Josh Kerr, Laura Muir and George Mills are among those competing at The Armory on Sunday
With no televised indoor grand prix event in the UK this year, many leading British athletes have travelled to the Nike Track & Field Center at The Armory in New York for the Millrose Games on Sunday (Feb 11).
They include Josh Kerr, Laura Muir and George Mills, among others, as they look for a valuable mid-winter fitness test.
Reigning 1500m world champion Kerr tackles the two miles with Mo Farah’s world record of 8:03.40 in his sights. Records aside, Kerr has a tough field to beat too as it includes US 5000m and 10,000m record-holder Grant Fisher and Olympic 1500m sixth-placer Cole Hocker, New Zealander Geordie Beamish and former US 1500m champion Cooper Teare.
“In February, I’m still coming off really high base training and I still want to be toward 5000m at that time of year,” says Kerr. “A two-mile just fits in perfectly where it is a bit speedier, but it’s not the mile.”
Fresh from his big 5000m PB of 12:58.68 in Boston last month, Mills is racing the Wanamaker Mile at Millrose and is hoping to become the first Brit to win the historic race since Chris O’Hare in 2020. Mills also faces 2023 Wanamaker champion Yared Nuguse, who finished a few seconds behind him in the recent 5000m in Boston.
Mills and Nuguse will have Yomif Kejelcha’s world indoor record of 3:47.01 in their sights, whereas the British record of 3:48.87 is held by Kerr.
Also in the Wanamaker Mile are Brits Neil Gourley and Adam Fogg, plus Hobbs Kessler of the United States, Mario Garcia Romo of Spain, and Andrew Coscoran of Ireland.
“[The world record] feels like a goal that’s within my grasp of achieving.” said Nuguse. “Not only am I stronger and smarter than I was last year, but I feel like I will be able to attack this race with a lot more confidence to chase the world record. When I went to Millrose for the first time, I was just chasing the American record. So changing that mindset, just seeing how far I’ve come, it feels like a very real possibility at this point.”
Muir was due to take on Elle St Pierre in the women’s mile but Muir has now switched to the women’s two miles where she will face, among others, US 5000m and 10,000m record-holder Alicia Monson.
Muir ran 4:20.15 to win her debut Wanamaker Mile last year, but there will be a new champion this year with St Pierre, who ran a meeting and US record of 4:16.85 to win in 2020, looking to retain her crown, but watch out also for in-form Australian Jess Hull.
Dina Asher-Smith was due to face Julien Alfred of Saint Lucia among others in the women’s 60m. The 2019 world 200m champion had a great start to the year with a UK 300m record of 36.77 and was set to race at Millrose for the first time but was not on the entry lists a few days before the meeting.
Other athletes in action include world sprint hurdles champion Danielle Williams of Jamaica against Britain’s Cindy Sember in the 60m hurdles, plus world high jump gold medallist Yaroslava Mahuchikh of Ukraine and rising Irish sprints star Rhasidat Adeleke, the latter of whom is in the women’s 300m.
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