In the women’s Wanamaker Mile, Olympic bronze medallist Georgia Bell timed her finish to perfection to win in 4:23.35 from USA’s Heather MacLean (4:23.41) and Nikki Hiltz (4:23.50).In the 3000m, double Olympic bronze medallist Fisher had been locked in a battle with Olympic 1500m champion Cole Hocker for most of the way. They passed through […]
In the women’s Wanamaker Mile, Olympic bronze medallist Georgia Bell timed her finish to perfection to win in 4:23.35 from USA’s Heather MacLean (4:23.41) and Nikki Hiltz (4:23.50).In the 3000m, double Olympic bronze medallist Fisher had been locked in a battle with Olympic 1500m champion Cole Hocker for most of the way. They passed through the first 1000m in 2:29.08, then Fisher led through 2000m in 4:58.01 before Hocker hit the front with three laps to go.
Jon Mulkeen for World Athletics
Abe Alvarado paced the field through 1000m in 2:20.49, then Olympic bronze medallist Nuguse maintained the tempo with world road mile champion Hobbs Kessler tucked right behind. After passing through 1500m in 3:31.75, a significant improvement on his own North American indoor record, Nuguse dug deep to hold on to victory in 3:46.63. Kessler took second place in 3:46.90, also inside Yomif Kejelcha’s world indoor record of 3:47.01.
Elsewhere, Alexis Holmes won the women’s 400m in 51.21 and Will Sumner took the men’s 600m in 1:14.04.
Hoey led throughout, passing half way in 51.01 with Hoppel close behind. Their positions remained the same through 600m (1:17.64) and it briefly looked as though Hoppel was preparing to kick ahead, but Hoey resisted the challenge and strode away to win in 1:43.90, elevating him to third on the world indoor all-time list and taking 0.31 off Donavan Brazier’s continental indoor record.
Just minutes before the girls’ 60m, Mexico’s Ever Palma smashed the world indoor best for the rarely contested mile race walk. Sweden’s multiple world medallist Perseus Karlstrom, who is also coach to Palma, led for the first 1000m before Palma darted to the front and opened up a clear gap on the rest of the field.
“A lot of people would say he has the best kick in the world, so to beat him like that, I’m really happy with it,” added Fisher. “That really couldn’t have turned out any better.”
Further behind, Jimmy Gressier added to his French record tally with a clocking of 7:30.18 in third. Australia’s Ky Robinson set a national record of 7:30.38 in fourth, just ahead of USA’s Dylan Jacobs (7:30.45) and Cooper Teare (7:30.62).
Runner-up Melanie Dogget was similarly remarkable. Aged just 13, she clocked 7.17 for second place – the fastest time ever recorded by anyone aged 16 or under.
Just hours before the meeting began, world champion Josh Kerr announced his withdrawal from the race due to illness. But despite the Briton’s absence, the race produced a fitting climax to the world’s leading indoor one-day meeting.
Olympic champion Masai Russell won a highly competitive women’s 60m hurdles, clocking a world-leading 7.76 to hold off the challenge of US compatriot Grace Stark (7.82). World indoor record-holder Devynne Charlton was third in 7.83, just 0.01 ahead of fellow Bahamian Denisha Cartwright.
Josette Andrews took a brief turn at the front, but Morgan passed her on the final lap and went on to win in 8:28.03. Andrews held on for second place in 8:29.77, also a PB, while Sarah Healy set an Irish indoor record of 8:30.79 in third.
Hoey breaks North American indoor 800m record
Trinidad and Tobago’s Lisa Raye dashed to a 7.13 victory in the girls’ 60m, taking 0.05 off the world U18 best and 0.03 off the US high school record, both held by Shawnti Jackson.
*Subject to the usual ratification procedure
Josh Hoey maintained his remarkable indoor season to win the men’s 800m in a North American indoor record of 1:43.90, beating world indoor champion Bryce Hoppel in the process.
World champion Katie Moon improved on her own world-leading mark in the pole vault. The 2021 Olympic champion took victory with a second-time clearance at 4.82m before ending her series with three tries at 4.92m.
Whittni Morgan made it a US 3000m double by taking the women’s race in a PB of 8:28.03. She ran as part of the lead pack for most of the way as the field was paced through 1000m in 2:51.50. After the pacemaker dropped out, Tsigie Gebreselama led the field through 2000m in 5:43.37.
Two hours before the main programme got under way, two world indoor bests were smashed within the space of a few minutes.
World leads at 60m, 800m and pole vault
Little more than an hour after Fisher’s historic run, Nuguse made history of his own by winning the Wanamaker Mile in a world indoor record of 3:46.63*.
Palma crossed the line in 5:24.50, not only taking nine seconds off the previous world indoor best but also going several seconds faster than the outdoor world best for the distance. Karlstrom finished second in 5:32.34, also inside the previous world indoor best.
“I’m kind of in shock,” said Fisher. “I didn’t think we’d go that fast. I thought we might be able to challenge the American record, and clearly Cole thought he was in pretty good shape too. I was happy he took the lead that far out. I tried to go past him on the back stretch of the last lap and he held me off, so I just gave it everything with 50 metres to go.
“The race tactic was the same [without Josh Kerr], I was going to go to the front and grind no matter what anyone else did,” said Nuguse after achieving his third Wanamaker Mile victory. “I have more confidence from the Olympics, more confidence in my training. I’m not afraid of the front any more. I knew that if I let up anywhere, they were going to pass me, so I was like ‘don’t let up, not even for a second’, and just hoped that I had more than they did at the end.”
World bests for Raye and Palma
World-leading marks were set in the two races held immediately after. One year on from his breakthrough victory here, Dylan Beard once again won the men’s 60m hurdles, this time clocking 7.38 to break Allen Johnson’s long-standing meeting record of 7.43. Cordell Tinch was second in 7.43.
Hoppel held on for second place in a PB of 1:44.19, good enough for sixth on the world indoor all-time list. Jonah Koech completed the US 1-2-3 sweep (1:44.82) while Mark English set an Irish indoor record of 1:45.15 in fourth.
Fisher stayed close behind, then kicked hard off the final bend to pass Hocker and win in 7:22.91, improving on Lamecha Girma’s world indoor record of 7:23.81. Hocker finished second in 7:23.14, also inside Girma’s record.
US distance duo Grant Fisher and Yared Nuguse made history at the Millrose Games, breaking the world indoor records for the men’s 3000m and mile respectively at the World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold meeting in New York on Saturday (8).
In third, Australia’s Cam Myers set an outright world U20 record of 3:47.48 with France’s Azeddine Habz setting a national indoor record of 3:47.56 in fourth.
Olympic finalist Shafiqua Maloney produced a dominant performance to win the women’s 800m. Addy Wiley briefly took the lead with a lap to go, but Maloney responded to open up a winning margin of almost a full second, crossing the line in 1:59.07. Olivia Baker was second in an indoor PB of 2:00.02.
There had been murmurs of potential record-breaking performances in the build-up to the meeting, but with high quality fields assembled in every discipline, most athletes were more focused on trying to achieve victory.
Jacious Sears was a convincing winner of the women’s 60m, clocking a world-leading PB of 7.02 to win by 0.13 from Celera Barnes. Marcellus Moore took the men’s event in 6.56.
