FAYETTEVILLE, ARKANSAS, February 21 — A pair of 200s, one from über-vet Allyson Felix, the other from a prep half her age (Jaylen Slade), earned Olympic-year attention at iteration IV of the American Track League.
The 35-year-old Felix served notice she is not to be counted out post-maternity as she essayed her first indoor 200 since… ’03(!) when she churned her PR of 23.14. Starting her day with a 60, Felix zipped 7.28 for 2nd behind Briton Daryll Neita’s winning 7.24. The time was Felix’s fifth-fastest career indoor dash, and a rarity in that since ’05 she has only run the event in Olympic years ’12, ’16 and (would-have-been OG season) ’20.
Just 45 minutes later, Felix lined up for her race around the oval and won going away 22.59–22.91 from hurdler Jasmine Camacho-Quinn a lane to her inside in corridor 4. Prep soph Shawnti Jackson (Wakefield, Raleigh, North Carolina) the national HS leader this season at 23.23 and daughter of 400 hurdles great Bershawn Jackson — sprinted to 3rd in 23.45.
After admitting to ESPN before the meet that indoor racing has never been a prime target, Felix said she was “just focusing on a few technical things and really just putting work in. We’re still working hard and basically the goal’s much later on.”
Training day or not, Felix noticed Jackson and Slade. “It’s really exciting to see that next generation come up,” she said. “I remember when that was me so I’m excited to cheer them on as well.”
Eleventh-grader Slade (IMG, Bradenton, Florida) held the boys high school lead in three events coming into the afternoon, but had much more after completing his single circuit of the track: a High School Record 20.62 that erased none other than Noah Lyles’s name from the book.
Slade started in lane 5, easy to spot with his white headband and dark shades. After a tiny stumble early he made up the stagger on Gavin Schurr (Fairview, Boulder, Colorado) to his outside just before the second turn and powered to an 0.35 improvement on his best. His time clipped 0.01 from Lyles’s standard set winning the New Balance race in ’16.
Schurr far from caved once caught. The senior’s 20.84 for 2nd moved him to the No. 4 all-time prep performer spot.
Were he not Ryan Crouser — the putter whose World Record and boggling consistency lit up the ATL I and II meets in January — no one would have guessed he had lost 15 pounds (c7kg) in the preceding two days to a nasty bout of food poisoning. Crouser also slipped nearly a meter from the level he operated at in those earlier outings.
Nonetheless he opened with 71-2¾ (21.71) — good enough to win from Payton Otterdahl (70-2½/21.40) — had 4 more throws that far or longer and topped out at 71-11½ (21.93) in round 5 — farther than anyone else but reigning world champ Joe Kovacs has thrown this year.
”I had probably one of my best practices ever on Friday in preparation for this meet and this has been my whole peak for indoors,” a queasy Crouser said afterwards, still feeling effects of the food poisoning that hit him and dad Mitch after a Friday restaurant dinner. “This was meant to be USAs weekend when I wrote my programming months ago. So I came out, everything was geared towards throwing far this weekend. Got unbelievably sick on Friday night all through Saturday, yesterday. Then today just wanted to come out and compete. I’m not exactly feeling great right now, but I had spent so much time prepping for this and still wanted to come out and compete.”
Crouser also made the meet a test of sorts after discussing it with his dad. “We took it as, hey, if I still want to compete, let’s just use it as a learning experience here that if I ever have a World Championships, Olympic qualifying, Olympic Trials that I’m feeling bad at, at least I know can still come out and compete and throw a competitive distance.”
ATL IV MEN’S RESULTS
(200 banked
60: 1. Zach Jewell (US) 6.58 PR; 2. Jackson Webb (US) 6.59 PR; 3. Jarrion Lawson (US) 6.62; 4. Chris Royster (US) 6.65; 5. Remontay McClain (US) 6.66; 6. Warren Fraser (Bah) 6.71; 7. Rodney Rowe (US) 6.72;… dnc—Kyle Clemons (US).
Heats: I–1. Jewell 6.59 PR; 2. Webb 6.60 PR; 3. Royster 6.65; 4. McClain 6.68; 5. Rowe 6.70; 6. Clemons 6.82; 7. Hakim Montgomery (US) 6.83. II–1. Lawson 6.72; 2. Fraser 6.77; 3. Charles Silmon (US) 6.85; 4. Anaso Jobodwana (SA) 6.88; 5. Charles Okeze (Ngr) 6.92; 6. Ruffin Hakim (US) 7.03; 7. Jamiel Trimble (US) 7.08.
HS 200: 1. *Jaylen Slade (IMG, Bradenton, Fl) 20.62 HSR (old HSR 20.63 Noah Lyles [Williams, Alexandria, Va] ’16);
2. Gavin Schurr (Fairview, Boulder, Co) 20.84 (4, 5 HS);
3. Connor Washington (College Park, The Woodlands, Tx) 21.25; 4. Brandon Miller (Fenton, Mi) 21.34; 5. Sean Jackson (South County, Lorton, Va) 21.37;… dq[lane]—Laurenz Colbert (Roosevelt, Greenbelt, Md) [21.08].
300: 1. Asa Guevara (Tri) 33.11; 2. Jamiel Trimble (US) 33.38;… dq—Charles Okeze (Ngr).
400: 1. Wil London (US) 46.36; 2. Robert Grant (Ita) 46.75; 3. Vernon Norwood (US) 46.83; 4. Kyle Clemons (US) 46.86; 5. Valente Mendoza (Mex) 46.90.
800: 1. Michael Saruni (Ken) 1:45.34 (50.48/54.86); 2. Kameron Jones (US) 1:46.23 PR (50.66/55.57); 3. Erik Sowinski (US) 1:47.54; 4. Rajay Hamilton (Jam) 1:47.57; 5. Craig Engels (US) 1:47.78; 6. Isaiah Harris (US) 1:48.41; 7. Drew Piazza (US) 1:48.66; 8. Sergio Miranda (US) 1:53.71.
60H: 1. Michael Dickson (US) 7.53 =PR; 2. Ruebin Walters (Tri) 7.66; 3. Wellington Zaza (Lbr) 7.71; 4. Isaiah Moore (US) 7.77; 5. Nicholas Anderson (US) 7.83; 6. Arthur Price (US) 7.93; 7. Johnathan Cabral (Can) 7.93; 8. Tyler Graves (US) 8.12.
Heats: I–1. Dickson 7.53 PR; 2. Moore 7.81; 3. Anderson 7.81; 4. Price 7.91; 5. Graves 8.18. II–1. Walters 7.71; 2. Zaza 7.85; 3. Cabral 7.94;… dnf—Greggmar Swift (Bar).
Field Events
PV: 1. Andrew Irwin (US) 18-8¼ (5.70); 2. Scott Houston (US) 18-4½ (5.60); 3. Austin Miller (US) 18-4½ (5.60); 4. Carson Waters (US) 18-½ (5.50); 5. Hussein Al Hizam (Sau) 18-½.
LJ: 1. Marquis Dendy (US) 26-10½ (8.19); 2. Gregory Vann (US) 24-6¼ (7.47); 3. Laquarn Nairn (Bah) 19-4 (5.89);… nm—Tyler Brendel (US).
SP: 1. Ryan Crouser (US) 71-11½ (21.93) (71-2¾, f, 71-8¼, 71-5½, 71-11½, 71-2¾) (21.71, f, 21.85, 21.78, 21.93, 21.71); 2. Payton Otterdahl (US) 70-2½ (21.40); 3. Josh Awotunde (US) 69-9½ (21.27); 4. Nick Ponzio (US) 67-10¼ (20.68); 5. Dotun Ogundeji (Ngr) 63-9½ (19.44).
ATL IV WOMEN’S RESULTS
60: 1. Daryll Neita (GB) 7.24; 2. Allyson Felix (US) 7.28; 3. Mary Elizabeth Price (US) 7.28; 4. Kiara Parker (US) 7.30; 5. Caitland Smith (US) 7.35.
200: 1. Felix 22.59 PR; 2. Jasmine Camacho-Quinn (PR) 22.91; 3. Shawnti Jackson (US) 23.45; 4. Smith 23.50.
400: 1. Shamier Little (US) 50.57 (7, 8 A);
2. Chrisann Gordon (Jam) 52.06; 3. Paola Morán (Mex) 52.78; 4. Mariah Kuykendoll (US) 53.61; 5. Sparkle Mcknight (Tri) 54.14.
800: 1. Heather MacLean (US) 2:00.53 (AL);
2. Síofra Cléirigh Büttner (Ire) 2:00.58 NR; 3. Adelle Tracey (GB) 2:01.44; 4. Dana Mecke (US) 2:02.40.
60H: 1. Danielle Williams (Jam) 7.86; 2. Tonea Marshall (US) 7.89; 3. Cindy Sember (GB) 8.01; 4. Taliyah Brooks (US) 8.03; 5. Emma Nwofor (GB) 8.16; 6. Pedrya Seymour (Bah) 8.24; 7. Cassandra Lloyd (US) 8.45; 8. Devyani Biswal (Can) 8.85.
Field Events
PV: 1. Olivia Gruver (US) 15-5 (4.70); 2. Megan Clark (US) 14-11 (4.55); 3. Megan Zimlich (US) 14-1¼ (4.30); 4. Chloe Cunliffe (US) 14-1¼; 5. tie, Lauren Martinez (US) & Robin Bone (Can) 13-7¼ (4.15);… nh—Kortney Oates (US);… nh—Emily Presley (US).
SP: 1. Raven Saunders (US) 64-2½ (19.57) PR (AL) (4, x A) (53-9, 63-6, f, 64-2½, 62-¼, f) (16.38, 19.35, f, 19.57, 18.90, f);
2. Maggie Ewen (US) 64-1¼ (19.54) PR(6, x A) (in/out: 9,x A) (61-5 [AL], 64-1¼ [AL], 63-8¾, 62-1¼, 62-11½, 60-5¾) (18.72, 19.54, 19.42, 18.93, 19.19, 18.43); 3. Jessica Ramsey (US) 63-11¾ (19.50) PR (6, x A) (in/out:10, x A) (f, 63-5½, 62-3, 59-10½, 61-5½, 63-11¾) (f, 19.34, 18.97, 18.25, 18.73, 19.50); 4. Chase Ealey (US) 57-9½ (17.61); 5. Portious Warren (Tri) 57-6¼ (17.53); 6. Haley Teel (US) 57-1 (17.40).
