Nilsen and Morris start season with strong pole vault wins in Reno

US pole vaulters Chris Nilsen and Sandi Morris got their year off to a winning start by securing victory at the National Pole Vault Summit in Reno, Nevada, on Friday (12).

Olympic and world medallist Nilsen cleared 5.90m to triumph ahead of his compatriot Zach Bradford and Thibaut Collet of France, while two-time world indoor champion Morris soared over 4.82m to prevail in a clash with her compatriot Katie Moon, the Olympic and two-time world champion. 

Nilsen entered the competition at 5.45m and cleared that height plus 5.60m, 5.72m and 5.82m on his first attempts. He needed all three tries to make it over his eventual winning height, before passing at 5.96m and then attempting 6.01m.

Bradford and Collet both managed a best of 5.82m to put them joint second ahead of Sam Kendricks, KC Lightfoot, Austin Miller and Luke Winder, all with 5.72m.

In the women’s contest, at the start of a year that offers Morris the chance to defend her world indoor title in Glasgow in March and Moon the opportunity to defend her Olympic crown in Paris in August, both athletes entered at 4.43m and cleared that height on the first try.

While Morris went on to clear 4.53m and 4.63m at the first time of asking, Moon needed two attempts to manage 4.53m and finished the competition joint second with Canada’s Anicka Newell when they both knocked the bar at 4.63m.

With the contest won, Morris then passed 4.73m and managed 4.75m on her second try, before passing 4.80m and soaring clear at 4.82m on her third go.

Hana Moll, Katerina Stefanidi, Emily Grove and Gabriela Leon finished joint fourth on 4.43m.

Results

Season openers in Baton Rouge and Fayetteville

North American 60m record-holder Aleia Hobbs opened her season by running 7.12 in the heats and 7.11 in the final at the LSU Purple Tiger meeting in Baton Rouge on Friday (12).

The Olympic 4x100m medallist set her area record of 6.94 when winning the US title last February.

World indoor silver medallist Mikiah Brisco was second behind Hobbs in Baton Rouge, clocking 7.24 after a 7.30 heat win.

Alia Armstrong won the women’s 60m hurdles in 8.05 after 8.10 in the heats, while Myles Thomas clocked 6.65 in the men’s 60m heats before running 6.61 to win the final.

Results

Also on Friday, USA’s 18-year-old Shawnti Jackson opened her season with a 400m win at the Arkansas Invitational in Fayetteville.

The world U20 100m bronze medallist claimed a clear victory in a PB of 52.10.

Shafiqua Maloney of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines won the women’s 800m and 1000m, running 2:02.70 to take the 800m ahead of Raevyn Rogers and 2:41.22 to improve her own national record in the 1000m. 

Britain’s Cindy Sember won the women’s 60m hurdles final in 8.06, while 2021 world U20 100m hurdles champion Ackera Nugent won the women’s 60m in 7.35 and Sanu Jallow dominated the women's 600m to win in 1:26.52.

Over at the Rod McCravy Memorial in Louisville, world indoor silver medallist Devynne Charlton of The Bahamas dipped under eight seconds to win her 60m hurdles heat in 7.99. She went even faster in her semifinal and final on Saturday, clocking 7.98 and 7.88, the latter a time just 0.07 off her PB.

Yusuf Bizimana set a US collegiate record to win the 1000m, clocking 2:18.10.