McLaughlin-Levrone Calls GST 'A Great Opportunity For The Sport,' Wins Fourth Race Of Series With 49.69 400 Meters

By David Woods for DyeStat

Photo by @grandslamtrack

Three Americans -- Kenny Bednarek, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone and Grant Fisher -- won their second Grand Slam Track titles Sunday at the Miami stop. They have earned $200,000 each on the new circuit.

Foremost among them was Bednarek, who effectively ran his second world-leading time in two days at Miramar, Fla. He clocked 19.84 seconds in the 200 meters, which is his specialty.

Or is it?

He said all he needed to be elite in the 100 meters is more chances, which this league allows. He ran 9.79 Saturday with a wind slightly over the allowable (+2.4). He also won the short sprints in last month’s opening slam at Kingston, Jamaica, and he is 4-0.

“Running these fast times this early, doing it against this field and running comfortably just says that I’m in really good shape and all the work that I put in this fall has been helping me a lot,” he said. “It’s been showing itself on the track.”

Zharnel Hughes of Great Britain was second and Oblique Seville of Jamaica third, both in 20.13. Canada’s Andre DeGrasse, the 2021 Olympic gold medalist, was fourth in 20.23.

McLaughlin-Levrone is also 4-0, winning the flat 400 meters in 49.69 to take the long hurdles. Heptathlete Anna Hall was second in 51.68.

McLaughlin-Levrone rarely races outside the United States, and this league gives her more domestic exposure.

“I understand it’s new. There’s a lot of questions around it, but I think each one is just getting better and better and the times are getting faster and faster,” she said. “It’s just a great opportunity for the sport, for track and for the athletes.”

In the next meet May 30-June 1 at Philadelphia, she will switch to the short hurdles group: 100 meters and 100-meter hurdles. She hasn’t raced a flat 100 since 2018.

Fisher needed to win the 5,000 meters to win the long distances, and he did so by running the final 1,600 in 3:57.58. That broke apart what had been a slow clump of runners and sent him to victory in 13:40.32.

Fisher, edged by Ireland’s Andrew Coscoran in Friday’s 3,000, said he must be able to win in multiple scenarios.

“First slam in Jamaica I won with my kick, but it didn’t work two days ago, so we needed to switch up the strategy and lean into what I’m really good at,” Fisher said. “That’s making it hard for a long time, so I wanted to move pretty far out so people really had a lot to think about it. If someone goes with a lot to go, you’re gonna go.

“Four laps to go? You start thinking a little bit, so I wanted to squeeze them hard.”

Cooper Teare, with a 55.08 last 400, was second in 13:46.25 and third in the standings. Fisher edged Coscoran 20-18 in points.

At Philadelphia, Fisher might be up against Cole Hocker, the Olympic medalist at 1,500. Hocker is considering a switch from short to long distance. The two had a memorable Feb. 6 duel at the Millrose Games, where Fisher broke the world indoor record at 3,000.

Trey Cunningham fast without hurdles, too

Elsewhere:

>>  Men’s short hurdles: Who knew Trey Cunningham was a sprinter? He completed a 2-0 sweep with a time of 10.17 in the 100 meters after taking Saturday’s 110 hurdles in 13.00, both PBs. Jamal Britt was second in 10.20.

“Regardless if you are more like a sprinter or more like a hurdler, it doesn’t matter,” Cunningham said. “We are all killing ourselves to get across that line faster than everybody else. It’s what’s between your ears on race day because the crowd gets louder and louder, then the stakes get higher and higher as the season goes on. If you can focus on what you have to do, I think success comes.”

>> Men’s long hurdles: Brazil’s Alison dos Santos is also 4-0, taking the flat 400 in a PB of 44.53. Chris Robinson was second in 44.86 and Caleb Dean third in 45.18.

>> Women’s long sprints: Marileidy Paulino broke her own Dominican Republic national record in the 200 with a time of 22.30 to complete a 2-0 sweep.  Salwa Eid Naser of Bahrain was second in 22.53 and Isabella Whitaker third in 22.76.

>> Women’s short distance: Ethiopia’s Freweyni Hailu finished third in the 800, just enough to beat Nikki Hiltz 18-16. Reigning world champion Mary Moraa of Kenya was first in 1:59.51, followed by Hiltz in 1:59.75 and Hailu in 1:59.84. Hailu won gold in the 3,000 at the recent World Indoor Championships.

>> Women’s long distance: Kenya’s Agnes Jebet Ngetich pushed the pace in the 3,000 enough to hang onto third place and win a tiebreaker over Ethiopia’s Hirut Meshesha. Each scored 18 points. Ngetich was eight days removed from a world record of 29:37 for a women-only 10K at Herzogenaurach, Germany. Meshesha ran a world-leading 8:22.72, followed by countrywoman Medina Elsa in 8:23.08 and Ngetich in 8:23.14. Elise Cranny was seventh in 8:42.30, fastest by an American this year.

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