The Biggest Winners Of The U.S. Indoor Track And Field Championships

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The 2022 U.S. Indoor Track and Field Championships were held this weekend in the brand-new Podium facility in Spokane, Washington, and fans got to watch a fun and competitive meet for free on CNBC and Peacock. Full results from the meet can be found here.

Also this weekend, NCAA conference championships were held around the country and Brooks Beasts’ Josh Kerr broke the U.K. indoor records in the 1500m and mile at Boston University’s Last Chance Meet with times of 3:32.85 and 3:48.87. You can hear a little of Josh’s mentality heading into the weekend in a conversation on the CITIUS MAG podcast - he wasn’t shy about his goals going into the weekend, and he delivered.

There was also a new collegiate record in the women’s 200m and the NCAA qualifying cutoff is officially sub-3:56 in the mile, but in the professional world, all eyes were on Spokane as runners, jumpers, and throwers vied for the two qualifying spots per event to the 2022 World Indoor Championships in Belgrade, Serbia.

EVENT-BY-EVENT RESULTS + TAKEAWAYS

Men’s 60m – Christian Coleman Was Never In Doubt

Christian Coleman has proven this entire season that his 18-month suspension for whereabouts failures never set him back physically, as he’s still the top American in the short sprints. The 60m world record holder tied the world-leading time of 6.45 with his win in the final on Sunday. He is now tied with Terrence Jones, the 19-year-old from the Bahamas competing for Texas Tech, atop the world list for 2022. Marvin Bracy took second by equaling his personal best of 6.48 from 2014, which was the same season he took silver at the world indoor championships. Come Worlds, we’ll finally get to see how 100m Olympic champion Marcell Lamont Jacobs fares head-to-head against two guys who weren’t in Tokyo. (Watch the race here.)

Women’s 60m – Mikiah Brisco Hands Marybeth Sant Price Her First Loss of 2022

Mikiah Brisco was set to represent the United States in the 60m at the 2020 world indoor championships after running a world-leading 7.04 to win the U.S. Indoor Championships. A two-year postponement for the global championship? No problem. She tied her season’s best with a 7.07 in the final to capture her second U.S. title. She also snapped Marybeth Sant Price’s undefeated season. Sant Price had the fastest reaction time of the field but just didn’t close as hard as Brisco.

Brisco and Sant Price are both unsponsored by any major sportswear brand. It’s a shame and suggests that sports marketing departments continue to prioritize (1) outdoor races and (2) youth in the sprint events, but I wouldn’t put it past either of these two to come back from Belgrade with medals and then carry the momentum into the outdoor season.

Men’s 60m Hurdles – Grant Holloway Does Grant Holloway Things

Grant Holloway remains undefeated in the 60m hurdles for his career but although his dominance in the event dates back to 2017, this was his first U.S. indoor national title. He tied the indoor championship meet record of 7.37 by Terrence Trammell in 2009. Apparently, Holloway ran so fast and knocked into the crash pads so hard that he broke one of the TV cameras in the process. The best moment from Holloway this weekend came in his post-race interview when he paused the questioning to watch Coleman’s race.

Jarret Eaton, who announced that this would be his final season, finished second in a season’s best of 7.47. His season will go on for at least one more meet. In 2018, he earned a silver medal at the world indoor championships behind Great Britain’s Andy Pozzi. CITIUS MAG Podcast listeners may recall I recorded an episode of the podcast with Eaton about how he’s been able to do this for years while unsponsored.

Women’s 60m Hurdles – Gabbi Cunningham PRs For U.S. Title No. 2

Gabbi Cunningham, who finished seventh at the Tokyo Olympics in the 100m hurdles, ran a personal best of 7.82 to win her second U.S. title. She will try to become the fourth consecutive gold medal for the United States at the world indoor championships after wins by Nia Ali (2014 & 2016) and Kendra Harrison (2018).

Alaysha Johnson, who only raced twice in 2020 and 2021, is having a strong indoor campaign and just qualified for her first world championship team at 25 years old.

Men’s 400m – Trevor Bassitt Shows Out For D2

Ashland University’s Trevor Bassitt won his first U.S. title by equaling his season’s best time of 45.75. He became the first NCAA athlete to win the U.S. indoor title since Michael Johnson did it while at Baylor in 1990. World 800m champion Donavan Brazier got off to a comparatively-slow start in the final but clawed his way back with a 23.97-second lap to take second in 46.14. The second-place finish – just .01 ahead of Marqueze Washington – ensures him an individual spot at the world indoor championships.

A lot of NBC’s coverage in the leadup to this race was focused on Brazier stepping down to the 400m. He ran 46.68 to win his heat on Saturday afternoon but was disqualified due to a lane infringement. However, USATF reviewed more video footage provided by NBC that did not show enough for the DQ to stand so he was reinstated for the final on Sunday. Brazier was at a local Spokane breakfast spot enjoying a waffle and sausage when he learned about the news of his reinstatement. As he told the media, he was even trying to get on an earlier flight on Sunday to head home to Portland, OR. After a quick chat with coach Pete Julian, he did line up for the final at 2:15 p.m.

No American has won a World indoor title at 400m since Tyree Washington in 2003, and on paper, it might be tough to expect a win from a collegian and 800m specialist. Bassitt is the eighth-fastest man in the world this year for 400m, but six of the seven men ahead of him are Americans who are either in the NCAA or opted not to contest USAs. A medal of any color is within reach, and gold isn’t out of the question.

Women’s 400m – Lynna Irby Edges Out Jessica Beard

Lynna Irby won her first U.S. title with a 51.88 victory over Jessica Beard (52.05). An American woman has medaled in each of the last six world indoor championships and it will be on them to keep the streak alive. Beard has more than a decade of world championship experience with 4x400m relay gold medals from the outdoor championships in 2009, 2011 and 2013. She also took silver in the 4x400m in 2015. The 2011 Bowerman Award winner will get her first chance to compete for a championship medal individually.

Men’s 800m – Bryce Hoppel and Isaiah Harris Turn Their Attention To Worlds

After an up-and-down 2021, Bryce Hoppel has now gone back-to-back with his U.S. indoor 800m titles in 2020 and 2022. He closed his final lap in 26.46 to win in a season’s best of 1:45.30. The only blip on his 2022 resume is the loss to Spain’s Mariano Garcia at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix but he’ll get a chance to avenge that loss in Belgrade. Isaiah Harris, who is in his first season with the Brooks Beasts, also notched a season’s best of 1:46.30 to just beat out indoor 1000m American record holder Shane Streich (1:46.86). This will be Harris’s first U.S. national team since making the 800m semifinals of the 2017 world championships in London.

Women’s 800m – Ajee’ Wilson’s Brillance Continues

Watching Ajee’ Wilson in a U.S. indoor championship is a masterclass in racing. Her strategy is predictable but effective: Get to the front, control the pace early and pour on the pain in the final 200m. It’s a particularly effective strategy in indoor races, where passing on tighter turns is more difficult than outdoors. She led from the gun and closed her final lap in 29.14 to win in 2:01.72. That was U.S. title No. 12 for Wilson.

The race for second was thrilling between Atlanta Track Club Elite’s Olivia Baker, Adidas’ Brooke Feldmeier and Nike’s Michaela Meyer. Baker moved from fourth to second place by the bell and held on with a 29.42-second final lap to beat out Feldmeier for the second spot to worlds.

In her post-race interview, Baker was quick to credit her teammates as part of the reason behind her resurgence in 2022. We dug into the Instagram archives to find a photo she shared from 2013 of her as a fan and fellow New Jersey high school star. Now, they’re both headed to the world championships as teammates.

Men’s 1500m – Cole Hocker Chucks Up The Deuces

Because I’m writing this in event distance order, we’ll start with Hocker’s second U.S. title of the weekend. The 20-year-old followed up his victory in the 3,000m (more on that shortly) by kicking down the field much like he did at the 2021 U.S. Olympic Trials. His winning time was a meet record of 3:39.09. Unlike the 3000m, where the race was over the second he made his move, this one took a little more work- Hocker was pretty far back with 100 meters to go but managed to find his way out of traffic with just a few meters of track to spare.

Obviously, this is isn’t as high-profile as an Olympic team berth, but a U.S. title is a U.S. title. He ran 26.89 for his final lap, moving fourth to first in the final 200m even with several bodies in the way. Unlike in Eugene, where there were still many who expected the young NCAA star to fade on a larger stage, there are no critics left to silence. He goes into these races as the favorite. (Note: Teammate and training partner Cooper Teare, the U.S. leader at 1 mile, scratched from the meet after testing positive for COVID.)

Josh Thompson, the lone Bowerman Track Club athlete entered the entire U.S. Championships, took second in 3:39.24 to make his first U.S. national team. He showed flashes of the tactical brilliance and top-end speed that first appeared on the pro scene in 2019.

Women’s 1500m – The Best Race Of The Weekend

The women’s 1,500m final – which was the first track final of the weekend – was my favorite race of the entire championships. We came into this race knowing Elle Purrier St. Pierre and Josette Norris were the favorites based on their mile performances at the Millrose Games. So when they started pulling away from the field, you thought maybe that would be the team for Serbia. But Heather MacLean had other plans.

She went from fifth to first in the final lap with a 29.71-second close. She outleaned Purrier and Norris for the win in 4:06.09 and her first U.S. title. Norris took second in 4:06.13 to qualify for her first world championship team. Norris, who finished third in the 2021 Diamond League final, will get a long-awaited and well-deserved chance to contend for a medal while wearing the Team USA kit.

The shock upset led to some on-camera awkwardness after the finish, and Purrier St. Pierre, who hadn’t lost to an American over 1 mile/1500m since 2019, seemed quite surprised by the result and her training partner’s late kick. But all’s fair in love, war and racing! (Plus, Elle’s weekend wasn’t over, see below.) While the finish order was a bit of a surprise, the pedigree of the top 4 shouldn’t be questioned: it was a reshuffling of the podium at the 2021 Olympic Trials, plus Norris, who raced the 5000m in Eugene but sports a 3:59 PB.

Men’s 3,000m – Hocker Wins But It Was A Bit Anticlimatic

Cole Hocker’s first win of the weekend came on Saturday when he pulled away from Emmanuel Bor and the field to win the men’s 3000m in 7:48.64 with a 26.69 close.

Despite a relatively competitive field, this race didn’t have the drama or excitement of the 2022 Millrose Games, where Hocker finished third behind Teare and OAC’s Geordie Beamish. It’s a testament to both his physical tools and the reputation he’s quickly developed that, when Hocker kicked, Bor was the only runner to respond and keep it remotely close.

Letsrun’s Jonathan Gault reports that Hocker is still undecided as to whether to accept his Worlds spot, but if he does, he will have his work cut out for him against Ethiopian stars like Berihu Aregawi (7:26.20 WL), Lamecha Girma (7:30.54 PR), or Selemon Barega (7:30.66) and Spain’s Adel Mechaal (7:30.82) or Mohamed Katir (7:36.62). For comparison, Beamish’s 7:39.50, while thrilling, only puts him at No. 20 in the world this year. (If Hocker doesn’t go, unsponsored runner Dillon Maggard took third.)

A bit of due credit here to Bor, who gets overlooked despite having an indoor 5000m personal best of 13:00.48 from the same race where Grant Fisher ran 12:53.73. This will be his first time representing the United States at a major global championship.

Women’s 3,000m – Elle Purrier St. Pierre Gets Revenge

Purrier-St. Pierre made the most of her second chance to qualify for the world championships with her 8:41.53 win in the women’s 3,0000m that featured a soul-crushing 28.88 final lap. Alicia Monson, who was undefeated in her two races going into this meet, finished second in 8:43.86 and gets rewarded for leading for 14 of the 15 laps with a world championships spot.

On Instagram, Purrier St. Pierre wrote: “Saturday did not go as planned and yeah I’m still mad about it. I still have a lot to digest and learn from that one, but hey I’m human, don’t we all have bad days? The difference for athletes is that when they have bad days it’s broadcasted on national television and plastered all over social media…all a part of the game. Yesterday I had another chance, it wasn’t easy to get to the line as I had a list of excuses I was trying to tuck away, but I knew I needed to do it for myself, otherwise I would have felt like I gave up and that’s not me. I knew I’d either run poorly and know I needed to take a break or I’d run well and be glad I did. It was a fact finding race and I’m happy with what I found.”

It’s a shame that the World Indoor Championships only take the top two finishers because it’s truly going to be a special moment the day that Weini Kelati, who finished third in 8:47.77, gets to represent the United States in international competition given her amazing life story.

The Jumps And Throws Roundup

– JuVaughn Harrison won the men’s high jump on Saturday with a 2.28m leap. Darryl Sullivan Jr. took second in 2.25m. Harrison attempted the double with the long jump but ended up third in that event.

– Jarrion Lawson had one of the most clutch performances of the weekend. On his final jump of the day, he moved from fourth to first with an 8.19m leap to win the men’s long jump. Marquis Dendy, the 2018 world indoor champion, settled for second in 8.14m

– Vashti Cunningham captured her 10th U.S. title at 24 years old by jumping 1.91m without missing. Nicole Greene took second.

– Tara Davis, the 2022 U.S. leader and Olympic Trials runner-up, was unable to make it to Spokane due to weather and travel issues. Fellow Olympian Quanesha Burks, who I profiled for Sports Illustrated last summer, won her second U.S. title with a 6.55m jump. Tiffany Flynn was second in 6.49m.

– Olympic silver medalist Chris Nilsen won his second U.S. title with a 5.91m vault. KC Lightfoot was second with a 5.86m clearance. This competition was tight, with five men clearing 5.81m or higher. Sam Kendricks, the two-time World indoor silver medalist, was a pre-competition scratch.

– Reigning world indoor champion and 2016 Olympic silver medalist Sandi Morris beat out training partner and Olympic gold medalist Katie Nageotte. Morris notched a season’s best of 4.80m. Only Russian duo Anzhelika Sidorova (4.87m) and Polina Knoroz (4.81) have gone higher in 2022. Nageotte was still happy with her performance, sharing on social media that she was vaulting with a bone bruise on her foot.

– Maggie Ewen tied the world-leading mark with a 19.79m throw to win the women’s shot put. Chase Ealey finished second in 19.10m.

– Ryan Crouser had four throws longer than 22.00m. His first one was 22.03m, which would’ve been enough to win the competition but he kept going and threw a world-leading 22.51m on his fourth try. Josh Awotunde took second in 21.74m. He also snagged the all-comers record in the state of Washington, his 8th such record (h/t Jesse Squire for that fun stat).

– Janee Kassanavoid, who is an entertaining follow on TikTok with more than half a million followers, threw a personal best of 24.28m to win the women’s weight throw. Erin Reese was second in 23.72m.

– Alex Young won his third U.S. title with a personal best of 24.84m in the weight throw. Fellow Olympian Daniel Haugh took second in 24.79m.

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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