Records Fall Far Beyond Boston

Three women and a young lady salvaged a Boston meet that fell far short of what one would expect from an IAAF World Tour event--compared by me as the INdoor equivalent of the OUTdoor Diamond League series!

So the New Balance Boston meet wasn't the greatest!
When you have numerous other meets---small & large--a bit known, or not---that give up all kinds of top-end Marks & Records--including a WORLD Record!!---who needs the IAAF--or Boston?
(Half-kidding here, folks!)

Yes, the 4-some collectively known as the USA All-Stars--individually as Emma Coburn, Sydney McLaughlin, Brenda Martinez, and Jenny Simpson--came through in the penultimate event of a generally dull night!

The World (and American) Record they broke was essentially their own, although just Martinez ran with the earlier record-breakers--and on a different leg!!
Coburn's 3:18 over 1200 was 3 seconds slower than wanted, as she appeared a bit heavy-legged.
But McLaughlin, coming off a speedy 300, tore up a 52 for the 400, handing off to Martinez!
Despite still being in tempo-shape, she tore through the first 400, then held on over the final 150 to run a good 2:01.9 for 800!
Dependable Jenny calmly belted out a 4:27 (almost exactly matching Martinez's anchor from 2015), sealing the WR!
Their time of 10:40.31 was quite a bit slower than their potential, but it took 2.26 seconds off the old record!
A European NB team took 2nd in 10:49.39, with the NB Boston team 6 seconds back in 10:55.93!

You can find great interviews with all 4 women on You Tube!

Those oddballs, the 600 and the 300 (especially the former!), played a huge role in how this weekend played out!

Just days after Emmanuel Korir shocked the track world by breaking the World & Collegiate records in the 600, Casimir Loxsom and Izaiah Harris did the same!!
At the Penn State meet, Loxsom and Harris dueled to the tape, Loxsom's 1:14.91 taking the WR, while Harris's 1:14.96 nabbed Korir's CR by a mere 0.01 seconds!!

For Loxsom, he got the WR, AR, and the Age 25 record!

He took down his own AR!!
He moved from 5th to 1st on the A-T World list!

For Harris, besides the CR, he gets the Soph Class record and the Age 20 record!

(His birthdate is October 18, 1996.)

He becomes 2nd on both the World & US lists!

And it doesn't stop there!
First, I found out Korir's birthdate--it's June 15, 1995!
So he got the Age 21 record for his 1:14.97!
In "old" news, I found out the Iowa City track is NOT Oversize!!
So Erik Sowinski's 1:16.45 time there last week was legit!

So was Jaymes Dennison's 1:16.84.

That makes him 7th A-T Collegiate!
Carter Lilly's time of 1:17.30 makes him 18th A-T Collegiate!

Daniel Kuhn ran a 600 in 1:15.88, and collecting the Collegiate Junior Class record in the process!!
He moves from 9th A-T Collegiate, tied with 1 other, to 5th.
He moves from 18th A-T US, tied with 1 other, to 7th!
And he makes the World list as well--in 18th place!

Staying with the Men, the Boston race produced a rookie DQ for Duane Solomon!

He cut in right after the first curve--one curve too early!!

So it was left to Donavan Brazier to take the win, his 1:16.57 making him 16th A-T US!

The Women had a good one too, theirs in the Clemson meet!
Natoya Goule got the W, her 1:25.76 making her 9th A-T World, tied with 1 other!
It also gave her the National Record of Jamaica!
Second went to Marilyn Okoro, who improved her time from a week or so ago, down to 1:25.89!
But this needs an explanation!
In my previous post, I said her other time was a British National Record!
NOPE!!
Jenny Meadows holds that distinction, her 1:25.81 dating from 2007!!
MY error!!
Another explanation--this one more fun!
Okoro WAS 24th A-T World!
Then, DURING this race, Goule kicked her OFF the list!

Then she got back ON---in a big way--all the way to 15th A-T World!!
Okoro does break her own Age 32 record, however!
In 3rd came Latavia Thomas's 1:28.01.
She moves from 24th A-T US to 13th!!
And Madeline Kopp, next in 1:28.48, gets 13th A-T Collegiate!
And 23rd A-T US!
Taken OFF my US list was Sammy Watson, whose HSR of 1:28.67 from last week is no longer US ranked!!
WHEW!!

The Boston 300's were okay!
Noah Lyles out-sprinted veteran Vernon Norwood, winning the Boston race in 32.67, a PR!
It's the Meet Record.
He's now 8th A-T US, tied with 2 others!
And he gets 15th A-T World, also tied with 2 others!
Norwood's 33.17 was not a PR!
BTW, I've got another Correction to make!
In the post where I wrote of Lyles's rust-busting 60 & 200, I intimated he was a Collegian!
He's a PRO!!
Sorry, Noah!!

In the Women's race, Candace Hill got out quick, but Courtney Okolo finished quicker!
Her 36.87 is ranked 14th A-T US!
She misses the World list by 0.15 seconds!

Let's change gears, and go to the always popular Pole Vault!
Lots of ups---and a down or 2--to report!

Piotr Lisek broke his own National Record of Poland, clearing 19-5!
He moves from 20th A-T World, tied with ELEVEN others, to 15th, where he's tied with a measly 3 others!!

In another European meet, Thiago Braz again defeated Renaud Lavillenie (Remember Rio??), his 19-2.75 the winning height!

In the always-PV-potent Razorback meet, the Weeks twins tore through the heights like melted butter, with Tori again topping sister Lexi.
Tied for the Collegiate lead coming in, she became the sole leader, clearing a PR of 14-10.25!!
(She attempted 15-0.25, but didn't make it!)
She moves from 22nd A-T Collegiate all the way up to 7th, tied with 1 other!!
She also becomes 22nd A-T US, tied with 2 others!
Lexi got her best mark of 2017, a 14-6.25.
She said she got a late start, due to her being an Olympian last year!!
Desiree Freier was a DNS, as she was listed as an entry!

In Seattle, new Oiselle member Megan Clark got unraveled, and hit 14-11, winning the meet!
Kortney Ross was 2nd with 14-8.25!
Logan Cunningham's 18-4.50 took the Seattle Men's event!

In other PV news--
Chris Nilsen reached 18-2.50.
Katie Nageotte got over 14-8.25 at Penn State.
Lucy Bryan, an Akron Frosh, was 2nd with 14-0.50.
An old mark, but Mondo Duplantis cleared 18-2.50 last week!
He missed his tries at 18-6.50!

And on the "down" side, Jenn Suhr fell DOWN---in the planting box.
Not badly hurt, she nonetheless withdrew from the Boston meet after that 1st attempt at her 1st height!
Ekaterina Stefanidi won easily, her mark a lowly 15-2.25!
Alysha Newman took 2nd with 14-10.25!

Back to the Records business!!
The University of Oregon visited The Armory in NYC!
Far from home, the 4 women comprising UO's Distance Medley Relay team finally removed their sisters from the University of Tennessee from the Record Books!!
UT's 10:50.98, dating from 2009, is no more!
UO's 10:48.77 is the new Collegiate Record!
Lilli Burdon ran 3:20.6 for 1200, followed by Ashante Horsley's 53.8 for 400!
Then came Raevyn Rogers's 2:03.5 cruiser 800, followed by Frosh sensation Katie Rainsberger's 4:30.9 over 1600!
They move from 4th A-T School to 1st!

The UO Men ran a decent time of 9:30.86, but not a PR!
Ed Cheserek anchored with 3:54.6!
At Penn State, Stanford's Women DMR'ed 11:01.39, also not a PR!
Georgetown took the Men's race in 9:33.89, with Stanford and Middle Tennessee State within one second space behind!

The Razorback meet's DMR's were won by both Oklahoma State teams, the Men in 9:33.93, the Women in 11:08.15.
Mississippi and LSU were close behind in the respective races!

TONS more to report, so hang in there---this is gonna be a LONG one!!

Another BIG Relay record went down!
The Men of Texas A&M erased their own 4X400 Collegiate Record from 2 years ago, with a time of 3:02.52!
But it was Fred Kerley's LEAD OFF leg of 44.96 that really shocked & awed!!
We haven't seen any OPEN 400's INdoors at sub-45 for---years??
And his younger brother Mylik Kerley anchored in 45.30!
Richard Rose and Devin Dixon were the middle legs!
This was at the Razorback meet!

The Boston 3000's were OK.

Helen Obiri decided to cruise, and everyone agreed!
So her hugely negative split race ended in 8:39.08, ahead of Sifan Hassan's 8:40.94, and Shannon Rowbury's 8:41.94.
The latter improved her PR, moving Rowbury from 10th A-T US to 5th!
Since my 2000 meter INdoor list is short of 24 names, I'm putting any "official" time under 6 minutes on there to fill it up!
So Rowbury's 2000 split of 5:52.88 makes her 12th A-T US on my 2000 DDD.
Leah O'Connor's 5:56.18 becomes 17th A-T US!
And Shannon Osika's 5:58.45 is 19th A-T US!!
The Men's race was also a snorer, with Paul Chelimo claiming his first INdoor win for the US in a non-PR of 7:42.39!

At Penn State, Tessa Barrett's 9:07.22 beat Tori Gerlach's 9:10.09 for 2 good Collegiate times!
Danae Rivers ran the Mile in 4:34.87, the Collegiate leader!
Remember, she's just a Frosh!
In the NY meet, Cheserek turned over a 7:46.85 for an easy 3000 win!
Kyle Merber and John Gregorek were left about 3 seconds behind!
The day after the UO DMR win (and CR!), Raevyn Rogers returned to run the fastest Collegiate 800 of 2017, time of 2:01.75!
Rogers misses the Junior Class record by 0.10 seconds!!
In 2nd came Clairigh (sp?) Buttner's 2:02.97!
This makes her 15th A-T Collegiate!!
In Virginia, Chantz Sawyers ran 500 meters in 1:02.10.
In Arkansas, Karissa Schweizer won the Razorback Mile in 4:35.61.

Sprint times were decent, but nothing splashy!
First, yet another ERROR by me!!
Remember me writing about Olivia Friedrichs's 8.20 over 60H being the HS leader?
It's NOT!
The timing was BAD, and WRONG!!
So Tara Davis remains the leader with her 8.31.

Sasha Wallace tied her PR of last year, her 7.91 becoming the Collegiate leader in the 60H!
In Erfurt, Germany, Rebeka (sp?) Haase sped a 60 flat in 7.14 to take the World lead!
But then Hannah Cunliffe nipped that with her 7.13 in NYC for the World, American, and Collegiate lead!
Deajah Stevens was 2nd in 7.23.
But Stevens returned the next day with a Collegiate (and World) leading 200 of 22.65!!
This makes her 14th A-T Collegiate!
She is 13th A-T US.
She misses the World DDD by just 0.07 seconds!!
Ironically, Cunliffe was cut OFF the US list, her time having been 22.85 from 2016!
Cunliffe, however, followed in 23.00, with Harvard's Gabrielle Thomas a tick back in 23.01.
Carly Muscaro took the Boston U 400 in 52.27.
Sharrika Barnett ran a 400 in 52.07 to win at the Razorback meet!
Deanna Hill sped a 200 in 22.94.
Christian Coleman's 20.49 became the World, US, and Collegiate leader!
He misses the Collegiate DDD by 0.03 seconds, the US list by 0.07 seconds, and the World DDD by 0.09 seconds!!
Second was Fred Kerley---who would run lead-off for Texas A&M's CR 4X400 Relay (See above!)--in 20.58, a PR!

Kim Collins is now the Age 40 record holder for the 60, his 6.64 filling the gap!
Expect some improvement there!!

ANOTHER biggie!!
Trey Cunniingham began 2017 with a bang in the HS 60H!
Well, that bang got a whole lot louder!
His latest--7.49--breaks Grant Holloway's HSR by 0.04 seconds!!
It's also the Senior Class record!
He moves from 3rd A-T HS, tied with 1 other, to 1st!!

Moving to OUTdoors for a bit, we have an American Record to report!
Katie Burnett WALKED 50,000 meters in 4:26:37 to claim the AR in this new event for Women!!
In Jamaica, Elaine Thompson sped an OUTdoor 60 meters in 7.02, a wind of 1.7 at her back!
(See the difference between an OUTdoor and INdoor 60??)
Christiane Williams took 2nd in 7.05!
Julian Forte took the Men's race in 6.55, wind of 1.3!
Fedrick Dacres threw the Discus 225-3, the National Record for Jamaica!
It's also the Age 22 record!!

Back to INdoors, more stuff--a wide variety!!
Mikiah Brisco sped 60 meters in 7.19, missing my Collegiate DDD by 0.02 seconds!
Raven Saunders took the Razorback SP with 60-7.25!
Shelby Ashe took the WT with her Collegiate best of 71-4.75!
(She has a 71-10.25 PR, but that came at the USATF meet, AFTER the NCAA!!)
A sudden emergence from total obscurity saw Belarus's Gleb Budorov--a Kansas Frosh!!--throw the WT 75-5.50!!
This was his FIRST Collegiate meet!!
And he gets the Frosh Class record!!
He's now 21st A-T Collegiate!!
At first, I thought this mark was questionable!
But there's an article in the U of Kansas online paper about it--and him!!

Kendell Williams took a good Razorback Pentathlon with 4476 points!
Kelsey Herman's 4278 took 2nd, but misses my Collegiate list by 49 points!
Leigha Brown's 4257 misses the Collegiate DDD by 70 points!

Keturah Orji got the Razorback LJ with 21-9, which rates her 23rd A-T Collegiate!
She misses the US list by 1.25 inches!
She didn't do her TJ specialty!
Yulimar Rojas--whom Orji battled with in Rio for a podium spot--TJ'ed 48-6.25, improving her Venezuela National Record by about 4 inches!
She moves from 24th A-T World to 19th!
And she gets the Age 21 record too!!

Alina Shukh of Ukraine scored 4550 points in the Pentathlon, breaking the World Age 17 record!!

The Boston 800 saw Charlene Lipsey defeating Habitam Alemu, 2:02.01 to 2:02.38, with Lynsey Sharp 3rd!
Sammy Watson finished in 2:03.94, a PR by 1.17 seconds!
This moves her from 6th A-T HS to 3rd!
In 7th was Russian whistle-blower Iulia Stepanova!
Her time was 2:05.14!

In the Junior Men's Mile in Boston, DJ Principe LOST!!
The 4:00.97 Miler was defeated by Josh Hoey, 4:09.26 to 4:12.34!

English Gardner took the Boston 60 in 7.17, with Dezerea Bryant 2nd in 7.19.
Gianna Rao improved her HS WT distance to 60-8, moving her from 22nd A-T HS to 11th!!
In the BU meet, Spain's Esther Guerro's 2:01.72 took the 800 from Cory McGee's 2:02.20 and Megan Krumpoch's 2:02.22.
Elinor Purrier took the Mile in 4:34.48!

Here's my usual list of OT marks---all from Seattle, of course!!
Barbara Nwaba scored 4376 Pentathlon points!
Justyn Knight took the Men's Mile in 3:59.64, with Andy Wheating and Brannon Kidder also sub-4!
Brie Felnagle ran a fast Mile in 4:27.27!
Too bad it's worthless for list purposes!!
Alexa Efraimson was 2nd in 4:30.49.
Kate Grace took the 800--sporting her new NIKE gear!!!--in 2:02.29!
The Women's 3000 was won by a nameless Canadian, but 2nd went to Christina Aragon, with Brenna Peloquin back in 14th!
(There were several sections!)
In 26th came 13 year old Grace Ping, her 9:33.85 a great time, OT or not!!

Colby Gilbert took the Men's 3K in 7:45 and change!!
Thomas Ratcliffe was 5th!

In today's Osaka Women's Marathon, American Serena Burla PR'ed in 4th with 2:26:53!
This 34 year old cancer survivor moves from 15th A-T US, tied with 1 other, to 9th!!
The race was won in the 2:24's!

I'll close this omnibus opus  (!!) with a couple of news items!

Kate Murphy is going to race with the Pro's in the Millrose Mile!!
A HSR in the offing??

And Sally Kipyego, who has lived in the United States for 12 years (since her college days!!) is now a United States citizen!!
No word on whether she'll compete for the US--or when!!

Thanks for staying with me!
Hope you enjoyed the ride!
See you soon!

A WR? From WHO?

Yes, a totally unexpected World Record from an even MORE unexpected source topped this weekend's T&F action!
But that was just the beginning!
It's exciting to realize that this INdoor season has yet to see a REALLY important meet---which will (hopefully) be next week's Boston IAAF World Tour opener!
Let's take a look at what HAS happened in these "lesser" meets!
Hold on to your (whatevers)!!

Emmanuel Korir began his Frosh year at UTEP with an Oversize Track 800 of 1:46.50, which WOULD have been the 2017 Collegiate leader IF run on a legal 200 meter track!
So maybe his 1:14.97 in a 600 at a meet in Albuquerque wasn't TOTALLY shocking!
But when you attach the "WR" initials to it, then it gains TONS of weight!!
Yes, Nico Motchebon's 1:15.12 WR, run in 1999, is no more!

This is also the Collegiate Record!
And the Collegiate Frosh Class record!
I have no idea his actual age, so I can't give him his due Age record!
(I will, if & when I discover his birthdate!)
It's also the National Record of Kenya, as he hails from Iten!

Also running fast in this race (Korir didn't take the lead until after 400 meters!!) were--
Jonah Koech, his 1:17.24 in 2nd making him 15th A-T Collegiate!
Tre Hinds, his 1:17.29 in 3rd making him 16th A-T Collegiate!

ANOTHER World Record popped up from an unexpected source this week!
I've written before about wanting an OFFICIAL 50,000 meter Walk for Women!
Well, the IAAF has now officially accepted a WR for this event!
Ines Henriques of Portugal Walked the distance in 4:08:26 to knock about 2 minutes off the old WR---even if THAT record wasn't considered official!
Her 25K splits were 2:02:07 and  2:06:19!!
This of course is the National Record of Portugal, as well as an (unknown to me!) Age record!!
BTW, the Men's race was won with a time just 4 seconds faster than Ms Henriques!!

The Women's 600 gave up two BIG marks!

Sammy Watson's 1:28.67 took down the HSR in a race where she was unchallenged!
This is also the Senior Class record, as well as the Age 17 record (based on my records!).
She moves from 3rd to 1st on the A-T HS list!
She also becomes 23rd on the A-T US list!!

Ajee Wilson also ran a "solo" race, as her 1:25.23 dominated the field!
She is now the Age 22 record holder!
She moves from 19th A-T World to 5th, tied with 1 other!
She remains 2nd A-T US!

Kendra Harrison improved her 60H PR by just 0.02 seconds, but her 7.75 ties the Age 24 record!
It moves her from 3rd to 2nd on the A-T US list!
And she moves from 12th A-T World, tied with 1 other, to 8th, tied with 2 others!
She'd run her heat in 7.85!

In other 60H news---
Trey Cunningham's 7.59 is the HS leader, and moves him from 8th A-T HS to 3rd, tied with 1 other!
Olivia Friedrich also becomes the HS leader, her 8.20 ranking her 8th A-T HS!!
And finishing 3rd in the Kendra Harrison race was Pedrya Seymour's 7.98, which makes her 19th A-T Collegiate, tied with 4 others!!
Knocked OFF my Top 24 list were two iconic names!!
Lolo Jones's 8.00 dates from 2004!
She went on to run the American Record of 7.72!
Susanna Kallur's 8.00 dates from 2002!
She went on to break the World Record with her 7.68!!
(Akela Jones's 8.00 from 2016 was also erased!!)

The Weight Throw got revved up quite a bit---as per usual!!
 A bit dated mark---about a week or two?---is Makenti Forrest's 59-11.75, which places her 16th A-T HS!
Annette Eckdunwoke (Somewhat similar tongue-twister to that of Chuk Enechwechi??  LOL) threw it out to 73-11, making her 14th A-T Collegiate, tied with 1 other.
She's also 17th A-T US!
AND she ranks 20th A-T World, tied with 1 other!
Johnnie Jackson's throw measured 77-3.75.
This makes him also 14th A-T Collegiate, except for the Men!
He's also 17th A-T US, matching Ms Eckdunwoke's mark, but for the other gender!
And he ranks 24th A-T World!
DeAnna Price, the Rio Olympian, finally took her talents INdoors in a serious way, her 75-10.25 making her 10th A-T US, and 12th A-T World!!
Jeneva Stevens, another Pro, got a good throw, but her 77-7.25 was NOT a PR!
(She also threw the SP out 60-10!)
Jacob Wickey followed his HS list-leading 76-10 with a good 76-5!
Second to Wickey was Brent Fairbanks, whose 75-6 misses my HS DDD by 9.50 inches!
Raven Saunders had another great SP series, getting 3 over 60 feet, her longest being 61-4.75!
But she fouled 3 times in the WT, not getting her final 3 throws!
Erin Farmer threw the SP out to 58-4.75.
This makes her 22nd A-T Collegiate, tied with 1 other!

The PV continued producing, but nothing in the "eyes wide open" realm!
Tori Weeks (Lexi did NOT compete!!) fraction-inched her way up the charts, her 14-6.25 improving last week's (sic!) PR by a quarter-inch!!
She remains 22nd A-T Collegiate, but has removed the 2 she was tied with, so she's now 22nd with NO ties!
She took 3 tries--said by sources to be "good" tries!--at 15-0!!

Alysha Newman improved to 15-3, which gave her the National Record of Canada!!

Victor Weinrich got over a bar set at 18-8.25, which fell 4 inches short of making the US Top 24 Performers list!!
Allison Koressel and Kortney Ross both topped 14-7.25!
But Oiselle's newest signee--Megan Clark--No-Heighted in this competiton!
Annie Rhodes jumped 14-5.25, missing the Collegiate DDD by 0.75 inches!
She missed 3 times at 14-9!
Deakin Volz climbed over 18-1 for one of the better 2017 Collegiate marks!
Finally--in the PV world!--Becky Arbiv's 13-5.75 gives her 17th on the A-T HS list!!

In other jumps--
Keturah Orji opened her 2017 INdoor TJ season--she'd previously LJ'ed!--in good fashion, her 45-9.25 winning easily!
She had two other 45 foot jumps!
The INdoor Collegiate and American records await her next competitions!!
Madeline Fagan HJ'ed 6-2.75, but missed the Collegiate DDD by a quarter-inch!
She took 3 tries at 6-4.25!!
Grant Holloway became the 2017 Collegiate leader in the LJ, his 26-5 missing my Collegiate list by 3.50 inches!
He also missed the Collegiate Frosh Class record by 2.75 inches!!
(He also ran a 60H in 7.77.)
Kendell Williams LJ'ed 21-4.75.
She also did the 60H--time of 8.07!

And----from Russia!!--comes two more World leading marks in the HJ!!
Mariya Kuchina reached 2.00--or 6-6.75--but it missed her 2014 PR by 0.25 inches!
She just turned 24 years old!
Ivan Ukhov upped his season's (and World-leading) best to 7-8.50!!

I'll lead off the Mile-1500 news with an announcement!
Genzebe Dibaba---Who else??---said she'll be chasing her own INdoor 1500 WR on February 10th in the Torun IAAF World Tour meet!!
Ready to bet??
LOL

In other middle-distance news--
Drew Hunter WON his first Pro INdoor race, his 3:58.92 outkicking Julian Oakley's 3:59.04!
But in 3rd came a High School kid!!
DJ (David) Principe improved on his December time of 4:04.47 by just a bit!
Closing fast, he missed breaking 4 minutes, but his 4:00.97 still moved him from 6th to 3rd on the A-T HS INdoor list--behind Mr Hunter and a certain Mr Webb!!
And he was officially timed at 1500 meters, so his 3:44.52 makes him 3rd A-T HS, with the same pair ahead of him!
His final 109 meters was a solid 16.45 seconds!!
Andy Bayer ran the Mile in 3:59.24.
In the 500, Bershawn Jackson sped 1:01.41.

The list of Oversize Track marks will follow!
But first, I should report that Kayla Montgomery continues her comeback from her MS relapse!
Her time (11:10.29 over 3000 meters) or place (13th of 15 finishers) weren't "good" in the "normal" sense!
But she moved up in distance run, and there were Lipscomb runners slower than her!
She IS coming back!
Alll the way??
Maybe!
But that this inspirational girl is running AT ALL is almost a miracle!!

ADDENDUM to a previous post!
I noted that Christian Coleman had sped a 60 in 6.56!
I failed to note that he ran the final FASTER---his 6.54 leading the World!!

Jairaine (sp??) Oliver ran the 60 in 7.18 to take over the Collegiate lead for 2017.
She'd run her heat in 7.19!
But her 7.18 misses my Collegiate DDD by 0.01 seconds!!
Teahna Daniels took 2nd in 7.21.
Fred Kerley improved his season's best in the 200 to 20.74.
But Jereem Richards ran faster, his 20.57 now topping the season list!
Eli Hall-Thompson ran 20.71.

And now for those infamous OT marks!
Put on your mourning hats!

Molly Seidel opened her INdoor season in the Mile--on Notre Dame's 320 meter oval!
And despite the track size, she couldn't run faster than 4:44.75!
She did beat Anna Rohrer, however, Rohrer's 4:53.23 putting her 7th in the race!!
Erin Finn ran 3000 meters--also at ND--in 9:07.24!
Shakima Wimbley and Kendell Ellis ran OT 400's in 51.28 and 51.52, respectively!
Isaiah Harris sped the 800 in 1:46.65!

But the saddest tale of all was that of Aliyah Miller!!
This young lady tweeted that she'd just run what she BELIEVED was the fastest 800 run by a College Freshman---EVER!!
I felt the need to tell her the FACTS!!
(I did congratulate her, however!!  LOL)
Her great time of 2:03.43 is indeed faster than the listed Collegiate INdoor Frosh Class record---that being 2:04.27!!
But it was run on an Oversize Track, thus making it NOT eligible for list or RECORD purposes!!
This girl DOES remain one to watch!!

Speaking of my chief pet peeve, the SEC meet is being held on Vanderbilt's OT this year!!
WHY??
This always-fantastic meet thus will LOSE ALL the marks run over 60 meters!!
Stupid, stupid, STUPID!!!

Finally, the Dubai Marathon!
Ken Bekele--and his coach--had told everyone before the race that he would chase---and get---the World Record of 2:02:57!
And but for a fall, this record might have fallen---sic!!
Right at the start, Bekele got tripped, and fell!
This---he said!---was the cause of him DNF'ing at about the halfway point, or just past!
The Half was reached at WR pace, but with Bekele gone, it faded!
Still Tamirat Tola did break Dubai's Course Record, his 2:04:11 moving him from 24th to 11th on the A-T World list!
Second runner ended over 2:30 later!!
The Women's race went to Worknesh Degefa's 2:22:34!
Shure Demise's 2:22:57 was closer than Tola's nearest challenger, but the two women have VERY different running forms!
Degefa appeears very smooth and fast, her demeanor appearing tireless.
But Demise appeared sluggish and slow, even plodding!
Yet she never really lost any steps in the final few miles!!
So this proves the adage that appearances can be deceiving!!

As noted earlier, next week brings us BOSTON!!!
ALL the events are loaded with stars!
But the best event--as far as I can tell--might be the Women's Distance Medley Relay!
I know who 3 of the 4 runners are, and they are BEASTS!!

Don't know who will run which leg, but here's my guess---
Emma Coburn (!!) will lead off in the 1200.
Followed by "Lady X" in the 400.
Then Brenda Martinez will run her specialty, the 800 leg!
To be anchored by Jenny Simpson!!

Here's my TIME prediction---given those 3 women, plus perfect health, shape, and pacing!!
Coburn will run 3:15
The unknown 400 gal will speed a 54 (total time of 4:09).
Then Martinez will ace her 800 in 2:01 (total time of 6:10)
Simpson will race her 1600 anchor in 4:20, for a "WR" time of 10:30!!
Note that the current INdoor WR is 10:42.57!

See you soon!

"New" 300 Lists Already Rewritten

This INdoor season is going somewhere!
But to the 300 meters??

Okay, let me fill you in!
My T&F Record Book (and this blog, from whence it came) basically ignored "odd" events like the 300.
Sure, some marks were impressive, but the event itself seemed to be limited to HS meets, with the USATF INdoors adding it to their schedule last year (and this year?).
But when Quanera Hayes and Candace Hill had that spectacular race last week (See earlier post!), and Grant Holloway ran that 32.80 as a Collegiate Frosh, I had to ponder adding this event to my pile of "DDD" (Top 24 Performers) lists!
And I did--but not (yet) for Collegians!
(My research was easy!  I found a World List that went 50 deep, and was totally up to date!!  For the US list, I extrapolated all Americans from that World list--coming up a couple short--but that's now filled in!!  For my HS list, I began with Jack Shepard's HS Track book's A-T Indoor lists, which go 20 deep!  Again, I've already lengthened those lists to the full 24!!)
My timing was perfect, as THIS weekend has already seen 14 marks (in my World, US, and HS categories) reaching my lists!!

Tyrese Cooper had the best 300, his 33.03 nipping Michael Cherry's HSR of 33.05.
Besides the HSR, Cooper also gets the Soph Class record, and the World Age 16 record!!
He is now 16th A-T US, tied with one other!

(In the 500, Cooper ran 1:01.88, missing the HSR by just two-tenths of a second!!  So he's 2nd A-T HS, and gets the Soph Class record to boot!!  Chantz Sawyers took 2nd to Cooper, his 1:02.29 making him 4th A-T HS!!)

In that same race (at the GREAT Virginia Showcase meet!), Micaiah Harris ran 33.22, making him 7th A-T HS!
Third place went to Eric Allen's 33.49, which makes him 12th A-T HS!!

On the Women's side (at the same meet), Lynna Irby beat Jayna Kirkland, 38.09 to 38.16!
For Irby, it gives her 12th A-T HS!
For Kirkland, she's now 14th A-T HS, tied with 1 other!

At another meet in the same state--the Virginia Tech meet--Shakima Wimbley hot-footed a 36.72, making her 10th A-T US, and 24th A-T World!!

In a Harvard meet, Izaiah Brown sped the 300 in 33.12, making him 19th A-T US, tied with 1 other!

Sydney McLaughlin improved her PR to 37.11 (She'd run 37.49 as a Soph!!) at the Armory.
She remains 2nd A-T HS (on the amateur list---Ms Hill's 36.86 of course is the fastest, but she's a Pro!!), and moves from 19th A-T US to 15th!!

Speaking of Candace, she ran a good 37.00 in her follow-up race, adding a 60 of 7.39!!

Kate Murphy did NOT race the VA Showcase 1000 against Sammy Watson, as I'd promoted in my previous post!
Maybe that's because the day before, she anchored her Lake Braddock team to an HSR of 11:34.54 in the DMR, with a blazing 4:38 1600!
For a girl whose OUTdoor 1500 of 4:07 equates to about a 4:24 Mile, maybe 4:38 isn't exactly "blazing".
But it WAS just fast enough to secure the HSR for her team!!

BTW, Watson won that 1000 in 2:48.18 over Rachel McArthur's 2:49.25!
McArthur misses my DDD list by 0.43 seconds!
(Watson's 2:45+ from 2016 is already on the list!)
And Watson ran the 500 also, her 1:11.75 making her 3rd A-T HS!!

Kaela Edwards opened her final Collegiate season in good fashion!
Her time of 2:40.79 in the 1000 broke the Collegiate Record set by Angel Piccirillo last year by just 0.03 seconds!!
It also gives her the Senior Class record!
She's now 20th A-T US, tied with 1 other!

The 600 gave us some good marks!
Marilyn Okoro of Great Britain ran 1:26.72, making her 24th A-T World!
But more important, it gave her GB's National Record!!
AND the Age 32 record!!
Rosie Chamberlain took 2nd in that race, her 1:29.57 making her 24th A-T Collegiate!
(Okoro ran as unattached in that Collegiate race, according to TFRSS!)

At the Penn State meet, Danae Rivers ran 1:29.06, giving her the Collegiate Frosh Class record!!
She's 19th A-T Collegiate!
She misses my US Top 24 list by just 0.28 seconds!
(In the Seattle meet--on its 307 meter Oversize Track), Raevyn Rogers ran 1:26.97--which obviously does NOT make any lists or break any records--due SOLELY to it's being run on an OT!!  More Seattle marks are below!)

The PV had some "new" and "returning" names in the weekend's results!

First, I'm happy to report that Jenn Suhr is healthy, and jumped 15-9.25, which is the World-leading mark for this calendar year!!

At the PV Summit in Reno--which had a somewhat limited elite entry list, maybe mostly due to bad weather!--Sandi Morris cleared 15-3 to win the Women's elite division!
(The Men cleared just 18-2.50, hardly worthy of notice!)

The Arkansas meet was one we all looked forward to, as that school has become the Collegiate PV Factory!!
Lexi-----oh wait, I'll get to HER in a bit!!

No, TORI Weeks won this vaunted (or should I say VAULTED??  LOL) affair, clearing an INdoor PR of 14-6!!
This makes her 22nd A-T Collegiate, tied with 1 other!
(I'll get to that "other" in a second!)
Taken OFF my DDD list was the Rio Olympics Gold winner, Ekaterina Stefanidi, whose Collegiate mark of 14-5.25 from 2011 is no more!!

As for Lexi Weeks, she was only able to clear 14-0!
In third was another Razorback, Desiree Freier, who got over 13-8.25!
Lexi missed 3 times at 14-2, while Freier missed thrice at 14-0!

That "other" I spoke of earlier was Kally Long, whose 14-6 was, I believe, her FIRST 14 foot jump!
She's a Junior at Texas!
So she is also 22nd A-T Collegiate, tied with Tori Weeks--and one other!
Annie Rhodes lost to Long by 2 inches, her 14-4 a good start to her 2017 season!

In other PV news--
(FORMER)  HSR holder Chris Nilsen got over 17-11, which is an INdoor PR!!
If you recall, he jumped 17-6.50 INdoors last year, but Mondo Duplantis got the (then-) HSR of 18-0.50--since smashed!!
Nilson's mark, however, is far short of the Collegiate Frosh Class record!!
Known as a Decathlete, Stanford's Harrison Williams soared over 17-8.50 for a PR--which in the Dec is worth 1035 points!!
Alina McDonald reached 14-2 at the Virginia Tech meet!

Maybe now is a good time to report some early season marks from---RUSSIA!!
Yes, that "banned" nation still competes!!
One of the Russian marks is a 19-0.25 PV by Timur Morgunov--which LEADS the World, according to Tilastopaia, the Swedish World list-maker!
The other Russian marks go to HJ'ers!
Mariya Kuchina jumped 6-4.25, while Ivan Ukhov got over 7-6.50!
Ukhov's mark is also a World leader!!

Raven Saunders opened her Junior year of college with her 62-8 SP missing the Junior Class record by just 2 inches!!
It misses her overall CR by 5.25 inches!!
She also threw the WT--reaching a non-PR of 66-4.25!

Alyssa Wilson moved closer to Ms Saunders's HSR, becoming the 2nd HS'er to go over 56 feet, her 56-2.50 keeping her in 2nd place on the Top 24 list!

Stipe Zunic hit 67-10.25 at the VA Tech meet.

Sultana Frizell (One of my favorite NAMES in the sport, and a really interesting quirky PERSON!!) got the National Record of Canada in the Weight Throw, her 72-2.25 being the new NR!!

But Jessica Ramsey reached 76-5.75 at the Commodore Invite!
She remains 9th A-T US and 11th A-T World!
Daniel Haugh hit 73-8.25 with the WT!

Some good sprint action makes this report!
Christian Coleman sped 60 meters in 6.56, which apparently is a World leader!
Also leading the World is the returning (from injury) Duck, Hannah Cunliffe!
Her 7.19 won one of the only LEGAL races at the Seattle meet!!

Another Oregon Duckie, Sasha Wallace, became the first sub-8.00 60H gal, her 7.96 taking the other legal Seattle race!

Tara Davis became the fastest 60H girl in the HS ranks for 2017, her 8.31 moving her from 19th A-T HS, tied with 2 others, to 15th--no ties!
She also did her signature event TJ, but barely broke 40 feet in a rare off day (for that event!).

Noah Lyles opened his (maybe rather brief---IF he decides to turn Pro before the Tokyo OG) Collegiate career by doubling in the 60 (6.75) and 200 (21.02).
Pretty good for "rust-busters"!!

Assorted field events saw some good marks!
Jasmine Moore missed the HS Soph Class record in the TJ by just 0.75 inches with her 42-3.25 PR!
She moves from 16th A-T HS, tied with 1 other, to 14th!

A REALLY precocious youngster--from France!!--measured out to 21-6.75, or 6.57 in her native Euro metric (LOL), in the Long Jump!
Why am I reporting this?
This girl--Heather Arreton--is just FOURTEEN years old, having been born AFTER 9/11--July 27, 2002 to be exact!!
The Age 15 record?
Held by the most venerable Heike (Daute) Drechsler--whose 21-9.50 dates from 1980!!
It's apparently the World Age 14 best!!
She also ran a 50 meters in 6.50---which would miss the US HS Frosh Class record by 0.03 seconds!!
Watch for her name!!

On the other end of the Age scale falls (or RISES!!!) Ruth Beitia, whose 6-4.75 is the new INdoor Age 37 record for the HJ!!

Other good LEGAL (meaning run NOT on OT's!!) marks include--
Ajee Wilson's 500 of 1:09.63 at the Ocean Breeze!
Liguelin Santos's 1:01.76 over the same distance at the same meet!
Brandon McGorty's fastest HS 800 of 2017--his 1:50.85 moving him from 16th A-T HS, tied with 2 others, to 10th!
Katelyn Tuohy running a good Mile as a HS Frosh--her 4:48.29 winning an Armory race!
At a home meet in Ann Arbor, Michigan, a good Women's Mile took place!
Nicole Sifuentes won in 4:35.69!
And look who she beat!
Second was Amanda Eccleston's 4:39.39--which just edged Blue heroine Erin Finn's 4:39.76!

Been wondering---as I had!!--whatever happened to that twin-set Hannah and Haley Meier?
They went to Duke after graduating HS in 2013!
Then basically disappeared!
Well, they're back---though Hannah's 800 of 2:13.83 won't be scaring any Collegiate middle distancers!
Nor will Haley's 2:15.48!
I believe they're redshirting, but at least we know they're still in the game!!

I'll finish my "track" report with the usual slate of OT marks--mostly from the Seattle meet!
Once again, NONE of the following marks--though list-worthy, some of them!--are eligible for list or record purposes!!
How very SAD!!!!

Kate Grace, Olympic 800 finalist, sprinted past OUTdoor 3:57.05 1500 gal Sifan Hassan in the final 100 of the Seattle 3000, her 8:47.26 beating Hassan's 8:50.38 handily!
Brie Felnagle ran 8:53.35, with Lauren Paquette running 8:54.71, with Leah O'Connor's 8:56.14 taking 5th!
Back in 13th came 13 year old (!!) Grace Ping, her 9:43.31 being VERY fast, OT or not!!
If legal, this 8th Grader would miss the 9th Grade record by less than 2 seconds!!
Alas, NONE of the above marks are legal!!

Matthew Centrowitz won the Men's 3K by 11 seconds, timing 7:49.89!
In the Vanderbilt meet (OT), Emmanuel Korir ran the 800 in 1:46.50.
Also at Vanderbilt, Karissa Schweizer won the Mile in 4:41.86.
In section 5 of the Mile, Kayla Montgomery returned to action for Lipscomb College--in her first race back after a late-2015 relapse of her Multiple Sclerosis!!
Amazing young lady!!
While her time of 5:31.61 was by no means "special", it WAS VERY special, considering her life circumstances!!
I hope she races MANY more times for Lipscomb--and beyond!!
BTW, she was 4th in her section!

Back to Seattle, Lauren Wallace took the 1000 in 2:43.31.
Stanford's Rebecca Mehra was 2nd in 2:43.69.
Eric Jenkins doubled---40 minutes apart!!--in the 1000 (2:23.95) and Mile (3:58.68).
Colby Gilbert also got under 4:00 with his 3:58.96!
In the Women's Mile, Oiselle's Sasha Gollish won in 4:36.43.
In 3rd came Alexa Efraimson--about 1 month shy of turning 20!!--timed in 4:38.42!!

I know this report is already quite lengthy, but I would be remiss if I didn't report some results from this morning's Houston races!!

In the Half-Marathon, Jordan Hasay--YES, I said Jordan Hasay!!---is suddenly a MAJOR factor in the American Road scene!
She'd run that 52:49 for 10 Miles (See my earlier post!), but now you can add her spectacular rookie Half mark of 1:08:40!!
(Note that Molly Huddle's initial 13.1 Miler was 1:09:01!!)
But her time wasn't the only great thing about her run!
She was 5th well into the race, following some big name Africans!
In fact, after the withdrawal of Mare Dibaba, maybe Mary Wacera was THE favorite!
Wacera finished 3rd!
TWO SECONDS behind her came the flying Ms Hasay, who also beat Mamitu Daska's 1:09:01!!
Second American was Aliphine Tuliamuk, whose 1:09:58 was also of note!!
Oh, BTW, the Women's race went to Veronicah Nyaruia's 1:07:58, with Dera Yami's (??) 1:08:06 taking 2nd!

The Men's Half was won by that former Kenyan, now US Army--Len Korir, who sprinted past a startled Feyisa Lelisa, who again put up his crossed-arms Ethiopian protest symbol at the finish!
Both were timed in 1:01:14, but Korir clearly won--though some wrongly blamed Lelisa's loss on his arms cross!!

The full Marathons were won in slow times (2:12 & 2:30), but Becky Wade took 3rd in the Women's race with her 2:35:57!

And that is a WRAP, folks!!
Here's hoping next weekend's series of meets produces another LONG report!!
No apologies!!

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!

2017 THE Retirement Year?

Goodbye, Farewell, Until We Meet Again!

In the sport of Track and Field, retirement is a constant theme, as the turnover in the elite portion of our sport is enormous--and mostly hidden and silent!

Usain Bolt notwithstanding, I can't remember the last time a retirement---or even an announcement of an upcoming retirement--made headlines in World & National media---except for Track and Field News and related magazines and websites!

But today's release of personal statements from Ashton and Brianne Thiesen-Eaton that both are---nay, HAVE retired from T&F competition came as a shock to all--and produced chatter on Social Media of a massive decibel count!

I will look at this retirement factor in greater depth in a moment--but first, here is the Records & Marks legacy they leave us with!

OUTdoors--Decathlon & Heptathlon
Ashton is the World Record holder with 9045 points!
He also is the American Record holder (9045).
He holds the Soph (8095) & Junior (8240) Collegiate Class Records.
Age Records he holds are Age 24 (9039) & Age 27 (9045).
Meet Records held are the NCAA (8457), Olympic Trials (9039), World Championships (9045), and he is co-holder of the Olympic Games record with 8893 points, along with his initial idol, Roman Sebrle!!
He ranks 3rd A-T Collegiate!

For Brianne, she holds the National Record of Canada with 6808 points!
She is the PAC-12 Meet Record holder with 6353 points!
She ranks 2nd A-T Collegiate, with 6440 points!
And she is 17th A-T World with her 6808 PR!

INdoors--Heptathlon & Pentathlon
Ashton holds the World Record with his 6645 total!
That's also the American Record!
He holds the Collegiate Record with 6499 points!
Also the Senior Class record--same points total!
Age Records held are Age 22 (6499), Age 23 (6568), Age 24 (6645), Age 26 (6632), and Age 28 (6470)!!
Meet Records held include the NCAA (6499) and World Championships (6645)!!

For his wife, Brianne is the National Record holder of Canada with her 4881 points total!
This gives her the Age 27 Record also!!
She ranks 5th A-T Collegiate, points total of 4555!
And she's 8th A-T World, with her PR!

What they did NOT accomplish as individuals, they did so as THE Power Couple of the Multi's!!
Surely, there's never been a greater partnership, in life or in sport!

We will miss you on the tracks and fields of battle!
But a voice whispers that we WILL see both of you again!

THANK YOU, Brianne Thiesen- and Ashton Eaton!!

So what does this mean for our sport?
What happens when Usain retires?
Or Mo, or the Dibabas, or anyone of a stature where just one name is necessary?

And why NOW??
Where does the striving to reach one's potential end?
Should it ever??

"Experts" said that Ashton had potential to score close to 9500 points!
Surely, BTE had more in her!
And what about Jessica Ennis-Hill and Morgan Uceny, or even the forcibly-retired Yelena Isinbayeva??
Why retire?

Distance runners many-times continue to old age, as Joan Samuelson has done--although 59 is surely NOT "old"!!!

Part of it's personal.
They want to start (or raise) a family!
They want to do "something else".
They're injury-prone, and are tired of the pain & added effort to return!!
They have some kind of eating disorder, and don't want their image projected publicly!
They have another career they want to get into!

But where does that leave them in their reach for perfection?
Could they PR again, if they continue a few more years?
Do Records & Marks even count on their priority list?
After all, Records are fallible creatures, made for breaking!
Here today, gone tomorrow!

I think one reason is the drug problem--more pervasive than ever!
They just are tired of finding out---years later--that those who finished ahead of them are now banned!
The banning of whole nations for drug reasons is unheard of!
Who is truly clean anymore?

In the Eaton's case, it's intriguing that they BOTH retired on the same day!
(Or at least announced it!!)
One person tweeted that "Roman Eaton" would win Gold in the 2044 Olympics!!
This gives added weight to the "start a family" factor!
They're both 28 years old, although Brianne was born December 18th of 1988, while Ashton will turn 29 on January 21st!!

While we honor their life (and career) choices, do NOT be shocked to see them return for Tokyo's 2020 Games!!

In several posts, I've asked the whereabouts of some (mostly female) athletes!
Wesley Frazier, Cayla Hatton, Natosha Rogers!
Some have returned, but Cayla, for one, has not!
Do we need a formal announcement of their status in the sport--to satisfy our curiosity?
The spots they leave empty are instantly filled by new (and better) athletes!
Who needs THEM??
But that's a cruel rude way of approaching the question!
After all, these are human beings we speak of, not athlete entities with just numbers to humanize them!

No, it's not the loss of the numbers they produced, but of the potential lost!!
To see a human REACH their potential (or at least strive to do so!) inspires US to reach ours!!
To see someone give up--to see them just disappear without a word--scares us!
Could the same happen to us--to our friends and life partners?

Death is inevitable--but hopefully it arrives at its natural time, NOT prematurely!
Same with retirement (or any form of departure from our sport)!!
We want it to happen when all of our potential has been met--not when we just surrender to the expected & desired quest!!

The Eatons gave us everything!
How can we complain about that?

Well, folks, this blog wouldn't be this blog if I didn't tell you of a new Class Record--or other marks of note!

Remember Brian Herron?
At the onset of the 2016 INdoor season, he broke the INdoor Frosh Class record for the 400 with 47.97!
This mark was soon tied by Tyrese Cooper, giving us (then) the greatest pair of High School Freshmen in the sprints in awhile!
In the OUTdoor season, Cooper went on to break numerous records, while Herron (I believe) was injured!

Well, Herron again has begun his INdoor season with a Class Record--this time as a Soph, and in the 200!!
His 21.22 destroyed the old record, held by none other than Noah Lyles (!!), by 0.28 seconds!!
It also TIES the Frosh Class record--held by Ty Cooper!!
So BOTH Class Records are now 21.22!!
BTW, this ranks 14th A-T HS, tied with 4 others!!
Herron also ran the 400 in 48.08!

Katie Nageotte PV'ed 14-11 at a recent Clinic competition!!
It was mistakenly listed as 15-5 at first, then corrected!
But she DID make 3 attempts at 15-5!
Her INdoor PR is 15-1.50 from 2016!

Many big names have been announced for the Millrose meet!
More on that in a later post!

Also, Susanna Kallur, Cindy Roleder, and Sally Pearson will race the 60H in the Karlsruhe meet!

Laura Muir is apparently set to race the 5000 meters INdoors for the first time--TODAY!!

Galen Rupp is going to shoot for Ryan Hall's American Record (59:43) in the Half-Marathon in the Houston race!!

Sammy Watson and Kate Murphy will shoot for the 1000 HSR at the Virginia meet upcoming!
The entire meet seems like a good one!
Full details, of course, right here!!

Also, the Camel City meet is shaping up to be another goodie!!

This INdoor season is a bit slower in getting to full speed than the past 2 or 3 years!!
Hopefully, ITS potential will soon begin to emerge!!

A brief note about a book--
I just read a novel by Paul Duffau called "Finishing Kick".
It's about an eastern Washington HS girls XC team, which is good, but not the best!
A girl named Callie is chosen as Captain of the team for her Senior year!
Can she inspire the team to beat the state's greatest--Fairchild Academy?
Will her "relationship" with boy runner Mark interfere?
And how will she handle the mercurial Mattie, coming over from another sport?
Or Callie's younger sister Jen?
Or the twin studs, Hanna and Anna?

Read this nice sweet book to find out!
I give it a B-minus, as it's written a bit too simply, and is filled with cliches!
The descriptions of the training and racing are good!
Worth a read!
Available on Amazon!

See you all soon!

2016 World & US Athletes of the Year--OUTdoors

As I type, it's 4 hours until 2017 exits the womb of time--for better or worse!
Just enough time for this blog to name its AOY's for the US and the World for the year still (barely) breathing!!
Track and Field News announced theirs recently too!
And I can safely say we (again!) disagree on certain matters!
Read on to see where--and why!

But as ever, results come first!!
The Boston University Mini-Meet #2 produced a good one!

DJ (David) Principe won the first section of the Mile in 4:04.47.
One of the better XC runners this past fall, Principe now ranks 6th A-T HS!!
(He says he'll race next at the Dartmouth Relays next week!!)

In a mixed 3000, Cory McGee ran a solid 8:57.87, with Liz Costello following in 9:00.44.
Good times for December on a 200 meter track!!

And now for Aaron K's Track and Field Record Book's picks for Athletes, Performances, and Personalities of the Year--the year being OUTdoors 2016!
For my Collegiate & HS posts, refer to the archive for September!
As usual, the Men go first, followed by the Women!

WORLD Athlete of the Year--MEN
WAYDE VAN NIEKERK
When the criteria is weighted heavily towards MAJOR records being broken, and the Men produced a measly single WR this year, this award becomes the easiest of choices!
But WVN ran fast over 3 distances, as he dipped under 10 in the 100, and 20 in the 200.
His runaway victory in Rio, however, was the key to his winning here!
43.03--and looking smooth & pretty all the way--as if a sub-43 is his for the taking!
Honorable Mentions go to Ryan Crouser, Eliud Kipchoge & Ken Bekele, Ashton Eaton, Usain Bolt, Kerron Clement, Thomas Rohler, and Renaud Lavillenie.

US Athlete of the Year--MEN
RYAN CROUSER
In a year where the US Men struck out in the National Records department, Crouser's incredible emergence from the Collegiate to the Professional ranks--in the biggest meet of the year--self-typed his name in as AOY for the United States in 2016.
And that series!
He PR'ed 3 times--and it wasn't by fractions of inches!!
While he towered over his competitors (in every sense!!), there were other Americans whose stars shone bright.
Honorable Mentions go to Evan Jager, Justin Gatlin, LaShawn Merritt, Kerron Clement, Ashton Eaton, Sam Kendricks, Clay Murphy, Galen Rupp, Matthew Centrowitz, Jeff Henderson, Erik Kynard, Christian Taylor, and Rudy Winkler.

Special shout-out to the retired (from track racing) Bernard Lagat!!

WORLD Performance of the Year--MEN
That 43.03!
Or those FOUR 10.75's over 100 meters--back-to-back!
Or the beating of a WR held by Michael Johnson!
WVN, Congratulations!
HM's go to Crouser's 73-10.75 SP, to Mr's Kipchoge, Bekele, and to Wilson Kipsang, to Thomas Rohler, Pawel Fajdek, and to Ashton Eaton!

So why wasn't Matthew Centrowitz given even an HM??
This blog honors Records & Marks!
Winning--even Gold in the Olympics--just doesn't matter here that much--if at all!!
And winning in a time that Sophs in High School can run matters even less!!

Another huge congrats to Mr Lagat for adding the 10000 to his list of Age 40+ records he claims!
Shattering the old mark by over 40 seconds is worth an HM, don't you think?

US Performance of the Year--MEN
Mr Crouser's winning Put in Rio gets this prize!
But this was closer than the margin of victory Crouser enjoyed in Rio!
Merritt's 19.74 at the Trials was pretty spectacular for a guy who was running his "other" event!!
So were Rupp's pair of 26.2's.
Kendricks's Vaults were always impressive!
As  noted, Eaton produced a clutch performance--even if not record-breaking!
Kerron Clement making sub-48's in the 400H commonplace again!
I just wish Mr Jager had run a 3000SC time beginning with a 7!
Again, Lagat's 27:49 was DEEEE-licious!!

WORLD Personality of the Year--MEN
He is simply larger than life!
And being THAT, he is too larger than the sport of Track and Field!
I speak of the man whose signature pose is as famous as Napoleon's!
I speak of the man--without whom the stands in Rio would have been even emptier!
I speak of a man with a book, a movie, a dance routine, an ACT that might never be surpassed!
Usain Bolt is beginning his final year of competition--he says--sort of!
THANK YOU, Usain!!

US Personality of the Year!
What nicer guy in T&F is there than Bernard Lagat?
A bald head, a shining smile, a mansion-full of Age Records, a beautiful family--all the while exuding that imperfect combination of confidence and gracefulness!
Like Usain, he is retiring--sort of, kind of!
And like Mr Bolt, he will be missed!
Thank YOU, Bernard!

And now for the Women!!

WORLD Athlete of the Year--WOMEN
ALMAZ AYANA
This, folks, was a real toughie!!
T&FN decided on Anita Wlodarczyk!
As did other entities!
Not me!!
In a year where the Women walloped FOUR World Records out of various stadia--and where EACH of them held several tons of significance--how do you decide!
Let's do it by process of elimination!
Kendra Harrison nipped the 1988 WR of 12.21 by Yordanka Donkova by 0.01 seconds!
It did NOT matter to me that she failed to make TeamUSA for the OG!
But her back-up times of 12.42 made the 12.20 seem like a one-off!
(Prove us wrong, Kendra!!)

ADDED on January 2nd---
Prove ME wrong!
I reviewed Ms Harrison's season record, and her 2nd best time was 12.24---not 12.42 as stated above!
She also had 2-3 other times at 12.42 or faster!
HOWEVER, that still doesn't make her my AOY!!
For all the OTHER reasons stated above!!
Sorry for MY error!!

Ruth Jebet's total destruction of the 3000SC WR wasn't a shocker!
First, Jebet had run fast in earlier races!
Second, the old WR was---IMHO--pretty soft!
But kudos to this youngster for taking the bull by the horns!
That leaves Wlodarczyk!
Oh boy!
She broke her own WR in the Olympic final!
Then she shattered THAT one in a Memorial meet to an old friend--by over two feet!!
I said "her own" WR!
Almaz Ayana obliterated someone ELSE's seemingly untouchable WR--that of the controversial Chinese, Wang Junxia!
A record unrecognized by T&FN, a record buried in a cave of doubt and deception--and maybe crime!!
But also a record "experts" said might NEVER be broken--let alone CRUSHED by 14 seconds!!
Well, folks, I've never been one of those so called "experts"!
I ALWAYS felt that record of Junxia's WAS breakable--by even MORE than was accomplished by Ayana!
For that lone performance--in a negative split race--which left everyone stunned and awed as it unfolded--I award Almaz Ayana my AOY for 2016--no contest!!
Honorable Mentions to the above-named WR breakers, as well as Elaine Thompson, Shaunae Miller, Brittney Reese, Caterine Ibarguen, Ekaterina Stefanidi & Sandi Morris, Michelle Carter, Nafissatou Thiam, and Sandra Perkovic!

Special shout-outs to Yelena Isinbayeva and Melissa Bishop--two Women who lost NOT on the fields (or tracks) of fair battle, but in the rich offices of those who decide the fates of others from behind cowardly walls of ugliness!!
In MY eyes, both of you are GOLDEN!!

US Athlete of the Year--WOMEN
Here's another one that made me sit & ponder long hours!
Does Ms Harrison deserve the title, for being the sole American to break a WR this year?
For the same reasons stated above, she does NOT!

ADDED January 2nd--
See my added material about Kendra Harrison under my AOY comments!
The same applies here!
Her back-up times were better than I remembered, but Huddle still wins this award!

But if a WR doesn't win someone the AOY, what does?
With several strong contenders, I finally gave it to--
MOLLY HUDDLE
Not so much for her breaking Shalane Flanagan's AR in the 10000--in the greatest Women's 10K EVER!
But for the WAY she did it!
The (now old) American Record holder in the 5000--at 14:42.64--Huddle passed the 5K point in that 10K just 13 seconds slower than her PR!!
And then she ran a good 15:18 to create a new measure of US greatness--her 30:13.17 final time!
She added a debut Marathon time in the 2:28's--on NYC's difficult course, taking 3rd there!
Strong HM's go to Ms Harrison, Emma Coburn, Delilah Muhammed, Chaunte Lowe, Ms Carter, Allyson Felix, Shannon Rowbury, Keturah Orji, and to Gwen Berry, another who had something great STOLEN from her by rich dudes in dull offices!!
(But not by ME!!)

A Special Award for Many Years of Thrills and Magic Hours of Joy to--Sanya Richards-Ross--who has ALSO retired!!
Thank YOU, Ms SRR!!

WORLD Performance of the Year--WOMEN
Akmaz Ayana's magnificent 29:17.45 over 10000 meters of historic track in Rio!
HM's to the 3 other WR's!!


US Performance of the Year--WOMEN
This goes to Huddle's 10K!
But this--in any other year--could have gone to Rowbury's 14:38 over 5000 meters, to Harrison's 12.20, to Coburn's newest AR's, to any of those 10.7 gals--English Gardner, Tori Bowie, and Tianna Bartoletta--to Ms Orji, to Raven Saunders, to Maggie Malone, or to Barbara Nwaba & Kendell Williams!
It was one heck of a year for American Women!!

WORLD Personality of the Year
This award has a TIE!!
Just no way I can separate those lovely new BFF's--Nikki Hamblin of New Zealand and Abbey D'Agostino of the United States!
They'd never met before, I'm told!
So what a First Encounter they had!!
Oh my!!
For taking a tragic moment in time, and molding it into something the entire world thinks is beautiful--and to do so before the eyes of BILLIONS--is why these two wonderful HUMANS so richly deserve this award!!

US Personality of the Year--WOMEN
Again, this must be a TIE---except it can't be!!
Why?
Because one of the two isn't American!!
But, Nikki, we wish you were!!
You are an honor and a champion to your fellow Kiwi's--and to Americans worldwide!!
So I hand this award to Abbey D--whose hands & spirit touch Nikki's every step she takes!
Thank you, both!!

It is now less than two hours until Bellingham WA welcomes the New Year!
Readers of this blog have numerous Previews to help guide you through the next 10 weeks of INdoor T&F action!!
It's already begun--this INdoor season!
In fact, speaking of New Zealand (& its neighbor, Australia), it's now January 1, 2017 there!

HAPPY NEW YEAR, everyone!!

2016 OUTdoors--In Review

Like time itself, this blog keeps evolving.
Which is another way of saying that you will NOT be getting a "Best & Worst" post this year!
At least not by that name!
Listen.

I thoroughly enjoyed doing those "B&W"s---and, you know, never say never!
But 2016 having been the "Olympic Year"--and having so much happen of an historic and sport-changing nature--I've decided to morph the "B&W" into a collection of historic facts, records, and marks, as well as opinions, ideas, trivia, and, well, bluster & blather!!
Heck, you might not even notice the difference.

The following will cover mainly the World & United States contributions, though I'll toss in some reminders of what happened with the younger sets---the HS'ers & Collegians.
It will be for OUTdoors ONLY!!
(See my March posts for my 2016 INdoor wrap-ups!)
This will NOT include my Athletes of the Year, as those will come--as promised--on the last day of the year!
But this blog being what it is---all about those Records & Marks--I begin with a simply astonishing HSR that, literally, was a SHOT (Put) heard round the world!!

Jordan Geist--in an all-throwers meet--entered the ring on what appeared to be a gymnasium set up for basketball games--holding a ball next to his neck that weighed SIXTEEN pounds--not the normal 12 you see most HS boys perform with!
In a pulsating exhibition of raw shapeless power, Geist opened with a Put of 62-3.
That placed him 2nd A-T HS on the rarely-held 16 lb list, behind only Ryan Crouser's HSR of 63-11.
His 2nd throw measured a mere one-half inch shy of that record, at 63-10.5!!
Then Mr Geist smashed it--hitting the floor at the new HSR of 64-4.50!!

But wait!--this kid wasn't done!!
His 4th throw went 1.50 inches farther--to 64-6--his SECOND High School Record of the day!!
And then?
Throw away all that went before--by Geist, Crouser, and even the legendary Michael Carter!!
Doing a neat acrobatic tightwire walk next to the ring's front wall--coming THIS close to a foul!!--Geist OBLITERATED all previous INdoor HS 16 pound SP standards!!
His 5th throw measured 68-4!
That's a full 4 feet 5 inches past Crouser's mark, and even 7 inches past Carter's OUTdoor HSR---although this blog (and my Record Book) does NOT compare INdoor to OUTdoor marks in any way!!
Thus, Geist's mark is the INdoor HSR, while Carter's 67-9 remains the OUTdoor HSR!!
(At least until Geist moves OUTdoors??)
He also got Crouser's Senior Class record!!
And he now owns the World Age 18 record, as his birthdate is July 21, 1998.
If a Collegian, he'd rank 19th A-T!
And he'd shatter the Collegiate Frosh Class record by over 2 feet!!
Oh, BTW, he also PR'ed in the WT with a good 76-6.
That makes him 20th A-T HS, tied with 1 other!
This WT was the HS implement!

OK, on to my 2016 OUTdoor Review!

The Rio Olympics.
Were they all that great--and important?
Well, there are varying ways to look at them!

Simply put, without the Russians, a huge pit of scar tissue was left for all to see!
As I said numerous times, Ban the Criminals, but Let the INNOCENT compete!
Without THEM, this OG just wasn't what it should, and could, have been!

And the biggest name MIA was Yelena Isinbayeva, the OUTdoor WR holder in the PV!
Love her or hate her, you had to agree that, without her, the event would NOT be the same--not fully legit!!
Despite Isi's absence, it was still a GREAT competition--and all 3 medalists truly deserved their places!
But, really folks, what IF???
(As of year's end, the Russians remain a banned nation, while Isi is now deeply involved in the future of Russian Athletics!!)

Yet this same OG gave us the "D'Agostino/Hamblin" incident!
During their heat of the 5000, with about 2K to go, Abbey D'Agostino was tagging just behind Nikki Hamblin at the back end of the queue, out of the final, but still Olympians!
Hamblin tripped and fell, and Abbey went down too.
She got up, saw she had no chance in the race, and tugged on Hamblin's arm to rise up and run.
They trotted forward--humbled & torn--and then Abbey's seriously injured knee gave way, and she crashed to the track again--in dire pain!
So this time it was Nikki taking Abbey's arm and saying--"Get up, Mate!".
She did--slowly.
In a mincing jogger's shuffle, she finished the last 4 laps to massive applause and respect!
And the rest is HERstory!
Ms's D'Agostino & Hamblin are now BFF's--and an undeniable symbol of what the Olympic Games MEAN!!

Honorary Mention goes to Will Claye, who after his TJ competition ended, ran to his girlfriend Queen Harrison in the stands, and proposed marriage!
She accepted--before the eyes of millions!!

One can't speak of the Olympics without mentioning some of the shocks that emerged from America's Olympic Trials!

That Women's 800 final!
The tight finishes in the Women's 200 and 1500 finals!
And all the crashes & dives that made those events seem almost like a different sport!!

Goodbye to Alysia Montano, Brenda Martinez, and Molly Ludlow in the 800.
(Though Martinez returned to honor in that 1500!)
Amanda Eccleston's flying red hair following her to the track as her lean became a belly flop--just missing catching Martinez's spirited charge!!
And Jenna Prandini also "stumbling" as she came to the line--to the outside of Allyson Felix--then flying--hands and arms and body--somehow being judged as beating Felix--who also had another event to salvage her Olympic dream!

Let's move away from Rio for a bit!
What happened elsewhere?

Well, for one, a HUGE gap in the schedule was presented when a World Relays meet was NOT put on the schedule for 2016!
WHY??
There's nothing I can see that would have taken anything away from Rio!
The HUGE success of the 1st two versions clearly call for at least one ANNUAL meet a year!!
As of now, it seems to be getting the every-second-year approach of the cowardly and the brainless!!
They do return in 2017!

The Olympics (and other meets) saw many athletes competing for unfamiliar nations!
Look at the rosters of Turkey, Bahrain, Qatar, and even Greece, Spain, and several other nations!
American Alexi Pappas ran the 10000 for Greece.
David Torrence ran for Peru.
Africans--especially Kenyans and Ethiopians--were seen wearing many colors--and (NOT!) speaking many foreign tongues!
All while holding tenuous, if ANY, true residency in their adoptive country!!

Fair?
Yes and no.
Some DO have blood in their system that ties them to a nation other than their birth!
And in an Olympic year, they'll USE these thin bonds to become "Olympians"--which their HOME nation denies them--through lack of ability or through politics!!
Something must change, and if Seb Coe has his way, something will!!

Margaret Wambui, Francine Niyonsaba, Caster Semenya.
Are they WOMEN--or not?
Yes--for the most part!
And therein lies the teeth of one of the most controversial issues of our time--What constitutes a WOMAN--that makes her different from a MAN??
Other than the obvious--there are internal factors that determine the LEGALITY of the DNA, hormones, and other scientific bases that, together, determine---for the issue of Track & Field competition!!--whether these selfsame "persons" should be allowed to compete against women whose internal make-up falls under legally "normal" constraints!
As of the Rio Olympics, the IAAF and IOC and other governing bodies said YES, the above-3-named persons CAN compete in Women's events--in their case, the 800 meters!
BUT I SAID "NO"!!
Thus, if you refer back to my coverage of their races, you will see how I treated their marks and places!
To me, they were invisible---and remain so!!
I only hope the rest of the sport comes to agree with me!!

Teenagers were everywhere in the sport this year!
Eliza McCartney nabbed the PV's Bronze medal at 19.
Vashti Cunningham, at 18, was a HJ contender!
So was Sydney McLaughlin in the 400H, but at Age 17!
Konrad Bukowiecki filled the SP ring as a teen!

A few made some very loud noises at the US Olympic Trials--in some cases, JUST missing making the team!!
But others also made headlines as future Olympians, probably!
Noah Lyles, Donavan Brazier, Tia Jones, Tyrese Cooper!
Worldwide, we heard from Lisa Gunnarsson, Wilma Murto, Adam Hague, and Mondo Duplantis in the PV.
And coming up FAST (literally!) behind them was (then-) 12 year old Grace Ping, who shows MUCH promise!!
And what about that German lass Konstanze Klosterhalfen??

Speaking of young ones, the 2017 INdoor (and OUTdoor) season now has just ONE lonely member of the HS PRO Club--she being Candace Hill!!

For all intents, the 2016 OUTdoor season was essentially missing the following athletes--
Mary Cain, Sarah Baxter, Wesley & Ryen Frazier, Brigetta Barrett, and Demi Payne---not to mention all clean Russians except for Darya Klishina!!
Cain left NOP and Alberto Salazar, and returning from a slight knee ache, looks to return in 2017.
Baxter and the Fraziers competed sporadically in 2016---and even more sporadically--successfully!!
Barrett apparently is a RETIRED High Jumper--at Age 26!!
Ms Payne's status is unknown as of "press time"--but I'm guessing she'll return to PV'ing sometime in 2017!!

The US Marathon Army recruited two runners--one man, one woman--in 2016 that made a HUGE impact on the sport in our country--and the World---in their FIRST Marathons!!

Galen Rupp made TeamUSA in the LA race, winning it easily in 2:11 and change!
Molly Huddle waited until November's NYC race--where she took 3rd in a nifty 2:28 and a penny or so!
Both will still run Track in 2017--the 10000--but will then finish their careers as--Marathoners!!
And, I'm guessing, in MUCH faster times!!

On that note, let's switch gears here--and return to the old "meat & potatoes" of this blog--Records & Marks!!
All toward seeing how well--or ill--2016 measured--as a year!!

(Lots more to go, so hope you're with me!!)

In the 2016 OUTdoor season, we saw---
FIVE World Records (Almaz Ayana's 29:17.45 10K, Kendra Harrison's 12.20 100H, Anita Wlodarczyk's 272-3 HT, Ruth Jebet's 8:52.78 3000SC, and Wayde Van Niekerk's 43.03 in the 400!)
EIGHT United States Records--ALL by Women!!!  (Molly Huddle in the 10000, Shannon Rowbury in the 5000, Harrison's 100H mark, Keturah Orji's 48-3.25 TJ, Emma Coburn's latest Steeplechase mark, Michelle Carter's massive 67-8.25 SP, Sandi Morris's 16-4.75 PV, and, YES, Gwen Berry's HT of 250-4--embarrassingly NOT ratified by USATF!!)
And, just as reminders, there were SEVEN Collegiate Records and EIGHT High School Records, as well as TWO HS PRO Records broken in 2016's OUTdoor season!!
(There were actually MORE records broken, as some athletes broke their records more than once!!)

What about Place Records?
(Not forgetting that I EXPANDED my Place Record listings this year--thus, more Records were available for breaking!!)
SIX Place Records were broken in the Men's 4X100 Relay, leading the charge!
FIVE went down in the Men's 400!
And THREE fell in the Men's 1000.
(I'm only reporting those events with 3 or more!)
For the Women--
SEVEN crashed to the track in that iconic & historic 10000 in Rio!!
SIX fell in the Heptathlon!
FIVE went down in both the 4X100 Relay and 3000SC!
And THREE each were broken in the 100, 5000, PV, and JT!

What were the busiest Meet Record-breaking meets??
For the Men, the Olympics and the World Junior Champs led the way, with FIVE each!
The Florida Relays and the Birmingham DL saw FOUR MR's fall.
The US Olympic Trials, the NBN, and the SEC's saw THREE of these babies fall!!

The Women were MUCH more productive in this corner---as they were in most EVERY nook & cranny!!
Oh, BTW, I'm NOT including "new" meets--namely the Rabat DL, the American Track League affairs, and the shiny new TrackTown Summer Series!
For the Record, however, all 10 Men's TTSS events became MR's, and 6 MR's fell in Rabat, while the ATL's got 5.
In these same meets, the Women had 9 TTSS MR's, 8 from the ATL's, and 6 from Rabat!
In "regular" meets, the Women were quite productive!

The NBN meet led the way with SEVEN MR's!
SIX each went down in the USATF Jrs, Olympic Trials, and the Big 10 Conference meet!
FIVE were broken in the NCAA's and the WJC!
FOUR each fell in the Shanghai & London DL's, as well as the PAC-12, SEC, and ACC meets!
THREE were broken in the Van Damme, Pre, and Doha DL's, as well as the Portland Track Festival and the---Olympic Games!!

National Records??
Which nations saw the deepest revisions in their National Record Books??
Most shockingly, the United States Men STRUCK OUT in this department---while American Women saw EIGHT National standards come crashing down!!

Elsewhere, FOUR Men's NR's fell in Canada and Turkey!
THREE apiece were broken in Algeria, Spain, Bahrain, South Africa, and India!

The Women were led by the British, with GB getting FOUR NR's.
THREE each went to Canada, Kenya, Sweden, Switzerland, the Bahamas, and Australia!!

Finally (WHEW!!), let's see which EVENTS have the most Marks made in 2016 on my OUTdoor DDD lists!!
These figures basically determine my "Event of the Year" for each gender!!
Below are figures for the World and US ONLY!!

World--Men
Marathon (7)
1000 (5)
4X100 Relay (4)
200 (3)

World--Women
PV (8)
10000 & JT (6)
100 & 3000SC (5)
5000 & 4X100 Relay (4)
LJ (3)

So, once again, it was the "Year of the PV" OUTdoors in 2016 for the Women!
And it was the "Year of the Marathon" for the Men!!

US--Men
3000SC & LJ & JT (3)
A 3-way tie for Best Event & "Year of..."!!

US--Women
Much MUCH more productive here!!
3000SC  (8)
PV & SP  (7)
Mile, 400H, TJ, JT, HT--each with (4)
100, 400, 5000, 10000, LJ, DT, and Heptathlon--all with (3)
For the ladies, the "Year of the Steeplechase"!!

And I will---FINALLY!!--finish with a retrospective on---My Blog!!
Now 3 years and 3 weeks into its existence, this is post Number 334!!
Of those--including this one--122 are from 2016---a record number!!

As noted above, I expanded my Place Records listings!
Also as noted (in an earlier post), I began a United States Only Best Combined Events list--for the same categories as in my original listings covering the entire World!!
Those are pretty much done---waiting for massive revision!!

Lastly, here are the Highlights from my 122 posts from this year!
Personally, I enjoyed doing my "New Year's Wish List"
In the "Two HS Class Records (& a Book Review)", I detailed the great "World's Greatest in Athletics" book.
"Thoughts & Questions" was okay.
I did a detailed Preview of the OT Marathon, as well as a detailed report of the races!
The Millrose meet needed two posts--one exclusively for the distance events!!
"Explaining This Blog" was perhaps necessary!
The month of March saw 19 posts, with 13 of them being Previews, Predictions & Wrap-Ups of the Big INdoor meets!!
April 3rd's edition was titled--for obvious reasons!--For Blog Post 250"!
(Those took 847 days!)
I liked the title (& the message!) of "Absolute Lists Absolutely Not!".
In May, I did a 2-parter on "Those DDD's"!
In June, I concentrated 2 more on "The AGE of Records"!
The OT's got 3 Preview posts, 5 Results posts, and one B&W!
The World Juniors got three.

The Olympics??
WOW!!
I began on August 1st with "The Games of Rio".
Then came a full schedule.
I did four Preview posts, event-by-event, each gender!
Followed by TEN detailed posts of RESULTS!!
Rio's Best & Worst ended this run as OG Post Number SEVENTEEN!!!

Then came my HS & Collegiate Wrap-Ups!
"LIFE (& other news)" remains one of my best---and saddest!!
I've done EIGHT Previews of the 2017 INdoor Season!!

And of course I'll end with my World & US AOY posts--in about 48 hours!!

Thank you for staying with me!
Hope it was fun--or at least stimulating!!

See you soon!

2017 INdoor Records Predictions--WOMEN

Without the latest results included in the Men's Predictions, the Women's should be a bit shorter.
EXCEPT that the Women are likely to break more major records than the Men, so my commentary might be longer!
So let's get right to it---with (again) the only "rule" being I accept NO Oversize Track marks!!

WORLD
There are Women running now faster than Irina Privalova was!
Yet her 6.92 WR in the 60 remains inviolable!
IF people like Tori Bowie and Elaine Thompson ran a few of these, they COULD approach the record!
Give it 20-80 odds!
The 200 (21.87) has faster Women now, but this record too is safe.
Give it 30-70 odds.
Like the Men's 400, the Women's WR of 49.59 has been bettered--OUTdoors by a few.
But 50 seconds remains one of the toughest barriers for Under-Roof speedsters!
20-80!

Alysia Montano came within 0.15 of the 600 WR a few years back!
It's a vulnerable record--IF someone goes for it!
50-50 odds--at best!

The 800!
I should remind you that I do NOT accept times run by Caster Semenya, Margaret Wambui, or Francine Niyonsaba!!
Thus, the WR of 1:55.82 gets 20-80 odds!

Laura Muir (See an earlier post!) has stated she'll be gunning for the 1000 British record---and the WR---if she's on in the Birmingham meet!!
And she CAN break that record---as can 1 or 2 others!
If she gets good competition in Birmingham, watch out!
70-30 odds!

Then we have the FIVE World Records of Genzebe Dibaba---who has yet to announce any WR attempts she's planning!
But now--with Muir and others--capable of running Dibaba-type times--we MIGHT see G-D's list shortened a bit!
Best bets are the 2 Mile (9:00.48)--unless the event itself isn't held!!--and the 5000--if either Dibaba or Almaz Ayana take a shot!
Least likely is the 3000 (8:16.60), and the shorties--the 1500 and Mile (3:55.17 and 4:13.31).
Those get maybe 30-70 odds.
(Gabriela Szabo's 2K mark of 5:30.52 gets 60-40 odds--IF a major race at the distance comes up!)

Susanna Kallur holds the 60H record with her 7.68!
There are TONS of Women who have run faster than Kallur OUTdoors!
Why can't they run faster INdoors too?
Give this one 90-10 odds!
It's WAY overdue for a major slashing!!

Like with the Men, the HJ ain't doing so well with the Women either!
That 6-9.75 WR is too high!
5-95 odds!
Brittney Reese threatens the 24 foot mark with every LJ she takes!
But despite knocking on the door, the key code remains a secret!
30-70 odds!
The 50-4.75 TJ record is great, but doable.
Just not this year!
10-90 odds!

Ahhhh, the PV!!
With Yelena Isinbayeva turning to politics (By FORCE!!  INNOCENT Russians should be allowed to compete!!), it's left to Jenn Suhr and Sandi Morris to attack this WR of 16-6--held by Suhr!
I'll take a chance, and give this one 80-20 odds of going down!!

Forget the SP mark of 73-10---until maybe 2117!!
The WT mark is also a toughie, but much more THIS century---and maybe this YEAR!!
Give it 60-40 odds!
(I wish Anita Wlodarczyk would try this!!)
The 5000 points barrier in the  Pentathlon has a slightly open door.
Will KJT take it on?
If so, give it (Her!!) 80-20 odds!
Without her, reverse those numbers!

As with the Men, the Relays are impossible to predict!

UNITED STATES
The 6.95 WR in the 60 is doable, but unlikely!
Give it 30-70 odds!
The 22.18 over a single INdoor lap is easier, so give it 60-40 odds!
And it gets even better with the 400 time of 50.46!
Give that one 70-30 odds!

See my World remarks about Montano's 600!
We have several fast 400 gals, and several more with 800 strength!
If a good race (at USATF??) is organized, give this 60-40 odds!
Ditto with the 800 AR of 1:58.71.
A few years back, I'd have called you insane if you'd suggested this record was likely to go down!
But now the US is World Class in the distances--from 800 on up!
Go for it, Ladies!
70-30 odds!

And that 1000 of 2:34.19?
Should have gone down when Mary Cain ran that 2:35.80!
(If the pacing had been better...!)
Too many candidates to list them, but suffice to say, this gets 80-20 odds!!

Given the perfect race with the best runners, ALL of the distance AR's are fair targets!
Best bets are the 2 Mile (9:18.35) and the 5000 (14:47.62).
Those get 70-30 odds!
The 3:59.98 and 4:20.5 for the 1500 and Mile get 60-40 odds!
The most difficult---but still possible!--is the 3000 of 8:33.25!
But remember, both Jenny Simpson and Shannon Rowbury have run sub-8:30's OUTdoors!!
Give that one 40-60 odds!

See my World remarks about the 60H.
Same applies here---ESPECIALLY here!!

Can still-a-teen Vashti Cunningham take the HJ record down!
She's 1.25 inches shy, but a year older!!
Give it (Her!) 70-30 odds!
But watch also for Chaunte Lowe!

Ms Reese gets 80-20 odds here.
Without her, the LJ odds are reduced to 30-70!
Keturah Orji TJ'ed over a foot and a half longer than Sheila Hudson's AR!!
If she doesn't OBLITERATE this US standard, call me a monkey's uncle!!
See my World remarks for my PV predictions!
(Since both of the top candidates are Americans!!)

Michelle Carter CAN take down her own AR in the SP.
But watch for major improvements coming from Raven Saunders!
Give Carter 70-30 odds, with Saunders getting 20-80 odds!
The WT is vulnerable, but unlikely!
Ditto for the Pentathlon mark of 4805 points!
Can Kendell Williams top that?
60-40 odds!

I've heard rumors that a US team is being put together for a big race in the DMR!
If that comes to reality, odds are 100-0 for a HUGE chunk of time being lopped off the 10:42.57 standard!!

COLLEGIATE
Of the three sprints, the 200 CR of 22.40 is the most likely to fall!
80-20 odds there!
Reduce those odds to 60-40 for the 60 (7.08) and 400 (50.46)!

The 600 standard (1:27.78) is a relatively easy mark!
(A 57, then add a 200 in 30.7!!)
If raced on a LEGAL track, give it 70-30 odds!
The 800 gets the same odds.
As for the 1000 mark of 2:40.82, keep in mind Jazmine Fray's opening shot of 2:43.15 detailed in an earlier post!
This CR should be well under 2:40!
Give it 80-20 odds!

EVERY distance CR has a barn door as its target--painted bright red!!
With HS'ers having run faster than the 1500 mark of 4:09.77 (at least OUTdoors!!), I give this one 80-20 odds!
The Mile mark of 4:25.91 is a bit tougher, but not for the current crew!
Give that 70-30 odds!
Then there's the 3000 (8:42.03) and 5000 (15:12.22)!
The Women who can take those down are there--but OT's and race strategy are two reasons I'm giving them "just" 40-60 odds!

The 7.78 CR in the 60H is tough--by Brianna Rollins, no less!!--but vulnerable!
Give it 70-30 odds!

The HJ--here as elsewhere--is fairly weak!
So no go for the CR!
The LJ mark of 22-8 gets 40-60 odds!
See my US remarks about the TJ!!
Will Lexi Weeks add a couple of inches to her OUTdoor PR of 15-5?
Are any other Collegians ready to make 15 feet a habit?
YES!
Give this 70-30 odds!

Watch for Raven Saunders to raise her own CR in the Shot Put!
Main question is---By how many FEET??
90-10 odds!
See my World and US remarks about the WT!
And see my comments on Kendell Williams about the Pentathlon CR!

Would love to see a Stanford vs Oregon race over the DMR distance--but NOT in Seattle!
If they're on, the CR of 10:50.98 gets 70-30 odds!!

HIGH SCHOOL
Candace Hill is still in HS, but she's a Pro now!
But Lauren Rain Williams isn't!
Odds for the 60 (7.19) are 50-50.
Odds for the 200 (22.97) get a whole lot better---70-30!!
As for Sydney McLaughlin taking out her own 400 HSR of 51.84, keep in mind her opening INdoor event was the LJ!!
But if she runs it, it goes DOWN!!
Give it 100-0 odds with Syd in the race!!

The 600 record of 1:28.87 dates from 2015!
With Sammy Watson in the mix, give this one 80-20 odds!
She even has a shot at Mary Decker (Slaney's) venerable 800 record of 2:01.8!
AND the 1000 mark of 2:43.40!
(Mary Cain's fast 1000's were run as a Professional!!)
The 1K HSR gets 90-10 odds--especially with Watson and/or Kate Murphy in the race!!

Murphy has the street cred to attack ALL the HSR's from the 1500 to the 5000 with alacrity!!
Yes, even the 4 of them held by the inimitable Ms Cain from 2013!!
IF Murphy (and a few others of note) truly go after them, EVERY one of them can go!
Best bets are---ALL of them!!
Give all of them 80-20 odds with a committed attack by Murph the Surf!!
(To get them all, she'd have to race against Pro's & Collegians at Millrose or Boston--besides at NBIN!!)

With Tia Jones back as a Soph, and several others following through on a spectacular Hurdles year in 2016, look for the 8 second barrier to be broken in 2017!!
Give the 8.02 HSR 80-20 odds!

No good HJ'ers in sight!
ZERO odds for Vashti Cunningham's great HSR!

With Ms McLaughlin (See my Men's post from earlier today!) already having LJ'ed 20-7.25, look for her to challenge the HSR of 21-7.50--unless someone else gets there first!
60-40 odds!
Tara Davis would have to add over 18 inches to get the TJ record!
But watch for Jasmine Moore and Titiana Marsh also!
Odds there are 40-60!

Rachel Baxter--14-3 last year--can get Tori Weeks's HSR--just 1 inch higher!
Give this 70-30 odds!

See my report on Alyssa Wilson's opener in the SP!!
Raven Saunders HSR is-a-goner!!
90-10 odds--barring injury, etc!

The WT mark is safe!
As is the Pentathlon mark!
The latter gets 20-80 odds!

As with all the other sections, ALL of the Relay HSR's are fair to extremely easy targets!
Question remains---are there teams with more than  1 superstar??

The only HS PRO still in the game is Candace Hill!
If she runs INdoors, her 7.32 mark over 60 meters is most vulnerable!!

If nothing much happens between now and December 25th, then I wish you all a very Merry Christmas!!

2017 INdoor Records Predictions--MEN

Well, here we are again, at the beginning of another exciting INdoor season!
If you read my earlier posts (and read the results I have for you below!), you know there's already been some good marks--but no major INdoor records!

Will there be?
Before I get started, here's the latest marks of note--

Chantz Sawyers (Interesting 1st name!!) ran 500 meters in 1:02.53.
While the 500 is an event I don't have a list for, luckily I just received Jack Shepard's 2017 edition of HS Track---which DOES have an A-T list for this event!!
Sawyers's time ranks 3rd A-T HS!!
Pretty amazing, especially considering it's not even Christmas yet!!

Alyssa Wilson looks to be on the perfect track (so to speak!!) to take down Raven Saunders's HSR in the SP!!
She opened her season at the Bishop Loughlin Games with a super PR of 55-9.50--a 10.50 inches improvement on her PR!
While she remains 2nd A-T HS, she is that much closer to the phenomenal Ms Saunders!!
Wilson also PR'ed in the WT--tossing it out 57-5.75--missing the HS DDD by 5.75 inches!!

Then there's Super Hurdler Sydney McLaughlin!
This World Class Hurdler became 10th A-T HS, tied with 1 other--on the INdoor LONG JUMP list!!
Her 20-7.25 bodes well for a great final HS season!!

RECORDS!!
Which, if any, will fall this INdoor season in my 4 core groups--World, US, Collegiate, and HS?
And which have NO chance of going down?
The odds?
Well, let's see!
The only real  "rule" I have says NO Oversize Track marks!
As always, the Men go first, as this will be a two-post baby--the Women to follow a few hours later!

WORLD
The 60 and 200 (6.39 & 19.92) have ZERO chance of going down!
The 60's too tough, while it's rare to see a World Class 200 nowadays!
As for that 400 of 44.57, it SHOULD fall, but probably won't, as the best guys (like Wayde Van Niekerk!!) don't normally race INdoors!
But the odds are a bit better than the shorter sprints--maybe 40-60?

That 500 of 59.83 could fall, but again, it would take a fast 400 guy to get it!
(Not to mention having a meet HOLD that event!!)
The 600--a popular event INdoors--has 30-70 odds.
The 800 can fall, but without the very best in there, the odds are less than 50-50!
The 1000 went down in 2016!
Can it go again?
Sure, IF.....!!
So give it 70-30 odds!

The Men's Distances are all pretty safe!
While the 1500 & Mile are slow, compared to their OUTdoor equivalents, I see neither going down!
Even if Matthew Centrowitz decides to RUN the entire distance--not just the final 400!
I'll give both 60-40 odds!
The 2000 WR of 4:49.99 is safe---mainly for lack of opportunity!
The 3000 (7:24.90) gets 30-70 odds, while the Two Mile (8:03.40) has 50-50 odds, IF any major deuces are run!
That 5000 (12:49.60)?
Forget it!

The 60H of 7.30 is other-worldly!!
If anybody broke 7.40, it would have a good chance for Performance of  the Year!!
So ZERO odds!

The HJ is in a slump, so that WR is safe another year!
As is the LJ of 28-10.25!
But if Christian Taylor (And??) compete INdoors, the TJ World Record WILL fall!!
With the best competing, I give it 80-20 odds!

Renaud Lavillenie is almost certain to take some attempts at his own WR!
But I just don't see him getting it!
So give it (Him??) 40-60 odds!
There's Thiago Braz & Sam Kendricks, but both are too far from the record--now!

Ryan Crouser could nail the SP record!
IF he's on, give him 70-30 odds.
Without him in the mix, give the record 20-80 odds!
As for the Weight Throw, Lance Deal's WR of 84-10.25 is just too good.
But it still gets 30-70 odds!

Will Ashton Eaton do a Heptathlon??
Without an INdoor WC, I just don't see his WR of 6645 points falling this year!
Give it 20-80 odds!

The Relays?
As always, these are hard to predict!
It takes the right teams--all going for a record!
Best bet seems to be the 4X800!

UNITED STATES
The 60 is safe!  (See the World section!)
The 200 is less so, but it would take some top Ameicans getting the opportunity!
So maybe 40-60 odds for 200!
See the World section for my take on the 400!

The 600 US record of 1:15.33 is vulnerable, with 60-40 odds!
As is the 1:45.00 in the 800!
Give that one 70-30 odds!
The 1000 gets even better odds, at 80-20!

With Centro threatening (promising??) to race the entire distance, both the 1500 (3:33.34) and Mile (3:49.89) have 80-20 odds of going down.
If Centro is injured (Or???), forget it!
Galen Rupp's AR's in the 3000 (7:30.16), 2 Mile (8:07.41), and 5000 (13:01.26) COULD all go down---IF the best run them with the ONLY "strategy" being to GET the American Record!!
Good luck!
I'll give the Deuce the best odds, at 70-30, with the others getting 30-70!

While the 60H AR is "just" 7.36, it's still too tough!
Give it ZERO odds!

Can Erik Kynard take the HJ record down--without the bar falling too?
(Obviously, if one falls, the other doesn't!!  LOL)
Give it 40-60 odds!
The LJ is safe---VERY safe!
But that TJ record should go---so give it 90-10 odds!

Kendricks CAN at least match the AR in the PV---19-9---but probably won't!
So give it 20-80 odds!

As with the World Record, give the SP the same odds, with the same caveats!
Ditto the WT mark!
AND the Heptathlon!!
Watch for the DMR and the 4X800 AR's to have the best chances!

COLLEGIATE
The 60 is pretty fast (6.45), so give it 20-80 odds, with the 200 (Even though Noah Lyles is racing as a Pro!!) getting 30-70 odds!
That 400 (The WR!!) is absolutely safe!!

With some fast 800 guys, look for the 600 (1:15.79), 800 (1:44.84), and 1000 (2:18.26) as having good chances of falling!
Can all three go down?
Sure, but give the 1000 the best odds--at 70-30--with the 800 getting 60-40 odds, and the 600 maybe 70-30 also!

Will Ed Cheserek want to go after RECORDS in his final Collegiate year--or continue his MoBot madness?
(With Patrick Tiernan out of College, leave it to Justyn Knight to challenge The King!)
The 1500 (3:37.25) and Mile (3:52.88) can both go, but will need to see the best running their fastest on LEGAL tracks---i.e 200 meters in circumference!
Not always a given in Collegiate Track!!
Give both 60-40 odds!
As for the 3000 (7:38.59), Ches ran within 2 seconds of that last year!
Give it 70-30 odds!
But the 5000 CR of 13:08.28 is just too far from anyone's barnside to give it better than---ZERO odds!!

Is anyone around who can take down the 7.45 CR in the 60H?
Sure, but they won't!
Give it 20-80 odds!

Forget the HJ, LJ, and TJ records!
All get close to zero odds---at best 5-95 for each!!

The PV mark is safe!
As is the SP mark!
The WT sometimes produces "unknowns" who rise rapidly to challenge records!
This year?
Give the WT CR 20-80 odds!
While there're some good Multis guys around, give the Heptathlon CR of 6499 at least another year on the throne!
Relays take a full TEAM, not just 1 or 2 super individuals.
However, all 3 CR's could go here--the 4X400 of 3:02.86, the 4X800 of 7:17.45, and the DMR of 9:25.97!
But NOT at Seattle or Notre Dame--if you get my drift!!

HIGH SCHOOL
What will Tyrese Cooper run this year?
He has the ABILITY to chase the 60, 200, and 400 HSR's!
Especially the two latter!
Give the 200 AND 400 80-20 odds, with the 60 being much closer to the DMZ of T&F Records--maybe 20-80 odds!

Can Chantz Sawyers (See above!) move up another 100 meters, and take down the 600 HSR of 1:17.58?
Give it 60-40 odds!
The 800 has lots of good returnees, so give it (1:49.21) and the 1000 (2:22.28) 60-40 odds of falling!

With no sub-4 guys left in the HS ranks, Drew Hunter's HSR's in the 1500 and Mile are safe---with each getting 10-90 odds!
Ditto Hunter's 3000 mark of 7:59.33.
But give that one 30-70 odds!
And Cheserek's 2 Mile of 8:39.15, or his 5000 HSR of 13:57.04?
Both could go, but guys like Reed Brown and Casey Clinger would have to PR mightily to get close!
Give those 30-70's also!

Trey Cunninghasm opened in the 60H with a 7.63!
(See a previous post!!)
Give him, and the HSR of 7.53 70-30 odds!

The HJ this year has a good chance of going down--getting 70-30 odds!
I think the LJ and TJ are safe, but give them each 40-60 odds!

Mondo Duplantis hasn't opened up his INdoor season yet!
Assuming he competes, the HSR WILL fall!!
Give it 90-10 odds---IF Duplantis competes!
Otherwise, it has ZERO chances!!

THREE great SP'ers (Jordan Geist, Adrian Piperi, and Bronson Osborn) are all back this year!
But can any of them take down Ryan Crouser's HSR of 77-2.50??
YES!!
I give Geist the best shot (Sic!!), but watch them all!
Odds are 70-30!
But forget the WT record!!

No relays predictions--Sorry!!
Just too many unknowns!
Except one!
The HS Relay records are ALL vulnerable!!
Exciting to contemplate!

The Women's Predictions will follow in a few hours!