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≡ MILLROSE GAMES ≡
The 118th edition of New York’s Millrose Games was looking for a successor to the fabulous 2024 world men’s two-mile record run of 8:00.67 by British star Josh Kerr. Perhaps the first sub-8 indoors?
The field was great, with Kerr challenged by Worlds 5,000 m champ Cole Hocker, Worlds Steeple winner Geordie Beamish (NZL), 2022 Worlds 1,500 m victor Jake Wightman (GBR), two-time NCAA cross country winner Graham Blanks and more.
Pacer Ben Allen led at the mile in 4:07.29, ahead of Habtom Samuel (ERI-New Mexico: 4:07.79) and two-time NCAA winner Ky Robinson (AUS: 4:08.09). Samuel took over from the pacer with seven laps left. Blanks moved to the lead over Robinson and Hocker and started to tow the field with 4 1/2 laps left.
Kerr moved into second with 2 1/2 left as the front of the race got crowded. Blanks was in front, but Kerr almost tripped with 1 1/2 laps to go, but Kerr, Parker Wolfe and Hocker were in front at the bell. Wolfe sprinted hard to get the lead, with Hocker following and then burst off the last turn to the front to win easily in 8:07.31. Kerr passed Wolfe for second in 8:07.68, to 8:07.93 for Wolfe and 8:08.40 for Robinson.
Hocker’s time was the no. 3 performance in U.S. indoor history and Wolfe is now no. 4 on the all-time U.S. indoor list. No record, but another impressive demonstration of Hocker’s closing speed.
The men’s Wanamaker Mile was about U.S. star Yared Nuguse, the former world-record holder in the event – at Millrose in 2025 – and winner of the last three Millrose miles. This was his season opener for 2026,
Pacer Abe Alvarado crossed 800 m in 1:52.21, with Nuguse in third. Ireland’s two-time Olympian Andrew Coscoran took over with three laps left, with Nuguse right behind and Australia’s 19-year-old phenom Cam Myers moving up.
Myers, third in Nuguse’s world-record race at Millrose last year, took the lead from Nuguse with 1 1/2 laps to go with new world indoor 2,000 m record holder Hobbs Kessler right behind. Kessler moved wide with 100 to go and tracked Myers into the turn, but no one was catching the teen and he won easily with a world-leading 3:47.57, moving to no. 7 all-time, with the no. 9 performance in history.
Nuguse passed Kessler for second on the final straight, 3:48.31 to 3:48.68, with Nico Young getting a lifetime best of 3:48.72 in fourth. Coscoran was fifth in 3:49.54.
The women’s Wanamaker Mile had 2024 World Indoor 1,500 m silver winner Nikki Hiltz, Paris 1,500 m silver medalist Jess Hull (AUS), 2022 U.S. 1,500 m champ Sinclaire Johnson and more, with Johnson taking over with 3 1/2 laps left. Johnson, Hull and Hiltz were 1-2-3 with three laps left and stayed that way with two laps left.
Hiltz burst into the lead with Hull close with 1 1/2 laps to go and Hiltz took the bell and it was a two-woman race to the finish. Hiltz held on and won by daylight in 4:19.64, fastest in the world in 2026. Hull was second in 4:20.11, then Poland’s Klaudia Kazimierska in 4:21.36 and Australian Linden Hall at 4:21.45. Hiltz is now no. 13 all-time indoors and no. 3 all-time U.S.
In all, the meet produced a quartet of world-leading performances:
● Men/Mile: 3:47.97, Cam Myers (AUS)
● Men/Two Mile: 8:07.31, Cole Hocker (USA)
● Men/Shot: 21.77 m (71-5 1/4), Rajindra Campbell (JAM)
● Women/Mile: 4:19.64, Nikki Hiltz (USA)
The rest of the meet was hot too:
● Men/60 m: Puerto Rico’s Eloy Benitez was out well in lane eight, but Jamaica’s 2024 Worlds 60 m bronzer Ackeem Blake came on hot to win in the final 3 m in 6.55. Benitez was second in 6.60, then NCAA indoor and outdoor sprint champ Jordan Anthony in 6.64.
● Men/600 m: U.S. 400 m star Jenoah McKiver ran to the lead right away and had 3 m at the bell, but he was being chased by ex-prep star Cooper Lutkenhaus – now 17 and a high school junior, but running professionally – who ran 1:45.23 last week. Lutkenhaus had a strong finish off the turn and won easily in 1:14.15, now no. 5 all-time!
McKiver was a clear second in 1:14.77, now no. 7 all-time and Isaiah Jewett was third in 1:15.48.
● Men/800 m: The 2025 U.S. champion, Donavan Brazier, had the lead with 1 1/2 laps to go, but was passed by Spain’s Paris Olympic finalist Mohamed Attaoui who looked like a possible winner heading into the final turn. Suddenly, Northern Arizona’s Colin Sahlman came up and was moving faster than everyone and steamed to the line with a lifetime best – indoors or out – of 1:44.70, a collegiate indoor record! Attaoui was second in 1:44.98 and then Ben Pattison (GBR: 1:45.43) and Brazier in 1:45.63.
Sahlman crushed an ancient collegiate mark of 1:44.84 by Paul Ereng (KEN-Virginia) from 1989, and is now is no. 5 all-time U.S. indoors.
● Men/60 m hurdles: Olympic medalist Daniel Roberts had the lead early, but 110 m Worlds winner Cordell Tinch stormed the last half and won by daylight in 7.52, in what he said was his last indoor race this season. Connor Schulman was also fast on the close and was second in 7.57, with Roberts third in 7.61.
● Men/Mile Walk: This was the national championship at this distance, and Nick Christie added to his trophy room with a solid win in 5:52.94 to 6:11.86 for Jordan Crawford and 6:15.98 for Jason Cherng. It’s Christie’s fifth Millrose win in as many races.
● Men/Shot: Superstar Joe Kovacs, the two-time World Champion, got to the lead at 20.99 m (68-10 1/2) in the third round. But Jamaica’s Paris 2024 bronzer Rajindra Campbell grabbed the world lead at 21.77 m (71-5 1/4) in round five. Kovacs improved to 21.21 m (69-7), but fouled in round six and had to settle for second.
Chuk Enekwechi (NGR) finished third at 20.63 m (67-8 1/4).
● Women/60 m: U.S. star Jacious Sears got to the lead early, and it was all that Britain’s 2019 World 200 m chamo Dina Asher-Smith could do to catch her at the tape in 7.10 to 7.12. Prep Mariah Maxwell got third in 7.26. It was Asher-Smith’s third indoor win in three weeks in 2026.
● Women/600 m: All eyes on new American Indoor 800 m record holder Roisin Willis, who ran 1:57.97 in Boston on Friday (30th) in Boston. But former LSU star Michaela Rose broke out in front and had the lead at the bell. Willis made a big move with 100 to go and rolled to the tape to win in 1:24.87. That makes her 14th all-time and no. 7 all-time U.S.
Stanford’s Juliette Whittaker was close for second in 1:25.64, then Olivia Baker in 1:25.01, as Rose faded to fifth in 1:29.19.
● Women/1,000 m: American Addy Wiley took over after the pacer left, with 2024 World Indoor silver winner Jemma Reekie (GBR) close. Tsige Duguma (ETH), the 2024 World Indoor 800 m champ, ran to the lead at the bell and was chased by Wiley into the final turn, but had too much left and won in 2:35.50 with Wiley at 2:35.77 and Maggi Congdon of the U.S. third at 2:35.91. That’s 2-3-4 on the 2026 world indoor list.
● Women/3,000 m: The NCAA cross country stars, winner Doris Lemngole (KEN-Alabama) and BYU runner-up frosh Jane Hedengren, who set the collegiate women’s 5,000 m mark of 14:44.79 in Boston on 6 December in her first-ever collegiate track race.
Hedengren, 19, took over from the pacer, with Japan’s Nozomi Tanaka and Lemngole close and then Tanaka took the lead with five laps to go, at 2,000 m. Hedengren pushed to the lead with two laps left and Lemngole followed immediately. Lemngole took the lead at the bell and ran away to win in 8:31.39, taking the collegiate record from Katelyn Tuohy, who ran 8:35.20 in 2023.
Hedengren fell back and Britain’s Hannah Nuttall took second in 8:32.94, then Hedengren finished as the no. 2 collegian ever in 8:34.98.
● Women/60 m hurdles: Jamaica’s Megan Simmonds got out best, but it was two-time 100 m World Champion Danielle Williams (JAM) came on late to win at the line in 7.90. World-record holder Devynne Charlton was also a fast closer in 7.96 for second and Christina Clemons of the U.S. leaned for third in 7.97.
● Women/Mile Walk: The USATF national title in this distance was won by new star Lauren Harris, who won easily in a meet record 6:10.31, way ahead of perennial nationals contender (and six-time Millrose winner) Maria Michta-Coffey (7:16.69) and Angelina Colon (7:16.77).
● Women/Vault: Chloe Timberg, the 2024 NCAA outdoor champ, was the only one to clear 4.60 (15-1) and was a clear winner over Nastassja Campbell at 4.40 m (14-5 1/4) and Emily Grove (also 4.40 m).
In the Saturday weight throws, American Michael Pinckney won at 21.10 m (69-2 3/4) and Elisia Lancaster took the women’s title at 21.56 m (70-9).
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