Left to right: Elinor Purrier, Ajeé Wilson, and Donavan Brazier win their respective events with American Record times. Photos by John Nepolitan.
NEW YORK, NY, February 8, 2020 – Elinor Purrier and Ajeé Wilson not only won their respective races Saturday during the 113th NYRR Millrose Games at The Armory New Balance Track & Field Center, but the two women also set American records on the “Fastest Track in the World.”
Purrier won the NYRR Wanamaker Mile with a blazing finish to pass defending champion Konstanze Klosterhalfen during the final lap, with a record time of 4:16.85.
“On the second to last lap, I started getting more confident,” said Purrier, a World Championships finalist in the 5,000m. “I was like, ‘I don’t feel totally out of it, I’m going to try to make a move.’”
“(About the record) I was just focused on competing, I wasn’t really listening to the splits at all. Honestly, I’m just trying to soak it in. It hasn’t really hit me yet.”
Purrier now owns the top American indoor mark that lasted since 1982 by Mary Decker with a 4:20.5.
The Women’s NYRR Wanamaker Mile included four national records: Purrier, Klosterhalfen (Germany, 4:17.26), Jemma Reekie (Great Britian, 4:17.88) and Gaabriela DeBues-Stafford (Canada, 4:19.73). And the top three runners through 1,500m established national marks en route to the exciting finish before a sold-out Armory.
“I’m still trying to grasp it,” Purrier said about being the new owner of the American indoor record. “My plan was to sit and go with the rabbit and I knew it was going to be a fast race. I just tried to make a move.”
Wilson added to her list of wins at The Armory, winning the Jack & Lewis Rudin Women’s 800m for a second year in a row.
The Armory fan favorite from Neptune, NJ broke her own American indoor record with a 1:58.29. She set the American indoor record during last year’s NYRR Millrose Games with a 1:58.60.
She had plenty of motivation to hold off Jamaica’s Natoya Goule’s 1:59.35.
“That’s the loudest I’ve ever heard the crowd,” said the Olympian Wilson afterward. “I had family and friends here that helped me run strong and I got the American record. Millrose is super special. As a high schooler I qualified for the Millrose Mile and that was 10 years ago.
She continued, “It just has that magic.”
Despite battling effects of a cold, Chris O’Hare captured his second Men’s NYRR Wanamaker Mile. O’Hare built a solid lead toward the end to finish with a 3:55.61, ahead of Olli Hoare of Australia and local product Rob Napolitano of HOKA NJ/NYTC with 3:56.47 and 3:56.56 times, respectively.
“Having two children, you’re in constant state of sickness,” said O’Hare, who won in 2018. “I knew Filip (Ingebrigsten) would be in the front and be super strong and super confident, so I knew he would be the one taking it and he was the one I was going to have to beat from the bell.
“I felt ready.”
Ingebrigsten finished seventh with a 3:56.99.
Donavan Brazier continued his success off his 2019 World Championships triumph in and American record season, with a victory in the NewYork-Presbyterian Invitational Men’s 800m.
Brazier rewrote his own American record in the 800m with a 1:44.22, breaking his previous mark set last year of 1:44.41. He took control of the race during the final lap en route to the victory.
“I’m starting to take indoors a little more seriously,” Brazier said. “This was the best field and this will give me more confidence and more reassurance that I’m not living off the experiences last year.”
While former Syracuse standout Justyn Knight was winning the Dr. Sander Men’s Invitational 3,000m with a 7:46.36, high school senior and national cross-country champion Nico Young of Newbury Park, Calif, set a new high school national mark of 7:56.97.
“This is what I came here to do,” Young said. “I definitely was really nervous before the race. I wanted to test my ability.”
The Jam Shakwi Men’s Shot Put included 2019 World champion Joe Kovacs and 2016 Rio Olympics gold medalist Ryan Crouser. Crouser, who lost to Kovacs by a mere centimeter in last year’s World Championships, won with a 72-9 ¾ throw over Kovacs’ 70-0 ¼.
The NYRR Millrose Games is the most storied event in indoor track and field.
The Millrose Games moved to The Armory’s New Balance Track & Field Center in Washington Heights in 2012 after having called Madison Square Garden home from 1914 to 2011. The Games – established by employees of Wanamaker’s Department Store – features track and field’s most prolific male and female stars as well as collegiate, high school, club and youth competitors.
Go to www.nyrrmillrosegames.org and www.armorytrack.com for all results and news about the 113th NYRR Millrose Games.
More than 200 athletes share the distinction of being both Millrose and Olympic champions. In November of 2013, the New York Road Runners became the title sponsor of the NYRR Millrose Games, which is owned by The Armory Foundation. The NYRR Millrose Games is a USATF television series event, and The Armory Foundation appreciates the support of USA Track & Field.
The Armory Foundation is proud to host the dozens of Olympians and world champions who will test their talents once more at The Armory. With highest-level competition at the youth, high school, collegiate, club and professional levels, there is truly something for everyone at the NYRR Millrose Games.
Follow on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at @armorynyc, or go to ArmoryTrack.com or Armory.NYC.
About New York Road Runners (NYRR)
NYRR’s mission is to help and inspire people through running. Since 1958, New York Road Runners has grown from a local running club to the world’s premier community running organization. NYRR’s commitment to New York City’s five boroughs features races, community events, free youth running initiatives and school programs, the NYRR RUNCENTER featuring the New Balance Run Hub, and training resources that provide hundreds of thousands of people each year, from children to seniors, with the motivation, know-how, and opportunity to Run for Life. NYRR’s premier event, and the largest marathon in the world, is the TCS New York City Marathon. Held annually on the first Sunday in November, the race features 50,000 runners, from the world’s top professional athletes to a vast range of competitive, recreational, and charity runners. To learn more, visit www.nyrr.org.
About The Armory Foundation
The Armory Foundation is a New York City non-profit institution, with the mission of "Keeping Kids on Track." Each season The Armory – the proud home of the NYRR Millrose Games – hosts more than 100 track & field meets and welcomes more than 220,000 athlete visits. Among its many youth sports and educational programs, including the acclaimed Armory College Prep program, The Armory runs the leading collegiate indoor track meet with the Dr. Sander Invitational Columbia Challenge, and also hosts the largest high school indoor track meets with this year's 26th U. S. Air Force Hispanic Games, The New Balance Games, the New Balance Nationals Indoors, the Energice Coaches Hall of Fame, Marine Corp Holiday Classic and the Colgate Games. The Armory also runs the Columbia & NewYork – Presbyterian Indoor Marathon presented by New York Road Runners, which is the world’s largest indoor marathon relay. The Armory is also the home to the National Track & Field Hall of Fame and dozens of very large education-focused events. For more: Please visit Armory.NYC and ArmoryTrack.com.
