ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO, February 17 — The eagerly-awaited matchup between 60 World Record holder Christian Coleman and world 100/200 champion Noah Lyles could not have been more competitive, with Lyles snatching a narrow win to provide a fitting conclusion to the USATF Indoor Champs.
The battle lines had been drawn in the heats 90 minutes earlier. In heat II, Coleman showed his start was still potent as he ripped a 6.49 to stay clear of veteran Ronnie Baker (6.53). In the next race, Lyles sprinted a comfortable 6.52, his third-best ever. In the final, it was Baker in lane 3, Coleman in 4, Lyles in 5.
While Baker had the best reaction time (0.111), it was Coleman who got out fastest, surging to a lead that left Lyles well back in the early stages. Indeed, Coleman zipped through his transition flawlessly, and with 10m to go he had it… with 5 to go he had it… with 2 to go he had it — but throughout the race Lyles had been clawing his way forward, fighting for every inch. In the final stride he pulled himself ahead of Coleman for the first time ever in a 60 to take the win, 6.43–6.44.
Said Lyles of his PR effort, “I dreamed of the day that my 60 got faster. I come out here every year, trying to get faster and faster and faster.” He gave props to Coleman for making the challenge so difficult.
While Lyles celebrated, it was in the shot ring that fans saw true dominance. Ryan Crouser, already a 3-time champion, decided to open his season here. He warmed up with a first effort of 71-3½ (21.73) that would have been enough to win had he stopped there. In round 2, he improved to 72-8 (22.15). Round 4 brought him a world-leading 73-6 (22.40). On his next throw, he hit his marks and went even farther, a meet record 74-9¾ (22.80). He won by more than 4ft over Roger Steen’s PR 70-5¼ (21.47).
“I’ve been training well,” said Crouser, “just not at the distances I would like to see. It took me getting into a comp to wake things up again. I’m really happy with the on-the-day adjustments.”
With American Record holder Yared Nuguse having only competed in the previous day’s 3000, the 1500 was fated to be a match between his two most prominent chasers, Cole Hocker and Hobbs Kessler. And as one would expect in an unpaced, crowded race on a banked track at altitude, no one dared to take it out fast and the resulting crowding led to more than a few bumps and elbows. Vincent Ciattei and then John Reniewicki did the early frontrunning before Hocker smoothly moved to the front at 900 — doing all of his passing on the inside.
Kessler, far behind from the start, had to navigate his way through serious turbulence, an exercise that gave his elbows plenty of action. He finally made it to 3rd with 400 to go, and fought his way to 2nd on the final lap. Hocker, though, was too far ahead to catch, taking the win in 3:37.51 as Kessler barely held off a crowd for the runner-up spot in 3:38.76.
“Once I got the lead, I just knew I was not going to relinquish that,” said Hocker. “I just really wanted to attack each straightaway.”
Bryce Hoppel might have shared some of his recent training partner’s frustration. Like Kessler, Hoppel struggled to get into the spot he wanted after Abraham Alvarado moved to the front past 400. Every straightaway Hoppel would try to get past Alvarado, and the BYU alum would hold him off. Finally, going into the turn at 700, Hoppel surged past, but he couldn’t afford to relax as Isaiah Harris charged hard off the final turn and pushed him to the line. Hoppel took the victory, 1:46.67–1:46.78.
“I didn’t get out as fast as I wanted to, so I got stuck on the outside,” explained Hoppel, who said he kept trying to pass and “all of a sudden we’re at the end of the race, so it was pretty close.”
In the 400, Georgia alum Matthew Boling may have only placed 5th but he left a big mark on the race. Figuring that he could run a faster 200 than any of his competitors, the burly Texan blasted the first lap in 20.96 to grab the pole position, holding off Jacory Patterson (21.00) at the turn. Patterson had to work hard to get around Boling on the next lap and once he did, he had little left with which to fight off the late rush of Brian Faust, who nabbed him at the line, 45.47–45.48.
One of the bigger surprises of the meet came in the long jump from USC junior Johnny Brackins. In 7th after five rounds, he launched himself to a PR 27-0 (8.23) to steal the win. Isaac Grimes finished 2nd with his last-round 26-5½ (8.06), just ahead of Jarrion Lawson, who had been leading before that round at 26-5 (8.05).
USATF INDOOR MEN’S RESULTS, DAY 2
60: 1. Noah Lyles (adidas) 6.43 PR (WL) (=9, x W; =6, x A);
2. Christian Coleman (Nike) 6.44; 3. Ronnie Baker (adidas) 6.51; 4. Emmanuel Wells (unat) 6.56; 5. Brandon Carnes (Asics) 6.57; 6. ZaChaeus Beard (unat) 6.58; 7. Pjai Austin (adidas) 6.58; 8. J.T. Smith (unat) 6.58.
Heats: I–1. Wells 6.58; 2. Austin 6.60; 3. Demek Kemp (Asics) 6.64; 4. Jae’len Means (GardStTC) 6.66; 5. Dominick Corley (WaHS) 6.66; 6. Kendal Williams (adidas) 6.67.
II–1. Coleman 6.49; 2. Baker 6.53; 3. Carnes 6.61; 4. Coby Hilton (unat) 6.65; 5. Mason Phillips (unat) 6.72; 6. Bryan Sosoo (TSCPTC) 6.72.
III–1. Lyles 6.52; 2. Beard 6.59; 3. Smith 6.59; 4. Sam Blaskowski (WiLC) 6.65 PR; 5. Kasaun James (unat) 6.67.
400: 1. Brian Faust (GardStTC) 45.47 PR (21.54/23.93); 2. Jacory Patterson (adidas) 45.48 (21.00/24.48); 3. Chris Bailey (unat) 45.76 (21.97/23.79); 4. Paul Dedewo (unat) 46.08 (21.74/24.34); 5. Matthew Boling (unat) 46.19 (20.96/25.23); 6. Bryce Deadmon (Nike) 46.60 (22.28/24.32).
Heats: I–1. Patterson 45.51; 2. Bailey 45.61; 3. Wil London (unat) 46.82; 4. Jonah Vigil (unat) 47.01 PR. II–1. Boling 45.86; 2. Jeremiah Curry (unat) 47.13; 3. James Milholen (unat) 47.67; 4. Elija Godwin (adidas) 47.87. III–1. Faust 45.57 PR; 2. Deadmon 45.64; 3. Trevor Bassitt (unat) 46.34; 4. Chance Tanner (unat) 47.53; 5. Willington Wright (unat) 47.75. IV–1. Dedewo 47.10; 2. Demarius Smith (unat) 47.26; 3. Ryan Willie (adidas) 47.47.
800: 1. Bryce Hoppel 1:46.67 (25.31/28.09 [53.40]/26.96 [1:20.36]/26.31); 2. Isaiah Harris (BrooksB) 1:46.78 (25.57/28.15 [53.72]/27.01 [1:20.73]/26.05); 3. Josh Hoey 1:47.41; 4. Abraham Alvarado 1:47.86; 5. Vincent Crisp (UArmMRB) 1:47.99; 6. Shane Streich (AtlTC) 1:48.41.
Heats: I–1. Hoppel 1:48.57; 2. Matt Wisner (unat) 1:48.63; 3. Grant Grosvenor (unat) 1:50.10; 4. Colin Schultz (unat) 1:56.99. II–1. Harris 1:46.97; 2. Hoey 1:47.04; 3. Sam Ellis (OnAC) 1:47.26; 4. Brannon Kidder (BrkB) 1:47.45; 5. Jaxson Hoey (adidas) 1:49.83. III–1. Crisp 1:47.04; 2. Alvarado 1:47.17; 3. Collin Dylla (unat) 1:47.47; 4. Luciano Fiore (AtTC) 1:47.58. IV–1. Streich 1:48.15; 2. Ben Nagel (unat) 1:48.28; 3. Christian Harrison (adiGCTC) 1:49.30; 4. Cass Elliott (UArmMRB) 1:49.75.
1500: 1. Cole Hocker (Nike) 3:37.51 PR, MR (53.98); 2. Hobbs Kessler (adidas) 3:38.76 (54.91); 3. Henry Wynne (BrkB) 3:38.81; 4. Cooper Teare (Nike) 3:38.99; 5. Vincent Ciattei (UArmDS) 3:39.03; 6. Sam Prakel (adidas) 3:40.04; 7. Casey Comber (UArmMRB) 3:40.06; 8. Sam Ellis (OnAC) 3:41.74; 9. John Reniewicki (UArmMRB) 3:43.44; 10. Craig Engels (Nike) 3:44.59; 11. Eric Holt (EmpE) 3:44.97; 12. Josh Thompson (NikeBowTC) 3:54.25.
Field Events
LJ: 1. Johnny Brackins (USC) 27-0 (8.23) PR (25-10¼, 25-7½, 25-6¾, 25-½, 25-4½, 27-0) (7.88, 7.81, 7.79, 7.63, 7.73, 8.23);
2. Isaac Grimes (unat) 26-5½ (8.06); 3. Jarrion Lawson (unat) 26-5 (8.05); 4. Trumaine Jefferson (unat) 26-4¼ (8.03); 5. Jason Smith (unat) 26-4¼ PR; 6. Will Williams (unat) 26-2¾ (7.99); 7. Rayvon Grey (unat) 26-1 (7.95); 8. James Carter (unat) 25-8 (7.82); 9. JuVaughn Harrison (Puma) 25-4½ (7.73); 10. Cordell Tinch (Nike) 24-11¾ (7.61); 11. Cameron Crump (unat) 24-8¼ (7.52); 12. Jalen Seals (unat) 24-6½ (7.48).
SP: 1. Ryan Crouser (Nike) 74-9¾ (22.80) (WL) (x, 2 W, A) MR (71-3½, 72-8, 70-1½, 73-6, 74-9¾, 72-8) (21.73, 22.15, 21.37, 22.40, 22.80, 22.15);
2. Roger Steen (Vel) 70-5¼ (21.47) PR; 3. Jordan Geist (Iron) 67-3¼ (20.50); 4. Tripp Piperi (unat) 67-½ (20.43); 5. Nik Curtiss (unat) 66-8½ (20.33) PRZZZZZ; 6. Patrick Larrison (unat) 64-¼ (19.51); 7. Jeffrey Kline (Md) 63-11 (19.48); 8. T’Mond Johnson (GarS) 63-8¾ (19.42); 9. Myles Kerner (GVal) 62-9½ (19.14); 10. Zach Landa (Az) 61-1½ (18.63); 11. Lucas Warning (GarS) 57-3 (17.45).
