2020 OUTdoor AOY (etc) Review

 Now over 7 years of this blog!
1000's of Results, Records, List Makers, and Opinions!
At age 76, I present to you THE strangest Athlete of the Year wrap-up ever!
In this, THE strangest year ever!
Thus, needing some guidelines----

Because of Covid, the OUTdoor Collegiate season didn't happen!
So I've elected to NOT give Awards to Collegiates for 2020!
As for High Schoolers, there was enough activity to warrant AOY's, etc!
However, I've allowed HS results to go beyond the normal August 31st deadline, and extended that deadline to TODAY, December 31st!
As always, I separate the seasons--IN from OUT, and OUT from IN!!
So these Awards are for OUTdoor Marks ONLY--January 1st to December 31st!
NO Marks from INdoors were considered!!
Due to Covid's destruction of our "normal" way of doing things, I am covering HS here, along with the World and United States, instead of doing HS and Collegiates in September!!
All selections and opinions are mine!
Let's begin with some Results!!

The Marathon Project were 26.2 Mile races held in Chandler AZ, near Phoenix in early December!
Run on a multi-loop flat course of 4.3 miles, plus a bit from the start, and to the finish, off the loop!
There were pacers, and both sex's began together!

Seven American Men broke the 2:10 barrier!

Martin Hehir broke away at 35K to win in 2:08:59!
This rates him 11th A-T American!
(My lists include times from Boston!!)
Noah Droddy becomes 13th A-T American with his 2:09:09!
Colin Benning's 2:09:38 ranks him 20th A-T US, tied with 1 other!

Scott Fauble's 2:09:42 was not a PR!
In 5th came Ian Butler's 2:09:45, making him 23rd A-T US!
Taking up the rear position was Scott Smith's 2:09:48!

Also sub-2:10 was Mick Iacofano, time of 2:09:55!
Ben Preisner's 2:10:47 took Canadian honors over Cam Levins's 2:12:15!

Sara Hall came back from her London PR with yet another Lifetime best here!
Her 2:20:32 (after holding AR pace through 25K) gives her the Age 37 Record!
She's 2nd A-T US!
The breakout runner of the year has to be Keira D'Amato!
She smashed her Marathon best by many minutes, her 2:22:56 ranking her 8th A-T US!
Kellyn Taylor's 2:25:22 in 3rd was not a PR!

Emma Bates improved to 2:25:40, for 15th A-T US!!
Natasha Wodak became 2nd A-T Canadian with her 2:26:19 in 5th!
Paige Stoner ended in 2:28:43!
Brie Wetsch cut many minutes off her PR with her 2:29:50 in 10th!

Cut OFF my US list was legendary Patti Catalano, her 2:27:51 dating from 1981!

Ash Moloney got Australia's National Record in the Decathlon with his score of 8492.
But Kevin Mayer (in a different comp) got the World Leader with his score of 8552 points!

Justin Wichtel's 5000 in 14:15.35 misses my High School DDD by 1.40 seconds!
(This was in the same meet where Jenna Hutchins got her HSR!!)

In an INdoor race, Marcus Reilly got the Frosh Class Record in the Mile with a time of 4:12.77!
This was in early November!
Just in---
Anna Willis of Colorado PV'ed 13-1.50 for the INdoor Frosh Class Record!
She also reportedly got the Age 14 Record, but my Age Records begin at Age 17!

A correction from my previous post---
Evans Chebet was 32--not 22!--when he ran 2:03:00 in Valencia's Marathon!
He gets the Age 32 Record!!
I believe Lelisa Desisa's 2:04:52 from 2012 is the Age 22 Record!

And now for my AOY's!
Remember, NO Collegiate honors given!!
And this is for 2020 OUTdoors ONLY!!

World Athlete of the Year--MEN
MONDO DUPLANTIS broke a 20th Century Record, that by Sergey Bubka!
But he only shares the AOY Award with JOSH CHEPTEGAI, who broke TWO WR's, both held by Ken Bekele!

Honorable Mentions go to---Ryan Crouser, Jacob Kiplimo, Kibiwott Kandie, Evans Chebet, Daniel Stahl, Hughes Zango, Jakob Ingebrigtsen, Johannes Vetter, Noah Lyles, and Karsten Warholm!!

United States Athlete of the Year--MEN
RYAN CROUSER--no contest!
Honorable Mentions go to---Donovan Brazier, Noah Lyles, Sam Kendricks, Chris Nilsen, Christian Taylor, Rudy Winkler, and Martin Hehir!

High School Athlete of the Year--MEN
TREY KNIGHT gets it for his HSR in the HT!
JUSTIN ROBINSON gets it for leading the World most of the year in the 400!
Honorable Mentions awarded to---Erriyan Knighton, John Lester, Leo Daschbach, Rheinhardt Harrison, and Nico Young!!

World Athlete of the Year--WOMEN
LETESENBET GIDEY for destroying the WR in the 5000, and letting us dreamers think a time in the 13's is actually possible--soon!!
Honorable Mentions to---Elaine Thompson, Sifan Hassan, Peres Jepchirchir, Yulimar Rojas, Katie Nageotte, Valerie Allman, and Femke Bol!

United States Athlete of the Year--WOMEN
SHELBY HOULIHAN didn't shock by crushing her own AR in the 5000 by 11 seconds, but it was sensational nonetheless!
Honorable Mentions to---Sha'Carri Richardson, Karissa Schweizer, Sara Hall, Keira D'Amato, Katie Nageotte, and Valerie Allman!

High School Athlete of the Year--WOMEN
Can you guess??
Yes, it's JENNA HUTCHINS!!
Honorable Mention to Leah Pasqualetti!

World Performance of the Year--MEN
A tie between the WR's of JOSH CHEPTEGAI--his 5000 of 12:35.36, and his 10000 of 26:11.00!
Honorable Mentions to---Mondo's 20-2 in the PV, Kibiwott Kandie's WR of 57:32 in the Half, Karsten Warholm's 46.87 in the 400H, Johannes Vetter's 320-9 in the JT, and ALL of Ryan Crouser's Shot Puts!!!

United States Performance of the Year--MEN
RYAN CROUSER--again for EVERY one of his Puts this OUTdoor season!!
Honorable Mentions---Sam Kendricks's 19-9 in the PV, and Rudy Winkler's HT of 264-9!

High School Performance of the Year--MEN
To JUSTIN ROBINSON's World Leading 400 of 44.91.
When has a HS'er EVER led the WORLD???
Honorable Mentions to---Erriyan Knighton's 20.33 in the 200, John Lester's 800 of 1:48.26, Leo Daschbach's Mile of 3:59.54, and Nico Young's 5000 of 13:50.55!

World Performance of the Year--WOMEN
LETESENBET GIDEY for her WR of 14:06.62!
Honorable Mentions go to---Sifan Hassan's 10000 of 29:36.67, (?) Ababel's Half of 64:31, and Faith Kipyegon's 1000 of 2:29:15.

United States Performance of the Year--WOMEN
SHELBY HOULIHAN's AR of 14:23.92 in the 5000!
Honorable Mentions to Karissa Schweizer's 14:26.34 (and her 1500 of 4:00.02!), Sha'Carri Richardson's 22.00 in the 200, Katie Nageotte's PV of 16-1.75, and Valerie Allman's AR in the DT of 230-2!

High School Performance of the Year--WOMEN
Oh come on!!
Hands (and feet!) down, it's JENNA HUTCHINS's 5000 of 15:34.47!
Honorable Mentions to---Leah Pasquelatti's PV of 14-8.25!

I'm combining my Personality of the Year Awards into one!
Except I'm dividing this category into 2 sections--GOOD and BAD!!

Leading the BAD is none other than CORONAVIRUS-19!!
It first RUINED 2020 for T&F, but then allowed the experimentation that finally made 2020 a pretty damn productive year in the Records and Marks Departments!!
Also vying for this title are SHOES!!
First Nike, then other brands, produced shoes that produced a more than usual slate of list making marks!
It also produced a ton of controversial opinion--one way or the other!
The jury is still out!!

GOOD awards go to---
MONDO DUPLANTIS--Not only breaking an iconic WR, but he is dominant in his style and charisma also!!
One of a kind!!
JAKOB INGEBRIGTSEN--Outclassing his 2 older brothers, he's getting Norway National Records and some Age Records, showing much unmet yet potential!!  And he's not too shy about saying how great he is!
The city of VALENCIA, Spain--It's become the new "in" venue for WR's and other amazing results!!
SARA HALL for making American Women's Marathoning a headliner in the post-Shalane Flanagan age!!
And to ALEXI PAPPAS who became the Mary Cain of 2020---in a way!
In a video that went viral, Pappas told of her battles with depression, a subject that touched many nerves!
She's more than a great runner--she's a movie maker and an actress and just a good decent human being!!

My Event of the Year awards go to the events that produce the most Marks on my various DDD lists!
Because of the severely small season we had in 2020, the total numbers are smaller than ever!

Adding Marks from World, US, and HS (Again, NO  Collegiate!!) OUTdoor lists, we get---
48 MEN's marks (24 World, 16 US, and 8 HS)
55 WOMEN's marks (25 World, 21 US, and 9 HS)

The HALF dominated both Men's and Women's World lists!
Men have 7 marks dating from 2020, while the Women have 10!
The Men's US MARATHON leads the way with 5, while the Women's 10000 leads with 6 marks!
The Mile was the only HS event to get 2 marks on their Men's list!
Ditto with the 3 PV marks the Women got on their DDD!

A list of Major Records broken in 2020---

MEN
World Records by Josh Cheptegai of 12:35.36 and 26:11.00, Kibiwott Kandie with his Half WR of 57:32!
United States Records by the Bowerman Track Club, it being their  4 X 1500 Relay mark of 14:34.47!
The sole High School Record was Trey Knight's HT of 261-7!

WOMEN
(first name??) Ababel ran the Half in the WR time of 64:31.
Letesenbet Gidey got the 5000 WR with her 14:06.62.
Yelena Lashmanova Walked a 50K WR of 3:50:42!
United States Records were set by the Bowerman Track Club in the 4 X 1500 Relay, time of 16:27.02, Shelby Houlihan's 5000 of 14:23.92, and Valerie Allman's DT of 230-2!
High School Records were set by Leah Pasqualetti in the PV (14-8.25), and Jenna Hutchins in the 5000 (15:34.47).

2021 is (in Washington state) a bit less than 6 hours away!
But  we already have bad news from the ascending year!!

The venerable Millrose Games have been CANCELLED!!
After about 110 consecutive years, there will be NO Millrose in 2021!!
I'm LIVID about this nonsensical decision!!
OUTdoor DL's were held, albeit with less events & athletes and few fans in the stands!
Why can't the Millrose Games go on with similar reductions??

And the Boston Marathon was pushed back (a la London in 2020) to September!
Why not--as some suggested in 2020--hold the event for a select group of elites ONLY??
The Marathon Project was a big success doing just that!!
(See above details!)

The World Championships scheduled for Eugene in 2021 was postponed until---2023!!
WHAT???!!!

As in 2020, there's apparently NOT going to be any Collegiate season OUTdoors in 2021.
No Conferences?
No NCAA Championships??
Bah! Humbug!!

But on the good side, a six meet Professional series of meets are due to be held (from May through August??) across America!
Fingers crossed!!

Have a very HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
(Egg Nog and other goodies await me!!  LOL)

2020, or The Season of Covid-19

 As promised in my last post, I have some additional info to offer!
A trio of Age Records fell in the WR breaking Valencia Half!
Kibiwott Kandie's 57:32 gets the Age 24 Record!
Jacob Kiplimo's 57:37 is the new Age 20 Record!
And the 57:49 by Rhonex Kipruto claims the Age 21 Record!
BTW, birthdates were attained from the Tilastopaia site!

In the Valencia Marathon---Evans Chebet's 2:03:00 is the new Age 22 Record!
Birhanu Legesse's 2:03:16 is the new Age 26 Record!
The 2:03:30 of Amos Kipruto is the Age 28 Record!
And Abel Kirui became the oldest to run a sub-2:06, his 2:05:05 claiming the Age 38 Record!
It should be noted that Ken Bekele will be 38 in 2021, and ran 2:01:41 when 37!!

Y Yalemzerf's 64:46 in the New Delhi Half gets her the Age 21 Record!
Genzebe Dibaba's 65:18 in the Valencia Half gets her the Age 29 Record!
Peres Jepchirchir's 2:17:16 in Valencia's Marathon is the Age 27 Record!
As noted, Birthdates were gotten on Tilastopaia, so I'm believing that Helaria Johannes's 2:19:52 makes her the oldest Woman to run under 2:20!
She's 40 years old, and gets that Age Record!

Finally, according to MileSplit, Jenna Hutchins is a HS Junior!
Her 15:34.47 is the 11th Grade Record!

Now for some thoughts on 2020---

It began normally, with the INdoor season progressing as it should.
Then, suddenly, it was gone!
The NCAA and NBIN meets--exciting Record producing affairs both--were cancelled!
As was almost the entire OUTdoor spring series of meets!
No Penn or Drake or Florida or Kansas or Texas Relays!
No May DL's in Doha and Shanghai!
No Distance Paradise meets on Stanford's oval!
And no London or Boston Marathons!

Yet---
if you read all my posts covering (belatedly!) what became an OUTdoor season, then you know of all the Records and List making Marks that came from "meets" across the US, and even around the World!
Were they all legit, with the Records ratifiable by USATF and WAF (IAAF's new acronym--for World Athletics Federation)??
That requires a "wait and see" stance on those not yet ratified!
Some were glorified time trials amongst friends and teammates--such as Shelby Houlihan's 5000 AR, and the pair of 4 X 1500 Relay Records put up by Houlihan and Co---aka the Bowerman Track Club, coached by Jerry Schumacher!
I (and this blog) consider these and other Marks legit!

Bigger fish got hooked on the line thrown at the World by the virus known as Covid-19!
The "2020" Tokyo Olympics were tossed over to 2021!
It's confusing (to me!), but some World Championships--both OUTdoor and INdoor---seem to have been postponed!
My advice (to you, and to myself!) is to check your T&F calendar to see what meets are happening when!
For example, it seems this fall's NCAA Cross Country Champs will be held next March--amidst the MAYBE OUTdoor NCAA T&F season??
And there were no HS XC Championships--no NXN or Footlocker!
(Maybe that's how Jenna Hutchins got to break the HSR in the 5000!!)

Bottom line, this horrid virus--killing over 2000 Americans every day!--changed the "normal" doings of our little world of T&F, XC, and even Road Racing!

Yes, much happened in 2020!
But much of it was surprising to this blogger!
When I began my multi-post recap of the previous year's activity, I didn't expect the VOLUME of Records and Marks to be so huge and lengthy!!
So Covid-19 didn't really destroy 2020--it merely tossed some new flavors and seasoning--a new recipe, if you will--on this quite conservative and traditional sport!

Some questions---
What happened to Mary Cain after INdoors?
(Though many Elites chose to forego OUTdoor racing after the Lockdown and Quarantining began last March!)
Why was London the only Spring Marathon to run their race a few months later?
(Boston had been run during World Wars and other catastrophes!!)

Some races had more than a safe number of competitors--and none wore a mask during the race!
So if they went that far, why not invite others to these events?
For example, that Bowerman TC 5000 might have been better with a few NON-BTC runners added!
Also those Record setting long Relays!

We DID have a season!
It just wasn't "normal"!!

And what about those shoes?
Did those fast Valencia times come because of the shoes worn?
It's not just Nike--other companies are producing similar shoes!

But didn't the same arguments occur when tracks changed from dirt to asphalt?
When Pole Vault poles went the fiberglass route?
When the sport went Professional?
Aren't they all the same--or at least in the same ballpark, to use a mixed metaphor??

I ran over a 30 year period, though many of those "years" weren't 365 days!
What shoes did I wear?
In HS, I wore a pair of Adidas spikes--costing $9.95!!
(I know, those were early 1960's prices!!  LOL)
I ran in Tiger (later ASICS) Boston shoes during my PR Marathon of 2:56:02 in 1978!
In fact, I wore those SAME "Boston's" in most of my frequent races--AND during my 10 or 20 mile training runs--on the track, roads, and on forest trails and the sands of nude beaches!!

I was far from elite--though that 2:56 Marathon (Avenue of the Giants) got me 147th place out of 1550 finishers!!
I didn't need Nike "fly" (or whatever they're called!) to run my fastest--or to just run!
Couldn't iconic figures like Ken Bekele, Brigid Kosgei, and Eliud Kipchoge run as fast as they have with "legal in every way" shoes??
Why bring controversy into the race?
Why possibly deny yourself a ratified WR, or just a National Record?

Should separate Records be kept for the different tracks we've run on ?
The different poles Vaulters use?

As you all know, I'm 100 percent strict on the separation of seasons--INdoors from OUTdoors!
Should USATF and WAF be as strict with the new shoes?
Or do we accept the advancements brought about by this 21st century technology?
(Oh, for the good old days, when Bill Bowerman invented a legendary & history making shoe--using his wife's WAFFLE maker!!)

Covid-19 WILL be gone!
The World's and the USA's Track and Field competitions will return to "normal"!
We'll get our seasons back!

And this blog will be reporting the results--in detail, as always!
(Health--and being alive!--allowing!!!)

The Marathon Project is hours away!
A full report will soon follow!
(Not to mention my Athlete, Performance, Event, and Personality of the Year choices for 2020 OUTdoors!)

Record Rampage Near End of OUTdoor 2020

 This VERY weird year ain't over yet!
There's a bit more to come under the sky (as opposed to under the roof!).
But the end sprint is on....and I mean ON!!!
Let's revisit Valencia!

December 6th---
The Men's Half Marathon--controversial shoes and all--revised all Record Books in a HUGE way!!
Kibiwott Kandie (or Kandie Kibiwott??) lowered the World Record by 29 seconds, running 57:32.
And he had some close company--the first 4 under the previous WR!!
He also gets Kenya's National Record!

Jacob Kiplimo was 2nd in 57:37, making him 2nd A-T World.
He gets the best 2nd Place mark, and Uganda's NR!
Rhonex Kipruto is 3rd A-T World, and gets the best 3rd Place mark  with a time of 57:49!
At 57:59 came the best 4th Place mark, name of Alexander Mutiso!
He is 4th A-T World!

Philomon Kiplimo was 5th in 58:11.
He's 6th A-T World, and has the best 5th Place mark!
Kelvin Kiptum ended in 58:42, making him 13th A-T World, tied with 2 others!
He gets the best 6th Place mark!

BTW, I'll have more info on these and other marks in this post in my next post!
My intention here is to basically bring my series of results recaps up to the present day!

The Women's race saw Genzebe Dibaba run 65:18 for the Gold!
She's 13th A-T World, tied with 1 other!
Sheila Kiprotich took 2nd in 65:39, making her 18th A-T World, tied with 1 other!
Emily Sisson ran a great 67:26, making her 3rd A-T US!
She finished 5th in the race!
NOTE--I include Kara Goucher's 66:57 run on an "aided" course!
Thus, the eTN 's designation of Sisson's mark as 2nd A-T US does NOT include Goucher's mark!!
And we're not done with Valencia!!

They also held a Marathon, with some notable depth in the results.
Evans Chebet took the W in a solid 2:03:00!
(As you know, I include Boston times on my Top 24 list!!)
Chebet is now 6th A-T World!
Lawrence Cherono was close, ending 4 seconds back in 2:03:04!
Berhanu Legesse was 3rd in 2:03:16.
This ties the best 3rd Place mark!

Amos Kipruto was 4th in 2:03:30!
He's 13th A-T World, and gets the best 4th Place mark!
We move to 8th placer Abebe Degefa, whose 2:05:15 gives him the best 8th Place mark!
Leal Gebrselassie ran 2:05:29, getting the best 9th Place mark!
Philomon Rono's 2:05:37 gets the best 10th Place mark!

In 11th came Ogbe Ruesom's 2:05:53.
He gets Eritrea's NR, and the best 11th Place mark!
A Lamdassem's 2:06:35 is Spain's new National Record, and the best 12th Place mark!
In 16th came A Petros in 2:07:18.
This gets him  the National Record of Germany!!

The Women's race gave even more weight to the idea that Valencia is now THE place to go for fast times and major Records!!
Peres Jepchirchir's 2:17:16 makes her 5th A-T World!
Joyciline Jepkosgei was a full "lap" behind (and then some!), yet still ran 2:18:40!
She is 15th A-T World!
Helaria Johannes got Namibia's National Record with her 2:19:52!

Z Yimer ran 2:19:54 in 4th!
Two seconds back came two runners given the same time of 2:19:56!
Tigist Girma got 5th with her's, while Degitu Azimeraw's time got her 6th!
And the best 6th Place mark!
Ruti Aga's 2:20:05 gets her the best 7th Place mark!
With the best 8th Place mark was Joan Chelimo, time of 2:20:57.
Back in 27th was American Jordan Hasay, stopping the clock at 2:33:51.
She might have decided to "tempo" the race, so maybe the time isn't as bad as it seems!

Another Record Book Destroyer came at something generically called The Track Meet!
It took place in Southern California!
It was a series of 5000's and 10000's run on a track---OUTdoors---in December!!

Luis Grijalva's 13:16.75 took the Men's 5K!
This makes him 4th A-T Collegiate!
Cooper Teare's 13:17.13 was 2nd, and ranks 6th A-T Collegiate!
Drew Hunter was 3rd in 13:17.55!

In a separate race, Matthew Centowitz cruised to a win in 13:32.92.
But breathing down his neck (NOT wearing a mask! LOL) was UO Frosh Cole Hocker, timed in 13:32.94.
Another Frosh, Nico Young of NAU, ran a good 13:44.50!
(Remember that High Schooler Gerry Lindgren ran 13:44.0 in 1964!)

The 10K saw Eric Jenkins win in 27:22.06!
This makes him 9th A-T US!!
Add his 5K PR of 13:07.33, and you get a Combined Events total of 40:29.39!
He ranks 8th A-T US there!

Pat Tiernan ran 27:22.55 in 2nd, claiming the National Record of Australia!
Ed Cheserek PR'ed in 3rd with 27:23.58!
In 5th came Joe Klecker's 27:35.57, which ranks 23rd A-T US!
Wes Kiptoo ended 6th in 27:37.29!
He is 10th A-T Collegiate!
Robert Brandt timed 27:39.20, making him 14th A-T Collegiate!

The Women's 5000 was won by American Record holder Shelby Houlihan, time of 15:02.55.
Second went to Elise Cranny's 15:04.83!
Emily Lipari PR'ed in 3rd with 15:17.72!

But the 25 lapper really ROCKED!!
Rachel Schneider clocked 31:09.79, making her 8th A-T US!
Weini Kelati was 2nd in an Eritrean National Record of 31:10.08!
Alicia Monson took 3rd in 31:10.84!
She ranks 10th A-T US!!
Sharon Lokedi was 4th in a PR of 31:11.07!

Natosha Rogers was 5th in 31:12.28, making her 11th A-T US!
Kellyn Taylor ran 31:15.65.
Remember the 31:07 I reported in a previous post?
Well, that time is apparently unacceptable!
Thus, her time here ranks her 14th A-T US!

Danielle Shanahan--unknown to me!--ran a solid 31:22.86.
This makes her 21st A-T US!
Veteran Stephanie Bruce improved to 31:24.47 in 8th!
This makes her 22nd A-T US!

In a separate race, Marie Mettler timed 32:09.37, making her 17th A-T Collegiate!
Elle Henes ran 32:12.08, ranking her 20th A-T Collegiate!

Erased FROM my US list was one Mary Slaney.
Her 31:35.3 run in a small Eugene meet in 1982 was then a World Record, believe you not!!
Didn't last long, but it WAS a WR--and was run in training flats!!

Lots more to report, so hang in there!!

Some major Collegiate Conference XC races were held---
Yared Negese took the ACC 8K in 23:03.6.
Jan Shanklin was about 2 seconds back!
Dominique Clairmonte's 19:55.1 took the Women's 6K.
Amanah Vestri was 11 seconds behind!

The Big 12 went to Wes Kiptoo's 22:35.4!
He beat the 22:49.3 of Isai Rodriguez!
Callie Logue beat Taylor Roe in the Women's race, 20:06.5 to 20:07.8!

The SEC Men's race went to Mario Romo's 23:32.9!
Second went to Cole Bullock's 23:34.3!
Mercy Chelangat won the Women's race in 19:46.5.
Jenna Gearing ran 19:58 in 2nd!
Taylor Ewert was back in 10th in 20:21.6.

Another Hour Run was held in Massachusetts!
Molly Huddle wiped away the American Record, finishing 17,930 meters in the 60 minutes!
That's approximately 11 Miles and 231 Meters!

Keira D'Amato (Listen to Carrie Tollefsen's podcast with D'Amato!!) emerged into Elite territory with a couple of fast Road times!
She took the Michigan Pro Half in 68:57!
She ranks 9th A-T US!
She best Emma Bates, whose 69:14 ranks her 10th A-T US!
That race was held October 26th!

Awhile later, D'Amato won a 10 Mile race in our Nation's Capital!
Her 51:24 is the Women Only American Record!
Molly Seidel finished far back in 53:36, but ran close to D'Amato for a bit!

In other news---
Galen Rupp passed 10 Miles in an American Record 45:59, enroute to a Half Marathon win in Oregon, time of 60:23!
Suguru Osako was 2nd in 61:18.

In Slovakia, Mutaj Toth Walked a World Leader in the 50K, time of 3:41:15!
One week apart (October 24th & 31st), High Schooler Charlotte Bednar made my HS DDD in 2 events.
Her 5000 was in 16:21.67, and makes her 19th A-T HS!
On Halloween, her 3000 in 9:20.98 gave her the caboose position on that list!

Some good races in Japan---
Akira Aizawa got the National Record in the 10000 with his 27:18.75!
Hitomi Niiya ran a speedy 10K in 30:20.44.
This makes her 23rd A-T World!

OFF my World list is America's Shalane Flanagan, her 30:22.22 dating back to 2008!
Molly Huddle's AR is the only US time on the World list!!

Prior to Valencia's Half (See above!) was one held in New Delhi, India on November 29th!
There, Amdework Walelegn's 58:53 gave him a (then) ranking of 20th A-T World!
A Belihu's 58:54 then ranked him 21st A-T World, tied with 1 other!
On the Women's side, Yehualav Yalemzerf timed 64:46, making her 2nd A-T World!
Ruth Chepngetich's 65:06 was 2nd, making her 9th A-T World!
Yeshanah Ababel's 65:21 in 3rd was not a PR!

The iconic Fukuoka Marathon went to Y Yoshida in 2:07:05!

I have ONE mark from INdoors!
Ryan Crouser moved his amazing 2020 under a roof, getting a Shot Put mark of 74-1.
I'll try to find out if this is the best December SP mark in History INdoors!

Finally, we have a new High School Record in the OUTdoor 5000!
Jenna Hutchins--who won everything during a studly Cross Country season--becoming the first Woman to dip under 16 minutes in a XC 5K--ran against lower level Collegiates and maybe a Pro or two--yet WON the race in the new HSR of 15:34.47!
This removes Mary Cain's 15:45.46 from 2013 from the Record Book!
Word has it she led the entire way!!
And apparently she's only 16 years old!!

More on some of the above in my next post!
So this concludes my Nostalgia Tour of the past 15 months--caused by bad vision, since cleared up!
My next post will have all NEW material!

Stay tuned, loyal readers!




                     

Valencia Ground Zero for World Records?

 Dubai
London
Chicago
Oslo
Eugene
Amsterdam

More and more, top runners have chosen Spain's Valencia as THE venue to challenge their talents against the Clock!
Marathons, Half Marathons, other Road races, and the Track!
Fast times every time!

Letesenbet Gidey and Joshua Cheptegai kept the trend alive in a pair of races!
Gidey led the way by cutting 4:53 off Tirunesh Dibaba's 12 year old WR, her 14:06.62 moving Women ever closer to running in the 13's!
Hitting the 3K in 8:31.85, she averaged 67's the rest of the way!

She also gets Ethiopia's National Record, and the Age 22 Record!
On a pair of Combined Events lists, Gidey is solid!
Her 14:06.62 and 10K of 30:21.23 adds to 44:27.85, ranking 8th A-T World!
In the 3K-5K-10K C-E, her 8:20.27, 14:06.62, and 30:21.23 adds to 52:48.12, ranking her 6th A-T World!

Cheptegai's contribution was to chop 6.53 off Ken Bekele's 2005 WR, crossing the finish line in a rounded 26:11.00!
And he ran negative splits--13:07.73 and 13:03.27!
How long before a Man runs in the 25's??
He also gets Uganda's National Record, and the Age 23 Record!
Bekele was the same age in 2005!!
His 12:35.36 and 26:11.00 adds to 38:46.36, moving him about 8 seconds ahead of Bekele!!
Nicholas Kemboi took Silver with 27:12.48!

Who's traveling next to Valencia??

Sifan Hassan chose the Hengelo meet as her venue of choice to run a fast 10000!!
Her 29:36.67 is her SEVENTH National Record as a Netherlands citizen!
OUTdoors, she holds NR's in the 1000, 1500, Mile, 3000, 5000, 10000, and the Half Marathon!
Her C-E totals for the 3000, 5000, and 10000 (8:18.49, 14:22.39, and 29:36.67) is 52:17.55, ranking her 2nd A-T World!
Her 5K and 10K adds to 43:59.06, ranking her 4th A-T World!
She smashed Hengelo's Meet Record by over one minute!!

Second was Tsehasy (sp?) Gemacher's 30:57.73.
Third was Sarah Chelangat's 31:46.36, Uganda's National Record!

London's Marathon, pushed to September because of the Pandemic, saw some good results, but not as solid as the Springtime version normally produces!
Tola Shure outsprinted Vincent Torotich, his 2:05:41 beating Torotich's 2:05:42!!
Favored (??) Eliud Kipchoge had "one of those days", ending 8th in a still respectable 2:06:49!

As expected, new WR holder Brigid Kosgei took the Women's race in a good 2:18:58/
But the real drama came from Sara Hall!
Back in 6th or so late in the race, she passed fading runner after fading runner, finally pulling a brilliant sprint down the final straightaway, taking 2nd in a PR of 2:22:01!
She's 6th A-T US--and my list includes times from Boston!!

Molly Seidel took minutes off her best, her 2:25:13 giving her 6th place, and making her 13th A-T US!!

Did Yelena Lashmanova Walk a 50K World Record of 3:50:42 in Russia?
Yes, she did!
BUT--according to the eTN, the mark will probably NOT be ratified, due to Russia's banned status!!
Again, this blog and blogger recognizes and accepts ALL Russian marks for Records and List purposes, choosing to respect CLEAN Russians as I do ALL clean athletes--of whatever Nation!
Innocent until PROVEN guilty!
Second was Margarita Nikiforova in 3:59:46!
The Men's race saw Demently Cheparov Walk the 31.1 mile distance in a World Leading 3:45:20!

This is a Distances dominated post, so in keeping with that theme, here's some other important results!
Poland was the site of the World Half Marathon Championships!
Peres Jepchirchir's 65:16 set a World Record for a Women Only race!!
It also ranks her 10th A-T World!
But it was a competitive finish!

Second went to Melaf Kejeta in 65:18.
She gets Germany's NR, and ranks 11th A-T World!
Jelenanzerf Yehisalaw (sp?) was 3rd in 65:19.
She ranks 12th A-T World!
Z Yimer's 65:34 in 4th ranks her 17th A-T World!
Yeshanah Ababel did not PR with her 65:41 in 5th!
Neither did Joyciline Jepkosgei's 65:58 in 6th!

The Men's Winner was Jacob Kiplimo, time of 58:49!
This ranks him 17th A-T World!
Kibiwott Kandie (Which name comes first?  I've seen it written both ways!!  LOL) was 2nd in 58:54.

Two High Schoolers make my A-T lists in the 5000!
In separate races, Charlotte Bednar's 16:25.90 ranks her 22nd A-T HS!
Brooke Rauber's 16:28.34 ranks her 24th A-T HS!!

As my steady readers (Do I have any??) know, Cross Country gets short-shrift on this blog!
Main reason is this is a Results oriented blog, so official times in track or road races are a MUST!
XC times may be accurate, but the varied terrain of the different courses makes comparing times a very iffy determinant!

That said, here's some interesting results--
At the SEC Preview, Frosh WALKER Taylor Ewert took 1st with a good 16:53.7!
She led an Arkansas SWEEP!!

In the Oklahoma State Invite, Luis Grijalva won it in 23:30.2.
Conner Mantz was close behind in 23:31.4.
The Women's race went to Whittni Orton's 20:27.8.
Taylor Roe took second in 20:38.4.

To end this post, I'm sad to report that the Hammer Throw of 264-10 by Rudy Winkler (See earlier post!) has been ruled illegal, as the field was downhill!!
His PR reverts to 264-9!

More soon!

Mondo Conquers---DL "Season" Ends

 NOTE--
To remind my readers, this blog "retired" for about 11 months due to cataracts--removed September 16!
Since late September, I've had the goal of covering all this blog had missed--without reporting "today's" results.
When you describe a movie, you don't tell the ending--you avoid "spoilers".
Thus, I've been reporting--chronologically!--all the results (beginning with Doha '19's WC's) this blog normally covers!
This post brings us back to Doha--for the final Diamond League meet of the WEIRD 2020 season!
And so much more!
I promise you this blog will reach "TODAY" soon!
Enjoy!

MONDO (Duplantis)--yes, his name deserves an all caps intro!
As did SERGEY BUBKA in his day--back when HE held both the INdoor and OUTdoor WR's in the Pole Vault!
Then came Renaud Lavillenie's INdoor WR of 20-2.50--leaving Bubka as the OUTdoor WR holder!
And along came Mondo--taking down Lavillenie's INdoor WR--and now Bubka's OUTdoor WR!
He has definitely CONQUERED the World of the Pole Vault!!

He topped Bubka's 20-1.75 by a quarter inch, his 20-2 coming in the Golden Gala DL in Rome!
He broke his own Age 20 Record, his own Swedish National Record, as well as the Rome Meet Record!!

A real shocker came in another field event--the Javelin Throw!
In a meet in Poland, Germany's Johanne Vetter came THIS close to the iconic WR of Jan Zelezny!
OK, so it was over two feet shy, but it's the closest anyone in  history has come to Zelezny's mark!
His 320-9 (97.76 in metric!) gives Vetter the Age 27 Record, and breaks his own NR of Germany!
As noted, he ranks 2nd A-T World!
He had another spear chuck in the series reaching 311-2--which was a PR for him--then!
All his other marks were under 300 feet!

In that same meet, Ryan Crouser had a SP of 74-5.25--one of several great marks he's had in 2020!
Michel Haratyk was 2nd with 71-5.50!
Crouser got the Ostrava Meet Record with a toss of 73-7.25!
Another MR--Zagreb's--fell to the former Duck--mark being 74-7.25!
In Serbia, he threw 74-1.50!
Impressed??

Other good field event marks--
Christian Taylor and Hughes Zango tangled in Ostrava in the TJ--Taylor prevailing 57-3.50 to 57-2!
Taylor improved in the ISTAF meet with 57-7.75!
Yulimar Rojas got a TJ World Leader with her 48-3.25!

Harry Coppell tied the NR of Great Britain with his PV of 19-2.25!
Duplantis cleared 19-4.75 in the ISTAF meet!
Ho hum.
Mondo beat Sam Kendricks and Lavillenie in the Doha DL--all clearing 19-1--and all tying the Meet Record!

Leonardo Fabbri's SP of 72-1.75 fell short of my World DDD by less than 5 inches!
In Germany, Malaika Mihambo LJ'ed 23-0.75 for a World Leader!
Rudy Winkler added an inch to his Hammer Throw PR with a 264-10.
He remains 3rd A-T US!
In Japan, Yuki Hashioka LJ'ed 27-2.50, also a World Leader!

Dan Stahl got the Zagreb MR with his DT of 225-11.
In China, Jianan Wang topped Hashioka's WL with his LJ of 27-3.25.
Finishing 2nd was Changzhou  Huang, mark of 27-2.
Also in China, Shiying Liu's Javelin Throw traveled 220-9, making her 19th A-T World, tied with 2 others!

The Rome and Doha DL's produced fast (and deep!) 3000 meter races!
Rome gave us the Men's race, with Jacob Kiplimo leading the way with a speedy 7:26.64!
This is the Rome MR, and the National Record of Uganda!
It makes him 8th A-T World!
Jakob Ingebrigtsen continued his slough of fast times with a 2nd place mark of 7:27.05.
It's Norway's NR, and makes him 9th A-T World!

Stewart McSweyn got another NR of Australia with his 3rd place mark of 7:28.02.
He is 17th A-T World!
Yemana Crippa's 7:38.27 in 4th gave him Italy's NR!

In Doha, the Women's 3K went to Helen Obiri's 8:22.54!
She gets the Age 30 Record!
Agnes Tirop came 2nd with her time of 8:22.92!
She's 14th A-T World, tied with one other!
That "other" finished 3rd here--also in 8:22.92!!
Her name is Beatrice Chepkoech, and she's perhaps better known as the WR holder in the 3000SC!!
In fact, she improves her lead in the World Combined Events of the 3000 and 3000SC!
Her 8:22.92 and 8:44.32 adds to 17:07.24!
She's FAR out in front on this Combined Events list!!

But there's more!
Margaret Kipkemboi ended 4th with her 8:24.76!
She's 21st A-T World!
Hyvin Jepkemoi's 8:25.13 makes her 22nd A-T World!
Gudef Tsegay's 8:25.23 makes her 23rd A-T World!
And she also gets the best 6th Place mark!
Laura Weightman's 8:26.31 gives her the best 7th Place mark!!
And back in 10th was Australia's Jessica Hull, her 8:36.03 making her Australia's Standard Bearer!!

Cut OFF the World list were a few icons of the sport--
Genzebe Dibaba
Zahri Ouaziz
Mary Slaney!!
Slaney was the only American on my World DDD list!
But no more!!
(Who will take her place??)

Other Distance marks of note--
Laura Muir won a race in Poland--her 3:58.24 taking the 1500 over Sofia Ennaoui's PR of 3:59.70!
Ostrava gave an 800 PR to Jake Wightman--time of 1:44.18!
Also in Ostrava, Jacob Kiplimo got the 5000 Meet Record with his 12:48.63!
Selemon Barega took 2nd with his 12:49.08!
In 3rd was Italy's Yemena Crippa--his 13:02.26 being his Nation's NR!!

Faith Kipyegon continued her fine season with the Ostrava MR in the 1500--time of 3:59.05!
Sifan Hassan ran the 5000 in 14:37.85.
In Italy, Matthew Ramsden got 2020's fastest Mile, time of 3:51.23.
Kellyn Taylor ran the 10000 in a PR of 31:07.40.
BUT--it may not count as legal!
It was a mixed race time trial, I believe!
For the nonce, this blog will accept it!
It makes her 7th A-T US!
Stephanie Bruce also PR'ed with 31:34.87, making her 21st A-T US!

The Prague Half Marathon gave us the Women Only WR!!
Peres Jepchirchir ran 65:34!
This makes her 6th A-T World, tied with 2 others!
The Men's race went to Kandie Kibiwott's 58:38!
He's now 5th A-T World!

ISTAF's Meet Record in the Women's 1500 went to Laura Muir's 3:57.40!
Laura Weightman PR'ed with her 4:00.09!
(Sooooo close to the 3's!!)
Jessica Hull has strengthened her claim to Australia's best ever distance runner with her 4:00.42 National Record in 3rd!
In 5th was Shannon Rowbury, with yet another fast time in 2020--this one being 4:02.56!

Hyvin Jepkemoi got 2020's World Leading 3000SC with her 9:06.14!
In Italy, Hedda Hynne got Norway's NR with her 800 in  1:59.15!
But then in Switzerland, Hynne chopped more than a second off that time, her 1:58.10 breaking her own NR!
Selina Buchel took 2nd with a good 1:58.37!

Doha's DL gave Stew McSweyn Australia's NR in the 1500--time of 3:30.51!
Selemon Barego improved to 3:32.97 in 2nd!
This time, plus his 12:43.02 in the 5000, adds to 16:15.99 on my Combined Events list!
He's 4th A-T World there!
Steepler Soufiane El Bakkali PR'ed in 3rd with 3:33.45!
Faith Kipyegon PR'ed in the 800 with 1:57.68.
Add that to her Mile time of 4:16.71, and you have a total time of 6:14.39.
She ranks 8th A-T World on that C-E list!
Finally (in the distances!), we have a couple of speedy 10K's.
Nicholas Kimeli ran 26:58.97 in the Netherlands.
And Richard Yator timed 27:01.42 in Japan!

We're left with the Speedsters!
Karsten Warholm ran the 400H in 47.08 at ISTAF!
It's the Meet Record!
The old mark was run by Edwin Moses--in 1980!!
He cut 0.01 off that time in Rome, his 47.07 getting the MR!

Elaine Thompson (aka ET) ran home (HaHa!) in 10.85 in Rome!
(Home and Rome rhyme--Gosh, I'm really sharp today!!  LOL)
She also had a 100 of 10.87 in Doha!
Aaron (sic!) Mallett PR'ed in the 110H with his 13.15!
Payton Chadwick ran the fastest American 100H of 2020--time of 12.78!!

More to come!
We're in September now (See opening Note!)--moving on!
More soon!!

WR's in Hour Run--and some DL News

 Yes, I said the One Hour Run--run on a track!
I ran a few of those back in the day (all at Humboldt State's old 440 yard track!).
They were fun!
You run in circles until the timer yells "STOP!".
Each runner would stand where he/she stopped until the distance was recorded!
Chuck Smead--former 2:13 marathoner--ran 12 miles 307 yards--passing 10 miles in 49:15.
That was the Club record!
My best was 9 miles 1150 yards!

Anyway, the ELITES destroyed both WR's--Mo Farah and Sifan Hassan!
Farah's distance (in yards) was 13 miles and 446 yards--translated to 21,330 meters!
He probably passed the Half Marathon distance in about 59:25!
Sifan Hassan's yards distance was 11 miles 1341 yards!
Or 18,930 meters!
Her estimated Half time might have been 67:00!
Rashir Abdi was 2nd behind Farah, but just 8 meters back!!
He was ahead at 20K, and his 56:20.02 is the WR for that distance on a track!!
Lonah Chemtai was 2nd Woman with 18,571 meters, with Eva Cherono ending with 18, 341 meters in 3rd!
Loved that Hour Run stuff!!

BTW, that was during the esteemed Brussels DL!!

MASTER of the Pole Vault UNIVERSE--aka Mondo Duplantis--kept on pushing his Swedish fanny over some high bars!!
First at 19-8.50--breaking his own Age 20 Record in Stockholm's DL!

Then he was in Lausanne--for s street exhibition PV.
And yes, I'm supposing his Vault of 19-11 counts!!
Thus, he got Lausanne's MR, again broke his own Age 20 Record, as well his own Sweden National Record!
He's 2nd A-T World OUTdoors!
But here he got a bit of a scare!!
Sam Kendricks finally got his 2020 act together (He'd been at the 19-0.25 level!), and got the best ever 2nd Place mark with his clearance at 19-9!!

Faith Kipyegon took another shot at the WR for 1000 meters, but again fell short--this time in 2:29.92--but over 6 seconds ahead of 2nd place!

Karsten Warholm continues on his torrid path as the latter day version of Edwin Moses!
He got a PR, time of 46.87--just 0.09 short of Kevin Young's World Record!!
He gets his own Norway NR, and his own Age 24 Record, and remains 2nd A-T World!
It's also the Stockholm DL Meet Record!

Ryan Crouser didn't PR with his SP of 74-6.50--but he might have gotten the best ever 6 throw series!!
(Anyone know?)
He threw 73-0.75, then 74-6.50, then 74-5.75, followed by a 74-3, another 74-3, and ended with a toss of 73-7.50!!
WOW!

In a different meet, Nick Ponzio threw the SP 70-10.50!

Hughes Zango beat Christian Taylor in a good Triple Jump--a World Leading 57-2.25 to 56-10.75!

In different meets, Yaroslava Mahuchukh and Yuliya Levchenko got co-World Leading High Jumps of 6-6.75!
In Germany, Australian Nicole McDermott cleared 6-6!

Johannes Vetter threw the Javelin 298-1!

Some good Middle Distance marks--
Stockholm's Men's 1500 saw Tim Cheruiyot defeat Jakob Ingebrigtsen 3:30.25 to 3:30.74!
Australia's Stew McSweyn took 3rd in a PR of 3:31.48!

Laura Muir took the World Lead with her 1500 win in 3:57.86.
Back in 6th came Vet Shannon Rowbuty in 4:03.04, her fastest in 4 years!!

Donovan Brazier got his fastest OUTdoor 600 with his 1:15.07!
Puerto Rican Wes Vazquez was 2nd in 1:15.31.
Cory McGee got a PR in the two lapper with 2:00.16.
In 3rd was Steepler Emma Coburn with a PR of 2:01.10!
Jemma Reekie also PR'ed--in another meet--in a World Leading 1:58.63!

High Schooler Sophia Gorriaran also PR'ed--at 2:02.90--making her 11th A-T HS!!

Some sprint news--
Nadine Visser ran 12.68 for 100H, but 2nd placer Luca Kozak's 12.71 became the new NR of Hungary!!
In Jamaica, Shelly Ann Fraser-Pryce sped the 100 in 10.86--the World Leader.

Finally, I want to give you ANOTHER Record that was NOT reported in my previous post---
Shannon Rowbury's 14:45.11 in the 5000 was the Age 35 Record!!

More to come!!

Monaco Record-Breaking Assault

 NOTE--For reasons I won't go into, there was a large space between blog posts!
But problem's been resolved, and I'm ready to continue my RE-counting of the late 2019 and all the 2020 T&F Records & Marks this blog is known to cover!
We pick up in late July, and go to the Monaco DL and surrounding action!
Enjoy!

The tiny Principality of Monaco again gave us a slough of great Records & Marks--despite this being a DL season ridden by Covid horrors!

Josh Cheptegei took down one of the most respected Distance Records in the Men's 5000!
Goodbye Ken Bekele!!
Cheptegei passed 3K in 7:35.14--then picked it up!
His 12:35.36 took almost 2 full seconds off the Legendary Bekele's time!
His closing 2000 of 5:00.22 was superb!
But will this masterpiece last a similar 16 years that Bekele's did?

Besides the WR, he gets the Meet Record, the National Record of Uganda, and the Age 23 Record!!
Nicholas Kimeli took 2nd in a PR of 12:51.78!

While Cheptegei's run was the headliner, perhaps the best EVENT was the Women's 1000--rarely run by Elites!
Faith Kipyegon attacked the race like an 800, and ended with 2:29.15, making her 2nd A-T World!!
She also gets the Kenya NR, the Monaco Meet Record, and the Age 26 Record!
But hang on, Baby, lots more to come!!

Laura Muir took 2nd with her 2:30.82.
She gets the National Record of Great Britain, and the Age 27 Record!
It makes her 6th A-T World!
Ciara Mageean was 3rd in 2:31.06.
She gets Ireland's NR, and the best 3rd Place mark!
Jemma Reekie got the best 4th Place mark with her 2:31.11.
She is 9th A-T World!

Halimah Nakaayi ran 2:32.12.
She broke her own NR of Uganda, got the best 5th Place mark, and is ranked 23rd A-T World!
Sofia Ennaoui's 2:32.30 gave her Poland's NR, and the best 6th Place mark!
Back in 9th came American Raevyn Rogers.
Her 2:37.10 makes her 12th A-T US--NOT noted in the eTN!!
(A good reason to read my blog!!)

Then there was the Men's 1500, and the Women's 5000!
Tim Cheruiyot took Gold with his 3:28.45!
Jacob Ingebrigtsen was 2nd with his 3:28.68.
This takes Norway's NR away from Brother Filip!!
He gets the Age 19 (!!) Record, and now ranks 8th A-T World!!
Jake Wightman of GB took 3rd with 3:29.47.
He's 22nd A-T World, tied with 1 other!

Helen Obiri's 14:22.12 gave her the Monaco Meet Record, as well as the Age 30 Record!
BTW, Obiri now has 4 Age records--and they are CONSECUTIVE--Ages 27, 28, 29, and 30!!
Letesenbet Gidey took 2nd with 14:26.57.
Laura Weightman's PR of 14:35.44 took 3rd.
Jessica Hull got Australia's NR with her 14:43.80!
In 5th came the venerable Shannon Rowbury--with a solid time of 14:45.11.

I'll return with a lot more from Monaco, but let's go to the late July and early August material first!

Valerie Allman smashed the American Record in the Discus Throw with a solid 230-2!!
She missed the World DDD by 13 inches!!
At that same Idaho meet, Chase Ealey go the Season Leader in the SP with her 63-8.25.
And Kara Winger threw the Javelin 211-5!

Remember the Portland IntraSquad meet which saw Shelby Houlihan destroy her own AR in the 5000?
It was a race with only the Bowerman TC involved!
Well, here we go again!!
Same venue, same team!
The 4 X 1500 were the events this time--both Men and Women!
Evan Jager, Grant Fisher, Sean McGorty, and Lopez Lomong averaged approximately 3:38.75 per 1500, with their final time of 14:34.97 getting the American Record!

Colleen Quigley, Elise Cranny, Karissa Schweizer, and Shelby Houlihan averaged about 4:06.75, their final time of 16:27.02 given the American AND World Records!

Asterisk time??
According to the eTN, both times may NOT be ratified as Records!!
They said it was due to the type of meet and races!
We shall see--BUT my blog DOES recognize them as the Records given them!!

Another Oregon meet saw Donovan Brazier run the 800 in 1:43.84--a World Leader.
Shannon Rowbury took the 1500 in 4:03.62.
And Brenda Martinez's 2:02.81 took just 3rd in the 800--but it made ME happy to know she had not retired--as I was thinking she had!!
In Connecticut, Elle Purrier showed some 800 speed with her PR of 2:00.70!

The state of Georgia saw Katie Nageotte reach for the stratosphere in the Pole Vault!
She rose to 16-1.75 in a dominant performance!
(2nd was under 15 feet!)
She gets the Age 29 Record.
It makes her 3rd A-T US, and 6th A-T World!
She becomes the 9th Woman to top 16-0 OUTdoors!
And she is the 3rd US Woman over 16 OUTdoors!!

Still in the Women's PV, a couple of National Records fell!
Michaela Meijer's 15-10 broke Angelica Bengtsson's NR of Sweden!
It makes her 11th A-T World, tied with 3 others!
(A reminder--these rankings are for OUTdoor marks ONLY--no INdoor marks were considered!)
BTW, Bengtsson took 2nd with 15-0.25!
Iryna Zhuk took down the NR of Belarus--her own!--with her mark of 15-5.75!

In Switzerland, the newest 400H star--Femke Bol--ran a flat 400 in a PR of 51.13--winning the race!
In the same meet, Ciara Mageean ran the 800 in 1:59.69--getting Ireland's NR!!

In Greece, Elena Tzenggo threw the Javelin 209-10--getting the Age 18 Record!!

Jamaica's Female Sprint stars strutted their stuff in separate heats of the 100.
Shelly Ann Fraser-Pryce ran 10.87, while Elaine Thompson's time was 10.88.
(Why didn't they race each other??)

Bence Halasz had a PR in the HT with his 262-1.
Auriole Dongmo (sp?) got a SP World Leader--and Portugal's NR--with her 64-1!

High School Soph Emiyon Knighton had a great Sprint double!
After a 10.29 in the 100, he sped a half lap in 20.33!
This is the Soph Class Record!
And it makes him 10th A-T HS, tied with 1 other!!

OK, back to Monaco, etc!!

Noah Lyles sped the 200 in 19.76--with brother Josephus WAY back in 2nd!!
(First time brothers got 1-2 in a DL??)
Donovan Brazier improved to 1:43.15 in 2020.
But Bryce Hoppel's 1:43.23 in 2nd makes him 7th A-T US!!
Soufiane El Bakkali's 8:08.04 took the World Lead in the 3000SC!

Karsten Warholm's 47.10 in the 400H gives him Monaco's Meet Record--and the Age 24 Record!!
(The latter mark was Edwin Moses's--dating from 1979!!)
Mondo Duplantis cleared the PV bar set at 19-8.25.
He broke his own Age 20 Record!
And he tied Monaco's MR--first done in 1999!!

Orlando Ortego got the World Leader in the 110H with his 13.11.
Grant Holloway was just 4th with 13.19.
Lynna Irby took the Women's 400 in a World Leading 50.56.

At other sites--
Dan Stahl got a great Discus Throw of 234-2.
Johannes Vetter made the Javelin go past 300 feet--with 300-2.
Nadine Visser's 12.68 gave her the World Lead in the 100H.
In Russia, Anzhelika Sidorova cleared 15-9 in the PV.
Alina Shukh scored 6386 in the Heptathlon in the Ukraine--another World Leader!

In Florida--Where else??--Kenny Bednarek improved to 19.80 in the 200, making him 14th A-T US!
He's short of my World DDD by a measly 0.01 seconds!!
Sha'Carri Richardson had a great series of Marks!
She sped her 200 in 22.00, making her 11th A-T US!!
Her winning time in the Century was 10.95.
But her heat was in 10.83--slightly spoiled by a just over the allowable wind of 2.1!!

Back in Georgia, Justin Robinson ran a World Leading (!!) 44.91 in the 400.
A World Leader??!!
Jeez!

And we end this post with some GREAT High School times!
In Nashville, Tennessee, the one and only Rheinhardt (LOVE his name!!) Harrison didn't win the Mile, but his 4:01.34 gives him the Soph Class Record!!
It also makes him 20th A-T HS!
His enroute 1500 time of 3:46.02 gives him his second Soph Class Record!!

Sophie Gorriaram (sp?) ran an 800 in 2:02.97, making her 13th A-T HS!

I don't normally report 3200 times, but this one is too good to ignore!
Jenna Hutchins's time was 9:49.83.
If the race had been extended an extra 18+ meters, her Two Mile time might have been around 9:52.0!!

And that's a wrap, my Friends!
More to come!