Keni Harrison made her intent clear from the very beginning, blasting a 12.46 in the heats to establish her dominance over the hurdle field, running a full two 10ths faster than anyone else. Hitting a fast rhythm early is what she did to win at the World Indoor and it’s exactly what she did here. It’s exactly how she has prepared to run championship rounds with coach Edrick Floréal. “I’ve got to be able to go out from the start and put a fast one down,” she explained. “The more I do that, it just builds my confidence. I only know one mode and that’s just all-out.”
Harrison never dismissed her competition, saying “Everyone on the line wants it and everyone on the line can get it, so it’s just who wants it more and who has what it takes to cross the line first.”
She led the semis as well, at 12.60, with Christina Manning (12.66w) also looking sharp. Jasmin Stowers was the last qualifier at 13.07 but withdrew from the final, so only 7 braced for the start: Harrison in 5, with Manning to her left and Queen Harrison to her right. Under sunny skies with a mild breeze blowing in their faces, the blast of the gun launched the field toward the first hurdle. K. Harrison and Manning reached it simultaneously, with Sharika Nelvis and super-vet Dawn Harper Nelson—running in her last USATF meet at age 34—also out well.
Manning kept the pressure on, running step for step with Harrison and even touching down from hurdle 4 a fraction ahead of the WR holder. That’s when Harrison shifted into overdrive, inexorably carving out a lead as her technique fired faster and faster. By hurdle 7 she had clearly moved to the fore. By the next hurdle, she owned the race.
“I was just focused on my lane,” said Harrison. “I could feel them coming up and I just tried to tap into another gear and run hard and finish strong.” Behind her, Manning held her form and absolutely needed to in order to hold off the strong second half that Nelvis produced.
By the time Harrison dipped at the finish, she had a 2-meter lead. She clocked 12.46, but into a 1.4 wind, a performance far superior to her first round, which had an 0.8 boost. Manning held on for 2nd in 12.65, just ahead of Nelvis (12.68). Queen Harrison grabbed 4th in 12.76, with Harper Nelson running a swansong 12.93. In 6th came 400H world champ Kori Carter, her 13.11 far off her first round 12.78. (Continues)
For the victor, whose 0.21 margin of victory was the meet’s largest since Lolo Jones put up an 0.29 in ’08, it was one more successful step in getting ready for the global championships of the next three years. “The more I’m able to come here and run under pressure, having a target on my back and still being able to come across the line first, it’s definitely building my confidence,” she said, adding, “To run in a negative wind and to run 12.4, that definitely says that I’m in really good shape.”
USATF WOMEN’S 100H RESULTS
FINAL (June 23; wind –1.4)
1. Keni Harrison (adi) 12.46;
2. Christina Manning (adi) 12.65;
3. Sharika Nelvis (adi) 12.68;
4. Queen Harrison (Asics) 12.76;
5. Dawn Harper Nelson (Nik) 12.93;
6. Kori Carter (Jordan) 13.11;
7. Alaysha Johnson (Or) 13.23
… dnc—Jasmin Stowers (unat).
HEATS (June 22)
I(0.8)–1. K. Harrison 12.46; 2. Q. Harrison 12.66; 3. Manning 12.68; 4. Taliyah Brooks (Ar) 13.01; 5. Mecca McGlaston (USC) 13.32;
6. Jocselyn Powell (KennSt) 13.46.
II(0.4)–1. Nelvis 12.81; 2. Harper Nelson 12.83; 3. Jade Barber (unat) 12.96; 4. Evonne Britton (EvoTC) 12.99; 5. Ebony Morrison (unat) 13.09; 6. MacKenzie Hill (unat) 13.16.
III(1.8)–1. Carter 12.78; 2. Stowers 12.89; 3. Brianna McGhee (unat) 12.96; 4. Johnson 13.02; 5. Jessica Duckett (Tul) 13.25;
6. Camri Austin (Ok) 13.45.
SEMIS (June 23)
I(-0.6)–1. K. Harrison 12.60; 2. Q. Harrison 12.79; 3. Harper Nelson 12.81; 4. Johnson 13.04;
5. Morrison 13.13; 6. McGhee 13.17; 7. Barber 13.18; 8. McGlaston 13.46.
II(-2.2)–1. Manning (adi) 12.66w; 2. Nelvis 12.84w; 3. Carter 13.00w; 4. Stowers 13.07w;
5. Brooks 13.07w; 6. Britton 13.09w; 7. Hill 13.12w; 8. Duckett 13.40w.
