WOULD HEAVY FAVORITE Anna Hall challenge her 7032 score from Götzis or simply cruise to victory? She gave us a little of both in becoming the first to claim four heptathlon titles in a row.
Michelle Atherley owns a Wild Card entry to Tokyo, giving the U.S. potentially four entrants. With no need for a high placing here, Atherley skipped events along the way here in an “on/off” rotation. Taliyah Brooks — if she could stay heathy — seemed destined for the team, making the biggest question who would rise up for that final spot.
Here’s a look event-by-event.
100 Hurdles: The three highest-scoring entrants were in the final section. Atherley was the fastest in a solid 12.95, with Brooks following in 13.02 after nursing a hamstring in training this month. Her time was significantly better than the 13.30 she ran in her PR score of 6408 in last year’s Trials. Hall was 3rd in 13.12, scoring 10 points more than she had in Götzis.
High Jump: Hall was predictably the best here, but her 6-2¾ (1.90) was 65 points down on the hept AR 6-5 (1.96) she cleared in Götzis, lowering her projection to “just” 6977. Brooks had another good event at 5-11¼ (1.81) – not near her PR 6-½ (1.84) but once again better than her mark in her PR score.
Shot: Hall unleashed a PR 49-3½ (15.02) on her final attempt, surpassing 49ft and 15m for the first time. She gained 10 points back on her Austrian score, making her projection 6987. Atherley also PRed, hitting 46-10¼ (14.28), while Brooks went 45-11¼ (14.00); she remained on PR pace. Notre Dame’s Jadin O’Brien was second-longest at 48-8¼ (14.84), the first improvement versus her PR score of 6256 set at the NCAA. She was locked in a battle for 3rd with Allie Jones (6367 PR this year at Götzis) and Timara Chapman (6339 PR from winning last year’s NCAA).
200 Meters: Hall was best for the third event in a row, clocking 23.56 that was worth 19 points fewer than the 23.37 she ran in Götzis. Her Day 1 total of 4097 was 64 points down on her 7032 pace but bettered the meet and Hayward Field first-day best held by Jackie Joyner-Kersee at 4089 from ’93. Brooks and Jones were next at 23.88; Brooks remained on PR pace but Jones was now 84 points down on hers. O’Brien (24.19) and Chapman (24.53) also lost ground on their PR pace.
Long Jump: Brooks snapped Hall’s event-leading streak, spanning 21-5½ (6.54w) in a big boost to her PR pace, putting it over the 6500 WC auto Q threshold. Hall was next at 20-9 (6.32), down 39 points from the 21-1½ (6.44) at Götzis. Here disaster appeared to grab O’Brien, listed with three fouls after starting the event in 4th. However, her second attempt was originally posted at 20-2¼ (6.15) and she successfully argued that she wasn’t told it had been later changed to a foul; she was granted an additional attempt and rescued her score with a 19-4¾ (5.91).
Javelin: Hall’s opener was a PR 155-3 (47.32), which is 22 points better than her then-PR 151-5 (46.16) at Götzis. Brooks followed with a PR of her own, 141-11 (43.27) that made a 6500+ score nearly certain.
800 Meters: Hall started the final event in cruise control, allowing Atherley to set the pace — and it was nearly as aggressive as an all-out Hall would have run: 59.54 for the first lap. Coming off the final turn, she hit the accelerator to win in 2:04.60 with a 6899 score, her third-best ever and the No. 11 performance in U.S. history.
Atherley clocked a near-PR 2:05.89 ahead of Jones, who chopped more than a second off her PR at 2:06.70 to seal 3rd place. But will she rate high enough in the WA rankings to make the WC? Brooks finished in 2:16.08, capping a 118-point PR at 6526 to become No. 10 American all-time.
Hall, who was congratulated on the track by JJK, said of her most prominent fan, “Honestly, it feels like a ‘pinch-me’ moment, even though she’s been there the last few years.”
WOMEN’S HEPTATHLON RESULTS
July 31–August 01
1. Anna Hall (adi) 6899 (non-JJK: x, 16 W; x, 3 A)
(13.12, 6-2¾/1.90, 49-3½/15.02, 23.56 [4097–1], 20-9/6.32, 155-3/47.32, 2:04.60 [2802]);
2. Taliyah Brooks (Asics) 6526 PR (10, x A)
(13.02, 5-11¼/1.81, 45-11¼/14.00, 23.88 [2898–2], 21-5½/6.54w, 141-11/43.27, 2:16.08 [3898]);
3. Allie Jones (unat) 6164
(13.37, 5-7¾/1.72, 42-4¾/12.92, 23.88 [3632–3], 19-11¾/6.09w, 121-9/37.12, 2:06.70 [2532]);
4. Timara Chapman (unat) 6065
(13.52, 5-10/1.78, 40-11½/12.48, 24.53 [3623–5], 19-5¼/5.92, 135-2/41.21, 2:12.63 [2442]);
5. Jadin O’Brien (NDm) 5991
(13.52, 5-4¼/1.63, 48-8¼/14.84, 24.19 [3631–4], 19-4¾/5.91, 125-2/38.15, 2:14.09);
6. Katie Eidem (unat) 5836; 7. Cheyenne Nesbitt (unat) 5813;8. Lexie Keller (VSA) 5787; 9. Maddie Pitts (PennSt) 5695; 10. Lauren Taubert (unat) 5635; 11. Juliette Laracuente-Huebner (Cinc) 4743; 12. Michelle Atherley (unat) 3870 (has Wild Card) (12.95, nh, 46-10¼/14.28, dnf [1945–13], 20-2½/6.16, nm, 2:05.89 [1925]);… dnf—Erin Marsh (VSA).
HEPTATHLON TOP 5 LEADERS BY EVENT
100H: 1. Atherley 1132; 2. Brooks 1121; 3. Hall 1106; 4. Jones 1069; 5. Marsh 1060.
HJ: 1. Hall 2212; 2. Brooks 2112; 3. Chapman 2000; 4. Jones 1948; 5. Nesbitt 1938.
SP: 1. Hall 3074; 2. Brooks 2906; 3. Chapman 2693; 4. Nesbitt 2682; 5. Jones 2670.
200: 1. Hall 4097; 2. Brooks 3898; 3. Jones 3662; 4. O’Brien 3631; 5. Chapman 3623.
LJ: 1. Hall 5046; 2. Brooks 4918; 3. Jones 4539; 4. O’Brien 4453; 5. Chapman 4448.
JT: 1. Hall 5854; 2. Brooks 5648; 3. Jones 5151; 4. Chapman 5139; 5. O’Brien 5085.
