Devynne Charlton and Masai Russell in action in Boston (© Dan Vernon)
Julien Alfred, Noah Lyles, Devynne Charlton, Masai Russell, Rai Benjamin and Grant Holloway are among the global gold medallists headlining the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix – a World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold meeting – in Boston on Sunday (2).
The season is hotting up, with several sprint showdowns and distance duels set to demand the spotlight in Boston as athletes look to make their mark during a campaign that will culminate with the World Athletics Indoor Championships Nanjing 25 in March.
Both Olympic 100m champions are in action in Boston, contesting different disciplines.
Lyles is back at the TRACK, a year on from his 60m victory in a meeting record of 6.44. The US sprinter went on to secure silver at the World Indoor Championships in Glasgow, before claiming 100m gold and 200m bronze at the Olympic Games.
The 27-year-old, who opened his season with a 6.62 win in Gainesville on Saturday, will defend his title in Boston as part of a field that features USA’s 2016 world indoor champion Trayvon Bromell, Great Britain’s world 100m bronze medallist Zharnel Hughes and Italy’s 2022 world indoor champion Marcell Jacobs, who preceded Lyles as Olympic 100m champion and races for the first time this year, making his North American indoor debut.
Taking a step up in distance, Alfred will test herself in the 300m when she makes her New Balance Indoor Grand Prix debut. The Saint Lucian sprint star won 100m gold and 200m silver at the Olympic Games after claiming the world indoor 60m title in Glasgow, and her most recent result was a 100m win at the Diamond League final in Brussels in September.
She opens her season against her training partner Dina Asher-Smith, the 2019 world 200m champion, plus USA’s Lynna Irby-Jackson.
The men’s 300m also features an Olympic champion in USA’s Benjamin, who claimed the 400m hurdles title in Paris. The 27-year-old, who sits second on the world all-time list for his specialist event, clocked 32.35 for 300m in New York in 2020 and won when he raced the discipline at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix in 2019.
This time his rivals include his multiple global gold medal-winning 4x400m teammate Vernon Norwood and Matthew Boling.
Charlton and Holloway won the 60m hurdles titles at the last edition of the World Indoor Championships and both form part of strong fields in Boston.
Bahamian Charlton, who improved the world record to 7.67 and then 7.65 last year, has already faced USA’s Olympic 100m hurdles champion Russell this year – Russell winning by 0.04 ahead of Charlton in Lubbock two weeks ago – and they clash again on Sunday. Their head-to-head record in 60m hurdles finals is 8-2 in Charlton’s favour and those results include last year’s New Balance Indoor Grand Prix, where Charlton placed third and Russell fourth in a race won by Tia Jones.
This time Charlton and Russell will be challenged by their fellow Olympic finalists Ackera Nugent and Grace Stark, plus Christina Clemons, the 2018 world indoor silver medallist.
Holloway, who improved his own world record to 7.27 in Albuquerque last February, heads the men’s field as he targets his fourth consecutive win at this meeting. His victory in a meeting record of 7.35 last year extended his unbeaten streak in the discipline to a 10th year.
Making his season debut, the Olympic and world champion is joined in the line-up by his US compatriots Olympic finalist Freddie Crittenden and 2022 world silver medallist Trey Cunningham, who races for the first time since July.
The women’s 60m stars USA’s 2022 world indoor silver medallist Mikiah Brisco, who won last year, and Oceanian record-holder Zoe Hobbs, who finished fourth in the world indoor final last year. The women’s 500m pits Dutch world 4x400m gold medallist Lisanne de Witte against USA’s world and Olympic 800m medallist Raevyn Rogers.
In the men’s 400m, Trinidad and Tobago’s 2022 world indoor champion Jereem Richards races Quincy Wilson, who ran an area U18 indoor 400m best at the New Balance Nationals in Boston last year before forming part of USA’s Olympic title-winning 4x400m squad in Paris.
Two other Olympic medallists will clash in the women’s 3000m, when Australia’s Jessica Hull goes up against Great Britain’s Georgia Bell. Hull secured 1500m silver in Paris while Bell bagged bronze, and Hull starts as the defending champion, having won last year's 3000m in Boston in an Oceanian indoor record of 8:24.93.
They will line up alongside USA’s Parker Valby, Emily Mackay and Elise Cranny, plus Ethiopia’s Melknat Wudu, who was third last year, Italy’s Sintayehu Vissa and USA's Emma Coburn, who continues her comeback after injury.
USA’s double Olympic medallist Grant Fisher, who got 5000m and 10,000m bronze in Paris, will take on 2022 world champion Jake Wightman, Oliver Hoare and Josh Hoey, who recently ran a North American 1000m record, in the 1500m.
World indoor champion Bryce Hoppel headlines the men’s 800m, while Hobbs Kessler, Cameron Myers, Neil Gourley and Andrew Coscoran clash in the 3000m. In the women’s mile, Heather MacLean will be looking to repeat her 2023 victory when she lines up as part of a field featuring Olympic finalist Susan Ejore, Maia Ramsden and Sage Hurta-Klecker.
The women’s triple jump stars Jasmine Moore, who claimed bronze medals in both the long jump and triple jump at the Olympic Games in Paris. In the men’s high jump, Romaine Beckford goes up against Donald Thomas and Vernon Turner.
