Defending WHOOP Women’s Wanamaker Mile champion Elle Purrier St. Pierre returns to the January 29th 114th Millrose Games at The Armory New Balance Track & Field Center. Photo by Ross Dettman.
NEW YORK, NY, Jan. 6, 2022 – Defending champion and American record holder Elle Purrier St. Pierre leads a deep WHOOP Women’s Wanamaker Mile field in the 114th Millrose Games that includes the last two event champions, as well as all three athletes who represented the United States in the Tokyo Olympic 1500m.
The Millrose Games will take place Saturday, January 29th at The Armory’s New Balance Track & Field Center.
“I am really looking forward to racing the Wanamaker Mile this year,” Purrier St. Pierre said. “This race has always been a special one for me and I certainly missed it last year. It's one of the most prestigious and historic races, it's always fun and always competitive, just the way I like it.”
Purrier St. Pierre set her dazzling American indoor mile record of 4:16.85 at the 2020 Millrose Games, which was the second fastest time in indoor history. Since that breakout performance, she has added the American two-mile record to her resume, won the 1500m at the Olympic Trials in a meet record time, and reached the Olympic finals in Tokyo. Purrier St. Pierre will return to Millrose looking for an encore to her greatest performance.
Konstanze Klosterhalfen is the 2019 Wanamaker Mile champion and the German national record holder in nine events. She chased Purrier St. Pierre all the way to the line in the 2020 race, setting her personal best of 4:17.26. Klosterhalfen took the bronze medal in the 5000m at the 2019 World Championships, and placed eighth in the Tokyo Olympics 10,000m finals.
Also in the field are Cory McGee and Heather MacLean, who placed second and third at last year’s Olympic Trials behind Purrier St. Pierre. McGee was a 10-time All-American at the University of Florida and placed 12th in the Tokyo Olympic finals. MacLean is a four-time school record holder at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, and in 2017 became the first woman in school history to earn All-American honors in cross country.
Last year’s breakout star Josette Norris joins the mix, after a spectacular season where she broke four minutes in the 1500m and placed third in the Zurich Diamond League final. Hailing from Tenafly, NJ, Norris adds local flavor to the field.
Other major threats will be Jessica Hull, the Australian 1500m and 5000m record holder and four-time NCAA champion for the University of Oregon who reached last year’s Olympic finals where she finished 11th, along with World Championships finalist Nikki Hiltz, 3-time Stanford University All-American and 800m USATF Championships finalist Rebecca Mehra, British Olympian Katie Snowden and Spanish Olympian Ester Guerrero.
Rounding out the field is Olympic Trials fourth-place finisher Shannon Osika and both the 2021 NCAA mile and 1500m champions in Sage Hurta and Anna Camp Bennett, respectively.
The Millrose Games is the most storied event in indoor track and field. Stay tuned over the coming weeks as more athletes are announced for the 114th Millrose Games. The Millrose Games is anticipated to be the most thrilling edition of the meet to date, with dozens of Olympians competing on The Armory's “Fastest Track in the World.”
Athletes confirmed for the 114th Millrose Games include:
The top two shot put athletes and Tokyo Olympic gold and silver medalists, Ryan Crouser and Joe Kovacs, are 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.
Olympic gold medalist Katie Nageotte will face off against defending champion Sandi Morris in the Women’s Pole Vault.
Millrose Games alumni earned 29 medals at the Tokyo Olympics, including 13 gold medals. With highest-level competition at the youth, high school, collegiate, club, and professional levels, there is truly something for everyone at the Millrose Games.
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.
Follow the Millrose Games on www.millrosegames.org and The Armory on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at @armorynyc.
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.
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