Sunday, January 8, 2017

Big Marks Surge Comes Week Early

Sure, December wasn't exactly a hot bed of Records & Marks, as in the past two years!
So maybe it should have been expected that the "real" season would begin in January!
And with serious talk of a possible HSR in the Women's 1000 in next week's Virginia meet, and knowing that's also the week when all the "elite" Collegians would open their season--gave rise to the idea that THIS weekend would be relatively quiet!!

HA!

Folks, T&F "Christmas" came a week early in 2017!!
Some surprising records--including American, Class, Age, and HS--and many other marks came out of meets far and wide--including the new Texas A&M series!
And then came a series of Cross Country races (!!) which produced interesting results!
Not to mention it being the week that brought the retirement proclamations from Ashton & Brianne Thiesen-Eaton!
(See my previous post!)

Well, though one week early, there's TONS of great stuff to report, so let's begin!

Mondo Duplantis DESTROYED the HS record book with a tremendous PV of 18-5!
(It was reported metrically at first as a 5.61 Vault--which my Big Gold Book tells me is actually 18-4.75!  But ALL the results talk--including from PoleVaultPower and T&FN--says it was 18-5!  Not sure why the discrepancy, but I refer you to the T&FN MB for their discussion of Florida's HS Association's ruling that all field events will now be reported in metric terms, NOT feet and inches!!)

Anyway, Duplantis broke his own INdoor HSR by 4.50 inches!
He got the Junior Class record--and now holds 3 INdoor Class records!!
But maybe more importantly, he also broke Adam Hague's World Age 17 record!!
He of course remains 1st on the A-T HS list!!
Oh yes, the 18-5 was actually his SECOND High School Record of the day!
He first cleared 18-2--which broke his record of 18-0.50 from last year!!

I might have to add the 300 meters to my collection of DDD lists!
In a race for the ages--literally!!--Quanera Hayes and Candace Hill took care of several records for the distance!
Hayes won the "duel" easily, her time of 35.71 erasing Natasha Hastings's AR of 2016 by 0.54 seconds!!
According to sources, this makes her 3rd A-T World, in addition to the US record!
For Ms Hill, who doesn't turn 18 for another month (February 11th), she gets the World Age 17 record with her 36.86 time!
But being a Professional, she does NOT take the HSR away from Fran McCorory!!
(Sydney McLaughlin might be aiming for that!!)
Hill DOES get my self-designated HS PRO record, however!!
As well as the Senior Class record in that "division"!!
BTW, Hill's time has been reported as both 36.84 and 36.85 from various sources!  But for now, I'll go with the results page number of 36.86, and will let you know if I'm wrong!
One time or another, they ALL give her the records I mentioned!!
They also ran 60's!
Hayes ran 7.34, while Hill's 7.30 breaks her own HS PRO record--her 7.32 from last year!!
It also gives her my HS PRO Senior Class record!!

The Men's HS Shot Put lists continues its siege of attacks from what might be the greatest duo (or threesome, if and when Bronson Osborn joins the party!!) in HS history!!
Already reported in my blog were Jordan Geist's sensational 68-4 with the Big Boys poundage, as well as a 71-4 opener with the "normal" 12 pounder!

Now comes Tripp Piperi's contribution!
He threw the ball out 72-2.50 at the Texas A&M HS Classic, moving him from 9th A-T HS all the way to 4th!!
Then Geist added a quarter-inch to his 2016 INdoor PR, reaching 72-9.75!
He is 3rd A-T HS!!
I sure hope they wind up in the same meet soon--along with Osborn!!

Kate Murphy--who will be chasing the HSR in the 1000 next week, against Sammy Watson (See my opening paragraph above!)--opened her season with a bang!
Running solo in the Ocean Breeze meet, Murphy ran 9:14.12 over 3000 meters, making her 2nd A-T HS--behind only Mary Cain's 9:04.51 during her iconic 2013 season!!
She also gets the Senior Class record, beating the 1991 mark of Melody Fairchild!!
Reports said she passed the Mile in 4:59, thus making this a negative split run!!
(Approximate 1500 splits of 4:41 and 4:33!!)

Second in that race came Katelyn Tuohy, whose time of 9:42.63 missed the Frosh Class record by just 0.90 seconds!
She does get 23rd A-T HS, however!!

Grant Holloway had a great opening to his Collegiate career at Florida!
His 7.63 for the 60H is just 0.06 seconds from Omar McLeod's Frosh Class record!
And then he added a 300 of 32.80!!
Again, I may have to add some 300 records & lists to my Record Book!!
He beat the 33.09 of Kunle Fasasi in the Clemson meet!

Jarrett Eaton sped a 7.62 60H in a separate meet!!

The PV offered other good marks, aside from Duplantis's!
While Mondo is the son of Greg Duplantis--a star from the 80's & 90's, Riley Richards is the son of 80's star Brandon Richards, and grandson of the legendary Bob Richards!!
And Riley has now brought the family's legacy forward, jumping 17-7!
This makes him 6th A-T HS, tied with 1 other!

Katie Nageotte's non-PR of 15-1 took the Akron PV Convention meet title!
(Jenn Suhr was a listed entrant, and a key speaker at the Convention, but DNS'ed!)
Shawn Barber won the Men's elite section, but with a slovenly mark of 5.30 or so!

Wilma Murto nabbed the World Age 18 record with her 15-3.50 Vault!!
That's NOT a PR, as her Age 17 record is 15-5.50!!

And we can't overlook the amazing run by Laura Muir!!
In what was basically a solo race--as she was the only runner to go 5000 meters out of a starting field of 3000 meter competitors (!!)--Muir smashed Liz McColgan's old UK record from 1992 by 14 seconds, running 14:49.12!!
Besides being the National Record of Great Britain (as well as being the Scottish record!), she is now 9th A-T World!!
She missed Gabriela Szabo's Age 23 record by just 1.77 seconds!!
(See below for more on Ms Muir!)

While we're on distance stuff, I must report the reasons Miranda Melville was chosen as USATF's Athlete of the Week!!
For those who place Walkers and Walking alongside diseased rodents and toxic mud, let me educate you a bit!
Next to Maria Michta-Coffey, Melville is maybe America's best Walker--although a few others are worth a mention!
Anyway, Melville got a "two-for-one" in an INdoor 10000 meters race!!
She broke the American Record in the 10K by about 4 minutes (!!), timing 45:19.25!!
(This was faster than the Men's winner!!)
Enroute, she picked up a second US record, passing 5000 meters in 22:35.68!!
Now, THAT is how distance races should be run---er, WALKED!!
BTW, this race took place on New Year's Eve of last year--December 31st, 2016!!

There were other good marks!

Remember my report on Jordan Geist's 68-4 SP record from an earlier post?
And remember I also reported he threw a 76-6 PR with the WT?
Well, Jacob Wickey bettered Geist's mark--by 4 inches!
His 76-10 is 20th A-T HS!!

Jasmine Moore continues to rise in the world of HS Triple Jumping!
She reached 42-0 at the Texas A&M meet--another reason why these meets are a most welcome addition to the INdoor slate!!
She ranks 16th A-T HS, tied with 1 other!
She missed the Soph Class record by just 4 inches!!
Add a LJ of 18-5.75 to her day's work!

Also in the A&M meet, the Men's 200 produced a pair of noteworthy marks!
Champion (Yep, that's his first name!!) Allison sped one lap in 21.19, making him 14th A-T HS!!
Right behind him came Shamon Ehiemua (sp?), his 21.29 making him 23rd A-T HS, tied with 2 others!

Reed Brown ran a Mile in 4:11.16.
David Principe ran the 1000 in 2:27.86, which misses my HS DDD by just over one second!

At the Dartmouth Relays, Gianna Rao--a HS Junior--threw the Weight 58-10, making her 21st A-T HS!
Add London (Yes, another interesting 1st name!!) Culbreath to the growing list of young (VERY young!!) HS girls who are running fast distance times!!
This HS Frosh ran a good 2 Mile in 10:36.07--about 13 seconds off the Class Record, but still good!!
She added a one Mile of 5:00.18!

The HJ contributed a few marks!
At the Clemson meet, Tatiana Gusin HJ'ed 6-2.75, missing my Collegiate DDD by one-quarter inch!
Daharai Hightower jumped 7-4.25, but it wasn't reported by TFRSS.
This might be due to his being a possible redshirt!
Clayton Brown reached 7-4.50!

Tevin Hester sped a 60 in 6.62 in a heat!
He also ran the 200 in 20.96.
Kendell Williams, the Georgia Heptathlon great, ran the 60H in 8.20, after a heat of 8.22.
Tonea Marshall slowed a bit from her 2016 HSR of 8.02, but her 8.29 as an LSU Frosh was okay for her opening shot!

Sally Pearson also ran the 60H---OUTdoors!!
Her time was 8.08!

Michael Cherry won a 600 in 1:19.94 in the LSU meet.
Olivia James ran a quick 500 in 1:11.62.
She's from Jamaica, I believe!

Finally (from the T&F portion of my report!), Aliyah Johnson TJ'ed 42-7.50.
Keturah Orji did the LJ, reaching 21-4.25 to beat her Georgia teammate Kate Hall by exactly one inch!
They also ran 60's, Hall's time of 7.35 a bit faster than Orji's 7.51.

And then came (or returned??) XC!!
(Doesn't that pesky little fellow ever go away??  LOL)

In the Campaccio race in Italy, a quartet of (VERY!) fast African Women put on a course-record breaking show!!
Helen Obiri's 18:32 prevailed over Faith Kipyegon by 4 seconds!
Agnes Tirop's 18:56 took 3rd over the 19:01 of Gelete Burka!!
(Wish they'd get together on an INdoor track of 200 meters for a 5000!!)

The Men's race (10K) was won by Muktar Edris in 28:54.
This beat Imane Merga's 28:55, and Jairus Birech's 28:59!
Consesius Kipruto finished 6th in 29:20!

The Edinburgh races were good for US runners, but NOT so good for SIR Mo Farah!!
(Yep, he's SIR Mo now!!  Those Brits & their Royalness shit!!  LOL)

The Men's Junior race was won by Noah Affolder in 19:29.
Miguel Gonzalez's 19:34 took 2nd, but Americans Conor Lundy and Seth Hirsch took 3rd and 4th, just 2-3 seconds behind Gonzalez!

Nevada Mareno took 3rd in the Women's Junior race!

The Senior Women's race was won by Turkey's Yasmin Can, her time on the wet & muddy course being a slowish 20:36.
Fionnula McCormack was a close 2nd, just one second off the lead!
Emily Lipari, known in college at Villanova as a Miler, and even an 800 gal, took 4th, time of 21:17.
She was the leading American!

Mo lost---AGAIN!!!
And Garrett Heath beat Sir Mo---AGAIN!!

Of course, it need be said that they did NOT take the first two spots!!
Great Britain's Callum Hawkins took the lead early, and kept it ALMOST all the way to the finish line!
But America's Kenyan import Len Korir kicked past the Brit in the final run-up to the tape, winning by 1 second, 24:03 to 24:04!!
Aras Kaya took 3rd, his 24:21 beating another US Kenyan import--Sam Chelanga's 24:23.
Stan Kebenai was 5th in 24:39!

As for Garrett and Mo, they were never really in it--as they finished just  6th and 7th, respectively!!
(But maybe not RESPECTfully!!  LOL)

And Laura Muir?
Just days after her speedy INdoor 5K (See above!), she anchored the British team in the Mixed 4X1000 Relay!!
Her fierce kick won over Heather Kampf's, her team timed in 11:10 over the USA's 11:17!!

Well, let's hope this "early" surge continues next week!
(Will Sarah Bowman Brown's venerable 1000 HSR of 2:43.40 finally go down---by a non-Pro HS'er??  Murphy vs Watson!  Bring it on!!)

See you soon!




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