The third day of the USA Track & Field Nationals in Des Moines, Iowa was re-arranged after a delay of an hour and 40 minutes for a lightning warning, but that didn’t stop three flashes of brilliance at the beginning and end of the program.
No. 1: First came the women’s hammer throw, scheduled to start just after noon, but got going about 2 p.m. This event was already shattering expectations, as the U.S. has long been an also-ran and has never won a World Championships medal – ever – in this event. But the world list showed Americans DeAnna Price, Brooke Andersen and Gwen Berry as 1-2-4 on the year list and now fighting for the national title.
Price grabbed control early at 75.66 m (248-3) and then improved to 77.51 m (254-3) in the second round. Berry passed Andersen for second in the fourth round with 76.46 m (250-10) and they finished that way, bringing Price up for her final throw.
She had excellent speed in the ring and a near-perfect release position that sent the ball-and-chain flying past her prior mark and – possibly powered by one of the best screams in American hammer throw history – landed way out in the sector, an obvious super throw. The distance was a world-leading 78.24 m (256-8), a new American Record distance for Price and her second national title in a row.
She fell to the ground sobbing with the emotion of the throw; she consolidated her position as the no. 4 hammer throw in world history, and with Poland’s four-time World Champion Anita Wlodarczyk out of the Worlds after surgery on her left knee, Price will enter the Worlds as the favorite and all three Americans – amazingly – will have shots at a medal!
Said Price afterwards, “This year has been hard. My right upper body was going forward and it also affected my hip flexor and right leg. There were times when I couldn’t walk. My physical therapist was holding me together with duct tape and wires.” And yet she set another American Record; what if she’s finally healthy by Doha?
No. 2: About 100 minutes later, the men’s 400 m final was lined up and ready to go, with Michael Norman, the world leader at 43.45 – no. 4 all-time – expected to do something special from lane five with former Texas A&M star Fred Kerley pushing him from lane seven. Behind them in lane four was Paralympian Blake Leeper, who ran an astounding 44.38 in the semifinals.
Kerley got out well and had a clear race plan, important since he couldn’t see Norman behind him. Through the 200, he led Norman and then the race tightened until they were almost together coming into the straightaway. Norman looked ready to take the lead, but Kerley wouldn’t budge and nursed a slight lead at 50 m left to a little bigger edge at 35 m to go and even a little more at the finish line. His reward was a lifetime best of 43.64 and a move up to no. 7 on all-time list and no. 6 on the all-time U.S. list.
Norman hadn’t lost a 400 m race since 2017, winning 10 finals in a row, but finished second this time in 43.79, his third-fastest race ever. Both are on the way to Doha, along with two break-out runs from Nathan Strother (44.29) and Vernon Norwood (44.40), who both scored lifetime bests to become possible medal contenders in Doha. Americans now stand 1-2-3-4-6-7th (tie) on the world list for 2019, and the world record in the 4×400 m could be in sight.
Leeper finished fifth in 44.48 and could run at the Worlds on the relay if the IAAF allows him to do so. While the 400 m is run in lanes, there could be more concern about allowing a runner with prosthetics to run on a relay with multiple runners vying for position on the exchanges, or while trying to pass.
No. 3: The men’s vault continued after the excitement of the running events had subsided, but yet another strike was coming, this time from reigning World Champion Sam Kendricks. He won the competition for his sixth straight national title at 5.86 m (19-2 3/4) over Cole Walsh (5.76 m/18-10 3/4) and Baylor frosh K.C. Lightfoot (5.76 m/18-10 3/4), but the day was sunny and he was 7-for-7 on his jumps so far.
He cleared his eighth straight height at 5.91 m (19-4 3/4) and then went for broke, to an American Record height of 6.06 m (19-10 1/2), trying to erase dual-citizen Mondo Duplantis’s mark of 6.05 m (19-10 1/4) from the 2018 European Championships (Duplantis’s father is American and his mother is Swedish).
Kendricks missed on his first try, but sailed over his second to grab the American Record and the world leader status from Duplantis. Improvements of just a single centimeter are a big deal in pole vaulting, but Kendricks’s clearance shot him from no. 15 all-time (6.00 m/19-8 1/4) to no. 3 on the all-time list! Only France’s Renaud Lavillenie (6.16 m indoors/20-2 1/2 in 2014) and Sergey Bubka (UKR: 6.14 m/20-1 3/4 outdoors in 1994 and 6.15 m/20-2 1/4 indoors in 1993) have ever gone higher. Wow!
And: The other event consuming the crowd at Drake Stadiium was the women’s 400 m final, with Shakima Wimbley trying to retain her national title and Allyson Felix trying to get onto the World Championships team.
Wimbley started in lane six and ran well off the start, but coming around the final turn, it was Kendall Ellis flying in lane four to challenge her down the straight. Wimbley showed her strength over the final 50 m and won in 50.21, while Ellis’s 50.38 was a season’s best. Felix, running in lane three, was well positioned through 180 m, but faded badly on the turn and then sped up in the final 50 m to finish sixth in 51.94. That should put her on the Doha team in the 4×400 m relay pool, and allow her to keep training with purpose through the summer. NCAA champ Wadeline Jonathas scored a lifetime best of 50.44 to finish third.
That was only the start of the action on Saturday:
● No one was quite sure what Rai Benjamin was going to do in the 400 m hurdles, but it was going to be fast. He ran confidently and smoothly through the first 200 m, shook loose from everyone on the turn and rocketed to a huge lead over the final two hurdles to win his first national title in 47.23, the third-fastest performance of the year behind Norway’s Karsten Warholm’s 47.12 last week and his own 47.16 from the Prefontaine Classic. T.J. Holmes had a welcome season best of 48.58 for second and Houston’s Amere Lattin scored a lifetime best of 48.66 for third and a ticket to Doha.
● The women’s 1,500 m was a much-anticipated showdown between defending champion Shelby Houlihan and 2011 World Champion Jenny Simpson, who won the prior four years. Both knew exactly what to expect from the other and while Simpson pushed hard from the front at the bell, Houlihan eschewed her usual tactics of waiting in the back of the pack and shadowed Simpson closely. Instead of waiting until the final straight, Houlihan began her charge on the final turn and burst past Simpson on the straight to win in a very fast 4:03.18, with Simpson second in 4:03.41 and Nikki Hiltz surprising for third in a lifetime best of 4:03.55. How fast was this race? Five of the top eight – starting with Hiltz – recorded lifetime bests.
● World-record holder Keni Harrison and 2016 Olympic champ Brianna McNeal both had questions to answer in the women’s 100 m hurdles. Harrison was the two-time defending national champion, but has had her problems when pressed in races. McNeal just hasn’t been fast this season, but is showing better form. In the final, run into a headwind of 1.7 m/s, the two were close for about four hurdles, but then Harrison jetted away and won impressively in 12.44, the no. 5 performance of the season. With still wind, that race might have been about 12.32, equal to the world leader from Danielle Williams (JAM).
McNeal got a season’s best of 12.61, but finished third behind a season’s best for Nia Ali, the 2016 Rio silver winner and all three will be in Doha. For Ali, it’s the fastest she has run in two years.
● Evan Jager had won the last seven U.S. titles in the men’s 3,000 m Steeple, but a stress fracture kept him out of Des Moines and Hillary Bor did not waste his opportunity to step up. He, Stanley Kebenei and Andy Bayer broke away from the field after four laps and ran together until the last half-lap, when Bor and Kebenei broke away. Bor had the best finish and won his first U.S. title in 8:18.05-8:19.12, with Bayer third in 8:23.23.
● The men’s Javelin came down to the final two throws with Michael Shuey leading Riley Dolezal, with a very pedestrian mark of 77.32 m (253-8). But then Dolezal exploded into the lead at 82.84 m (271-9) and looked like the winner. But Shuey had one more try and sailed the spear to a personal best of 82.85 m (271-10) to win her first national title. Neither has the World Championships qualifying standard of 83.00 m (272-4), but could be invited by the IAAF as they are just short.
The meet continues tomorrow, with coverage on NBC. Summaries so far:
USATF National Championships
Des Moines, Iowa (USA) ~ 25-28 July 2019
(Full results here)
Men
100 m (wind -1.0 m/s): 1. Christian Coleman, 9.99; 2. Michael Rodgers, 10.12; 3. Chris Belcher, 10.12; 4. Cravon Gillespie, 10.19; 5. Ronnie Baker, 10.20; 6. Isiah Young, 10.21; 7. Ameer Webb, 10.23; did not start – Justin Gatlin.
400 m: 1. Fred Kerley, 43.64; 2. Michael Norman, 43.79; 3. Nathan Strother, 44.29; 4. Vernon Norwood, 44.40; 5. Blake Leeper, 44.48; 6. Michael Cherry, 44.69; 7. Trevor Stewart, 44.94; 8. Tyrell Richard, 45.07.
3,000 m Steeple: 1. Hillary Bor, 8:18.05; 2. Stanley Kebenei, 8:19.12; 3. Andrew Bayer, 8:23.23; 4. Benard Keter, 8:37.62; 5. Mason Ferlic, 8:37.99; 6. Obsa Ali, 8:42.00; 7. Frankline Tonui, 8:43.14; 8. Isaac Updike, 9:43.47.
10,000 m: 1. Lopez Lomong, 27:30.06; 2. Shadrack Kipchirchir, 27:47.71; 3. Leonard Korir, 28:01.43; 4. Connor McMillan, 28:20.18; 5. Kirubel Erassa, 28:20.20; 6. Connor Winter, 28:21.81; 7. Reid Buchanan, 28:22.80; 8. Reed Fischer, 28:23.30.
400 m hurdles: 1. Rai Benjamin, 47.23; 2. T.J. Holmes, 48.58; 3. Amere Lattin, 48.66; 4. Norman Grimes, 48.68; 5. David Kendzeira, 48.69; 6. Byron Robinson, 49.09; 7. Khallifah Rosser, 49.14; 8. Kerron Clement, 50.08.
Pole Vault: 1. Sam Kendricks, 6.06 m (19-10 3/4; American Record; old, 6.05 m (19-10 1/4), Mondu Duplantis, 2018); 2. Cole Walsh, 5.76 m (18-10 3/4); 3. K.C. Lightfoot, 5.76 m (18-10 3/4); 4. Zach Bradford, 5.71 m (18-8 3/4); 5. Scott Houston, 5.66 m (18-6 3/4); 6. Carson Waters, 5.56 m (18-3); 7. tie, Devin King, Tray Oates, Kyle Pater, Chris Nilsen, Audie Wyatt, Clayton Fritsch, 5.46 m (17-11).
Triple Jump: 1. Donald Scott, 17.74 mw (58-2 1/2w); 2. Will Claye, 17.70 mw (58-1w); 3. Omar Craddock, 17.55 m (57-7); 4. Chris Benard, 17.33 mw (56-10 1/4w); 5. KeAndre Bates, 16.85mw (55-3 1/2); 6. Chris Carter, 16.74 m (54-11 1/4); 7. John Warren, 16.34 m (53-7 1/2); 8. Matthew O’Neal, 16.31 m (53-6 1/4).
Shot Put: 1. Ryan Crouser, 22.62 m (74-2 1/2); 2. Joe Kovacs, 22.31 m (73-2 1/2); 3. Darrell Hill, 22.11 m (72-6 1/2); 4. Jon Jones, 21.40 m (70-2 1/2); 5. Josh Awotunde, 20.97 m (68-9 3./4); 6. Payton Otterdahl, 20.67 m (67-9 3/4); 7. Curt Jensen, 20.64 m (67-8 3/4); 8. David Pless, 20.54 m (67-4 3/4).
Discus: 1. Sam Mattis, 66.69 m (218-9); 2. Brian Williams, 65.76 m (215-9); 3. Kord Ferguson, 63.25 m (207-6); 4. Luke Vaughn, 61.78 m (202-5); 5. Jared Schuurmans, 61.37 m (201-4); 6. Eric Kicinski, 61.28 m (201-0); 7. Mason Finley, 61.05 m (200-3); 8. Jordan Roach, 60.47 m (198-4); 9. Reggie Jagers, 59.78 m (196-1).
Hammer: 1. Conor McCullough, 78.14 m (256-4); 2. Rudy Winkler, 76.51 m (251-0); 3. Daniel Haugh, 76.44 m (250-9); 4. Sean Donnelly, 76.38 m (250-7); 5. Michael Shanahan, 74.80 m (245-5); 6. Alex Young, 74.80 m (245-5); 7. Morgan Shigo, 72.64 m (238-4); 8. Colin Dunbar, 70.93 m (232-8).
Javelin: 1. Michael Shuey, 82.85 m (271-10); 2. Riley Dolezal, 82.84 m (271-9); 3. Tim Glover, 77.47 m (254-2); 4. Curtis Thompson, 76.56 m (251-2); 5. Sam Hardin, 73.82 m (242-2); 6. Tzuriel Pedigo, 73.44 m (240-11); 7. Aaron True, 72.05 m (236-4); 8. Chris Mirabelli, 71.37 m (234-2).
Decathlon: 1. Devon Williams, 8,295; 2. Solomon Simmons, 8,227; 3. Harrison Williams, 8,188; 4. Steven Bastien, 8,023; 5. Scott Filip, 7.993; 6. Daniel Golubovic, 7,824; 7. Kurt Brondyke, 7,785; 8. Jack Flood, 7,711.
Women
100 m (-1.7): 1. Teahna Daniels, 11.20; 2. English Gardner, 11.25; 3. Morolake Akinosun, 11.28; 4. Dezerea Bryant, 11.29; 5. Twanisha Terry, 11.32; 6. Aleia Hobbs, 11.33; 7. Caitland Smith, 11.46; 8. Sha’Carri Richardson, 11.72.
400 m: 1. Shakima Wimbley, 50.21; 2. Kendall Ellis, 50.38; 3. Wadeline Jonathas, 50.44; 4. Courtney Okolo, 50.86; 5. Jessica Beard, 51.28; 6. Allyson Felix, 51.94; 7. Briyahna Desrosiers, 52.36; 8. Jasmine Blocker, 52.53.
1,500 m: 1. Shelby Houlihan, 4:03.18; 2. Jenny Simpson, 4:03.41; 3. Nikki Hiltz, 4:03.55; 4. Sinclaire Johnson, 4:03.72; 5. Kate Grace, 4:03.82; 6. Shannon Osika, 4:04.80; 7. Heather MacLean, 4:05.27; 8. Karisa Nelson, 4:06.14.
10,000 m: 1. Molly Huddle, 31:58.47; 2. Emily Sisson, 32:02.19; 3. Kellyn Taylor, 32:02.74; 4. Stephanie Bruce, 32:09.99; 5. Marielle Hall, 32:14.41; 6. Sarah Pagano, 32:48.58; 7. Hannah Everson, 32:54.47; 8. Jessica Tonn, 33:01.84.
100 m hurdles (-1.2): 1. Keni Harrison, 12.44; 2. Nia Ali, 12.55; 3. Brianna McNeal, 12.61; 4. Sharika Nelvis, 12.66; 5. Queen Claye, 12.68; 6. Tonea Marshall, 12.81; 7. Kristi Castlin, 12.86; 8. Christina Clemons, 13.01.
High Jump: 1. Vashti Cunningham, 1.96 m (6-5); 2. Inika McPherson, 1.94 m (6-4 1/4); 3. Ty Butts, 1.92 m (6-3 1/2); 4. Jelena Rowe, 1.86 m 96-1 1/4); 5. tie, Amina Smith and Nicole Greene. 1.83 m (6-0); 7. Elizabeth Evans, 1.83 m (6-0); 8. Michelle Spires, 1.83 m (6-0).
Long Jump: 1. Brittney Reese, 7.00 m (22-11 3/4); 2. Jasmine Todd, 6.79 m (22-3 1/2); 3. Shakeela Saunders, 6.78 m (22-3); 4. Tori Bowie, 6.78 m (22-3); 5. Quanesha Burks, 6.70 mw (21-11 3.4w); 6. Keturah Orji, 6.68 m (21-11); 7. Malaina Payton, 6.59 mw (21-7 1/2w); 8. Alexis Faulknor, 6.58 mw (21-7 1/4w).
Triple Jump: 1. Keturah Orji, 14.56 m (47-9 1/4); 2. Tori Franklin, 14.36 m (47-1 1/2); 3. Imani Oliver, 13.86 m (45-5 3/4); 4. Lynnika Pitts, 13.50 m (44-3 1/2); 5. Tiffany Flynn, 13.35 m (43-9 3/4); 6. Ciynamon Stevenson, 13.24 m (43-5 1/4); 7. Crystal Manning, 13.11 m (43-0 1/4); 8. LaChyna Roe, 13.10 m (42-5 1/2).
Hammer: 1. Deanna Price, 78.24 m (256-8; American Record; old, 78.12 m (256-3), Price, 2018); 2. Gwen Berry, 76.46 m (250-10); 3. Brooke Andersen, 75.30 m (247-0); 4. Maggie Ewen, 75.04 m (246-2); 5. Janee Kassanavoid, 72.02 m (236-3); 6. Janeah Stewart, 69.96 m (229-6); 7. Madison Malone, 66.75 m (219-0); 8. Alyssa Wilson, 65.36 m (214-5).
Javelin: 1. Ariana Ince, 61.06 m (200-4); 2. Kara Winger, 59.73 m (195-11); 3. Jenna Gray, 57.29 m (187-11); 4. Avione Allgood, 55.29 m (181-4); 5. Maggie Malone, 54.47 m (178-8); 6. Kylee Carter, 54.27 m (178-0); 7. Seri Geisler, 54.11 m (177-6); 8. Katie Reichert, 53.53 m (175-7).
