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Josette Norris, Geordie Beamish Run Off With Sir Walter Miler Victories

Published by
DyeStat.com   Aug 7th 2021, 2:09am
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Norris Runs World's Fastest Mile Of 2021; Beamish Flies By Leaders To Take Men's Race

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

Justin Hall Photos

Josette Norris extended her summertime sizzle and Geordie Beamish passed six guys in the final 200 on Friday night as both won Sir Walter Miler titles in front of a throng of enthusiastic fans in Raleigh, N.C. 

"It's such an epic meet to be a part of," Beamish told trackside announcer Carrie Tollefson. "I'm stoked to be here. There are more fans here than at the Olympic final."

Beamish, a New Zealander who starred collegiately at Northern Arizona, was out of the picture on the final backstretch. But he moved from seventh to fifth around last curve at Cardinal Gibbons High and then rolled past the final four and hit the finish line in 3:54.91. 

WEBCAST REPLAY | MEN'S RACEWOMEN'S RACE

Ten men dipped under four minutes, including second-place finisher Vincent Ciattei in 3:55.28, Sam Prakel in 3:55.33 for third, Charles Philibert-Thiboutot for fourth in 3:55.52 and North Carolina's own Craig Engels, fifth in 3:56.00.

First-year Brooks professional Waleed Suliman, a former Ole Miss standout like Engels, was sixth in 3:56.78.

Eric Holt of Empire Elite Track Club ran 3:57.70, followed by former Stanford athlete Tai Dinger, who achieved his first sub-4 performance by earning eighth in 3:57.72.

Isaiah Harris, representing Nike, followed a string of three straight 800 races under 1:45 by eclipsing the 4-minute mark for the first time, taking ninth in 3:58.30. Under Armour competitor Biya Simbassa joined Dinger and Harris by also producing his first sub-4 effort, taking 10th in 3:58.71. 

The record for most sub-4 performances at Sir Walter Miler remains 13 from 2018, and there have now been 57 total since 2014.

In the women's race, Norris led nine women under the 4:30 barrier as she ran a personal-best 4:25.92 for the fastest time in the world this year for the full mile. 

"It means the world," she said. "I've been having so much fun this season and trying to challenge myself every race."

A competitive women's race wasn't decided until the final kick and Norris, a New Jersey native who began her college career at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill before eventually graduating from Georgetown, had the final answer. 

"I have never been in a race like this. I felt so loved, it was amazing," she said. 

Nikki Hiltz finished second in 4:26.48, Sage Hurta made her professional debut and got third for On Athletics Club in 4:26.76 and Amy-Eloise Markovc got fourth in 4:27.13 after flying back from the Tokyo Olympic Games, where she competed July 30 in the 5,000 meters for Great Britain. 

Rebecca Mehra (4:27.95), Abbey Cooper (4:29.00), Virginia's Michaela Meyer (4:29.16), the NCAA 800-meter champion competing unattached, Eleanor Fulton (4:29.46) and Grace Barnett (4:29.88) all got under 4:30. Meyer elevated to No. 5 on the collegiate all-dates list, and now ranks in the top five in NCAA history among all-dates competitors in the outdoor 800, 1,500 and mile.

It was first outdoor race on U.S. soil with nine women under 4:30. It was also the first competition outdoors with eight U.S. runners under the barrier.

There have twice been nine athletes running sub-4:30 indoors at the Millrose Games at The Armory in New York in 2017 and 2019. But the total Friday surpassed the previous outdoor record of seven accumulated at the 1998 Goodwill Games in Uniondale, N.Y.

There were also eight women who ran under 4:30 indoors in the Wanamaker Mile at the 2019 Millrose Games.

The previous outdoor record for American sub-4:30 performances was established with six at the 2016 Sir Walter Miler, and there have now been 25 overall since 2014.

Only Hiltz and Cooper had previously eclipsed the 4:30 barrier indoors, but all nine athletes achieved the feat for the first time outdoors.

Amanda Eccleston of Brooks, the 2017 women’s Sir Walter Miler winner who announced before the event it would be her last professional race, was 11th in 4:30.72.

First-year professionals Gabrielle Jennings (4:32.19) and Elly Henes (4:32.84), both adidas athletes who attended Furman and North Carolina State, respectively, ran personal-best performances to finish 12th and 14th.

Following Friday, there have been 597 all-time American sub-4 milers and 92 female competitors from the U.S. who have eclipsed the 4:30 barrier.



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