Josh Kerr will go head-to-head in opposition to Yared Nuguse within the Wanamaker mile whereas Georgia Bell makes her Millrose debut
The 117th version of the Millrose Video games, set to happen on Saturday (February 8), resides as much as its status because the premier indoor meet of the season, delivering yet one more extremely anticipated subject of athletes.
One yr after stealing the highlight with standout performances, Josh Kerr and Yared Nuguse return to New York’s World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold meet with hopes of creating an analogous impression. However this time the 2 will go head-to-head.
In 2024, Kerr smashed Mo Farah’s world indoor file of two miles as he clocked 8:00:67 whereas Nuguse clinched the Wanamaker Mile title for the second consecutive yr, clocking the third-fastest time in historical past of three:47.83.
Quickly after, the pair confronted one another on the World Indoor Championships in Glasgow, the place Kerr emerged victorious with 3000m gold.
Josh Kerr (Getty)
Neither athlete has raced since September, with Kerr’s final look being his win on the Fifth Avenue Mile in New York. Now, each will line up for the Wanamaker Mile as Nuguse enters the race holding two of the highest three quickest indoor mile occasions ever, together with the North American indoor file (3:47.38).
Kerr, in the meantime, owns the European file at 3:48.87. Each athletes can have their sights set on Yomif Kejelcha’s world indoor file of three:47.0, which may very nicely be challenged on Saturday.
Yared Nuguse (Getty)
Nonetheless, Kerr and Nuguse won’t have a simple path to victory. Hobbs Kessler, the world highway mile champion, completed second in final yr’s Wanamaker Mile with 3:48.66, rating fifth on the all-time indoor record.
Lining up alongside him, Andrew Coscoran of Eire and France’s Azeddine Habz are coming off spectacular performances, with the duo claiming the highest spots within the 3000m in Boston final weekend, each setting nationwide indoor information.
4-time German indoor champion Robert Farken may even problem the sector alongside the UK 1500m champion Neil Gourley.
On the ladies’s facet, the Wanamaker Mile is equally aggressive. Georgia Bell, the Olympic 1500m bronze medallist, will make her Millrose Video games debut in opposition to a stacked subject, together with world indoor silver medallist Nikki Hiltz, present world chief Elise Cranny, Boston mile champion Heather MacLean and Kenyan indoor record-holder Susan Ejore-Sanders.
Georgia Bell (Getty)
Final yr noticed Bell shave over seven seconds off her 800m private greatest, dropping it to 1:56.28, and set a British file within the 1500m with 3:52.61. Her breakthrough yr started on the World Indoor Championships in Glasgow final yr the place she completed fourth within the 1500m in addition to successful the UK Indoor Championships.
Becoming a member of Bell on the Olympic 1500m podium in silver place was Australia’s Jess Hull who will tackle the 3000m in New York. She completed fourth on the World Indoors final yr, setting an Oceanian indoor file of 8:24.39.
The sector may even embrace Melissa Courtney-Bryant from Britain who received the 3000m on the New Stability Indoor Grand Prix in Boston final weekend with 8:28.69 to go No.2 on the UK all-time rankings.
Olympic finalist, Whittni Morgan, who at present holds the 5000m world lead, may even compete alongside Ethiopia’s Tsigie Gebreselama and Axumawit Embaye. Sarah Healy who’s recent off a 3000m Irish file (8:35.19) in Boston may even compete.
Cole Hocker (Getty)
Olympic 1500m champion Cole Hocker is ready to problem himself and step as much as the 3000m. Double Olympic bronze medallist Grant Fisher may even compete as he will probably be searching for victory after setting the American file within the two miles final yr (8:03.62).
Lining up alongside them will probably be a number of French record-holder Jimmy Gressier, Commonwealth 1500m champion Olli Hoare and Australia’s Stewart McSweyn.
The lads’s 800m will see Bryce Hoppel try and defend his title after securing victory final yr. If Hoppel, who completed fourth on the Olympics whereas setting the American outside file, secures a win it will likely be his third time successful in New York.
Bryce Hoppel (Getty)
Nonetheless, the world indoor champion will probably be up in opposition to an in-form Josh Hoey, who not too long ago shattered the American 1000m file. Hoey additionally is available in with the momentum from a robust 1500m win in Boston final weekend, the place he clocked 3:33.66, almost 5 seconds quicker than his earlier greatest, as he completed forward of Fisher.
Within the ladies’s 800m, Olympic finalist Shafiqua Maloney, at present the world chief, headlines a robust subject that additionally options Jamaica’s Natoya Goule-Toppin, alongside US athletes Nia Atkins and Addy Wiley.
In the meantime, the hurdles guarantees excessive drama as defending Millrose Video games champion Devynne Charlton returns, having set a world indoor file of seven.67 at this meet final yr earlier than decreasing it even additional to 7.65 in Glasgow.
This time, she is going to face Olympic gold medallist Masai Russell in addition to Ackera Nugent, Denisha Cartwright and Olympic finalist Grace Stark.
Devynne Charlton (Getty)
The lads’s 60m hurdles will see an all-American line-up that includes Dylan Beard, Freddie Crittenden, and Cordell Tinch.
Elsewhere, the ladies’s 60m dash will see the identical 4 sprinters from final weekend’s New Stability Indoor Grand Prix. Jacious Sears, who emerged victorious in that race, will tackle Future Smith-Barnett, Celera Barnes and Zoe Hobbs.
A showdown within the males’s 60m can be on the playing cards as Italy’s 2021 Olympic 100m champion Marcell Jacobs and 2016 world indoor champion Trayvon Bromell go head-to-head as soon as once more, following their conflict in Boston. PJ Austin, who completed forward of each athletes in that race, may even be within the combine.
Teenage sensation Quincy Wilson, recent off setting a world under-18 indoor better of 45.66 over 400m in Boston, will tackle the 600m.
Quincy Wilson (Jan Figueroa)
He’ll line up in opposition to Brandon Miller, who holds the second-fastest indoor time ever within the occasion (74:03) and is chasing Donavan Brazier’s world better of 73.77. Alexis Holmes is anticipated to guide the cost within the ladies’s race.
Within the pole vault, all eyes will probably be on two-time world champion and Olympic gold medallist Katie Moon as she makes her return to the Millrose Video games. After securing silver in Paris, Moon will probably be trying to surpass Jenn Suhr’s long-standing American file of 5.03m.
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