USATF Indoor Championships: Day One Gallery

Day one of the USATF Indoor Championships had it all, with athletes duking it out for Team USA spots heading to the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Nanjing, China, as well as for national titles. There were thrilling moments, meet records and heartbreaks. Here are a few of the highlights.

Shelby Houlihan made her return in the 3000m after a four-year doping ban. She gamely aimed to lead from gun to finish – and she almost did it, but a late kick from Nikki Hiltz saw them overtake Houlihan in the final stretch. Hiltz’s grin said it all.

Goated hurdler Grant Holloway extended his winning streak to a phenomenal 76 races in the 60m hurdles. He hasn’t been beaten since 2015. Just let that sink in. Olympic champion Masai Russell clocked a world-leading 7.74 in the women’s event.

Yared Nuguse and Cole Hocker have already punched their tickets for Nanjing and so weren’t competing at the Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex in Staten Island, NYC, over the weekend. In the men’s 3000m, this left Hobbs Kessler and Dylan Jacobs to duel for honours. They did not disappoint, with Kessler setting a new meet record of 7:38.00. Throwing down a ridiculously fast final lap, he was just 0.02 seconds ahead of Jacobs at the finish.

Stay tuned for our day two photo gallery real soon.