Record-Breaking Performances Illuminate the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix
The New Balance Indoor Grand Prix in Boston, serving as the exhilarating third leg of the World Indoor Tour Gold, was a spectacle of athletic prowess and record-breaking performances. The event was distinguished by an unprecedented eleven world leads, alongside national and junior world records, showcasing the epitome of track and field excellence. Among the standout achievements, Noah Lyles captivated the audience by shattering the 60m meeting record with a blistering time of 6.44 seconds, signaling his dominance in sprinting. In distance running, Jessica Hull proudly set a new Australian record in the 3000m with a remarkable time of 8:24.93, while Marco Arop made Canadian history by establishing a national record in the 1000m with an impressive 2:14.74.
Men’s 60 metres:
World 100 and 200 metres champion Noah Lyles stormed to a win in the 60 metres final in a world seasonal lead of 6.44 moving up to 10th in the world all-time list. Lyles improved his previous PB of 6.51 set at the same meeting last year.
Noah Lyles: “My confidence has skyrocketed. Let’s go to win a world indoor record”.
Lyles held off Jamaica’s Ackeem Blake, who clocked 6.45 in his first indoor race. Ronnie Baker, world indoor bronze medallist in Birmingham 2018, continued his come-back with a third place in 6.54 edging 2022 100m world champion Fred Kerley, who clocked 6.55 in the first 60 metres race of his career.
Lyles previously won the men’s 60 metres heats in 6.54 beating Baker (6.59). Kerley won the second heat in 6.57 edging Blake by 0.01.
Men’s 60 metres hurdles:
World indoor record holder Grant Holloway won the second heat setting a world seasonal best of 7.37 beating Cordell Tinch (7.60). World outdoor silver medallist Trey Cunningham won the first heat improving his seasonal best to 7.44 beating Daniel Roberts (7.51).
Holloway went on to win the final improving his world seasonal lead to a meeting record of 7.35 equalling the fifth best ever performance. Cunningham placed second in 7.49 holding off Daniel Roberts by three thousandths in a photo-finish. Cordell Tinch took fourth in 7.55.
Women’s 60 metres hurdles:
World under 20 champion Tia Jones won the women’s 60 metres hurdles in 7.72. Jones tied fifth best ever performance in the world all-time list. Tobi Amusan from Nigeria improved her own African indoor record by just 0.02 to 7.75 to finish second sharing the same time as world indoor silver medallist Devynne Charlton from Bahamas. US Masai Russell finished fourth improving her PB to 7.84.
Tia Jones: “The race was pretty clean, but we still have some work to do. I have been having troubles with my start, but if I can get that half right, then I can get closer to the world record”.
Women’s 1500 metres:
World 5000 metres record holder Gudaf Tsegay won her first race of the season in the women’s 1500 metres setting a meeting record of 3:58.11. Tsegay tried to attack her world record of 3:53.09, but she slowed down in the final stages.
Tsegay held off her compatriot Birke Haylom, who clocked 3:58.43. Emily Mackay took third place in a PB of 4:05.04 beating 20-year-old rising star Addy Wiley, who also set her lifetime best with 4:07.32.
Men’s 1000 metres:
World 800 metres champion Marco Arop from Canada won the men’s 1000 metres setting the world lead, a national record, a meeting record and the second fastest time in history with 2:14.74 in the men’s 1000 metres. Arop ran a split at 800 metres of 1:46.69. World indoor bronze medallist Bryce Hoppel finished second in 2:16.76. Sam Ellis took third place setting a lifetime best of 2.17.10.
Men’s 3000 metres:
Three-time world 3000m steeplechase silver medallist and world indoor record Lamecha Girma won the men’s 3000 metres setting a meeting record and a world lead of 7:29.09. Girma was ahead of world record pace and was on the right pace to break this record clocking 4:58.44 at 2 km, but he faded in the last three laps.
Girma won by 10 seconds over Edwin Kurgat from Kenya, who took second place in a PB of 7:39.29.
Women’s 3000 metres:
Jessica Hull from Australia won a close head-to-head sprint into the finish-line with Elle St. Pierre in the women’s 3000 metres in a new Oceanian record of 8:24.93 setting the sixth fastest time in history. St. Pierre took second place setting a PB of 8:25.25. Melknat Wudu from Ethiopia crossed the finish-line in third place in 8:32.34 holding off 5000 metres world under 20 record Medina Eisa by 0.01.
Women’s 300 metres:
Olympic 200 metres bronze medallist Gabby Thomas set the world lead and the eighth best performance in the women’s 300 metres with 35.75. Thomas missed her own world record by 0.02. Favour Ofili from Nigeria dipped under the 36 seconds barrier with an African all-time best performance of 35.99. Lynna Irby Jackson took third place with 36.05.
Women’s long jump:
World outdoor silver medallist Tara Davis Woodhall set a world lead and a meeting record of 6.86m in the first round to win the women’s long jump. Davis Woodhall backed it up with two leaps of 6.83m in the third and sixth rounds and two more jumps of 6.76m and 6.72m which would have been enough to win the competition. USA’s Quanesha Burks, who finished fourth at the 2022 World Championships in Eugene, took second place with 6.64m beating two-time world silver medallist Ese Brume from Nigeria (6.58m).
Men’s 1500 metres:
US rising star Hobbs Kessler launched his kick in the final two laps to win the men’s 1000 metres improving his PB to 3:33.66 to win the men’s 1500 metres. World 1500m outdoor champion Jake Wightman from Great Britain made a successful come-back from injury with a second place with a European lead of 3:34.06. Craig Engels took third place in 3:37.04.
Women’s 60 metres:
World indoor silver medallist Mikiah Brisco from the USA won the women’s 60 metres in a seasonal best of 7.10 beating Celera Barnes (7.15) and Destiny Smith Barnett (7.16).
Men’s long jump:
Jamaica’s Carey McLeod, who finished fourth at the World Championships in Budapest 2023, leapt to 8.20m in the first round to win the men’s long jump. McLeod produced his second best jump of 8.03m in the third round, which would have been enough to win. Jacob Fincham Dukes finished second with 8.02m ahead of 2021 US champion Ju’Vaughn Harrison (7.87m).
Men’s 400 metres:
Olympic 4x400 relay champion Vernon Norwood from the USA claimed the win the men’s 400 metres in 45.76 ahead of South Africa’s Zak Nene, who improved his PB to 46.15.
Women’s 400 metres:
USA’s Kendall Ellis won the women’s 400 metres in 52.77 beating US Raevyn Rogers (53.00).
Men’s 600 metres:
Mark English from Ireland won a close men’s 600 metres clocking 1:16.64 holding off John Rivera from Puerto Rico (1:16.67) and Olivier Desmueles from Canada (1:16.68).
Women’s 800 metres:
US Sammy Watson won the women’s 800 metres in a PB of 2:01.20 beating Isabelle Boffey from Great Britain (2:01.53) and US Allie Wilson (2:01.84).
