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Yomif Kejelcha, Michael Saruni, Ajee' Wilson and Ryan Crouser Deliver Stellar Winning Performances At NYRR Millrose Games

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DyeStat.com   Feb 10th 2019, 6:12am
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Kejelcha Leads Parade Of Top Performers At NYRR Millrose Games

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

NEW YORK – Yomif Kejelcha came about as close to breaking a world record in the indoor mile as you possibly can without doing it.

The Nike Oregon Project runner came to the 112th NYRR Millrose Games seeking to break the 1997 world record of Hicham El Guerrouj and he came up eight thousandths of a second short – clocking 3 minutes, 48.46 seconds to win the Men’s Wanamaker Mile.

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Kejelcha went out fast and went through the half mile slightly under 1:53. By that point, he was already chomping at the bit to go past rabbit Rob Napolitano while some of the fastest milers in the world – Edward Cheserek, Clayton Murphy and Josh Kerr – were starting to lose contact.

“I missed it by a little bit, but I’m very happy,” Kejelcha said of the record. “I came very close and I know that I’ll try again and I think I can break it.”

Cheserek finished second almost five seconds back in 3:53.29 – a time that would have won in 2018. Murphy was third in 3:53.30 for a personal best and Kerr an 3:53.65, also a PR.

Kejelcha wasn’t alone in making history Saturday in the 112th Millrose.

Michael Saruni ran an eye-popping time of 1:43.98 for the second-fastest indoor 800 meters in history and a Kenyan national record. Ajee' Wilson and Donavan Brazier lowered the U.S. records in the women’s and men’s 800 meters. Ryan Crouser moved to No. 4 all-time in the world in the indoor shot put. Grant Fisher of Stanford edged Wisconsin’s Morgan McDonald to set an American collegiate record in the 3,000 meters. And Konstanze Klosterhalfen made a stunning debut in the Women’s Wanamaker Mile with a German national record.

Saruni was making his professional debut for adidas and he gave a spectacular effort to overtake Brazier in the final 100 meters to go sub-1:44.

Brazier followed the rabbit through the first 400 meters in 49.89 seconds, an incredibly fast pace that he ultimately couldn’t hold together.

Saruni, last year's NCAA champion at UTEP, closed the final 200 in 27.36 seconds to Brazier’s 28.20. Still, Brazier’s time of 1:44.41 was an American indoor record.

Wilson, who always seems to produce a highlight at Millrose, didn’t disappoint. Building off the flat-track world record she ran a week earlier at the Camel City Elite Invitational in North Carolina, Wilson dug deep and ran 1:58.60 for the indoor American record.

Crouser launched his fourth attempt in the shot put 22.33 meters (73-3.25), a mark that approached Adam Nelson’s American record of 22.40m, set in 2008.

The shot put competition was interrupted by the medical emergency that befell Jamaican distance runner Kemoy Campbell, who collapsed and after taking a step off the track in the men’s 3,000 near the throwers.

“It was a tough spot to be in,” Crouser said. “We didn’t really know how bad it was. Towards the end of the fifth round (of throws) we heard (Campbell) had no pulse. You never want to hear that.

“It was difficult mentally to get into that sixth round.”

Somehow, the meet managed to keep going. The schedule was quickly shifted to keep marquee events in the TV window.

After Campbell was wheeled out of the arena and sent to the hospital, the racing started again and built up to a crescendo with Kejelcha’s near-miss world record attempt.

Klosterhalfen, a 21-year old making her first trip to New York City, charged out to the front of the Women’s Wanamaker Mile and led wire to wire. Her winning time was 4:19.98.

Colleen Quigley, the 2018 champion, ran more than seven seconds faster than she did a year ago but settled for second in 4:22.86. Bowerman Track Club teammate Kate Grace was third in 4:24.27.

Athing Mu of Trenton Track Club ran the second-fastest prep 600 meters in history, running 1:27.36 in her effort to go after Sammy Watson’s national high school record (1:27.13).

Britton Wilson of Mills Godwin VA ran No. 3 all-time 37.53 seconds to win the junior girls 300 meters. 

English Gardner made a stirring comeback to The Armory, winning the Millrose title in the women’s 60 meters for the first time since 2013. She ran 7.10 seconds for a PR that validated the changes that she has made in her training, including working with her father, Anthony Gardner.

Vashti Cunningham won the women’s high jump by seven centimeters, clearing 6-4.75 (1.95m).

Four boys went under 4:10 in the high school mile. Bronxville NY’s Matt Rizzo had the strongest kick of the bunch and won the race in 4:09.12. Rizzo, Jake Renfree of Knoxville Catholic TN (4:09.27) and Sean Dolan of Hopewell Valley NJ (4:09.55) all caught Loudoun Valley VA's Sam Affolder, who had a three-second lead with a lap to go. Affolder finished fourth in 4:09.68.

The women’s high school mile was delayed an hour and pushed the end of the meet in the wake of Campbell’s medical emergency.

Marlee Starliper of Northern PA broke the meet record in the girls high school mile, running 4:41.66 to surpass Kate Murphy’s 2016 standard and break the Pennsylvania state indoor record as well.

Pre-race favorite Katelyn Tuohy of North Rockland NY was a scratch Saturday and did not run.

In a rematch of their close finish at the NCAA Cross Country Championships, Fisher turned the tables on McDonald as they again battled for the finish tape. Fisher broke the Stanford school record and clocked 7:42.62. McDonald was second in 7:42.76.

In the women’s 3,000 meters, Alicia Monson of Wisconsin delivered one of the biggest surprises of the day with her victory in 8:45.97. She ran 30 seconds faster than her previous lifetime best.

On the third lap, Emma Coburn and Elinor Purrier, both of New Balance, got tangled up and fell to the track. They both lost 3-4 seconds and were chasing the field to get back into the race. Coburn managed to make her way up to fifth, in 8:52.27.

Rachel Schneider finished second in 8:46.44.

Sharika Nelvis (8.01) and Devon Allen (7.61) won the 60-meter hurdle events.

Early in the day, high school phenom Taylor Ewert of Beavercreek OH took 17 seconds off her national high school record as she won the U.S. Championship Women's 1-Mile racewalk in 6:28.21, holding off Canadian Olympian Rachel Seaman. Ewert moved to No. 3 all-time for U.S. women in the event. 

Ewert capped her day with a return to the track, placing sixth in the high school girls mile in a personal-best time of 4:51.97.



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