TOKYO, JAPAN, May 17— For his season opener at 100, Noah Lyles had to go all the way to Tokyo to beat a couple of Texas high schoolers. Phenoms Tate Taylor and Jake Odey-Jordan, neither running for their schools this season, found their way to Japan and lined up against the Olympic champion on the weekend of the Texas state meet.
In the final event of the Seiko Golden GP, Lyles started in lane 5, with Taylor in 8 and Odey-Jordan in 3. Lyles overcame a deficit at the start and caught leader Odey-Jordan before halfway. Closing faster, however, was Taylor, who made it into 2nd before hitting the line. Lyles clocked 9.95, with Taylor at 10.04 and Odey-Jordan at 10.07.
“It wasn’t my fastest, but it was definitely in my top five fastest season openers, so I’d say it was very worth the journey,” remarked Lyles.
His training partner, Jordan Anthony, comfortably took the 200 in 20.05 ahead of Courtney Lindsey (20.28).
The 400 also proved notable, with Rai Benjamin opening his season with a win. The Olympic 400 hurdle champ appeared to run very relaxed, and in the final 100 willed himself past Zambian Muzala Samukonga to win, 44.69-44.83. Vernon Norwood finished 3rd in 45.22.
“I think I could have done better execution wise, but it’s the first one, so I feel happy to come out with the win and get a good one in front of a good crowd,” he said. “[This season] I’ll just have fun, be competitive in all events that I choose to run and now that we have a time out there, it’s time to go back to the drawing board and try and figure out what we can do better.”
In the high hurdles, Japan’s Tatsuki Abe ran 13.26 to beat Texas A&M alum Connor Schulman and his PR-tying 13.33. The 400 hurdles went to Türkiye’s Ismail Nedir in a PR 48.25, with Chris Robinson back in 5th (49.09).
Alia Armstrong took the 100 hurdles in 12.75 into a 0.9 headwind, just ahead of Japan’s Yumi Tanaka (12.81).
Britain’s Yemi Mary John broke 50-seconds for the first time in winning the 400. Her 49.85 easily outdistanced former USC teammate Bailey Lear, who also got a PR (50.42). “It was always going to be a fast race because I know the Tokyo track is so incredible,” she said.
Kenyans won the women’s distances, with Purity Chepkirui beating Shelby Houlihan in the 1500, 4:16.11–4:16.25. The 3000 went to Janet Chepkemoi in 8:39.24.
Organizers brought together solid fields in the javelin. In the women’s version, local hero Haruka Kitaguchi could only manage 5th at 198-0 (60.36) as Rhema Otabor of the Bahamas won with a 202-0 (61.57). Said the Olympic champion, “I felt full of energy and thought I could throw even farther, so I’m not happy with this result. But since this was just the first competition of the season, I’ll do my best to put on a good performance from here on out.”
In the men’s spear, Czech Jakub Vadlejch won with a second-round effort of 279-8 (85.24); on his last attempt, Marc Minichello threw 268-2 (81.74) for 2nd.
TOKYO CT RESULTS
MEN’S EVENTS
100(0.6): 1. Noah Lyles (US) 9.95; 2. Tate Taylor (US) 10.04; 3. Jake Odey-Jordan (GB) 10.09; 4. Yoshihide Kiryu (Jpn) 10.15.
200(-1.3): 1. Jordan Anthony (US) 20.05; 2. Courtney Lindsey (US) 20.28; 3. Towa Uzawa (Jpn) 20.33.
400: 1. Rai Benjamin (US) 44.69; 2. Muzala Samukonga (Zam) 44.83; 3. Vernon Norwood (US) 45.22.
1500: 1. Kazuto Iizawa (Jpn) 3:37.69.
3000: 1. Nagiya Mori (Jpn) 7:38.98 NR.
110H(-0.2): 1. Tatsuki Abe (Jpn) 13.26; 2. Connor Schulman (US) 13.33 =PR; 3. Tade Ojora (GB) 13.39; 4. Shusei Nomoto (Jpn) 13.41; 5. Eric Edwards (US) 13.46; 6. Taiga Yokochi (Jpn) 13.55; 7. Johnny Brackins (US) 13.56.
400H: 1. Ismail Nezir (Tur) 48.25 PR; 2. Kaito Tsutsue (Jpn) 48.65; 3. Kazuki Kurokawa (Jpn) 48.86; 4. Daiki Ogawa (Jpn) 49.04; 5. Chris Robinson (US) 49.09.
HJ: 1. Sou Shibuya (Jpn) 7-4¼ (2.24) PR; 2. Chao-Hsuan Fu (Tai) 7-4¼ (2.24); 3. Hirokazu Sakai (Jpn) 7-4¼; 4. Tomohiro Shinno (Jpn) 7-2½ (2.20); 5. Eli Kosiba (US) 7-2½; 6. Shelby McEwen (US) 7-½ (2.15).
LJ: 1. Yuki Hashioka (Jpn) 26-11¾ (8.22).
JT: 1. Jakub Vadlejch (CzR) 279-8 (85.24); 2. Marc Minichello (US) 268-2 (81.74).
WOMEN’S EVENTS
400: 1. Yemi Mary John (GB) 49.85 PR; 2. Bailey Lear (US) 50.42 PR.
1500: 1. Purity Chepkirui (Ken) 4:16.11; 2. Shelby Houlihan (US) 4:16.25.
3000: 1. Janet Chepkemoi (Ken) 8:39.24 PR.
100H(-0.9): 1. Alia Armstrong (US) 12.75; 2. Yumi Tanaka (Jpn) 12.81; 3. Mako Fukube (Jpn) 12.85;.
TJ: 1. Elena Andreea Taloș (Rom) 45-10¾w (13.99) (45-4½/13.83); 2. Neja Filipič (Slo) 44-8¼ (13.62).
JT: 1. Rhema Otabor (Bah) 202-0 (61.57); 2. Momone Ueda (Jpn) 201-5 (61.40); 3. Flor Dennis Ruiz (Col) 200-1 (60.98); 4. Marina Saito (Jpn) 198-4 (60.45); 5. Haruka Kitaguchi (Jpn) 198-0 (60.36).
