World Medallists Headline Star-Studded New Balance Indoor Grand Prix in Boston
The New Balance Indoor Grand Prix in Boston, set for Sunday, February 4, is poised to be a thrilling spectacle as it serves as the third leg of the World Indoor Tour Gold. This highly anticipated event will bring together some of the world's most distinguished athletes, including world medallists Noah Lyles, Fred Kerley, Gudaf Tsegay, Grant Holloway, and Lamecha Girma. These elite competitors, known for their remarkable achievements on the global stage, will be in the spotlight, promising an electrifying competition that track and field fans won't want to miss.
Men’s 60 metres:
Fred Kerley and Noah Lyles, who won world 100 metres titles in Eugene 2022 and Budapest 2023 respectively, will go head-to-head in the men’s 60 metres.
Three-time 200 metres world champion Noah Lyles will make his sixth appearance at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix in Boston. Lyles started his 2023 season with a lifetime best of 6.51 to win the men’s 60 metres at the Boston meeting. He opened the 2024 season with a win in 6.63 in Gainesville last week.
Lyles set the equal world seasonal lead of 9.83 in Budapest to win the 100 metres world championships final before winning his third world title in the 200 metres in 19.52 and the 4x100 relay gold medal in 38.38. The US sprint star has become the first man in seven years to win three gold medals over the three sprint distances at a global championship. One year earlier he won the world gold medal in the 200 metres in Eugene improving Michael Johnson’s North American record by 0.01 to 19.31. In his career Lyles won two world gold medals in the 200 metres and in the 4x100 relay in Doha 2019.
In 2023 Lyles set the fastest time in the world in the 200 metres and the third fastest time of his career with 19.47 at the Wanda Diamond League meeting in London. He is also the fastest sprinter in the 200 metres for the sixth consecutive year.
Lyles won the World Athlete of the Year Award for track events and the Jesse Owens Award.
Kerley will run the first 60 metres race of his career. Kerley won his first global medal at the World Championships in Doha 2019, where he finished third in the 400 metres. Kerley dropped down in distance in 2021, when he won the Olympic silver medal in the 100 metres. He claimed his first 100 metres world title in Eugene. The versatile US sprinter set PBs of 9.76 at the US Championships in Eugene 2022,19.76 in Nairobi 2021 and 43.64 at the 2019 US Championships in Des Moines.
The line-up will also feature US Demek Kemp, winner in the World Indoor Tour Gold meeting in Astana with 6.55, and Ronnie Baker, world indoor bronze medallist in Birmingham 2018 and the third fastest sprinter in history in the 60 metres with 6.40.
Women’s 1500 metres:
Gudaf Tsegay will return to the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix in Boston for the first time since 2018. The Ethiopian star has won four medals at the World Outdoor Championships (bronze in the 1500m in Doha 2019, gold in the 5000 metres and silver in the 1500 metres in Eugene 2022, gold in the 10000 metres in Budapest 2023). She crowned her very successful 2023 season by smashing the 5000 metres world record with 14:00.21 at the Wanda Diamond League final in Eugene last September taking five seconds off the previous record set by Faith Kipyegon. The versatile Ethiopian athlete also holds the world indoor record with 3:53.09 in the 1500 metres set in Liévin in 2021.
Tsegay will face her compatriot Birke Haylom, who broke the world outdoor under 20 record over the mile distance with 4:17.13 in Oslo and broke the 3:55 barrier with 3:54.93 in the 1500 metres in Chorzow. Both Tsegay and Haylom are targeting the fastest women’s indoor time ever run in the 1500 metres on US soil.
The line-up also features 2021 world under 20 800 metres champion Ayal Dagnachew from Ethiopia, Nozomi Tanaka, Japanese 1500m and 5000m record and eighth placer in the Olympic 1500m final in Tokyo 2021, and US 20-year-old Addison Wiley, who set PBs of 1:57.64 in the 800 metres in Bellinzona and 3:59:17 in the 1500m in Brussels and finished fifth in the 1500m at the World under 20 Championships in Cali 2022.
The meeting record set by US Regina Jacobs in 2003 with 3:58.98 could be under threat.
Men’s 3000 metres:
Ethiopia’s Lamecha Girma will make his debut at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix in Boston. Girma won silver medals in the 3000 metres steeplechase at three consecutive editions of the World Championships in Doha 2019, Eugene 2022 and Budapest 2023 and at the Olympic Games in Tokyo 2021. Last year Girma broke Daniel Komen’s 25-year-old world indoor record in the 3000 metres with 7:23.81 at the World indoor Tour Gold meeting in Liévin in his first race over this distance. Last June Girma smashed Saif Saeed Shaheen’s 19-year-old in the 3000 metres steeplechase with 7:52.11 at the Wanda Diamond League in Paris Charlety. Girma could attack the meeting record set by Spain’s Adel Mechaal with 7:30.82 in 2022.
Girma will line up against his younger brother Diriba Girma, Samuel Firewu, world under 20 silver medallist in the 3000 steeplechase in Cali 2022, and Neil Gourley from Great Britain, European Indoor silver medallist in Istanbul 2023 and British Indoor record holder with 3:32.48 in Birmingham in 2023.
Men’s 60 metres hurdles:
Grant Holloway will be aiming to score his straight win at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix in Boston in the 60 metres hurdles after claiming victories in 2022 in 7.37 and in 2023 in 7.38. Holloway has not lost a 60 metres hurdles race since 2014, when he competed in high school races. The US hurdles star broke the world indoor record in the 60 metres hurdles with 7.29 at the World Indoor Tour Gold in Madrid in 2021 and equalled this time in the semifinal at the World Indoor Championships in Belgrade 2022 before winning his first gold medal indoors in 7.39 in the final. He won three world outdoor gold medal in the 110 metres hurdles in Doha 2019 in 13.10, in Eugene 2022 in 13.03 and in Budapest 2023 in 12.98 and has remained unbeaten indoors since 2014.
Holloway will face Daniel Roberts, world outdoor bronze medallist in Budapest 2023 in the 110 metres hurdles in 13.09, and Trey Cunningham, world outdoor silver medallist in Eugene 2022. Roberts improved his PB to 7.39 in the 60 metres hurdles at the World Indoor Tour Gold meeting in Madrid 2023. Cunningham finished second behind Holloway in 7.47 at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix in Boston in 2022, won the NCAA indoor title in 7.38 in Birmingham in 2022 and started his 2024 season with 7.47 in Florida.
The line-up also features Freddie Crittenden, 2023 US indoor champion and 2022 NACAC champion, and Cordell Tinch, who improved his outdoor PB to 12.96 in the 110 metres hurdles and finished second at the 2023 US outdoor Championships in Eugene 2023.
Women’s 60 metres hurdles:
World indoor silver medallist Devynne Charlton from the Bahamas will clash against world 100 metres hurdles record Tobi Amusan from Nigeria, US hurdlers Masai Russell and Alaysha Johnson and Olympic bronze medallist Megan Tapper from Jamaica.
Charlton set the fastest time in the world this year with 7.75 in Lubbock last January.
Amusan broke the world record with 12.12 in the 100 metres hurdles in the semifinal of the World Championships in Eugene 2022 before winning the final in a wind-assisted 12.06. The Nigerian hurdler won the 60 metres hurdles at the World Indoor Tour Gold meeting in Astana improving the African record to 7.77.
Russell set her PB of 7.75 last year and a seasonal best of 7.89 in Louisville. Johnson, who won the US indoor title in 7.82, finished fourth in 7.94 in Ostrava last Tuesday.
Women’s 60 metres:
Aleia Hobbs will be the top favourite in the women’s 60 metres. Hobbs won the US indoor title in 6.94 in Albuquerque last year setting the second fastest time in history. Hobbs won in Boston last year setting a meeting record of 7.02.
Hobbs finished sixth in the 100 metres final and won the gold medal in the 4x100 relay at the 2022 World Championships in Eugene and the silver medal in the 4x100 relay at the 2021 Olympic Games in Tokyo. The US sprinter ran a seasonal best of 7.05 in the 60 metres at the Razorback Invitational in Fayetteville.
Hobbs will line up against world indoor silver medallist Mikiah Brisco and Zoe Hobbs from New Zealand, Oceanian record holder in the indoor 60 metres with 7.13 and in the outdoor 100 metres with 10.96.
Women’s 300 metres:
World 200 metres silver medallist Gabby Thomas will lead the women’s sprint. Thomas, a native of Northampton (Massachussets) won the US 200 metres title in a PB of 21.60 in Eugene last July becoming the fourth fastest sprinter in the world in history. She also won the gold medal in the 4x100 relay at the World Championships in Budapest, the bronze medal in the 200 metres and the silver medal in the 4x100 relay at the Olympic Games in Tokyo. Thomas returns to Boston, where she set a meeting record of 35.73 in 2021 when the meeting was held on Staten Island. Thomas will line-up against Favour Ofili from Nigeria, silver medallist in the 200 metres at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham 2022, USA’s Talitha Diggs, world champion in the 4x400 relay in Eugene 2022, and Lynna Irby-Jackson, who clocked 49.80 in Eugene 2018.
Men’s 1500 metres:
Jake Wightman from Great Britain will make his debut at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix. Wightman won the world title in the 1500 metres beating Jakob Ingebrigtsen in Eugene before finishing third in the 1500 metres at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham and second in the 800 metres at the European Championships in Munich. Wightman will run his first top race in 13 months after missing the 2023 season due to injury.
Wightman will take on 2023 World Road Mile champion Hobbs Kessler, who improved his 1500 metres PB to 3:32.61 at the Los Angeles Grand Prix last May.
Men’s 1000 metres:
Marco Arop will be making his third appearance in the 1000 metres at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix. The Canadian middle distance won his first world outdoor gold medal in Budapest in the 800 metres in 1:44.24 adding this title to the world bronze medal in Eugene 2022. He finished second at the Wanda Diamond League Final in Eugene improving his national record to 1:42.85.
Arop will face Mariano Garcia from Spain and Bryce Hoppel from the USA, who finished first and third at the 2022 World Indoor Championships in Belgrade.
Women’s 3000 metres:
US middle distance runner Elle St. Pierre will return to the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix in Boston, where she won the 2 mile in 2021 setting a North American record of 9:10.28, the third fastest time in history. St. Pierre claimed the world indoor silver medal in the 3000 metres in Belgrade 2022 before taking the 2023 season off due to maternity leave. St. Pierre will face Medina Eisa from Ethiopia, world under 20 outdoor record holder in the 5000 metres with 14:16.54 in London 2023 and second in Brussels with 14:28.94, Senayet Getachew, world under 20 cross country champion in Bathurst 2023, Fentaye Belayneh, who improved her PB to 14:43.25 in the 5000 metres in Boston earlier this year, three-time world under 20 medallist Melknet Wudu and Jessica Hull from Australia, Oceanian outdoor record holder in the 3000 metres with 8:31.81,
Men’s long jump:
US versatile jumper Ju’Vaughn Harrison will start his 2024 indoor season in the long jump at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix in Boston. Harrison will compete in the long jump for the first time since the US Championships last July. He set his PBs of 8.47m outdoors and 8.45 indoors when he won the NCAA title. Harrison won the world silver medal in the high jump in Budapest with 2.36m in 2023, three US outdoor titles (one in the long jump in 2021 and two in the high jump in 2021 and 2023) and the NCAA Indoor and outdoor titles in both the long and high jumps in 2021.
Harrison will take on Jamaica’s Carey McLeod, who won the NCAA outdoor title with 8.26m in Austin and finished fourth in the long jump final at the World Championships in Budapest with 8.27m in 2023, Jarrion Lawson, who finished fourth at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro and won the world silver medal in London 2017, Will Willams, US indoor champion in 2023 and top British long jumper Jacob Fincham-Dukes, fifth at the 2022 European Championships in Munich.
Women’s long jump:
World Championships silver medallist Tara Davis Woodhall will take on 2021 Olympic bronze medallist Eze Brume from Nigeria and 2022 US champion Quanesha Burks. Davis won the NCAA indoor and outdoor titles in 2021 and claimed the world silver medal in Budapest 2023 with 6.91m. She holds a PB of 7.14m and a seasonal best of 6.76m in Fayetteville. Quanesha Burks finished fourth at the World Championships in Eugene 2022 with 6.88m. Brume won two bronze medals at the 2019 World Championships in Doha, at the 2021 Olympic Games in Tokyo and a silver medal at the 2022 World Championships in Eugene.
Men’s 400 metres:
Jereem Richards from Trinidad and Tobago will return to Boston, where he won the 400 metres in 45.88 in last year’s edition of this meeting. Richards won the world bronze medal in the 200 metres and the gold medal in the 4x400 relay at the 2017 World Championships in London and the 400 metres title at the 2022 World Indoor Championships in Belgrade in his PB of 45.00. Richards set the meeting record in the 300 metres with 32.10 in 2018. He will take on Vernon Norwood, world and Olympic champion in the 4x400 relay and fourth placer in the 400 metres at the World Championships in Budapest in 44.39, and Elija Godwin, who won the NCAA indoor title in Albuquerque setting his indoor PB of 44.75 last year.
