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  • Abdihamid Nur Breaks The NCAA 5K Record, Anna Hall + Grant Scantling Secure Worlds Spots, Upsets In Nairobi & More This Weekend In Track

Abdihamid Nur Breaks The NCAA 5K Record, Anna Hall + Grant Scantling Secure Worlds Spots, Upsets In Nairobi & More This Weekend In Track

You know track and field season is heating up when it's tough to pick the top 10 biggest performances of the weekend.

May 09, 2022

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:

You know track and field season is in full swing when it starts getting difficult to consolidate the best performances from the weekend into a top-10 list.

With that in mind, I wanted to quickly apologize for leaving out a few races from my preview last weekend. In the early hours of Sunday morning, the Golden Grand Prix for World Athletics’ Continental Tour Gold took place in Tokyo and I totally missed that the USATF Half Marathon Championships were taking place on Saturday morning. We have an embarrassment of riches in the sport right now!

Here’s a quick rundown of the 10 best performances from this weekend:

10. Coleman Wins First 100m Race Since 2019 Suspension

Reigning world champion Christian Coleman finally got his chance to run at Tokyo’s National Olympic Stadium, but in far cooler weather than athletes enjoyed in the spotlight last summer. Despite the chilly conditions, he still ran well and won his first 100m race since 2019 in 10.09s (+0.1 m/s wind) in front of an estimated 10,000 masked fans. The United States had a great showing at the meet with victories in the 100m hurdles by Keni Harrison (12.76s, -0.1 m/s wind), the 400 meters by Michael Norman (44.62s) and the 400m hurdles by Rai Benjamin (48.60s).

9. Allie Wilson Falls At The Finish Line, Still Gets A Big Personal Best

Our video of Atlanta Track Club Elite Allie Wilson falling at the finish line at The Track Meet’s women’s 800m on Friday night has been seen more than 95,000 times on our Instagram, more than 57,000 times on our Twitter and more than 56,000 times on our TikTok. But what was nearly a viral “oof” moment turned out to be something closer to a (perhaps accidental) dive for victory. She was fortunate that enough of her body was across the finish line to register a final time of 1:58.18, which took 0.84 seconds off her personal best and established a new world-leading mark.

Right behind her, Nia Akins of the Brooks Beast broke two minutes for the first time in her career as she ran 1:58.82. The 23-year-old finished ninth at last year’s U.S. Olympic Trials. Once again, the women’s 800m is shaping up to be one of the deepest and most star-studded races for the U.S. Championships.

8. Eyes On South Africa’s Prudence Sekgodiso

Two-time Olympic champion Caster Semenya has not been able to compete in the 800 meters since 2019’s World Athletics regulations were revised for athletes who have certain differences of sex development or testosterone levels that are higher than the typical female range. In Semanya’s absence from her best event, 20-year-old Prudence Sekgodiso has stepped forward as the country’s newest star in the 800m by winning the Kip Keino Classic in Nairobi in a personal best of 1:58.41. Last month, she won South African national titles in the 800m and 1500m. Saturday’s race was her first time eclipsing the two-minute barrier and gives her a World Championship qualifying spot.

7. Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce Opens Up With A 10.67

We’re at the point in sprints history where people are opening up their 100m campaign with a 10.67 (-0.4 m/s wind). Yes, the run came at altitude, but it proved that Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce is determined to make this her year. Adjusting for the wind and altitude puts her time closer to 10.71, which would still be the world-leading mark at sea level and just 0.11 seconds off her personal best from the Lausanne Diamond League last August. At 35 years young, the 2008 Olympic champion is only getting better with age.

We didn’t get the duel with 200m Olympic silver medalist Christine Mboma we’d wanted, because she pulled with a slight injury. Fraser-Pryce later visited Mboma in her hotel room as a gesture of great sportsmanship.

It’s worth noting that American Sha’Carri Richardson was initially announced to race this meet, but pulled out of a race with no explanation for the third time this season. The Kenyan media was eager to ask Fraser-Pryce about Richardson’s absence and she responded with characteristic class, noting that the seven other women in the competition deserved her and the media’s respect and attention as well.

6. Ferdinand Omanyala Beats Fred Kerley In Front Of A Home Crowd With 100m WL

Kenya’s fans were treated to an exciting upset and a big win from Ferdinand Omanyala in the men’s 100m as he clocked a world-leading 9.85 to beat Olympic silver medalist Fred Kerley (9.92). Fans (including the Kenyan president) went absolutely crazy for the chemistry student from the University of Nairobi.

The race lost its branding as a Tokyo final rematch between Olympic gold medalist Marcell Jacobs and Kerley when the Italian star withdrew due to intestinal problems from food poisoning. Now, the first time the Tokyo 1-2 finishers will race will be at the Prefontaine Classic on May 28.

Some other world-leading marks that came out of Nairobi included:

– Poland put itself atop the hammer throw world-leading marks with victories by Olympic champions Wojciech Nowicki in 81.43m and Anita Wlodarczyk in 78.06m.

– Kenya’s Abel Kipsang, who was fourth at last year’s Tokyo Olympics in 3:29.56, was unfazed by the 5,000+ feet of altitude as he ran a quick 3:31.01 to win the men’s 1500m by four seconds. On the women’s side, 2021 world junior championship 1500m silver medalist Diribe Welteji of Ethiopia won in 4:01.50 as the top three finishers are now the top three fastest times of the year.

– 2021 Diamond League champion Norah Jeruto picked up where she left off and won the women’s steeplechase in 9:04.95. After being left off the Kenyan national team for the Tokyo Olympics, she will be a threat in July representing Kazakhstan. Reigning Olympic champion Peruth Chemutai finished third in 9:20.07.

– 20-year-old Ethiopian Girmawit Gebrzihair, who ran 64:14 to win the RAK Half in February, dropped all the way down to 5000m and won in 14:49.97. She is the first woman to break 15 minutes in 2022.

5. Newbury Park’s High School Boys Move Up In The Record Books

Last week, Prefontaine Classic meet organizers announced Newbury Park High School senior Colin Sahlman as part of the elite men’s field for the Bowerman Mile on Saturday, May 28. The high school mile record is still Alan Webb’s 3:53.43 from 2001 and the closest anyone has gotten outdoors in recent years was Drew Hunter running 3:58.86 in 2016. Sahlman ran 3:58.81 indoors in March to put himself at No. 5 on the all-time high school boys mile list and took another step forward in his progression with a 3:39.59 to finish third in his section of the men’s 1500m at Sound Running’s Track Meet. Only Hobbs Kessler, Webb and Jim Ryun have ever run faster for 1500m. Sahlman was quick to note in his Instagram caption that the 1500m converts to a 3:56 mile.

In the men’s 5000m, junior Lex Young moved into the No. 2 position on the U.S. high school 5000m list with a 13:43.95 finish in the B-heat of the men’s 5000m. Galen Rupp’s 13:37.91 from 2004 is the faster performance but considering that Young is just a junior, he’ll have an extra year to get even quicker and make a bid for the No. 1 spot before he graduates.

4. Emily Sisson Breaks Half Marathon American Record

Until January, the American Record in the half marathon was Molly Huddle’s 67:25 from 2018. In the years since Sisson gave it two scares by running 67:30 in 2019 and 67:26 in 2020. Four months ago, Sara Hall broke Huddle’s record in Houston with a 67:15. In Indianapolis this weekend, Sisson finally got it for herself by running 67:11 to win her sixth national title and her second this year. Huddle noted on Twitter that her training partner also tied the record for a Ray Treacy athlete as New Zealand’s Kim Smith also ran 67:11 back in September 2011. After a disappointing finish in the 10,000m in Tokyo and withdrawing from the NYC Marathon last fall with an injury, it’s clear Sisson is back to top form. It would be great to see Sisson and Hall race for the record head-to-head next time.

On the men’s side, Leonard Korir just out-sprinted Futsum Zienasellassie at the end of the race to win his eighth U.S. title. and his first since the 2019 USATF 20K Championships.

(If a half marathon isn’t enough for you, USATF is hosting its 25K Championships this Saturday in Grand Rapids, Michigan.)

3. Abdihamid Nur Breaks The NCAA 5000m Record

It’s not every day that an athlete breaks a 44-year-old record at any level, but Henry Rono’s 1978 NCAA record of 13:08.4 was finally bettered on Friday by NAU’s Abdihamid Nur, who ran 13:06.32 to finish fourth in the Sound Running 5000m behind Olympians Jakob Ingebrigtsen, Mohamed Mohumed and Joe Klecker. Nur closed his final 400m in 58.65, even challenging the pros for the lead a few times in the final lap. He also led a trio of NAU athletes to new PBs, with Nico Young notching the No. 3 NCAA mark of all time in 13:11.30 and Drew Bosley running 13:25.90.

The only one of Rono’s historic NCAA/world records remaining from 1978 is his steeplechase record of 8:05.4, but that one looks safe as he owns the #2, #3, #4, and #5 all-time collegiate marks as well and the closest anyone has come is Donn Cabral’s 8:19.14 in 2012.

Watch the video below for Nur’s thoughts on the race and his early plans for the NCAA Championships…

Yes, it would’ve been too easy to give Jakob the headline for this section, but he’s run 12:48.45 and was only there to run the World Championship qualifying mark. He sat patiently and eventually kicked to the 13:02.4 win during the final 150 meters. (He told The Running Report’s Aaron Potts, “It means I can run 13:02 whenever.”) Major kudos to Mohumed, who lowered his PR from 13:17.04 to 13:03.18 and challenged Ingebrigtsen into the bell lap.

2. Anna Hall Gets Her Trials Redemption

Loved the “How it started/How it’s going” Twitter post by Florida’s Anna Hall after she won the USATF heptathlon title with a 6458 point total, which is the second-best in collegiate history.

She led after six events before closing things out with a blistering 2:03.11 for 800m (the fourth-fastest heptathlon 800m run ever). Last year, she unfortunately crashed out of the heptathlon in the 100m hurdles but we finally got to see some of her championship potential when she won the NCAA indoor pentathlon in March.

She will be joined on Team USA by Kendell Williams, who has her spot secured for Eugene as last year’s World Athletics Combined Events Tour champion. The last two remaining spots are still up for consideration.

Ashtin Zamzow-Mahler took second (6184) and Michelle Atherley finished third (6154) and will have until June 26 to hit the qualifying standard of 6420. Erica Bougard has the standard but finished 10th in Fayetteville this weekend.

Oh… there’s little rest for Hall as she’ll be competing at the SEC Outdoor Championships next weekend in Oxford, Miss.

1. Garrett Scantling Becomes 7th-Best Decathlete Ever

The 2021 Olympic Trials champion and Tokyo Olympics fourth-place finisher Garrett Scantling defended his U.S. title this weekend in Fayetteville by notching 8867 points to improve on his personal best from Eugene by more than 200 points.

For context, improving by an average of 20 points per event is the equivalent of knocking 0.10 seconds off your 100-meter PB ten different times. He moves to No. 3 on the U.S. all-time list and No. 7 on the world list, just behind four-time world champion Dan O’Brien, who took Olympic gold in 1996.

Scantling has made the most of his return to track and field. People forget that he briefly retired after the 2016 Olympic Trials, signed with the Atlanta Falcons and Jacksonville Jaguars for spring camp and even took a job as a financial advisor before ultimately returning to competition in 2020. Two years later, he’s in the conversation for a medal on home soil.

Georgia junior Kyle Garland finished second to qualify for Worlds. His 8,720 point total set a new collegiate record and puts him at No. 8 on the all-time U.S. list. Two-time Olympian Zach Ziemek will also get the chance to compete at another global championship looking to improve upon his sixth-place finish at the Tokyo Olympics.

The United States has not medaled at Worlds in the decathlon since Ashton Eaton took gold in a then-world record of 9045 at the 2015 World Championships in Beijing.

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]

Chris Chavez |Twitter |Instagram |Strava