Mile Book Rewritten

And it began with Tom Bosworth.
WHO??
He's a British lad of 27 who normally Walks 20000 meter races!
In the London Diamond League, he Walked One Mile!
But taking just 5:31.08 to do so, he smashed the World Record by about 6 seconds, sources tell me!!
Erick Barrondo, while Walking "only" 5:34.95 in 2nd, also got under the old mark!!

That was the 1st Track event of the meet, while the Women's (running!) Mile was the penultimate event!
But it was that race--tied in with the Women's Mile from Lausanne--that assaulted the Record Books like no other Women's Mile in history---although the World Record remains as it was!!

Thought to be a targeted attempt on the British National Record by Laura Muir---and it was!!--it became so much more!!
Let the FACTS tell the tale!!

First, the Lausanne race was meant to be a WR attempt by Genzebe Dibaba!
Hitting 1200 in 3:10.9 (Not sure if that was for 1320 yards, or 1200 meters!), she then sludged through her slowest lap of the race, hitting the tape in 4:16.05, a brilliant time for mere mortals--but G-D is not a mere mortal!!
However, she did nab the Age 26 Record, as well as the Lausanne Meet Record!!
(Ironically enough, if she'd been part of the London Mile, she'd have WON--and broken the Meet Record there too!!)

Only problem with the Lausanne race was her (lack of!) competition!!
Second place was Nelly Jepkosgei's 4:25.15--over 9 seconds behind!!

Ten Women dipped under 4:29!
Impressive?
Heh.
(You ain't seen nothing yet!!)

Jenny Meadows, who rabbited the Lausanne race also, led the pack through a quick 400 (440??) of 62.34, with Laura Muir tagging along a yard or so behind, and Helen Obiri situated close by, with the American trio of Jenny Simpson, Kate Grace, and Stephanie Garcia hanging back in a "2nd pack"!
While they slowed to 64.93 for the 2nd lap, their halfway (??) split of 2:07.27 was still a perfect pace for a go on Zola Budd Pieterse's NR of 4:17.57!
After Meadows split off, Muir led them through 1200 (1320?) in 3:12.28, off a 65.01 3rd lap!!

But Obiri was now right ON Muir's back, and Simpson was seen moving up, though still well back!
They ran that way through the next 200, before Obiri attacked with a vigor only a Kenyan PoliceWoman can bring to the fight!!
And she was gone, Muir grimacing her way to the finish line, but clearly struggling, falling further behind with every Obiri step!

Obiri ran 4:16.56, getting the London Meet Record (Mary Slaney's 4:19.89 from 1985, I discovered AFTER posting my Preview!!), as well as the Age 27 Record, and the National Record of Kenya!!
She is 5th A-T World!!

Muir ran 4:18.03, missing the NR, but moving from 15th A-T World to 12th!
Winny Chebet was 3rd, her 4:19.55 becoming 18th A-T World!!

Next came Angelika Cichocka's 4:19.58, making her the Best 4th Place ever!!
She also gets the National Record of Poland!
And the Age 29 Record!
She's now 19th A-T World!!

Simpson followed close in hand, her 4:19.98 making her's the Best 5th Place in history!!
She gets the Age 30 Record!
She is 20th A-T World!
She moves from 5th A-T US to 2nd!!
Plus, her US Combined Events time for the 800-Mile is now 6:20.43 (2:00.45 and 4:19.98) moving her from 4th A-T to 3rd!

Laura Weightman's 4:20.88 takes the Best 6th Place position!!
It misses my reconstructed World list by just 0.09 seconds!!
Ciara Mageean's 4:22.40 makes her the Best Ever for 7th Place!!
She's also now 2nd on the A-T list for Ireland!!

Melissa Courtney holds the Best 8th Place record with her 4:23.15!
Australia's Linden Hall ran 4:23.96--and yes, you know the drill!!--she's now the Best Ever for 9th Place!

Followed by Kate Grace, whose 4:24.01 takes the Best 10th Place Record---making her the dubious "twin" of Matthew Centrowitz!!
(See my previous post!!  LOL)
But it also makes her 8th A-T US!!
And her Combined Events (800 & Mile) totals of 1:58.28 & 4:24.01, adding to 6:22.29, makes her 5th A-T on that list!!

Stephanie Garcia was next in line (Like waiting in line at the DMV!!  LOL), her 4:24.68 becoming the Best Ever 11th Place mark!!
She's now 12th A-T US!!

CORRECTION (posted July 10th)
Chris Chavez presented a US Top 10 list on Twitter which said Garcia was 10th A-T HS!
So I checked the Record Books, and found my times for Gina Procaccio and Patti Sue Plumer in 1990 and 1991 were WRONG!
Instead of my listing for Gina as 4:24.35, she actually ran 4:24.85!
Also, in PSP's case, her real time was 4:24.90, NOT 4:24.46!!
Thus, Garcia's time makes her 10th A-T US!!
My apologies!

BTW, shoved OFF the US list are two currently active stars--Heather Kampf's 4:27.23 from 2016, and Kim Conley's 4:27.23 from 2012!!
And taken OFF the World list is the infamous Regina Jacobs, her 4:20.93 from 1998 no longer Top 24!!

But guess what?
The endless parade of Best Place marks continued!!
Stephanie Twell's 4:25.39 takes the prize for 12th Place!
Katie Snowden's 4:25.89 is Best 13th Place!
And Jessica Judd--a star of the 2012 World Juniors in the 800!--is now Best Ever for 14th Place, off her 4:28.59!
(At least according to some sources, as my Place Marks end at 12th Place!!)
As for Axumawit Embaye--thought to be a contender in this race--She finished LAST---her 4:35.54 taking 15th!

And Yes, there WERE other events in London's DL worth reporting!!
I'll do them in the general order of the schedule!

Daniel Stahl came from behind to take the Discus Throw, his 218-11 not setting any records.
Charlene Lipsey won the non-DL 800 in 1:59.43.

The Women's PV might have had some wind problems, as there were more misses at lower heights than normal for this quality of a field!
And this resulted in relatively early XXX's for Yarisley Silva, Mary Saxer, and a couple of others!
But Sandi Morris--a day after turning 25!!--was having problems, taking 2 tries at a pair of her bars!
She made 15-3, but no higher!
Nicole Buchler made 15-6.25 to take 2nd!
Ekaterina Stefanidi, the winner at 15-9.25, took 3 tries at 16-1.25, but it wasn't to be---this time!

They had heats of the sprint races!
Dafne Schippers sped 10.96 (-0.4!) in the 100, while Kendra Harrison timed 12.47 (-0.1) in her 100H heat!
Aries Merritt's 110H heat was a 13.22, a wind of 0.4 against him!

The finals were good!
Elaine Thompson--apparently wearing either FLATS or tiny "trainer" spikes!!--won the 100 in 10.94, against a wind of 1.4!!
As the T&FN pundits said, running that fast against a wind of 1.4 AND in non-Pro spikes (or flats!!) was this short of remarkable!!
Schippers--wearing REAL spikes!--was 2nd in 10.97, while Blessing Okagbare was 3rd in 10.99!

Merritt won his final in 13.09, with a zero wind!!
Second was Milan Trajkovic's 13.25, which broke his own National Record of Cyprus!!
Harrison's winner was 12.39 (0.2), but it was the 2nd placer who opened eyes!!
Sally Pearson--who broke her wrist last year!!--is BACK!!
Her time of 12.48 is her fastest since 2012!!!

Sharika Nelvis took 3rd in 12.62, but two Americans were DNF's--Kristi Castlin and Jasmine Stowers!

Other sprint races went to--
Ameer Webb's 20.13 in the 200, wind a minus-0.7!
In 2nd was Fred Kerley, whose 20.24 was a PR by 0.21 seconds!!
Chijindu Ujah took a lackluster 100 in 10.02.
Ageless Kim Collins improved his 2017 best to 10.20 in 5th!

The Men's 400H was a good battle between newcomer Kyron McMaster and the Vet Kerron Clement!
Clement took this one in 48.02, while McMaster ran 48.12 in 2nd!
This sort of validated McMaster's 47.80 from earlier this year!!

Allyson Felix is NOT hurting!!
Questions about her readiness for the WC have been standard fare all year on Message Boards, but her 49.65 WIPE OUT of the Women's 400 field answered any questions resoundingly!!
While it didn't break any records, it made mincemeat of a quality field!
Courtney Okolo was 2nd in 50.29!
Third went to 400H specialist Shamier Little, whose 50.40 was a PR by 0.66 seconds!!
Not only that, but she's now Number ONE on my US Combined Events list for the 400 & 400H!!
Her 50.40 and 52.75 adds to 1:43.15, moving her past Ashley Spencer into the Top position on that list!!
Novlene Williams-Mills was 4th in 50.60.

London Meet Records fell to Tianna Bartoletta's last round LJ of 23-0--and to Barbora Spotakova's JT of 223-11.
Ivana Spanovic might have been injured, as she stopped jumping after her 1st round 22-7, which wound up taking 2nd!
But I don't know that for sure!
Sara Kolak was 2nd in the JT with her 222-6!

Mariya Lasitskene took a different approach (Not literally, as in "approach" toward the bar!!  LOL) after she won the HJ with her 6-6.75 effort.
She took one shot at 6-8, then passed to 6-9.75, where she missed twice!
Vashti Cunningham impressed in 2nd, her 6-5.50 mark a good one!
She missed 3 times at the 2.00 barrier!

The Men's 800 saw Donavan Brazier give challenge to Nijel Amos, but Amos just pulled away to win in 1:43.18!
Brazier ran 1:43.95, while Asbel Kiprop's 1:44.43 turned back Erik Sowinski's 1:44.92!

Chris O'Hare took the 1500 in 3:34.75, while Mo Farah supposedly ran (Jogged, kicked, to be precise!) his final Track race in GB--although I assume he wasn't counting his 5K & 10K upcoming at the WC!!
His 7:35.15 didn't impress, despite a 55 last lap!
But 3 Americans ran solid times!

Hassan Mead was 7th, his 7:38.51 making him 18th A-T US!!
But his standing on my US Combined Events list for the 3000, 5000, and 10000 improved!
His times of 7:38.51, 13:02.80, and 27:33.04 adds to 48:14.35.
He moves from 9th to 7th on that list!

Andy Bayer's 7:38.90 makes him 19th A-T US!
But even more relevant, he also moves up on a US Combined Events list!
His times of 7:38.90 and his 3000SC time of 8:14.46 adds to 15:53.36, moving him from 5th into 3rd on that list!!

Also running good was Eric Jenkins, whose 7:40.36 was a PR!

Knocked OFF my US list were Andy Bumbalough's 7:40.02 from 2013--and the venerable Bill McChesney, whose 7:40.19 dates from 1982!!

That ends my report from London!
But I have FIVE more marks to give you!

At the Canada National Championships, they held the Pan Am U20 Multis
(Don't ask!  LOL)
Anyway, Tyra Gittens, a Tennessee HS Senior, scored 5490 points in the Heptathlon, moving her from 12th A-T HS to 6th!!

Lanae Tava Thomas LJ'ed 21-0.
This makes her 16th A-T HS, tied with 2 others!
She's just ending her Junior year!!

At the American JavFest meet, held today in Pennsylvania, a few marks were reported!
Ariana Ince threw the spear 201-4, moving her from 7th A-T US to 5th!!

Dana Baker, also ending her Junior year at a Kansas HS, threw 169-2.
This moves her from 21st A-T HS to 13th!!

Finally, Cy Hostetler has reason to celebrate!
His 272-8 wasn't a PR, but it WAS enough to Q him for a ticket to London's WC's!!

Next up is the Rabat DL--and who knows what else!!
(I should check my own OUTdoor Schedule post, shouldn't I??  LOL)
But I'll be there with my full report about whatever DOES happen!!