Olympians Michael Saruni and Donavan Brazier will compete during different middle-distance events in the 114th Millrose Games at The Armory New Balance Track & Field Center. Saruni photo by Ross Dettman; Brazier photo by John Nepolitan.
NEW YORK, NY, Jan. 19, 2022 – Two highly featured men’s races will take place at the 114th Millrose Games on Saturday, January 29th at The Armory New Balance Track & Field Center: The Mike Frankfurt Invitational Men’s 800m and the Invitational Men’s 400m.
The Men’s 800m is headlined by Michael Saruni, the 2019 Millrose Games 800m champion. His mark of 1:43.98 in that race is the third-fastest indoor performance in history. Saruni is also the former world record holder in the indoor 600m and the 2018 NCAA 800m champion, and he represented Kenya at the Tokyo Olympics.
“It will be really great to come back to The Armory and the Millrose Games where I had such a great winning race,” Saruni said.
Bryce Hoppel returns to Millrose after placing second in the 800m in 2020. Hoppel qualified for the final at the 2019 World Championships, placing fourth, before reaching the semifinals at last summer’s Olympics. Also competing is Hoppel’s Team USA compatriot Isaiah Jewett, who was the 2021 NCAA 800m champion before running in Tokyo.
Four other Olympians will take part in this race, including Charlie Hunter of Australia, who also won a pair of NCAA titles while at the University of Oregon. He will be joined by a pair of national record holders: Jesus Tonatiu Lopez of Mexico, and Saul Ordoñez Gavela of Spain. Mark English of Ireland is a two-time Olympian and three-time European Championship medalist. Rounding out the field is the experienced Isaiah Harris, who won at the London Diamond League meet last summer.
One notable name who is missing in the 800m is defending world champion and American record holder Donavan Brazier. Brazier, who set the indoor 800m American record in his victory at the 2020 Millrose Games, has instead opted for the Men’s 400m. This will be Brazier’s first race since suffering an injury at the Olympic Trials last June, and all eyes will be on the middle-distance superstar as he plots his comeback.
“I’m really excited about running the 400m at Millrose,” Brazier said. “I look forward to the challenge, and it is also part of our plan for continued improvement in the 800 meters.”
Brazier will face a stiff challenge in the form of Jamaica’s Christopher Taylor, who finished sixth in last summer’s Olympic final. Another athlete to watch will be Vernon Norwood, a mainstay on the 400m circuit who placed fourth in the Zurich Diamond League final. Also competing is the inspirational Hunter Woodhall, a double amputee who is a three-time Paralympic medalist and three-time NCAA All-American.
Athletes confirmed for the 114th Millrose Games include:
Defending champion Elle Purrier St. Pierre and 2019 champion Konstanze Klosterhalfen will highlight the WHOOP Women’s Wanamaker Mile. This signature race includes all three athletes who represented the United States in the Tokyo Olympic 1500m.
Olympic bronze medalist Josh Kerr and Olympic finalist Ollie Hoare lead the charge in the WHOOP Men’s Wanamaker Mile.
World-record holder and two-time Olympic gold medalist Ryan Crouser is entered in the Thorne Men’s Shot Put.
World record holder in the 60m Christian Coleman, the fastest man in the world in 2021 Trayvon Bromell and Jamaica’s 2016 Olympic gold medal winner in the 110m hurdles Omar McLeod will challenge for the Millrose Games Men’s 60m title.
Olympic gold medalist and American outdoor record holder Athing Mu, American indoor record holder and Olympian Ajee' Wilson and Jamaica middle-distance sensation and Olympian Natoya Goule-Toppin who will be competing in the highly anticipated Jack and Lewis Rudin Women’s 800m.
Cole Hocker, Edward Cheserek, and Conner Mantz headline a Who’s Who of NCAA champions and Olympian distance runners in the Men’s 3000m.
World record holder Keni Harrison leads a Women’s 60m Hurdles field that features six Olympians.
Alicia Monson, Olympian and 2019 Millrose Games champion, is fresh off a January 9th USATF Cross Country title and will be challenged by recent USATF Cross Country runner-up Weini Kelati in the Millrose Games Women’s 3000.
Olympic bronze medalist Gabby Thomas is the headliner in the Women’s 60m
Olympic gold medalist Katie Nageotte will face off against defending champion Sandi Morris in the Women’s Pole Vault.
Tickets can be purchased by going to https://www.millrosegames.org/get-tickets
For more information on all Armory Track events go to www.armory.nyc.
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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 Millrose Games – hosts more than 100 track & field meets and welcomes more than 220,000 visits. Among its many youth sports and educational programs, including the acclaimed Armory College Prep program, The Armory runs the leading collegiate indoor track meets with the Dr. Sander Invitational Columbia Challenge and the HBCU Showcase, and hosts the largest high school indoor track meets with the U. S. Air Force Hispanic Games, The New Balance Games, New Balance Nationals Indoor, the Energice Coaches Hall of Fame Invitational and Marine Corps Holiday Classic. New York Road Runners is a proud sponsor of all athletic events at The Armory. The Armory runs the Columbia & NewYork – Presbyterian Indoor Marathon Team Relay 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.
