BELGRADE, Serbia — Team USATF claimed six medals and picked up medals in all five finals contested in the afternoon session at the World Athletics Indoor Championships to wrap up the first day at Stark Arena with a total of three silver and four bronze medals. Kendell Williams (Kennesaw, Georgia/USATF Georgia) was the first Team USATF athlete to mount the podium in the session, just edging out Great Britain’s Holly MIlls by seven points to finish with a bronze, totaling 4680 points to Mills’ 4673 to win the first U.S. medal in the event since 2010. Williams ran a season best 2:19.23 in the 800m, with Belgium’s Noor Vidts clocking a PB of 2:08.81 to clinch gold with 4929 points. Poland’s Adrianna Sulek took silver with 4851 points. Twenty-one points separated Chari Hawkins (San Diego, California/USATF San Diego-Imperial) from gold going into the afternoon session, sitting in medal contention with two events to go, but heartbreak greeted her in the long jump as she fouled each of her three attempts and did not start the 800m.
Mikiah Brisco (Baton Rouge, Louisiana/USATF Southern) became only the third American woman ever to dip under seven seconds in the 60m, dashing to silver with a 6.99, .05 ahead of U.S. teammate Marybeth Sant Price (Denver, Colorado/USATF Colorado), who claimed the bronze. Switzerland’s Mujinga Kambundji was the surprise winner in 6.96, equaling the No. 4 time ever. Earlier in the semifinals, Brisco ran her second 7.03 of the day to match her personal best from the morning session and win the second semi. Sant Price improved upon her morning session time with a 7.05 in the first semi for second place to advance.
Chase Ealey (Holman, New Mexico/USATF New Mexico) captured her first international medal winning silver and equaling the American indoor record (*pending verification by USATF) in the women’s shot put with a brilliant series of throws in an exciting final competition in Belgrade. She came out for the final three throws showing no mercy as she launched a lifetime best 20.21/66-3.75 in the fifth round to move into the gold medal position. But, Portugal’s Auriol Dongmo responded on the next throw by launching a 20.43/67-0.5 to push Ealey to silver. Michelle Carter set the current American record in winning the 2016 World Indoor title in Portland. Both Americans advanced to the final three rounds with Ealey sitting in the bronze medal position after the first three throws. She launched a 18.65/61-2.25 toss to start the competition in fourth place and moved to the silver medal position with her second toss of 19.11/62-8.5, but dropped back to third when Sweden’s Fanny Roos launched a season’s best 19.22/63-0.75 to move to second place before the field was cut to eight. Maggie Ewen’s (Dilworth, Minnesota/USATF Minnesota) opening throw was 18.16/59-7. She followed with an 18.34/60-2 second toss and eventually launched a 19.15/62-10 in the fourth round before two fouls, finishing fifth overall.
Elinor Purrier St. Pierre (Enosburg, Vermont/USATF New England) raced to silver with a savvy 8:42.04, missing gold by only .22 behind Ethiopia’s Lemlem Hailu. Alicia Monson(Longmont, Colorado/USATF Colorado) was seventh in 8:46.39. Purrier St. Pierre stayed with the pack and went through the first kilometer in seventh at 3:04.01, .7 behind the leader, and at the halfway mark she had inched up to third, going through 1,500m in 4:33.26. At 2km, Purrier St. Pierre had eased back to sixth in 5:59.48, covering that kilometer in 2:55.47. The real racing started in the final kilometer, and Purrier St. Pierre was up to the task, motoring through a 2:42.56 to win her first international medal. Her final 400m was 60.74 to stave off a challenge from Ethiopia’s Ejgayehu Taye. Purrier St. Pierre matched Lynn Jennings (1995) for the highest placing ever by an American woman.
Marquis Dendy (Ocala, Florida/USATF Florida) jumped a season best 8.27/27-1.75 to claim the bronze medal with the best jump by an American this year, and Jarrion Lawson(Springdale, Arkansas/USATF Arkansas) finished fourth with a season best of 8.19/26-10.5. Dendy, the 2016 champion, hit his big jump on his third attempt and only had two legal jumps on the night. Lawson’s best effort was also in the third round.
At the completion of the first day, Garrett Scantling(Jacksonville, Florida/USATF Florida) is only five points out of medal contention, sitting fourth with 3546 points. Steven Bastien (Ann Arbor, Michigan/USATF Michigan) moved up to eighth with 3411 after winning the high jump with a 2.08m/6-9.75 clearance. Scantling went over 2.02/6-7.5 in the day’s fourth event. Day two opens with the 60m hurdles, followed by the pole vault and then the 1,000m to close.
Both U.S. men advanced to Saturday’s final, led by USATF Indoor Championships winner Trevor Bassitt (Elida, Ohio/USATF Ohio), who placed second in the second semi in 46.26. Marqueze Washington (Fayetteville, Arkansas/ USATF Arkansas) was third in his semi, clocking 46.36 in heat one. A full schedule of events can be found here. Join the conversation with USATF on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook using the hashtags #USATF and #WorldIndoorChamps.