Utah distance standout, South African sprinter earn Readers’ and Editors’ Choice Awards

Track and field fans voiced their choices in this week’s DyeStat Performance of the Week poll, while DyeStat’s editors made their own selection.

Readers’ Choice: Thomas Boyden

With 76.79 percent of the vote, Thomas Boyden won our Readers’ Choice vote, ahead of Heidi Nielson and her second-place tally of 8.93 percent.

The Skyline High senior achieved one of the great distance doubles in Utah history at the Snow Canyon Invitational, producing the top prep outdoor times in the country in both the 1,600 and 3,200 meters.

Boyden, a Stanford signee, ran the fastest 1,600-meter time ever in the state of 4 minutes, 5.16 seconds and also clocked 8:50.65 to prevail in a thrilling 3,200 showdown with Stansbury’s Carson Belnap (8:51.99).

Former American Fork star Casey Clinger had run 4:06.22 in the 1,600 at the 2017 BYU Invitational.

Clinger is one of four athletes in state history to run faster for a full mile, but Boyden’s performance is the top effort in the 1,600.

Boyden also elevated to No. 5 in state history in the 3,200, including the second-fastest mark run in a race in Utah. Park City graduate Ben Saarel clocked 8:49.08 at the 2013 BYU Invitational.

Clinger holds the state 3,200 record with his 8:44.70 effort at the 2017 Arcadia Invitational. Boyden improved from running 8:57.79 last year at Arcadia.

Editors’ Choice: Akani Simbine

Although the South African standout didn’t compete during the indoor season, Simbine immediately made his mark competing outdoors at the Athletics Gauteng North Championships in Pretoria.

Simbine clocked a wind-legal 9.91 seconds in the opening round of the 100-meter dash for the fastest time ever achieved on the continent of Africa. Although he didn’t improve upon the mark in the semifinals or final, it was still the second-fastest race of Simbine’s career, trailing only his South African record of 9.89 from 2016.

Simbine also produced the fastest time in history before April. He had previously run 9.92 in Pretoria in March 2017. Simbine is one of four athletes to ever run sub-10 in the 100 before April, along with fellow South Africans Thando Roto and Wayde van Niekirk, in addition to Namibia’s Frank Fredericks.

Only five athletes – Americans Christian Coleman, Noah Lyles and Justin Gatlin – along with Canada’s Andre DeGrasse and Nigeria’s Divine Oduduru ran faster at any point last year in the 100 than Simbine did in his season opener.

Simbine’s top time last year was 9.92 in June at the adidas Boost Boston Games.