Records under threat as big stars collide in New York

One year on from producing two of the stand-out performances of the Millrose Games, Josh Kerr and Yared Nuguse head into this year’s edition of the World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold meeting in New York on Saturday (8), looking to make a similarly big impact.

The only difference is that this time they’ll be lining up against one another.

In New York one year ago, Kerr set a world indoor best of 8:00.67 over two miles, while Nuguse successfully defended his Wanamaker Mile title, clocking the third-fastest time in history (3:47.83). They clashed just three weeks later at the World Indoor Championships in Glasgow, where Kerr took gold.

The next time they raced each other was at the Olympic Games in Paris, where Kerr once again finished ahead, but this time by just 0.01. The Briton claimed 1500m silver in a national record of 3:27.79 while Nuguse clocked a PB of 3:27.80 for bronze.

Nuguse got the upper hand one month later at the Diamond League meeting in Zurich, winning the 1500m as Kerr placed fifth. That was the last time they clashed, so Nuguse will want to maintain that momentum – and his Wanamaker winning streak – this weekend while Kerr will be out for revenge.

Neither athlete has raced since September last year; in fact, Kerr’s last outing – victory at the Fifth Avenue Mile – also happened to be in New York. But both will go into Saturday’s Wanamaker Mile with lofty goals. Nuguse already owns two of the three fastest indoor mile performances in history, topped by his North American indoor record of 3:47.38. Kerr, meanwhile, owns the European indoor record at 3:48.87. Yomif Kejelcha’s world indoor record of 3:47.01 appears to be in reach for both of them.

There are more than just two contenders in the race, though. World road mile champion Hobbs Kessler was second in the Wanamaker Mile last year with 3:48.66, putting him fifth on the world indoor all-time list. Ireland’s Andrew Coscoran and France’s Azeddine Habz are fresh from their 1-2 finish over 3000m in Boston last weekend where they both set national indoor records. They’ll likely have more records in sight this weekend with Coscoran eyeing Eamonn Coghlan’s 3:49.78 and Habz targeting Mehdi Baala’s 3:52.51.

The women’s Wanamaker Mile is also loaded. Olympic 1500m bronze medallist Georgia Bell lines up against world indoor silver medallist Nikki Hiltz, world leader Elise Cranny, Boston mile winner Heather MacLean, Kenyan indoor record-holder Susan Ejore-Sanders and Australia’s Linden Hall.

USA’s Cole Hocker, who took Olympic 1500m gold ahead of Kerr and Nuguse in Paris last year, will step up to the 3000m this weekend. Double Olympic bronze medallist Grant Fisher, who finished one place ahead of Hocker over two miles at last year’s Millrose Games, will also line up in the 3000m, alongside Canada’s 2021 Olympic 5000m silver medallist Moh Ahmed, multiple French record-holder Jimmy Gressier, Commonwealth 1500m champion Ollie Hoare, and Stewart McSweyn, the outdoor Oceanian record-holder for the distance.

Hocker isn’t the only Olympic 1500m medallist stepping up to double the distance in New York. Australia’s Jess Hull, who took 1500m silver in Paris last year, will start as the favourite for the 3000m, though she made need to get close to her own Oceanian indoor record of 8:24.39, set when finishing fourth at the World Indoors last year.

Britain’s Melissa Courtney-Bryant won in Boston last weekend with 8:28.69, then said she feels there’s more in the tank. Olympic finalist Whittni Morgan, who holds the world 5000m lead, is also in the field, as is former North American indoor record-holder Karissa Schweizer and Ethiopia’s Tsigie Gebreselama, an 8:24.40 performer outdoors.

World indoor champion Bryce Hoppel has won his last nine indoor races over 800m, including heats, so he’ll be hoping to maintain that streak on Saturday when he lines up against up-and-coming US talent Josh Hoey, who recently set a North American indoor 1000m record. NACAC champion Jonah Koech is also in the field.

World leader Shafiqua Maloney, fourth in the Olympic final last year, leads the women’s 800m which also features Jamaica’s Natoya Goule-Toppin and US duo Nia Akins and Addy Wiley.

Clash of hurdling greats

Devynne Charlton produced a world indoor 60m hurdles record of 7.67 to win at the Millrose Games last year, then went on to reduce that mark to 7.65 to take the world indoor title.

The Bahamian returns to New York and this time faces an even stronger field as it includes Olympic champion Masai Russell, 2024 outdoor world leader Ackera Nugent, current world leader Denisha Cartwright, and Olympic finalist Grace Stark.

While the women’s sprint hurdles features the top four women in the world this year, the 60m flat will reunite the top four women from last weekend’s New Balance Indoor Grand Prix. Jacious Sears, the winner on that occasion, will lock horns again with Destiny Smith-Barnett, Celera Barnes and Zoe Hobbs. 2023 Millrose winner Aleia Hobbs and Canadian record-holder Audrey Leduc add further quality to the line-up.

A week after setting a world U18 best of 45.66 over 400m, and just four weeks after turning 17, Olympic 4x400m champion Quincy Wilson will contest the 600m. Brandon Miller, who owns the second-fastest indoor performance in history (1:14.03) will take aim at Donavan Brazier’s world indoor best of 1:13.77.

World champion Katie Moon stars in the pole vault, where she’ll be looking to improve on the world-leading mark of 4.80m she set last week.

Italy’s 2021 Olympic 100m champion Marcell Jacobs and 2016 world indoor champion Trayvon Bromell will clash in the 60m, as they did last weekend in Boston. Pjai Austin, who finished ahead of them both, will also compete.

Elsewhere, an all-US men’s 60m hurdles field features the likes of Dylan Beard, Freddie Crittenden and Cordell Tinch, while Alexis Holmes will start as favourite for the women’s 400m.