Athletes turn in stellar performances at the 115th Millrose Games

By JAIME C. HARRIS AmNews Sports

Editor

The staging of the 115th Millrose Games this past Saturday at the New Balance Track and Field Center in the Armory in Washington Heights, in Upper Manhattan, produced many outstanding performances, highlighted by American Yared Nuguse’s record-breaking showing in the famed Wanamaker Mile.

The 23-year-old former Notre Dame standout clocked 3:47:38 to establish a new American indoor men’s mile mark.

He bettered the previous record (3:49:89) set by two-time world outdoor champion Bernard Lagat in 2005 by more than 2 seconds. Nuguse now holds the second- fastest time in history behind Ethiopian Yomif Kejelcha Atomsa, who blazed 3:47:01 in March 2019.

Just three weeks ago in Boston at the Terrier Classic in Boston, Nuguse shattered the American indoor record in the 3,000 meters, running 7:28:24 and overtaking Galen Rupp’s previous standard of 7:30:16, achieved in February 2013.

“I have a kind of chill, go-with-the-flow personality,” said Nuguse after his impressive win at the Millrose in explaining his approach to racing. “That’s always who I’ve been before running and running now…Even with a race that we put a lot of pressure on, I’m still able to be like it’s still just a race. ”

In another featured event, American sprinter Christian Coleman took the men’s 60 meters in 6.47 in a highly anticipated match-up with fellow Olympian Noah Lyles. However, Lyles was disqualified after being charged with a false start.

“There’s just been a lot of talk and a lot of chatter recently, even though I haven’t really been on social media,” said Coleman about the meeting with Lyles. “It’s hard to not hear and see everything. I feel like [it was] a hyped-up race coming in, too.”

Other stirring results included Alicia Monson breaking Karissa Schweizer’s American indoor record in the 3,000 meters, finishing in 8:25.05. Aleia Hobbs won the women’s 60 meters in 7.04 seconds. Ajee Wilson’s time of 1:24:85 earned her first place in the women’s 600 meters and Trinidadian Jereem Richards took the men’s 400-meter Millrose title in 45.84.