Grant Holloway, Masai Russell Bring Gold Medal Credentials To USATF Indoor Championships

By David Woods for DyeStat

John Nepolitan photos

Hurdlers hurdle.

They don’t skip meets, avoid rivals, flee to other events. So it should be no surprise that out of the United States’ 11 individual gold medalists from the Paris Olympics, the only two who will compete at the USATF Indoor Championships are hurdlers:

Grant Holloway and Masai Russell.

A diluted indoor nationals, which date to 1906, will be Saturday and Sunday at the Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex at Staten Island, N.Y. It is the selection meet for indoor worlds, which are March 21-23 at Nanjing, China.

Of 27 Paris individual medalists, the four others to declare for nationals are pole vaulters Sam Kendricks and Katie Moon, jumper Jasmine Moore and thrower Annette Echikunwoke. If you count 45 global medalists (excluding relays) from 2023-24 – Budapest, Glasgow, Paris – there will be just 10 represented. The four others are quarter-miler Alexis Holmes, shot putter Chase Jackson, vaulter Chris Nilsen and long jumper Monae Nichols.

Jackson, after failure to make the Olympic final, earned some redemption by throwing an American indoor record of 66-5 (20.24m) on Sunday at Torun, Poland.

Perhaps the most intriguing event at nationals will not involve any global medalists -- the women’s 1,500 meters.

Here are 10 events to watch:

1, Houlihan, Hiltz clash in 1,500

A resurgent Shelby Houlihan, at 32, has emphatically resurrected her career after a four-year doping ban. She is coming off a 4:20.30 mile – the 2025 world leader – at Boston Feb. 8. Nikki Hiltz was the world indoor silver medalist a year ago.

The 1,500 meters features a deep field, too. Heather MacLean, Hiltz and Sinclaire Johnson were 2-3-5, respectively, at the Millrose Games, all in the 4:23s for a mile. Dani Jones ran a 4:22.45 mile Saturday at Boston.

There are 19 declared entries and no prelims. So unless the race is run in sections, it will be crowded and perilous.

2, Holloway vs. The World

Holloway has (rightfully) complained he doesn’t get his due in track and field. (He did finish fourth in Track & Field News voting for 2024 world athlete of the year.)

He has won 80 straight 60-meter hurdle races, according to World Athletics, and hasn’t lost since he was a sophomore at Virginia's Grassfield High in March 2014.  Holloway has won the past five global titles (since 2022) in the short hurdles, and should win again in Nanjing.

He is opposed by Dylan Beard, the world leader at 7.38, plus Cordell Tinch, Trey Cunningham and NCAA leader Johnny Brackins of USC.

3, Russell in nationals but not worlds

Russell (7.75), Grace Stark (7.81) and Alia Armstrong (7.81) are the three fastest American women of the year in the 60-meter hurdles.

Russell, the Olympic gold medalist at 100 hurdles, is .01 off the world lead by Ackera Nugent of Jamaica. Russell, who trains with world record-holder Devynne Charlton, has said she would not go to worlds.

4, Could Bailey set 400 world record?

In a month of rampant records in the distances, a sprinter has quietly entered the chat. Christopher Bailey, a gold medalist in the 4x400-meter relay at the indoor worlds and Paris Olympics, is coming off a 44.70 at Fayetteville, Ark. He became No. 6  on the all-time world list, and he is within range of Christopher Morales-Williams’ world record of 44.49.

Although the United States might send a “B” team to worlds, the 4x400 relay should be stout. Also entered are two relay gold medalists, 32-year-old Vernon Norwood and 17-year-old Quincy Wilson (who ran in the Paris heats). Will Sumner, coming off a near-record 1:14.04 in the 600, and Matthew Boling make this a deep field.

Oddly, there have been 15 different champions in the last 15 editions of the 400. Norwood won back in 2016.

5, Hoey tries to keep climbing in 800

Josh Hoey has been on the rise since June, when he finished fourth in the 800 at the Olympic Trials. The 25-year-old has subsequently set American indoor records  at 1,000 and 800 meters, and now he goes for his first national title – and perhaps a first world medal.

Brandon Miller, Hoey, Jonah Koech and Shane Cohen went 3-4-5-6 at the Olympic Trials, and two of them should qualify for Nanjing.

Three-time champion Bryce Hoppel did not enter. So for the first time since 2018, there will be a new 800 champion (pandemic wiped out 2021 and the distance was 1,000 meters in 2019).

6, Sears towers over 60 meters

Jacious Sears came within .02 of Sha’Carri Richardson’s collegiate 100-meter record in April 2024, then had her season halted by injury. Sears has shown that time was no fluke, lowering her 60 to a world-leading 7.02 in 2025.

Sears will try to repeat her Millrose victory over American record-holder Aleia Hobbs, who goes for a third straight national title.

7, Baker still a force in the sprints

Considering Ronnie Baker was an NCAA champion as long ago as 2014 and world indoor medalist in 2018, it was more probable he would be retired than relevant in 2025. The 31-year-old from Louisville, Ky., is not hanging it up, but hanging around.

Baker is 3-0 in 60-meter races in Eastern Europe, and his 6.50 is a world leader.

Marcellus Moore, 22, a former high school football star from Plainfield, Ill., won the Millrose Games in 6.56 over 28-year-old Trayvon Bromell, the 2016 world indoor gold medalist.

Noah Lyles was second to Christian Coleman at indoor worlds last year. Neither is entered.

8, Kessler runs for first national title

Hobbs Kessler has won a world title in the road mile, a bronze medal at indoor worlds, broken a world indoor record.

The 21-year-old from Ann Arbor, Mich., has not won a national title, though – which is not as odd as it sounds, given he is a contemporary of Yared Nuguse (who beat him despite Kessler going under the mile record) and Cole Hocker. Without the latter two, Kessler is the biggest name in the men’s 1,500.

Henry Wynne, Samuel Prakel, Vincent Ciattei and two former NCAA champions from Washington, Joe Waskom and Luke Houser, contribute to a more-than-respectable field. Kessler has said he would not race at worlds.

There are 24 declared entries and, as with the women, no prelims.

9, Vaulting veterans Kendricks and Moon

Much like hurdlers, vaulters show up anywhere and everywhere. What other event would you have them do?

Both Paris silver medalists, Kendricks, 32, and Moon, 33, will be going for their fifth national indoor title.

Men’s field includes defending champion Nilsen, a four-time global medalist, plus KC Lightfoot and Austin Miller.

10, Two Indiana women target weight record

Of all events in this sport, the women’s 20-pound weight might draw the least attention. But there are two throwers with Indiana connections targeting a world indoor best.

Erin Reese (Indiana State) and Rachel Tanczos Richeson (Notre Dame) finished third and fourth, respectively, in the hammer at the 2024 Olympic Trials.

In last year’s nationals at Albuquerque, N.M., Reese threw 84-5 (25.73m) in the weight to come within a foot of DeAnna Price’s record of 85-4.5 (26.02). Reese is third worldwide all-time in the event. In Reese’s only meet this year, she threw 81-3.25 (24.77), or seven feet longer than in her 2024 opener.

Richeson is the world leader at 82-11.25 (25.28m).

Contact David Woods at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter: @DavidWoods007.