Ryan Crouser at the US Indoor Championships in Albuquerque (© Kirby Lee)
Ryan Crouser produced the second farthest indoor throw in history to highlight the second and final day of action at the US Indoor Championships in Albuquerque on Saturday (15).
Opening with 21.84m effort to take firm command of the competition, Crouser extended his lead with a 22.05m throw in the second round. After a foul in the third round, the 27-year-old Olympic champion followed up with 22.60m heave in the fourth round, just six centimetres shy of Randy Barnes' 22.66m world indoor record set in 1989. Illustrating his phenomenal form, Crouser followed that with a 22.18m effort in round five.
Nick Ponzio was a distant second at 20.85m.
Reminiscent of the stunning 6.34 world record he set on this same track in 2018, Christian Coleman took the 60m title in a blazing 6.37, another world lead. The race marked the third time Coleman has clocked 6.37. Noone has ever run faster. Marvin Bracy, the winner in 2014, was second in 6.49, with Brandon Carnes third in 6.53.
The women’s pole vault featured phenomenal performances by stalwart Jenn Suhr and 2016 Olympic silver medalist Sandi Morris. Morris upped the intensity with a clearance on her final attempt at 4.75m, while Suhr had her first miss at 4.80m. Both easily cleared 4.85m on their first attempts, and then went back and forth with misses at 4.90m until Morris prevailed on her third.
2018 60m champion Javianne Oliver clocked 7.04 in the semifinals of the 60m but Mikiah Brisco matched that when it counted most, in the final, to hold off Oliver who finished second in 7.08.
Vashti Cunningham became the first U.S. woman to win five straight indoor national titles outright in the high jump, clearing 1.97m before attempting a meet record 2.03m.
For the third time at a USATF Indoor Championships, Shelby Houlihan completed a distance double, winning the 1500m in 4:06.41 to go with the 3000m title she won on Friday. Houlihan, the US record-holder outdoors in the 1500m and 5000m, again demonstrated her superior speed over the final 200 metres, closing in 29.87 to beat Colleen Quigley and Karissa Schweizer, who finished second and third, respectively.
One week after breaking her own US indoor 800m record at the Millrose Games, Ajee’ Wilson won her fifth-straight U.S. indoor title, sprinting away in the final 200 metres to win in 2:01.98. The 1000m champion at Staten Island last year, Wilson led through 400m in 60.67 and held off a quick-closing Kaela Edwards who was second in 2:02.41.
Three men went beyond 17 metres in the triple jump, topped by defending champion Donald Scott who set a lifetime indoor best of 17.24m to win his third indoor crown. Omar Craddock reached 17.14m for second with Chris Benard, who reahed 17.02m, finishing third.
Elsewhere, Last year’s NCAA indoor and outdoor champion, Bryce Hoppel took the 800m title in 1:46.67. Running shoulder-to-shoulder with Quanera Hayes through 300 of the race's 400m, Wadeline Jonathas edged away around the final turn to take her first title in 51.54.
Moving up from a pair of runner-up finishes the past two years, Quanesha Burks took her first indoor national long jump title with a best of 6.76m, edging Kate Hall who reached 6.69m.
Gabriele Cunningham took the women's 60m hurdles title in 7.92. Aaron Mallett took the men's in 7.54 over Jarret Eaton, who clocked 7.57.
USATF for World Athletics
Mihambo sails 7.07m in Berlin
World long jump champion Malaika Mihambo delighted 12,500 spectators at the ISTAF Indoor in Berlin on Friday (14) with a world-leading leap of 7.07m.
The 26-year-old German led only on countback after three rounds with 6.68m. She then improved to 6.84m and went on to produce her winning jump in the final round, breaking her own meeting record and moving up to 10th on the world indoor all-time list.
World bronze medallist Ese Brume of Nigeria finished second with 6.79m, four centimetres ahead of Nastassia Mironchyk-Ivanova of Belarus.
“It was a difficult competition for me because my last few steps didn’t really fit well during my first attempts, so I am really pleased that it worked well on my final attempt and that I managed to jump seven metres here tonight,” said Mihambo.
Since the turn of the millennium only two other women have jumped farther than Mihambo indoors: USA’s Brittney Reese and Serbia’s Ivana Spanovic.
The event celebrated a surprise local victory when Berlin’s Lisa Marie Kwayie took the 60m in 7.25, finishing 0.01 ahead of Czech record-holder Klara Seidlova. Emre Zafer Barnes of Turkey won the men’s 60m in 6.60.
Nigeria's Tobi Amusan dominated the 60m hurdles, winning in 7.89 from Nooralotta Sezier (7.99) and Nadine Visser (8.01).
Although it’s not an official world record event indoors, Germany’s Shanice Craft produced the best ever indoor discus performance with 64.03m.
Hurdles world leads from Holloway and Harrison
World 110m hurdles champion Grant Holloway opened his 2020 campaign in stunning fashion at the Tiger Paw Invitational in Clemson on Friday (14).
The 22-year-old breezed through the rounds, winning his first race in 7.52 to equal the world lead before reducing it to 7.48 in round two. He saved even more for the final, though, and sped to a 7.38 victory, just 0.03 shy of the lifetime best he set last year.
World U20 indoor record-holder Trey Cunningham finished second in a PB of 7.51.
The women’s 60m hurdles was similarly exciting as world indoor champion Kendra Harrison took on 2015 world champion Danielle Williams.
Like Holloway, Harrison came out on top in every round and got quicker each time, clocking 7.97, 7.88 and then a world-leading 7.80. Williams contested just two of the rounds, recording a season’s best of 7.99.
Jonathan Jones of Barbados won a close 400m contest with Bryce Deadmon, 45.78 to 45.86. 400m hurdles specialist Kyron McMaster of the British Virgin Islands won his heat in a national indoor record of 45.84.
Jamaica’s Carey McLeod made a huge breakthrough to win the long jump. The 21-year-old, whose previous best was 7.79m, sailed out to a world-leading 8.16m to win by 21 centimetres.
The women’s 60m was the closest event of the first day of action in Clemson as Celera Barnes and world U20 silver medallist Twanisha Terry were declared joint winners, both stopping the clock at 7.18.
Semira Killebrew, just 18 years of age, was a close third in 7.19 with Maia McKoy just 0.01 behind.
US indoor triple jump record broken – twice
Tori Franklin produced the highlight of the first day of the US Indoor Championships in Albuquerque, leaping a US indoor triple jump record of 14.64m.
Her winning mark came in response to Keturah Orji, who had broken the record just moments earlier with 14.60m.
Shelby Houlihan won the highly-anticipated 3000m against national indoor mile record-holder Elle Purrier. Houlihan dictated the race and wound up the pace in the second half, gradually speeding up with each lap. A final circuit of 29.89 was enough to see off the last of her challengers as she won in 8:52.03.
Karissa Schweizer was second (8:53.70) with steeplechaser Colleen Quigley taking third (8:55.55), one second ahead of Purrier (8:56.56).
Chase Ealey won the women’s shot put with a world-leading 18.99m while Matt Ludwig set a lifetime best of 5.85m to take the men’s pole vault title.
World indoor and outdoor champion Christian Coleman made easy work of his first-round heat in the 60m. Despite easing down before the line, he stopped the clock at a world-leading 6.48.
World 400m finalist Wadeline Jonathas also recorded a world-leading mark in her heat, clocking 51.32 in the 400m to comfortably advance to the next round.
