HomeAthleticsATHLETICS: World leads for Hoey and Courtney-Bryant, and Lyles wins the 60 and baits Tyreek Hill at...

ATHLETICS: World leads for Hoey and Courtney-Bryant, and Lyles wins the 60 and baits Tyreek Hill at New Balance Grand Prix

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≡ NEW BALANCE GRAND PRIX ≡

Judging by the performances and enthusiasm at Sunday’s World Athletics World Indoor Tour Gold meet, the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix in Boston, it’s going to be a fun year in track & field. There were two world-leading performances on the track:

Men/1,500 m: 3:33.66, Josh Hoey (USA)
Women/3,000 m: 8:28.69, Melissa Courtney-Bryant (GBR)

But the show was, as expected, with World and Olympic 100 m champion Noah Lyles.

In the men’s 60 m heats, the 2016 World Indoor champ, American Trayvon Bromell got a fast start and just edged PJ Austin, with both timed in 6.63, with Italy’s Tokyo Olympic champion Lamont Marcell Jacobs third (6.69).

Lyles got out fourth out of the blocks in heat two, but got to the front by 40 m and won in 6.55 (no. 9 on the 2025 world list), ahead of Terrence Jones (BAH: 6.59) and Udodi Onwuzurike (NGR: 6.66).

Lyles got a better start in the final, barely behind Bromell and Austin, then powered to the front by 40 m and won by daylight in 6.52, equal-second in the world for 2025.

Naturally, there was more. Lyles tore his bib off and showed the cameras a message on the back – “Tyreek could never” – a direct challenge to Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill, continuing the back-and-forth chatter since last year.

Hill challenged Lyles to race at 50 yards – better for a football player – and Lyles responded with a challenge to race 100 m, where he is Olympic champ. In the post-race chat with NBC’s Lewis Johnson, Lyles was prodded to expand, and added, “When you’re actually ready to race, see me,” and after saying Hill needs to stop talking, noted “football season is over, you’ve got no excuse now.”

Lyles has said a race between the two is in development – maybe, perhaps – along the lines of the Jake Paul-Mike Tyson fight on Netflix last November, but with nothing finalized as yet.

Olympic 400 m hurdles champ Rai Benjamin was on the outside in the men’s 300 m and had the lead with a lap to go. Friend Vernon Norwood, the two-time Olympic relay gold medalist, came up close on the final turn, but Benjamin had enough to win in 32.18, with Norwood at 32.39.

Olympic relay gold medalist Quincy Wilson – still a prep at the Bullis School in Potomac, Maryland – came up on the leaders in the men’s 400 on the final turn and stormed through the straight to win in 45.66. He’s equal-sixth on the year list indoors, and breaks his own high school indoor mark of 45.76 from 2024! That was also reported as a world U-18 indoor best (he just turned 17). Will Summer of the U.S. was second in 46.27.

World leader Elvin Canales (ESP) was in the men’s 800 m, but World Indoor champ Bryce Hoppelof the U.S. got to the lead with 100 m to go and ran away to win in 1:46.04, no. 8 in the world for 2025. Fellow American Abe Alvarado was second in 1:46.55, with Canales third (1:46.60).

A ton of talent in the 1,500 m, with Paris double bronze medalist Grant Fisher moving down to the metric mile. Six were in contention with two laps, with Josh Hoey, the U.S. 1,000 m record holder leading. Fisher passed Australian star Ollie Hoare at the bell for second, but neither could pass Hoey, who out-lasted Fisher to the line in a world-leading 3:33.66, with Fisher at 3:33.99; equal-third all-time U.S. for Hoey and fifth all-time U.S. for Fisher! Hoare was third in 3:34.91.

Ireland’s two-time 1,500 m Olympian Andrew Coscoran ran away in the men’s 3,000 m at the bell, timing 26.76 for the final 200 m to win in 7:30.75, no. 3 on the world list for 2025. He was a clear winner over France’s Azzedine Habz (7:31.50) and Cam Myers of Australia (7:33.12). Olympian Hobbs Kessler of the U.S. was fourth in 7:35.06, his best-ever indoors.

The men’s 60 m hurdles field had five Americans, including Olympic champ Grant Holloway, who started well and ran away, winning in 7.42, equal-second in the world this season. Olympic teammate Freddie Crittenden was second in 7.54, with Cordell Tinch third in 7.60.

Vernon Turner of the U.S. won the men’s high jump at 2.19 m (7-2 1/4)

Comebacking Jacious Sears led the heats (7.15), and was third at 10 m, but came on to get to the lead by 50 m and won a tight finish in 7.11, now equal-third on the world list. Destiny Smith-Barnett (LBA) was second in 7.14, along with American Celera Barnes (7.14).

Paris 100 m women’s champ Julien Alfred (LCA) was the headline in the women’s 300 m, and she got to the lead with 100 m to go and won easily in 36.16. She passed British star Dina Asher-Smith on the final turn, with Asher-Smith second in 36.87.

Tokyo Olympic women’s 800 m bronzer Raevyn Rogers won the women’s 500 m, leading almost wire-to-wire in 1:08.98, moving to no. 8 all-time U.S. Belgian Helena Ponette was a distant second in 1:09.69.

Tokyo Olympian Heather Maclean had the lead in the women’s mile with a couple of laps to go, but Kenyan Susan Ejore-Sanders got to the front on the final straight and had a chance to win, but Maclean was too strong and moved to no. 2 on the 2025 world list in 4:23.32, with Ejore-Sanders at 4:32.55 and Sinclaire Johnson at 4:23.58.

Maclean moved to no. 9 on the all-time U.S. mile list; she timed 4:07.24 for 1,500 m.

In the women’s 3,000 m, two-time U.S. 5,000 m Olympian Elise Cranny was coming off a world-leading 4:20.83 mile on Friday and took the lead at 1,600 m. She and two-time European Indoor bronze winner Melissa Courtney-Bryant (GBR) had the lead at 2,000 m, and they were clear of the field at the bell, but it was Courtney-Bryant who zoomed to the front into the final turn. She ran away and won in a world-leading 8:28.69 (a lifetime best), to 8:29.87 for Cranny (world no. 2 in 2025). .

U.S. Olympian Parker Valby, now a professional, was third in 8:34.95, also a lifetime best.

Olympic champ Masai Russell got a strong start and led World Indoor champ Devynne Charlton (BAH) over the hurdles, but with fellow Olympian Grace Stark of the U.S. coming on hard to get second, 7.80 to 7.81. Charlton was third in 7.85. Those three are now nos. 2-3-4 on the world list.

In the women’s triple jump, Olympic bronze winner Jasmine Moore moved to the lead in the fourth round at 13.89 m (45-7) and could not be caught. Cameroon’s Anne-Suzanna Fosther-Katta got a season’s best 13.84 (45-5) for second.

The season has started; the Millrose Games comes next Saturday, also on NBC at 4 p.m. Eastern.

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