NYRR Millrose Games Stars Shine Bright at USA Championships

By Elliott Denman

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. –  Over its 107-year history, the NYRR Millrose Games was often called – and almost rightfully – “The Indoor Olympics."

Well, there has never been an Indoor Olympics and since 1987 there has been a World Indoor Championships.

But that’s not to say that the Millrose Games’ top stars aren’t ready - as they've ever been - for prime time on the world stage.

Just look at the Saturday results of the USA Indoor National Championships at the Albuquerque Convention Center. Look carefully and you’ll see that the top stars of last Saturday’s NYRR Millrose Games at The New Balance Track & Field Center at The Armory continued to star here, too.

Yes, indeed, NYRR Millrose Games-goers got a great Nationals preview,

A week after setting an American 2000-meter record at The Armory, Bernard Lagat ran the fastest-ever 3000 metersby an American at the Indoor Nationals, winning the 15-lap race in 7:46.01 over Galen Rupp’s 7:48.19. So now it’s on to the IAAF World Indoor Championships, March 7-9 in Sopot, Poland, for Lagat, Rupp and all the other 1-2 finishers here who have IAAF qualifying performances. 

At 39, Lagat flies off to Poland as defending champion.  

“I want to see if I can do it again,” he said. “ I have the confidence. I've been doing good training right now. What I have to do is do what exactly what I did tonight. This was like a championship race. That is exactly the (approximate) time that wins the championships. If I run smart and I keep an eye on the guys that are tough - the few Ethiopians I have been watching and the Kenyans - I think I will be safe. 

“I'm going to use the strategy I used tonight (hang tough, kick hard) to make sure that I get the gold medal in Poland,” he added.   

Other NYRR Millrose Games/Nationals standouts:

- Pole vault champion Mark Hollis won again at 18-2 ½.

- A week after winning the NYRR Millrose Games Women’s 800m in 2:01.81, defending U.S. champion Ajee' Wilson of Neptune, N.J. breezed into the final of the 800.

- Millrose Games women’s 60m hurdles winner Janay DeLoach Soukup and men’s 60m dash winner Marvin Bracy easily advanced, too.

The NYRR Millrose Games/Nationals connection continues into Sunday’s conluding program at the Convention Center.

Photo by Ross Dettman/ArmoryTrack