Verticals Save WC Trials

During the Diamond League season, as a lifetime fan of the sport, I maybe expect too much from such a distinguished series of meets.
Thus, as I've been honest enough to state in this blog, some DL:'s just SUCK!
As do some of any kind of meet.
And this particular USATF Championship meet, for the most part, SUCKED!

A 3:44 wins the Men's 1500?
The Men's SP was won with marks almost 2 feet less than the HSR!
The Men's 60H  had a Jarrett Eaton--when it really could have used an ASHTON Eaton to put some spice in it.
Oh, speaking of Mr Eaton, his head was split apart by a flailing PV bar, as he stood around taking in the sights.
He needed 6 stitches!
Now THAT made this meet interesting!

And speaking of Pole Vault bars, it was those--as well as the High Jump bar--where the best action unfolded.
And we can thank the women who went OVER those bars for saving this meet from being one of the WORST!

Vashti Cunningham is still in HS, and she has yet to turn Pro, even though many have expected her to.
So when she cleared the bar set at 6-4 as easily as if it wasn't there, we knew this night was special.
When it was raised to 6-6.25, or 1.99 metric, and she cleared THAT one also, we were witnessing History in the making.
For she cleared a height that gave her the Age 18 record, and the HSR (she already owned), as well as the Senior Class Record.
While she missed making the World Top 24 Performers list by just 0.75 inches, she moved from 13th A-T US, tied with 4 others, to 4th, unfettered by ties!
BTW, she gave 2.01, or 6-7, a shot too, but stopped after one miss.
She'll have one more little meet to reach THAT standard!
It's called the World Championships!

Also witness to this amazing achievement was America's  finest, on her way back from giving birth.
Chaunte Lowe cleared 6-4, but was topped by Liz Patterson,, who got the same height.

A woman I'd not heard of--Zibby  (!!) Boyer-- got over 6-2.75, a pretty fair height in recent US history.
Turns out she'd graduated from UCLA last year!

In the other vertical event, the Women's PV, we also saw something historic!
For the first time ever, THREE women cleared 15-11 or higher.
And they were all from the same nation--the US of A.

Starting at 14-9, , they then moved to 15-3, where Sandi Morris needed two tries, while Jenn Suhr and Demi Payne cleared on their first.
At 15-7, Payne shot right over, while Suhr needed 2, and a shaky Morris needed all three.
Then the game became strategic.
After missing at 15-11, Morris passed to 16-0.75, where she made her 2nd try, thus becoming the sixth woman to clear the 16 foot barrier.
Payne made 15-11 on her first.
But after missing her first 2 jumps at 16-0.75, she opted to pass her final try to the next height, where she missed, and was out, in third place!
Suhr, however, took the word "confident" and bent it into unrecognizable shapes!
After making 15-11, then making 16-0.75, she chose to move her last 2 attempts PAST the 16-2.75 bar, and try her veteran hand at 16-4.75!
After all, she wasn't thinking of just winning, she wanted the World Record before the night was done!
But this wasn't to be.
Seeing Morris make her second PR height--the 16-2.75--she failed to clear the higher height.

It was a pleasure to see Morris's joyful reaction on the mat after clearing!
She got the Age 23 record, breaking a record held by Yelena Isinbayeva!!
What an introduction to the Sixteen Foot World!!
She moves from 4th A-T US to 2nd.
And from 11th A-T World, tied with 1 other, all the way to 3rd!
Only Suhr and Isi are ahead of her INdoors!

Suhr broke her own Age 34 record.

Kristen Hixson also advanced a bit, PR'ing at 15-3, and moving from 10th to 7th A-T US, where she's tied with 1 other!

Sam Kendricks also raised the bar!
He upped his best to 19-4.25!
He's now 19th A-T World, tied with 11 (!) others!
On the US list,  he moves from 9th to 6th, where he's tied with 2 others!

Other "hurdles" were cleared, to good effect!
The Women's 60H was a blazer!

After a bunch of sub-8's in the heats, the women showed again why their collective "bad hair day" in Beijing was anomalous.
In the final, Brianna Rollins just edged Kendra Harrison, 7.76 to 7.77.
For Rollins, she moves from 12th A-T World, tied with 2 others, to 10th, tied with 1 other.
She remains 2nd A-T US!

For "Keni", she moves from 21st A-T World, tied with 7 others, to 12th, tied with 1 other.
On the US list, she moves from 7th, tied with 2 others, to 3rd!

For the other Harrison--Queen--her 7.83 gets her on the US list in 10th, tied with 3 others!
On the World DDD, she enters in 21st place!

Racing without anything in her way, Barbara Pierre sped the 60 in 7.00, matching Dafne Schippers's World leader!
It makes her 9th A-T World, tied with 3 others, including Dafne!
She moves from 9th A-T US, tied with 1 other, to 3rd!

The Women's 400 was a good one.
Quanera Hayes beat Ashley Spencer, 51.09 to 51.29.
For Hayes, a virtual unknown who graduated from the "famous" Livingstone College (HUH??)  in 2015, her winner makes her 12th A-T US!
When I saw where she'd graduated from, it made me think of Nick Symmonds, who also went to a small college, then made it big!
BTW, she went to HS in`North Carolina!

Spencer moves from 18th A-T US to 15th!

The "horizontals" didn't QUITE match the verticals, but were still some of the better events!
Marquis Dendy LJ'ed  a great 27-7.25, getting the Age 23 record!
He moves from 16th A-T World, tied with 1 other,  to 11th, tied with 3 others.
On the US DDD, he moves from 9th to 6th, where he's tied with 2 others!

The Women's TJ, while missing Keturah Orji, saw Christina Epps get a new PR, her 46-1.75 moving her from 7th A-T US, tied with 1 other, into 5th.

Tori Franklin TJ'ed out to 44-9.75, making her 22nd A-T US, tied with 1 other!

The Weight Throws had some good marks.
Amber Campbell's 79-4.50 breaks her own Age 34 record.

And Colin Dunbar took the Men's event with a throw of 78-7.50.
He's 14th A-T World, and 13th A-T US!

Felicia Johnson's SP went out to 60-0.25, making her 21st A-T US!

The only distance event to affect my Record Book was the Men's 3000.
Ryan Hill broke the USATF Meet Record with his 7:38.60.

Paul Chelimo's 7:39.00 makes him  7th A-T US!!
Galen Rupp's 4 week gap since the OT Marathon apparently wasn't enough, as he was never a factor, running about 7:48.
In fact, 41 year old Bernard Lagat finished about 7 seconds ahead of Rupp, but it wasn't a "40 and over" record
It WAS, so I heard, an Age 41 record--by about 30 seconds over the old one!!

Ajee Wilson took the 800 under 2:01, beating Laura Roesler.
Brenda Martinez made her 4:08 and change 1500 look easy!
But Cory McGee was just a second behind!
Shannon Rowbury sped away from a good group in the 3000, but it was one of those jog, then kick affairs!
Matthew Centrowitz took that snail's pace 1500 I mentioned earlier.
Boris Berian took a 1:47'ish 800.
Vernon Norwood won a slow 400.

Maria Michta-Coffey and John Nunn won their respective 3000 meter Walks!

Except for those spectacular vertical events, this USATF meet, posing as the World Championship Trials, just didn't get over the bar!

I'll have my NCAA and NBIN reports after the HS meet ends later today!
Too busy compiling the data--after watching the webcasts of the meets--to get the NCAA report out when I'd promised!

See you later!
Did you turn your clocks and watches forward??