New Balance Women — No Matchup With Syd, But WR For Bol

It’s not an official World Record distance, but Femke Bol was plenty happy with the fastest indoor 500 ever run. (VICTOR SAILER/PHOTO RUN)

BRIGHTON, MASSACHUSETTS, February 04 — Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone and Shericka Jackson are not only reigning world champions (in the 400H and 200), they also finished Nos. 1 & 4 in T&FN’s ’22 AOY voting. So the New Balance matchup over 60m between those two, along with last year’s reigning World Indoor runner-up Mikiah Brisco, and 2018 NCAA Indoor Champion Aleia Hobbs, was a mouthwatering one.

But this was McLaughlin-Levrone’s first-ever flat 60, and it showed. She lacked the requisite starting power, and just missed out on the final with her 7.33 for 5th in heat I, behind Hobbs’ smooth 7.08.

In heat II, Jackson, who had never run indoors prior to last season, had the worst start of anyone, managing only 7.34 and also missed out on the final. Brisco started well and eased up to easily win the heat in 7.15.

The final, 70 minutes later, saw Hobbs line up in lane 4, with her former LSU teammate Brisco to her right in 5. This time Hobbs started even better than in the heats, gaining an early 2-meter advantage that she maintained to the finish, winning comfortably over her training partner 7.02–7.10.

Said the 26-year old, “It didn’t feel fast but my as coach said, ‘If it feels easy then that’s when you know you’re running fast.’”

It was probably too much for the capacity crowd to hope for a clash between McLaughlin-Levrone and the woman who finished behind her in the WC last summer, Femke Bol, but the Dutchwoman made the most of the opportunity to make a barrier-less statement of her own, gliding to a WR in the seldom-contested 500.

Despite starting out in lane 6, Bol had to run hard to get to the break ahead of Jamaican Leah Anderson, who started in the less-than-ideal lane 3. But approaching the bell, Bol looked magnificent, her long strides eating up the red oval. Punching the air at the finish, the 22-year old finished in 1:05.63, well under the previous standard of 1:06.31 by Russia’s Olesya Forsheva in ’06. Anderson held on for 2nd in 1:08.34.

“I’m just super happy to have it worked out like this,” said Bol of her first attempt at the distance.

Despite featuring some of the world’s top stars, perhaps the meet’s most popular performer was area native and UMass alum Heather MacLean, who trains on this oval as part of Team New Balance Boston, coached by Olympian Mark Coogan.

MacLean, the defending U.S. Indoor 1500 champ, followed rabbit Cory McGee (64.15y) before taking over the lead at halfway in 2:11.59, upping the tempo a bit and stringing out the field. Approaching the bell, it was down to MacLean and Lucia Stafford, the Canadian who’d set the North American Indoor 1000 record (2:33.75) a week prior at Boston University, and whose sister, Gabriela DeBues-Stafford, had won this event in ’19.

Stafford passed MacLean just after the bell, and charged down the backstretch, but never got a gap on MacLean, who sent the crowd into a frenzy as she slowly eased by Stafford in the last 10m, scoring a narrow win, 4:23.42–4:23.52.

Said MacLean of her strategy of pushing mid-race, “I decided to take the initiative, which if you know me as a racer, I haven’t been known to do in the past.”


NEW BALANCE GP WOMEN’S RESULTS

(200 banked)

60: 1. Aleia Hobbs (US) 7.02; 2. Mikiah Brisco (US) 7.10; 3. Celera Barnes (US) 7.21; 4. Kayla White (US) 7.22; 5. Candace Hill (US) 7.23; 6. Kiara Parker (US) 7.24; 7. Melissa Jefferson (US) 7.26; 8. Anthonique Strachan (Bah) 7.40.

Heats: I–1. Hobbs 7.08; 2. Barnes 7.21; 3. Parker 7.22; 4. Hill 7.25; 5. Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone (US) 7.33 PR; 6. Javianne Oliver (US) 7.42. II–1. Brisco 7.15; 2. White 7.21; 3. Jefferson 7.25; 4. Strachan 7.32; 5. Shericka Jackson (Jam) 7.34; 6. Cambrea Sturgis (US) 7.37; 7. Keni Harrison (US) 7.39.

300: 1. Gabby Thomas (US) 36.31; 2. Anna Kiełbasińska (Pol) 36.41 PR; 3. Lynna Irby (US) 36.62; 4. Jenna Prandini (US) 38.16.

500: 1. Femke Bol (Neth) 1:05.63 WR (old WR 1:06.31 Olesya Forsheva [Rus] ’06);

2. Leah Anderson (Jam) 1:08.34 PR (8, 10 W);

3. Janieve Russell (Jam) 1:09.18 PR; 4. Lisanne de Witte (Neth) 1:09.87 PR.

800: 1. Ajee’ Wilson (US) 2:00.45 (AL);

2. Kaela Edwards (US) 2:01.09 PR; 3. Isabelle Boffey (GB) 2:01.42; 4. Ellie Baker (GB) 2:03.19; 5. Sammy Watson (US) 2:03.65; 6. Kristie Schoffield (US) 2:05.24 PR; 7. Lynsey Sharp (GB) 2:05.60.

Mile: 1. Heather MacLean (US) 4:23.42 PR (WL, AL) (8 x A) (4:06.07 WL, AL);

2. Lucia Stafford (Can) 4:23.52 PR (4:06.09); 3. Esther Guerrero (Spa) 4:24.92 NR (4:06.70 PR); 4. Emily MacKay (US) 4:26.09 PR (4:08.73 PR); 5. Dani Jones (US) 4:26.75 PR (4:07.47 PR); 6. Jemma Reekie (GB) 4:28.49 (4:08.79); 7. Emma Coburn (US) 4:28.84 PR (4:10.39 PR); 8. Nozomi Tanaka (Jpn) 4:28.94 PR (4:09.90 NR); 9. Helen Schlachtenhaufen (US) 4:29.50 (4:12.44); 10. Taryn Rawlings (US) 4:31.33 PR (4:11.32 PR); 11. Vera Hoffmann (Lux) 4:32.05 PR (4:12.96); 12. Allie Wilson (US) 4:33.93 PR (4:14.90 PR);… rabbit—Cory McGee (US).

3000: 1. Laura Muir (GB) 8:40.34; 2. Melissa Courtney-Bryant (GB) 8:41.09; 3. Katie Snowden (GB) 8:47.41 PR; 4. Hannah Nuttall (GB) 8:47.72 PR; 5. Alicja Konieczek (Pol) 8:51.08 PR; 6. Julie-Anne Staehli (Can) 8:51.96; 7. Lea Meyer (Ger) 8:52.48 PR; 8. Marta Pérez (Spa) 8:52.63; 9. Adelle Tracey (Jam) 8:52.96 PR; 10. Roisin Flanagan (Ire) 8:53.50 PR; 11. Jenny Nesbitt (GB) 9:09.83; 12. Izzy Fry (GB) 9:12.82; 13. Millie Paladino (US) 9:17.62; 14. Katrina Coogan (US) 9:35.65.

60H: 1. Devynne Charlton (Bah) 7.87; 2. Sharika Nelvis (US) 7.93; 3. Celeste Mucci (Aus) 7.95 PR; 4. Danielle Williams (Jam) 7.97; 5. Taliyah Brooks (US) 8.08; 6. Michelle Harrison (Can) 8.10; 7. Cindy Sember (GB) 8.19; 8. Lolo Jones (US) 8.55.

PV: 1. Bridget Williams (US) 15-7¾ (4.77) PR (AL) (6, x A; in/out: 6, x A) (14-7¼ [3], 14-11, 15-2¼, 15-5½, 15-7¾ [3], 15-10 [xxx]) (4.45 [3], 4.55, 4.63, 4.71, 4.77 [3], 4.83 [xxx]);

2. Gabriela Leon (US) 14-11 (4.55) PR; 3. Katerína Stefanídi (Gre) 14-11 (4.55); 4. Katie Moon (née Nageotte) (US) 14-7¼ (4.45); 5. Emily Grove (US) 14-7¼; 6. Kristen Brown (US) 14-1¼ (4.30).

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