A full year--and about 400,000 American deaths from CoronaVirus-19 later--the 2021 Track & Field INdoor season has begun with a World Record, a Collegiate Record, and some sensational High School marks!!
The Tokyo Olympic Games are closer to full cancellation than ever--although the United Nations (!!!) is apparently being recruited to help save it!
Tomorrow, this nation gets a new President--ending 4 nightmare years of a man who still denies he lost the election!
Yesterday, we celebrated Martin Luther King's birthday--a few months after George Floyd was murdered by some racist cops!
Amid all this madness, somehow the elite athletes of our favorite sport are producing some incredible marks in the very early weeks of a "season" that maybe should NOT be called a "season"!
Let's enter the venues where the action was, and see what happened!
(Please wear a mask!)
Hughes Zango had a great 2020 OUTdoor season, becoming last year's best Male Triple Jumper!
He proved it wasn't a fluke by breaking the INdoor World Record with a mark of 59-3.50!!
It's also the National Record of Burkina Faso, and the Age 27 Record!!
It happened in France!
KC Lightfoot took over as the Collegiate Record holder with his PV of 19-5.75!!
He passed Chris Nilsen's old mark by a quarter inch!
He made 3 attempts at 6.00, or 19-8.25, and feels confident he'll make that mark soon!!
He gets the Junior Class Record also!
(NOTE--The latest eTN by T&FN states that Collegiate Class Records may not be accurate, due to Covid cancelling some or all of Collegiate activity since early March of last year! This blog will continue to recognize Collegiate Class Records. If there's any changes, I'll adjust my Record Book, and report them here!!)
Lightfoot ranks 4th A-T US, and 14th A-T World!!
The Pole Vault--as has been the case in a few other INdoor seasons since my blog began--had a bunch of early high heights--besides Lightfoot's!!
In fact, just hours before KC's Record, Renaud Lavillenie topped 19-5 to temporarily lead the World!!
He's now 34 years old, but misses that Age Record by a few inches!
Younger brother Valentin ended 2nd at 18-9.25!
Other PV marks---
Jake Wooten and Nate Richartz both cleared 18-10.25 in Texas, with Richartz's mark being a PR.
That same meet saw Anicka Newell clear 15-5, also a PR!
In different states, Bridget Guy and Lisa Gunnarsson went over 14-10!
Gunnarsson now ranks 12th A-T Collegiate!
Anzhelika Sidorova got the Women's World Leader with her clearance of 15-7.
Two NR's went down when Femke Pluim of the Netherlands, and Fanny Smets of Belgium both cleared 14-9.50--with Pluim getting the win!
And back on December 19th, Amanda Moll became the 10th High School girl to clear 14-0 or higher INdoors!
Her 14-0 clearance gives her the Soph Class Record, and makes her 9th A-T HS, tied with 1 other!!
With the New Balance INdoor Nationals being cancelled for the second straight year (!!), the Virginia Showcase gave up several marks of NBIN quality!!
(The Armory is closed to T&F for the season, now being used as a vaccination center to fight Covid!!)
Topping the Showcase list was---well, gee, how do we choose??!!
But the Women's Two Mile takes that Prize, IMHO!
Sydney Thorvildson and Brynn Brown battled for the W, with Thorvildson becoming 2nd only to Mary Cain's iconic HSR!
She ended with 9:47.95, just 9.27 seconds slower than Cain.
Not taking anything away from Mary, we have to remember that Cain was racing against Tirunesh Dibaba (!!) and several other accomplished Professionals--when still 16 years old!!
This race was for HS'ers only!!
Thorvildson is now 2nd A-T HS!!
And she gets the Senior Class Record, finally taking down the historic mark of Melody Fairchild, run in 1991--30 years ago!!
Finishing in 9:51.00, Ms Brown is now 5th A-T HS, as her mark places her a mere 0.05 seconds ahead of one Katelyn Tuohy on the A-T HS INdoor list!!
BTW, Thorvildson also won the Mile, time of 4:43.90.
This makes her 22nd A-T HS!
Ever hear of Avery Lewis?
Well, I hadn't either--until the Virginia Showcase!!
Get this---
She won the 200 in 23.91.
She ran legs on the 4X200 and 4X400 Relays!
And she won the Long Jump!!
This last was THIS close to SUPER sensational!!!
Born December 21st of 2005, she JUST turned 15 years of age!
She is a Freshman!!
The Frosh Class Record WAS 19-7 for Girls INdoors!
Well, no more!
Leaping past the old Record on ALL SIX JUMPS, Lewis crushed the Class Record by 13 inches!
And even that's not quite accurate!
Yes, as noted, she'd already broken the Record with her very first attempt!
Her next best (before the 20-8) was 20-4/75--so she actually broke THAT Record!!
Her "worst" mark of the 6 was 19-8.75!!
Other incredible facts--
She's now 13th A-T HS!
Her 20-8 is better than the Soph Class Record also!!
I saw a 4 minute interview with her--She's smart, mature, grounded, and looking ahead to better stuff--soon!!
Remember the name--Avery Lewis!!
The Girls 800 saw Juliette Whittaker run 2:02.07!
It makes her 3rd A-T HS, and is the Junior Class Record!
Roisin Willis ended 2nd in 2:04.31, but wasn't a PR.
Whittaker and Willis joined Sophia Gorriaran and Bailey Goggins on a team called United All Stars to set the World and American Junior records for the 4 X 800 Relay!
However, because it was an "all star" team, and not from one school, it doesn't count as a HSR!
Willis (lead off), Whittaker (3rd leg), and Gorriaran (anchor) all ran in the 2:05's!
But Bailey Goggins (2nd leg) took the baton from Willis sporting a broken foot!!!
You read that correctly--a BROKEN FOOT!!
She could manage just 2:20 & change--but it's a miracle she didn't have to CRAWL the entire way!!
If I get more details about that, I'll report it in my next post!
Anyway, their time of 8:37.20 would have whacked over 16 seconds off the HSR!
And more than that--much more!--if Goggins had run with her foot in one piece!!
WOW!!!
Other VA Showcase stuff--
Jaylen Slade became 2nd A-T HS with his 300 time of 32.77!
It also makes him 18th A-T US!!
But he doesn't get the Junior Class Record, as Brian Herron's HSR of 32.64 was run as an 11th Grader!
Justin Braun took 2nd with his 33.24.
This ranks him 13th A-T HS!
I don't have Records or Lists for the 500, but it was a good race!
Braun won the 500 in 1:02.67, which apparently makes him 8th A-T HS!
Right there with him, but in 2nd, came Ashton Schwartzman.
Given the exact same time, he's also 8th A-T HS, tied with Braun!
Besides the 800 & the Relay, Gorriaran won the Women's 500 in 1:12.95!
Finally (from VA), Lorenz Colbert won the 200 in 21.14.
But he'd won a race right after New Year's in 21.08!
That time makes him 13th A-T HS, tied with 1 other!
Several other important marks to mention--
Yaroslava Mahuchikh HJ'ed 6-7.50.
She gets the Age 19 Record--and now owns the INdoor Age 17, 18, and 19 records!!
It equals her PR and her National Record of Ukraine!
Ruth Usoro TJ'ed 46-10.25 competing as a Collegiate!
It makes her 2nd A-T Collegiate, and is the National Record of Nigeria!!
She also Long Jumped 21-4.25!!
In College Station, Texas A&M Frosh Athing Mu sped negative splits in a 2:01.07 four lapper!
(Splits of 60.75 and 60.32!)
She gets the Age 18 Record, the Frosh Class Record, and places on a pair of lists!
She's 5th A-T Collegiate, and 24th A-T US!
Monique Hardy smashed her old PR in the Weight Throw with her toss of 67-4.75 in Louisiana.
It leaves her about 4 inches short of the Collegiate Frosh Class Record!
T Hedeilli ran his 800 in 1:45.98!
While the eTN didn't mention this, it makes him 10th A-T Collegiate!
Steven Gardiner ran a 300 in 32.70, not a PR.
Also not his best, Jacory Patterson ran his 300 in 32.61 at the Virginia Tech meet!
Natoya Goule ran a couple of quick 600's--first in 1:26.80, then in a separate meet, in 1:25.85!
The latter is the Age 29 Record!
Back to the 300--
T Conwell sped his in 32.97, making him 8th A-T Collegiate!
He misses the A-T US list by 0.05 seconds!
Kameron Jones didn't PR, but his 600 time of 1:16.16 was solid!
So was Daniel Haugh's WT of 78-11--also not his best!
Can you believe all this happened while Donald Trump STILL believes he won a 2nd term--in a landslide??!!
See ya soon, my friends!
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