NEW YORK: Elle Purrier St Pierre successfully defended her Wanamaker Mile title on Saturday in the 114th Millrose Games, finishing in four minutes, 19.30 seconds.

Purrier St. Pierre, also the 2020 winner, joined Mary Decker (1982-83), Doina Melinte (1990-91), Regina Jacobs (1999-2002), Carmen Douma-Hussar (2004-06), Kara Goucher 2008-09), and Shannon Rowbury (2015-16) as the only women to win the Wanamaker Mile in consecutive meets.

The Games, which began in 1908, had been a yearly track and field extravaganza, until the Covid-19 pandemic forced organisers to cancel the event in 2021. Purrier St. Pierre finished 1:21 seconds ahead of Josette Norris.

Ollie Hoare won the Men’s Wanamaker Mile in an Australian-record 3:50:83.

Christian Coleman started strong and fended off a late challenge from Trayvon Bromell to win the men’s 60m in his first major competition since serving an 18-month suspension for breaching anti-doping whereabouts rules.

Coleman, the indoor world record holder in the event, finished the race at the Armory in 6.49 seconds, edging Bromell (6.50) and Ronnie Baker (6.54).

Olympic champion Ryan Crouser appeared to break his own indoor shot put world record by 56 centimeters but after the meet, organisers announced that the laser system used to measure the distance malfunctioned.

A tape measurement recoded the throw at 22.50 meters, officials said, which was good enough to deliver him his third consecutive Millrose men’s shot put title.

American Devon Allen won the 60m hurdles in 7.51 seconds, the fastest time in the world this year, while Jamaican Britany Anderson won the women’s 60 hurdles in a personal-best 7.91.

American Bryce Hoppel won the men’s 800 in 1:46.05, a 2022 world best and 0.27 of a second ahead of runner-up Michael Saruni of Kenya.

Geordie Beamish set a New Zealand national record to win the men’s 3,000 in 7:39.50 while American Alicia Monson won the women’s 3,000 in this year’s world-best time of 8:31.62.

Published in Dawn, January 31st, 2022