KC Lightfoot bettered the American record in the men's pole vault Friday at the Music City Track Carnival in Nashville, soaring over 6.07m/19-11 to add a centimeter to the ratified AR set by Sam Kendricks in 2019. Lightfoot, fourth at the Tokyo Olympics and the 2021 NCAA indoor champion for Baylor, set his previous PB of 6.00m/19-8.25 in 2021. High school star Shawnti Jackson blazed to a national prep record of 10.89 in the women's 100m, slicing .05 off the previous record that was set by Briana Williams in 2019. Jackson, the daughter of 2005 400m hurdles world champion Bershawn Jackson, moved to No. 4 on the all-time world U20 performer list. Huntington University's Addy Wiley won the women's 1,500m in 4:03.22, the fastest time ever run by an American teenager. Wiley, 19, won NAIA titles at 800m and 1,500m last week and was a quadruple national champion indoors. Other top performances at the meet included a 48.38 PB in the men's 400m hurdles by Taylor McLaughlin and a 21.68m/71-1.5 win in the men's shot put by Payton Otterdahl. Olympian Bryce Deadmon won the men's 400m in a season best 44.72, while Alexis Holmes won the women's 400m in a PB 50.58. Allie Wilson led four women under 2:00 in the 800m with a 1:59.24.
World champion and American record holder Noah Lyles won the men's 200m at the Racers GP in Kingston, Jamaica, in 19.67, the fastest time in the world in 2023 and his 34th career sub-20 clocking, equaling Usain Bolt for the most ever under that barrier. Christian Coleman was the other American winner, taking the men's 100m in 10.03.
Olympic champions Fred Kerley and Katie Moon led a group of six Team USATF athletes who won their events at the Diamond League meet Friday in Florence, Italy. Kerley was unbeatable in the men's 100m with a controlled 9.94, and Moon navigated 4.71m/15-5.5 on her second attempt in the women's pole vault. Erriyon Knighton, still only 19, saw off a talented field in the men's 200m with a season best 19.89 that gave him the top nine times in U20 history. Two-time world champion Grant Holloway held off a late surge by Switzerland's Jason Joseph to take the men's 110m hurdles in 13.04, and JuVaughn Harrison cleared 2.32m/7-7.25 on his third attempt to win the men's high jump. Olympic champion Valarie Allman had only one good throw in the women's discus, but her 65.96m/216-5 was enough to defeat China's world champion, Bin Feng. Courtney Wayment notched a U.S.-leading 9:11.41 in the women's 3,000m steeplechase to finish eighth, and heptathlete Anna Hall was third in the women's 400m hurdles with a PB 54.42. Shamier Little was the runner-up in the 400H with a season best 53.38.
Oregon's Tyrone Gorze, who was 12th in the World U20 Championships 5,000m for Team USATF in 2022, moved to third on the all-time boys' high school 10,000m list with a 29:00.17 at the Portland Track Festival. In elite action, Benard Keter and Colleen Quigley came away with men's and women's 3,000m steeplechase wins, and Nia Akins dipped under 2:00 with a 1:59.37 in the women's 800m ahead of Raevyn Rogers, who was second in2:00.20. Helen Schlachtenhaufen won the women's 1,500m in 4:05.67, while Cole Hocker signaled his return to form with a runner-up 3:34.14 in the men's race. Taylor Werner (15:03.13) and Olin Hacker (13:19.28) were the women's and men's 5,000m champions, respectively.
Simeon Birnbaum of Stevens High School in Rapid City, South Dakota, won the Hoka Festival of Miles boys' mile in a meet record 3:57.53 and three other prep runners cracked the 4:00 barrier in the deepest high school boys' mile ever in the U.S. Birnbaum covered the final 400m in 57.68 to win, followed by Rocky Hansen of Christ School in Arden, North Carolina, who took second in 3:58.23. Tinoda Matsatsa (St. Andrew's Episcopal, Potomac, Maryland) was third in 3:58.70, and Jackson Heidesch (Dowling Catholic, West Des Moines, Iowa) was the fourth sub-4 finisher in 3:59.08. Abby Nichols ran an outdoor world-leading 4:26.08 to take the women's elite mile, with Olin Hacker victorious in the men's elite race at 3:56.59. Photo Credit: Nick Zincone