Kenny Bednarek, Trey Cunningham, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, Jacory Patterson, Marco Arop Shine On Day 2

By David Woods for DyeStat

Photos courtesy @GrandSlamTrack

A couple of Olympic gold medalists, Noah Lyles and Grant Holloway, were absent. But they were put on notice by Kenny Bednarek and Trey Cunningham.

Of course, no one resides in the same zip code as Sydney McLauglin-Levrone, who seemingly makes history whenever she races.

Grand Slam Track might have hit its stride Saturday on day 2 of the Miami stop at Miramar, Fla. There were world-leading times in four races, irrespective of wind, and two others were near-leads.

Perhaps even better, the Ansin Sports Complex was sold out. 

In the 100 meters, Bednarek won in 9.79 seconds, easily a world leader if not for wind slightly over the allowable (+2.4). By comparison, Lyles won gold at the Paris Olympics in the same time (wind of +1.0).

Kung Fu Kenny, 26, has won three silver medals at global championships in the 200. But now the former Wisconsin prep football player and junior college sprinter is making his mark in the 100.

“Hey, I’m dangerous,” Bednarek said. “All I kept saying is that I need experience. I’m getting experience, and you see what happens.”

Six men were under 10 seconds. Two Jamaicans, Oblique Seville and Ackeem Blake, were second and third in 9.84 and 9.85.

In the 110-meter hurdles, Cunningham won in 13.00, equaling his PB from a 2022 season in which he won the Bowerman Award.  It would have been a world lead if not for the 12.87 by Cordell Tinch earlier in the day in the Diamond League meet at Keqiao, China.

Sasha Zhoya of France was second in 13.06, also a PB. Freddie Crittenden was third in 13.09 and Jamal Britt fourth in 13.10. Olympic silver medalist Daniel Roberts was sixth in 13.36.

Cunningham was coming off an April 19 race in which he beat Holloway, 13.09 to 13.18, at Gainesville, Fla. Cunningham was a silver medalist at the 2022 World Championships but missed out on the 2023 worlds and 2024 Olympics.

“It’s been a hard two years to get back to where I was,” said Cunningham, also 26. “And I think I’m finally getting back to my rhythm, getting back to where I was.

“These are all about racking up reps and figuring out what I need to get better at.”

McLaughlin-Levrone won the 400 hurdles in 52.07 – fastest ever before the month of June. She has won 24 in a row in the event since finishing second at the 2019 worlds, lowering the world record six times.

“Obviously, there’s some stuff to clean up,” she said. “I’m happy with where my fitness is. For the second race of the year, I’m happy.”

Heptathlete Anna Hall was third in 54.43, only .01 off a PB, out of lane 1.

In Sunday’s 400 meters, McLaughlin-Levrone can take a shot at Sanya Richard-Ross’ American record of 48.70 from 2006 and Salwa Eid Naser’s world lead of 48.67.

In the women’s 200, Gabby Thomas won in 21.95 but came away with neither the world lead nor the $100,000 prize for short sprints.

World lead is 21.88 by Olympic champion Julien Alfred. Melissa Jefferson-Wooden was the short sprints winner over Thomas, 18-17. Scoring is 12-8-6-5-4-3-2-1 per race. Jefferson-Wooden won Friday’s 100 meters, in which Thomas was fourth.

Thomas, a triple gold medalist at the Paris Olympics, said she wants to do both short sprints (100/200) and long sprints (200/400) again before the series ends at Philadelphia and Los Angeles.

“And I’ll come with it,” she said. “I think I didn’t come with it yesterday, and it showed.”

Tamari Davis was second in the 200 in 22.05 and Jefferson-Wooden third in 22.15.

“My goal this year is to show everybody what I can do,” Jefferson-Wooden said.

UPS worker Patterson runs to world lead

>> Men’s long sprints: Jacory Patterson didn’t win the $100,000 slam but might have lost a job. That’s because he won the 400 in a PB of 43.98, a world leader, and takes home $50,000 for second. He is coming off a bronze medal at indoor worlds but supports himself by loading trucks for UPS on a shift ending at 4 a.m. He said he sleeps about three hours, then trains each morning.

“The goal was to come out here and make some money so I can just focus on track and quit that job.”

Patterson became the 15th American to run sub-44.

Slam champion was Trinidadian sprinter Jereem Richards, who was second in 44.32. He won Friday’s 200 in a world-leading 19.86. Olympic silver medalist Matthew Hudson-Smith of Great Britain was third in 44.37.

>> Men’s short distance: Scotland’s Josh Kerr, after winning Friday’s 1,500, was fifth in the 800 to secure the slam 16-14 over Marco Arop of Canada. Arop, the Olympic silver medalist, won in a world-leading 1:43.69. He held off Kethobogile Haingura of Botswana, the runner-up in 1:43.75. The 1,500 Paris podium – Yared Nuguse (1:44.77), Kerr (1:45.01), Cole Hocker (1:45.13) – finished 4-5-6, all in PBs.

“It’s not about how fit you are coming in,” said Kerr, who raced poorly a month ago at Kingston, Jamaica. “It’s about how ready you are at racing. I was fit, ready, coming in last time. But I wasn’t mentally prepared enough to race.”

Hocker, the Olympic champion in the 1,500, might move up to long distances (3,000/5,000) for Philadelphia, according to his agent, Ray Flynn.

Women’s short hurdles: Ackera Nugent, a former Arkansas hurdler from Jamaica, won the slam 18-17 over Masai Russell. Nugent clocked 11.09 to win the 100 meters, in which Russell was fourth in 11.40. Russell, the Olympic champion, broke the American record with 12.17 Friday in the 100 hurdles and climbed to No. 2 in history.

Women’s short distance:  Ethiopia’s Freweyni Hailu, after a sluggish start, ran the closing 800 in 2:01.05 to win the 1,500 in 4:06.96. Nikki Hiltz, the slam winner at Kingston, was second in 4:07.08. Last 400s were Hailu 58.48, Hiltz 58.53. Diribe Welteji of Ethiopia was third in 4:07.46 and Olympic silver medalist Jessica Hull of Australia fourth in 4:07.67. Hailu is coming off world indoor gold at 3,000.

Contact David Woods at dwoods1411@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter: @DavidWoods007.