12 Things We Learned This Weekend In Track and Field

This is the CITIUS MAG Newsletter by Chris Chavez. If you’ve been forwarded this email or stumbled upon a link online, you can sign up and subscribe here:

It’s starting to get to the point of the indoor track and field season where we have a solid base of results to gauge athletes’ fitness. Some will continue pushing forward toward their respective national championships in hopes of being selected for the 2022 World Indoor Championships (March 18-20 in Belgrade, Serbia). Other athletes used these marquee meets as rust busters or simply because their sponsorship or agent asked them to compete.

As expected, this past weekend saw plenty of action in places like Berlin and New York City, plus a few other surprises. 

Here are 12 things we learned from some of the top performances:

LAMONT MARCELL JACOBS ISN’T MESSING AROUND

Lamont Marcell Jacobs is here to prove that last year’s Olympics weren’t a fluke for him. He opened his season with a 6.51 win at the ISTAF Berlin Indoor Meeting. The fastest time in the world this year belongs to Texas Tech’s Terrance Jones, who ran 6.45 for a Bahamian national record in Lubbock, Texas, on Jan. 8. Christian Coleman won the Millrose Games in 6.48. Coleman says he’s planning to go through with a full indoor season, so a possible meeting at the World Championships with Jacobs would pit the reigning world champion and Olympic champion against each other. They have not raced head-to-head since the 2018 Rome Diamond League men’s 100m when Coleman finished 4th (10.06) and Jacobs was 7th (10.19).

THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT

Newbury Park High School had plenty of reasons to celebrate their field trip to New York City this weekend. At the Dr. Sander Invitational, Lex Young kicked things off by giving his older brother a scare in the record books. Lex ran 7:57.06 for 3000m, which puts him at No. 2 behind Nico’s 7:56.97 on the all-time HS boys indoor list. Aaron Sahlman was in the same race and ran 8:01.72 to move into No. 4 on the list behind the two Young brothers and Drew Hunter. 

20 minutes later, Colin Sahlman kicked down a field of professionals that included Ryan Hill, Robby Andrews and Eric Holt, closing his final lap in 27.79 to win in 3:58.81. He’s just the 13th U.S. HS boy to break four minutes for the mile and the third-fastest to do it indoors. Only Alan Webb, Jim Ryun, Hobbs Kessler and Drew Hunter have run faster for the mile as a high schooler indoor or outdoors.

Coach Sean Brosnan said that the team will return to New York City for the New Balance Indoor Nationals, where they’ll look to attack the 17:01.81 4 x Mile record set by Loudoun Valley HS in 2019.

U.S. MEN’S POLE VAULT HITTING NEW HEIGHTS?

Can the American men close the gap on Mondo Duplantis in the pole vault? Duplantis won the ISATF Berlin Indoor Meeting in 6.03m. But there were some solid showings from Olympic silver medalist Chris Nilsen and BYU sophomore Zach McWorter at their respective meets, too. McWhorter went first on Friday night at the Dr. Sander Invitational and cleared 5.85m for the top NCAA mark — good for the fifth-best collegiate mark ever — and took down Duplantis’ meet record in the process. The 23-year-old is coached by his father and was 2nd at NCAA indoors and 9th at NCAA outdoors in 2019. Nilsen took down the American indoor record with a 6.02m clearance at a meet in Tourcoing, France, to beat former indoor world record holder Renaud Lavillenie.

ELLY HENES IS BUYING DINNER

It was not Rachel Smith (née Schneider) who took home the biggest payday at the Camel City Elite meet in Winston Salem this past weekend, but rather her training partner, Elly Henes. Henes won her first two big races as a professional with victories in the 3000m (8:57.83) and mile (4:38.66) within an hour of one another, good for a total payday of $12,000. Schneider, who also did the double, is still bouncing back from COVID and another illness that forced her to withdraw from the Millrose Games. She finished third in the 3,000m (9:05.08) and seventh in the mile (4:42.11).

TRAYVON BROMELL CLOSES INDOOR SEASON WITH A W

Trayvon Bromell is going to be alright. After winning the men’s 200m in 20.64 for his first indoor 200m race in six years, he was on the ground for a few minutes and took his inhaler. He just needed to catch his breath and then spoke with us about what it’s going to take to beat Jacobs in the outdoor season.

“I think it’s going to be dangerous. I know for me and my coach, we’re training to run 9.7 or faster,” Bromell said.

SPAIN HAD A BETTER DAY ON STATEN ISLAND THAN THE U.S.

Spain had a great day at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix with wins in the men’s 3000m, men’s 800m and women’s 15000m. Adel Mechaal got them going by breaking a strong field and shattering Sergio Sanchez’s European and Spanish national record in 7:30.82. Esther Guerrero had the fastest kick in a tactical women’s 1,500m and won in 4:11.87 over Heather MacLean. Mariano Garcia unleashed a 25.93 final lap to break Bryce Hoppel and clock the fastest 800m time in the world this year with a 1:45.12 victory and Spanish national record.

Kyle Merber asked Mechaal a bit about Spain being on the rise and what his relationship is like with Mohamed Katir. Mechaal joked that he wanted to take the European record before Jakob Ingebrigtsen eventually does.

NIKKI HILTZ: UNSPONSORED BUT MAKING A STATEMENT

Nikki Hiltz had the fastest final lap in the women’s 1,500m with a 29.54 to move into third place and rebound from a disappointing Millrose Games Wanamaker Mile performance. After the race, I spoke with them about the decision to wear “Protect Trans Kids” on their uniform while competing unsponsored.

“I feel like I’m in a unique situation where I’m not signed to a brand right now,” they said. “I’m in negotiations and a free agent so I get that opportunity to wear what I want so I’m not just going to wear something unbranded. I’m going to make a statement. I feel really proud to be bringing awareness to this. Across the country right now, the NCAA just passed these really terrible anti-trans laws and in other states like Arkansas, South Dakota… trans kids are under attack and they’re just kids that want to play sports. For me, all I can do is just show up as myself and I’m really good at running so try to place high and get some TV time. That was definitely a motivator today.”

SOMEONE SIGN COLBY ALEXANDER ALREADY

Colby Alexander made the men’s mile. Although Ireland’s Andrew Coscoran eventually caught him, Alexander was the one who stuck on rabbit Erik Sowinski and looked to give his 3:52 personal best a scare. He ended up just short and finished second in 3:53.83. Alexander has run the two fastest mile performances by an American man this season and he’s still unsponsored.

NO AMERICAN RECORD BUT A CANADIAN RECORD IN THE 3000M

Elle Purrier St. Pierre withdrew from the women’s 3000m at the New Balance Indoor Games due to illness. She clarified on Instagram that it was not COVID. So if you read this far anticipating an American record, that wasn’t what happened. However, we did witness a Canadian record from Gabriela DeBues-Stafford in 8:33.92. 

DeBues-Stafford says she will join her Bowerman Track Club teammates next weekend in Boston as a few are expected to chase fast times in the 5000m.

DeBues-Stafford broke Jessica O’Connell’s previous record of 8:46.50 by about 12 seconds, but she wasn’t the only Canadian who got under that mark. Julie-Ann Staehli, who was No. 2 behind O’Connell before is now No. 2 behind Stafford, after running 8:43.55 for fourth place behind Mekides Abebe (8:36.31) and Josette Norris (8:37.91). We got to meet Staehli after the race and learned a bit about her move to join Mark Coogan and Team New Balance Boston, which she noted is her first team since competing for Queen’s University. She was a member of the Canadian Olympic team and competed in the 5000m.

DID YOU KNOW: JOSETTE NORRIS IS FROM NEW JERSEY

Norris is now No. 8 on the U.S. all-time indoor 3000m list. She was competing in front of a home crowd and leaned into the New Jersey pride. (In case our podcast interview and her overall personality didn’t make it clear to you, Wawa runs through her veins and she only runs listening to Bruce Springsteen… OK, she's not that Jersey.) In our chat after the race, she says she may consider a 1500m - 5000m double at the U.S. Championships to try and make it onto that world team for Serbia in both events.

NOAH LYLES WINS HIS FIRST 60M RACE AS A PRO

I don’t think anyone signed more autographs at the Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex than Noah Lyles. He truly is one of the biggest fan favorites and most personable gems within the sport right now. He signed posters and chatted with a handful of fans between the heats and final of the men’s 60m dash. He popped out of the blocks well and ran a 6.57 personal best to win his first 60m race as a professional — a much better showing than his run at the Millrose Games.

Afterward, he said he was a fan of our “After The Final Lap” postgame show and wants to see more in track and field. We are going to make it happen and he’s already down to join as a guest host.

THE GRANT HOLLOWAY VS. RAI BENJAMIN RIVALRY GETS AN UPDATE

Olympic silver medalist Grant Holloway competed for the first time since Tokyo and quickly asserted himself at the top of the hurdling scene with a 7.37 win. He’s already the world record holder in this event and hasn’t been beaten in his last 42 indoor races.

After the race, I asked him about the status of the proposed fantasy duel between him and Rai Benjamin in the 200m hurdles. It sounds like he would want it to be after the world championships in Los Angeles and with plenty of hype around it!

That’s it from me today. As always, thank you for reading! If you enjoyed this, learned something new, or have any questions or commentary on anything featured in this issue, feel free to hit my inbox by replying or writing to [email protected]

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