NEW YORK CITY, February 11 — It took a few moments for the Armory crowd to realize what they’d just witnessed. Several seconds after Devynne Charlton crossed the line as the clear winner of the women’s 60H at the Millrose Games, the PA announcer confirmed that there was no glitch on the stadium clock: The Bahamian had broken the World Record.
That surprise kicked off the professional window of the 116th edition of the venerable meet, which also saw Elle St. Pierre lower her own indoor American Record in the mile.
Charlton came to New York having sharpened her speed and technique in a series of smaller meets, including a Bahamian Record 7.75 on January 20. But she took that mark to another level after a perfect start and smooth set of hurdles. She hit the tape in 7.67, to slice 0.01 off the WR set by Sweden’s Susanna Kallur way back in ’08.
“It felt fast,” said Charlton. “I felt myself separating from the field, but when they announced the time it was a shock to me.”
The Purdue grad has been in the mix in international competition for the past few years, including a World Indoor silver in ’22 and a 4th-place finish in Budapest last summer. “I knew that I had the fitness to do it, but it’s all about putting together that race,” she said. “It takes so much to break the World Record, to run the fastest ever. And I knew if I did what I’d been doing in training it would be alright.”
With the straightaway properly warmed up, Julien Alfred followed up with a convincing 6.99 win in the flat 60, the first sub-7 of the year. “I had no time in mind for today,” said the St. Lucian, who won NCAA titles in the 60, 100 and 200 for Texas last year. “I wanted to work on my start and my transition. I have to go back to my coach and see how I did on that. I’m sure he’ll say it wasn’t good.”
St. Pierre continued her return from childbirth with a strong finishing kick in the Wanamaker Mile. A week after an aggressive effort saw her outkicked by Jessica Hull over 3000 at the New Balance Indoor GP, the Vermont native turned the tables on her Aussie rival in New York.
“That was my first race in a while, so it was good to get the rust busted and remember what it feels like the last few laps,” St. Pierre said of her Boston disappointment. “But getting outkicked definitely gave me some motivation this weekend.”
At the Armory, she shadowed Hull until the bell, when she blasted into the front and unleashed an impressive kick. “I knew at the 800 we were a little bit slow,” she said of 2:09 split at the halfway mark. “I was just focusing on competing and not thinking about the time that much.”
After ripping the lap from 1400 to 1600 in 29.48, she finished in 4:16.41, cutting the 4:16.85 AR she set at the ’20 edition of this meet and just missing the absolute record of 4:16.35 run outdoors by Nikki Hiltz last year. “It feels good to be back out there and see that I can still do the things that I did before,” St. Pierre said. Her 4:00.34 split at 1500 just missed the AR 4:00.20 she had set en route in the ’20 Millrose mile.
Hull’s 4:19.03 set an Australian Record, while Harvard’s Maia Ramsden clocked the second-fastest collegiate time ever, finishing 8th in 4:24.83.
In a strange 2M, Ethiopia’s Medina Eisa crossed the finish line first (9:04.39), but was quickly disqualified for having cut in too early off the outside waterfall start. Laura Muir was declared the winner, her 9:04.84 moving to No. 2 all-time indoors (and No. 4 on the absolute list).
Ethiopia’s Melknat Wudu (9:07.12) took 2nd, while Alicia Monson, who had set the pace until the final 2 laps, broke St. Pierre’s AR with a 9:09.70 in 3rd.
“I wanted to push the whole way and I didn’t have it at the end,” said Monson, who is currently training with an eye towards an AR attempt in the 10,000 in March. “I was just trying to attach to them, but my legs just couldn’t quite turn over. I knew the American Record was still in reach, so I tried to give it all I had at the end.”
There was just one field event on the program, the high jump. World champion Yaroslava Mahuchikh of Ukraine cleared 6-6¾ (2.00) to win over Vashti Cunningham, who went over 6-5½ (1.97).
Talitha Diggs overhauled Rhasidat Adeleke in the final stretch to win the 300 in 36.21, while Allie Wilson took the 800 in 2:01.61, passing Olivia Baker just before the line.
MILLROSE GAMES WOMEN’S RESULTS
60: 1. Julien Alfred (StL) 6.99 (WL);
2. Shashalee Forbes (Jam) 7.14; 3. Destiny Smith-Barnett (US) 7.16; 4. Briana Williams (Jam) 7.25; 5. Tamara Clark (US) 7.27; 6. English Gardner (US) 7.27; 7. Crystal Emmanuel (Can) 7.37; 8. Shannon Ray (US) 7.38.
300: 1. Talitha Diggs (US) 36.21; 2. Rhasidat Adeleke (Ire) 36.42 PR; 3. Leah Anderson (Jam) 37.40; 4. Candice McLeod (Jam) 38.01 PR.
800: 1. Allie Wilson (US) 2:01.61; 2. Olivia Baker (US) 2:01.91; 3. Lorena Martin (Spa) 2:01.93; 4. Kaela Edwards (US) 2:02.06; 5. Gabija Galvydytė (Lit) 2:02.24 PR; 6. Raevyn Rogers (US) 2:02.49.
Mile: 1. Elle St. Pierre (US) 4:16.41 AR (WL) (old AR 4:16.85 St. Pierre ’20; 3, 3 W) (4:00.34—x, 2 A);
2. Jessica Hull (Aus) 4:19.03 NR (10, x W) (4:01.19 NR);
3. Susan Ejore (Ken) 4:20.61 PR (4:03.39 PR); 4. Yolanda Ngarambe (Swe) 4:23.68 NR (4:06.10 PR);
5. Dani Jones (US) 4:23.80 PR (10, x A) (4:05.69 PR);
6. Marta Pérez (Spa) 4:23.88 NR (4:06.41 PR); 7. Simone Plourde (Can) 4:24.67 PR (4:06.98 PR);
8. Maia Ramsden (NZ-Harv) 4:24.83 PR (2, 2 C) (4:07.18 NR);
9. Lucia Stafford (Can) 4:24.92 (4:06.80); 10. Josette Andrews (US) 4:25.86 (4:06.82); 11. Anna Camp-Bennett (US) 4:26.95 PR (4:08.86 PR).
2M: 1. Laura Muir (GB) 9:04.84 NR (WL) (2, 2 W) (8:31.45);
2. Melknat Wedu (Eth) 9:07.12 WJR (old WJR 9:34.03 Meseret Defar [Eth] ’02) (4, 4 W) (8:32.02 WJR (old WJR 8:32.34 Wedu ’24);
3. Alicia Monson (US) 9:09.70 AR (old AR 9:10.28 Elinor St. Pierre [NBal] ’21) (5, 5 W) (8:33.10—x, 8 A);
4. Nikki Hiltz (US) 9:15.80 PR (4, 4 A) (8:39.92 PR);
5. Nozomi Tanaka (Jpn) 9:16.76 PR (8:40.05 NR);
6. Emily MacKay (US) 9:18.29 PR (5, 5 A) (8:41.37); 7. Emily Infeld (US) 9:23.58 PR (8, 8 A) (8:45.79 PR);
8. Courtney Wayment (US) 9:24.71 PR (8:46.11 PR); 9. Abby Nichols (US) 9:35.30 PR (8:57.87); 10. Alicja Konieczek (Pol) 9:35.43 PR (8:57.67); 11. Roisin Flanagan (Ire) 9:36.70 PR (8:58.04); 12. Krissy Gear (US) 9:41.26 PR (9:03.14 PR);… dq[early break]—[1]Medina Eisa (Eth) [9:04.39].
60H: 1. Devynne Charlton (Bah) 7.67 WR (old WR 7.68 Susanna Kallur [Swe] ’08);
2. Danielle Williams (Jam) 7.79; 3. Tia Jones (US) 7.79; 4. Ackera Nugent (Jam) 7.80; 5. Cindy Sember (GB) 7.91; 6. Nia Ali (US) 7.95; 7. Megan Tapper (Jam) 7.98 PR; 8. Sharika Nelvis (US) 8.05; 9. Aleesa Samuel (US) 8.26 PR.
MileW: 1. Angelina Colon (US) 7:04.10 PR; 2. Ruby Ray (US) 7:05.63 PR; 3. Ciara Durcan (US) 7:10.88 PR; 4. Madison Morgan (US) 7:14.26 PR; 5. Alexa Governor (US) 7:16.47 PR; 6. Marissa Sciotto (US) 7:37.26 PR; 7. Kyra Pellegrino (US) 7:39.02 PR.
Field Event
HJ: 1. Yaroslava Mahuchikh (Ukr) 6-6¾ (2.00) (1.90, 1.94, 1.97, 2.00 [3], 2.05 [xxx]); 2. Vashti Cunningham (US) 6-5½ (1.97); 3. Nawal Meniker (Fra) 6-1¼ (1.86); 4. Elisabeth Pihela (Est) 6-1¼.