyo Olympics, she should be named to the 4x400m relay team that could set one – though that mark (3:15.17) is arguably a much bigger ask.

McLaughlin trains in Los Angeles under Bobby Kersee, who also coached Joyner-Kersee.

“Bobby knows how to put things together when the time comes,” McLaughlin said.

Muhammad, who over the past 12 months has had to contend with injuries and a bout of Covid-19, finished second in 52.42, the third-fastest time of her career. NCAA champion Anna Cockrell took the third spot in 53.70, nearly a full second faster than her previous PB, in beating Shamier Little (53.85). Olympic bronze medallist Ashley Spencer stumbled over an early hurdle and finished seventh.

Likely to join McLaughlin in that 4x400m team is Mu, considering earlier this month she set a collegiate record of 49.57 – faster than the winning mark at the USA Trials.

Mu ran a world-leading 1:56.07 to win the 800m, breaking her own North American U20 record. World silver medallist Raevyn Rogers was second in a PB of 1:57.66 and US record-holder Ajee Wilson third in 1:58.39. Not until late did Wilson overtake Michaela Meyer, who was fourth in 1:58.55.

Mu sat in the pack for the first lap, passing through 200m in 27.54 and 400m in a swift 57.53. She then made her move on the second lap, positioning herself at the front with 200 metres to go. She kicked hard as she came off the final bend and, having covered the final lap in 58.54, crossed the line almost two seconds ahead of her nearest opponent.

In the men's 1500m, Hocker was in sixth place with about 150 metres left but used a closing rush to overtake Olympic champion Matthew Centrowitz, 3:35.28 to 3:35.34.

Yared Nuguse, 22, was third in 3:36.19, overtaking the most recent national champion, Craig Engels, who is also this year’s fastest US man (3:33.64).

Hocker put a finger to his lips past the finish as if to shush critics. An “in-the-moment thing”, he said.

“Last year I wasn’t at this level. I was nowhere near this level,” he said. “This whole year, I felt like I was proving myself to the world, but also proving my talent to myself. There’s a lot of negative talk out there, and I wanted to silence everyone.”

Hocker has not met the 3:35 Olympic standard but has a world ranking that looks sufficient to secure his spot on the US team.

He is the youngest US Olympian in the men’s 1500m since Marty Liquori, then 19, in 1968. And he is the youngest national champion in the men’s 1500 or mile since 1911, when Abel Kiviat won a few days after turning 19.

Hocker has run 23 races since 29 January. Thirteen were PBs. Of the 10 others, eight were prelims and one an NCAA indoor title.

“I’m impressed that he’s been able to do that since January and is showing no signs of letting up,” said Centrowitz.

Harrison won the high jump at 2.33m, beating Darryl Sullivan on countback. Olympic medallist Erik Kynard was fourth.

The delay allowed Harrison more rest for the long jump, in which he jumped a PB of 8.47m, completing the best ever one-day jumps double.

“It just gave my legs more time to recover and gave me a chance to eat something,” Harrison said. “I was ready to go earlier, even though they said it was too hot.”

Marquis Dendy, the 2016 world indoor champion, was second at 8.38m and Steffin McCarter third with 8.26m. Olympic champion Jeff Henderson was sixth with 8.08m, meaning he won’t defend his title in Tokyo.

In a competition that showcased newcomers, it was appropriate that the last athlete to secure an Olympic berth was Knighton. He is the youngest man on the US team since Jim Ryun in 1964.

World champion Lyles won the 200m in a world-leading 19.74, followed by Kenny Bednarek, 19.78, and Knighton, 19.84. Knighton broke his own world U20 record of 19.88 from Saturday’s semifinals. He set a world U18 record of 20.04 in Friday’s first round, then twice broke that.

Lyles was fourth in the 200m at the 2016 trials as an 18-year-old.

“Ever since then, the mind-set of being an Olympian has been on my mind,” said Lyles. “Having the pause on 2020 has probably been my hardest yet. I don’t think anyone can prepare you for the lion you have to slay at the Olympic Trials.”

In the heptathlon, the year’s top three scores were posted by Annie Kunz (6703), Kendall Williams (6683) and Erica Bougard (6667). Kunz, whose previous best was 6153, did not have the Olympic standard until this week.

Kunz broke or was close to her PBs in all seven disciplines. She started with a marginally wind-assisted 12.95 in the 100m hurdles and followed it with 1.81m in the high jump, an outdoor PB. She then threw 15.73m in the shot put, which moved her into the lead overall – a position she maintained after clocking a PB of 23.71 in the 200m to end the first day at the top of the leader board.

She started the second day with a huge PB of 6.50m in the long jump, but briefly relinquished her lead after the javelin (45.06m). Kendell Williams, who ended the first day in third place, was having a strong second day with marks of 6.73m in the long jump and 47.41m in the javelin. It meant Williams went into the final event with a two-point lead over Kunz.

But Kunz ensured she stayed ahead of Williams in the 800m, eventually clocking 2:15.24 to retake the lead with a score of 6703, moving to fifth on the US all-time list. Williams, who finished second with a PB of 6683, is now sixth on that list.

Taliyah Brooks, in fourth place through five events, had to withdraw because of the heat.

“I have grown immensely since 2019,” said Kunz, who finished 13th at the 2019 World Championships. “It feels like the sky’s the limit now.”

The men’s 5000m, held in the morning to escape the worst of the heat, was won by Olympic silver medallist Paul Chelimo. He gradually veered from the rail to inside of lane four to force out Bowerman Track Club’s Grant Fisher and Woody Kincaid.

Chelimo was first in 13:26.82, followed by Fisher (13:27.01) and Kincaid (13:27.13). Their respective closing laps were 52.83, 52.99 and 52.74. Cooper Teare was fourth in 13:28.08 off a 53.97 last lap.

Fisher and Kincaid became the first pair to finish in the top three of 5000m and 10,000m at the same US Trials. Qualifying in both had been done previously, but never two at the same trials.

(06/28/2021) Views: 994 ⚡AMP
by World Athletics

Bromell back to his best while Felix and Winkler make history in Eugene

Three years ago, it seemed implausible that Trayvon Bromell and Allyson Felix would represent the United States at a 2020 Olympic Games. Bromell was coping with a debilitating sequence of injuries, and Felix was coming off a difficult childbirth.

Now that it is the 2021 Olympics, they will be running for medals in Tokyo.

Bromell won the 100m in 9.80 (0.8m/s), and Felix made her fifth Olympic team during the USA Olympic Trials on Sunday night (20) in Eugene, Oregon.

The 25-year-old Bromell once thought his end had come. He left the Rio Olympics in a wheelchair after aggravating a heel injury.

He has had two achilles surgeries over the past five years, and in a span of three-and-a-half years ran three races. He was effectively out of athletics. He credited religious faith for turning around his life, on and off the track.

“When I went down in 2016, I realised I didn't know what was going on,” he said. “In 2018, I wondered if I wanted to live anymore. What resource am I not going to for this change?

“My mom told me to try God. Since devoting myself, things have changed.”

In a high-quality final, the top four men finished inside 9.90, and 9.91 – recorded by teenager Micah Williams of host University of Oregon – was only sufficient for fifth place. It was the fastest first five in trials history.

Ronnie Baker and Fred Kerley, the latter dropping down from the 400m, claimed the two other Olympic spots, finishing second and third respectively in 9.85 and 9.86. 200m specialist Kenny Bednarek was fourth in 9.89. World 200m champion Noah Lyles started poorly and was seventh in 10.05.

Following this victory and his world-leading 9.77 from earlier this month, Bromell will head to Tokyo as a gold-medal favourite.

“I feel with confidence sometimes comes complacency. And for me, I don't like to get complacent,” he said. “For me, I'm still going to go home and train as if I'm not being talked about at all.”

On a day celebrated as Father’s Day, the top two in the women’s 400m were both mothers.

Quenara Hayes – who became a mother in October 2018 and has this year returned to sub-50-second form – finished first in 49.78, just 0.06 shy of the PB she set when winning the 2017 US title.

Felix closed rapidly to clock 50.02. Third spot was taken in 50.03 by Wadeline Jonathas, who was fourth at the 2019 World Championships. Kendall Ellis clocked 50.10 for fourth place, narrowly missing a team spot by just 0.07.

“When your body is out for eight to nine months, plenty of nights I would cry,” said Felix. “I was trying to rush the process.”

Felix made the team, 17 years removed from winning a 200m silver medal in Athens in 2004. She gave birth to a daughter in 2018, and she was at Hayward Field to see her mother race.

“There has been so much that has gone into this,” Felix said, “and there were many times where I didn't think I would get to this moment.”

She said she was “absolutely sure” she would not try for Paris 2024.

(06/21/2021) Views: 1,077 ⚡AMP
by World Athletics

Ugandan Joshua Cheptegei misses 3K WR in Ostrava

All eyes were on Joshua Cheptegei ahead of Wednesday’s Ostrava Golden Spike meet in the Czech Republic, as the 24-year-old Ugandan was looking to break the 3,000m world record. Cheptegei ended up running to a disappointing finish, falling well short of the record, but the meet was far from uneventful, as several other athletes posted remarkable times. Among these impressive performances were runs from teenaged Brits Max Burgin and Keely Hodgkinson in the men’s and women’s 800m races and an amazing showing from Cheptegei’s compatriot Jacob Kiplimo in the 10,000m. 

Cheptegei falls short 

Cheptegei had an incredible 2020 season that saw him run three world records (5K, 5,000m and 10,000m) in four races. He had already raced twice in 2021 ahead of Wednesday’s meet, and he was itching to add another record to his resume, so he targeted Kenyan Daniel Komen‘s 3,000m mark of 7:20.67, which has been the time to beat for 24 years.

Before the run, Cheptegei’s agent, Jurrie van der Velden, told LetsRun.com that this record could be the toughest one Cheptegei has tried to beat, and after he finished 13 seconds behind Komen’s time on Wednesday, that appears to be true. Cheptegei opened the race on world record pace, and he passed through the first 1,600m in 3:55. He proceeded to slow considerably in the following few laps, though, and crossed the line far off the world record. 

British domination 

Young Brits won both 800m races. Hodgkinson’s win wasn’t too much of a surprise, as she has had a tremendous season so far. The 18-year-old opened her season in Austria in January with a U20 indoor 800m world record of 1:59.03 (which American Athing Mu lowered a month later with a 1:58.40 run in Arkansas), and she followed that up with a win in the women’s 800m at the European Indoor Championships. On Wednesday, she broke two minutes for the first time outdoors, winning the women’s race in Ostrava in 1:58.89, which is a new U20 European record. 

The men’s 800m was the first race of the season for Burgin, but he ran extremely well and took the win in 1:44.14. Like Hodgkinson, Burgin (who turns 19 on Thursday) now owns the U20 European 800m record, and his result in the Czech Republic is a new world-leading time for 2021. Both Hodginson’s and Burgin’s times are under the Olympic 800m standards. 

Kiplimo crushes the 10,000m 

With all of the attention on Cheptegei, Kiplimo managed to fly under the radar until his race. Then, lining up in the men’s 10,000m, the 20-year-old flew away from the rest of the field, and 25 laps later, he stopped the clock in 26:33.93. This is a new world-leading time, it crushed the second-place finisher (who crossed the line in 27:07.49) and it shattered Kiplimo’s previous PB of 27:26.68 by close to a full minute. Before the race, Kiplimo said he was hoping to break 27 minutes, and he accomplished this goal with ease. His result now puts him at seventh-best in history at the distance. 

Canadian sprints 

Canadian sprinters Andre De Grasse and Aaron Brown were both in action in Ostrava. De Grasse raced the 100m, and he crossed the line in 10.17 seconds. He finished in third place behind American Fred Kerley (9.96) and Justin Gatlin (10.08). Brown also finished in third place, although he raced the 200m. Brown ran 20.40 seconds, and he finished behind Kenny Bednarek of the U.S. (19.93) and Kerley (20.27). Both De Grasse and Brown are set to race at the Gateshead Diamond League on Sunday in the U.K.

(05/19/2021) Views: 1,119 ⚡AMP

World record-holders will headline a stunning cast of athletic talent for the 60th edition of the Golden Spike in Ostrava

Paul Chelimo, Joshua Cheptegei, Genzebe Dibaba, Barbora Spotakova and Anita Wlodarczyk have all gone where no other athlete in history has, while with his indoor world record of 18.07m earlier this year, Hugues Fabrice Zango showed he has the potential to one day surpass Jonathan Edwards’ triple jump world record of 18.29m.

With 1500 fans allowed in the stadium, every set of eyes will be trained on Cheptegei when he takes to the track for the men’s 3000m, the final event on the programme. Edged by Duplantis for Male World Athlete of the Year in 2020, the Ugandan 24-year-old has been untouchable on the track since 2019, setting world records at 5000m and 10,000m.

Cheptegei’s current best for 3000m is 7:33.26, but the enlisting of Australia’s Stewart McSweyn – a 7:28 man – as pacemaker suggests the Ugandan is ready to take a massive chunk off that. If conditions are favourable, he looks primed to challenge Daniel Komen’s 3000m world record of 7:20.67, which has stood for 25 years. The world 10,000m champion sharpened his speed last month with a 3:37.36 1500m PB at altitude in Kampala. Olympic 5000m silver medallist Paul Chelimo is likely to be his closest pursuer.

Elsewhere in the distance events, world half marathon champion Jacob Kiplimo will open his season over 10,000m where it seems the 20-year-old Ugandan’s personal best of 27:26.68 is due for serious revision. In the men’s 3000m steeplechase, 2019 Diamond League champion Getnet Wale of Ethiopia will be looking to improve on his best of 8:05.21, having clocked a blazing 7:24.98 for 3000m indoors back in February.

Poland’s world bronze medalist Marcin Lewandowski takes on Ugandan record-holder Ronald Musagala in the men's 1500m. European Indoor 800m champion Patryk Dobek will race the two-lap distance in Ostrava, and the Pole remains undecided between the 800m and the 400m hurdles for the Tokyo Olympics. He should get a good indicator of his medal chances at the longer distance on Wednesday as he takes on seasoned veterans Adam Kszczot and Amel Tuka.

Genzebe Dibaba is the star attraction in the women’s 1500m, her first outing at the distance in which she holds the world record since August 2019. The Ethiopian made an eye-catching half marathon debut last December when clocking 1:05:18 in Valencia, but she failed to finish on her only outing since, an indoor 3000m in February. Uganda’s Winnie Nanyondo should be her biggest rival. In the women’s 800m, European indoor champion Keely Hodgkinson should be tough to beat.

Richardson takes on Schippers and Okagbare

In the sprints, the women’s 200m will take top billing, with fans eager to see what Sha’Carri Richardson can produce after her red-hot form in recent weeks. The 21-year-old US sprinter clocked wind-legal 100m times of 10.72, 10.74 and 10.77 already this season and she seems primed to dip below 22 seconds over 200m for the first time. Also in the field is two-time world champion Dafne Schippers and Nigeria’s Blessing Okagbare.

Olympic 100m bronze medallist Andre De Grasse will face 2004 Olympic champion Justin Gatlin in the men’s 100m and while both have edged below 10 seconds this year, they will have it all to do to beat 400m specialist Fred Kerley, who clocked 9.91 (2.0m/s) in Miami last month.

Kerley is also slated for the 200m, which takes place 80 minutes after the 100m. In the latter, Kenny Bednarek should prove tough to beat, having run 19.94 behind Noah Lyles at the USATF Golden Games recently.

In the men’s 400m, 2012 Olympic champion Kirani James will be looking to return to his best as the clock counts down towards the Tokyo Games. The Grenadian opened his season with a 44.88-second clocking in Phoenix, USA, last month, though Vernon Norwood is the quickest in the field this year with his 44.64.

Olympic bronze medallist Yasmani Copello headlines the men’s 400m hurdles, while Denmark’s Sara Slott Petersen is the quickest on paper in the women’s event.

(05/17/2021) Views: 1,081 ⚡AMP
by World Athletics