Americans Lyles, Tara Davis-Woodhall, Gabby Thomas, Tia Jones, Grant Holloway All Achieve World No. 1s in Boston

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

John Nepolitan photos

Noah Lyles was seventh at 10 meters, sixth at 20 meters, but when he hit top speed, no one at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix could hang with him. 

Lyles hit the finish line Sunday at 60 meters in 6.44 seconds for a new personal best and world-leading time. The reigning world champion in the 100 meters and 200 meters got his 2024 season rolling with an impressive performance at The TRACK at New Balance in Boston. 

In one of the biggest indoor meets of the season so far, highlights were scattered across star-studded professional fields. 

Grant Holloway, who hasn't lost an indoor 60-meter hurdles race in 10 years since he was in high school, executed to near-perfection on the way to a world-leading time of 7.35 seconds. He lowered the world lead from his prelim time of 7.37. 

Gabby Thomas, a local attraction who was an NCAA champion at nearby Harvard, won the women's 300 meters in 35.75 seconds. It was just shy of her personal best 35.73 set at Ocean Breeze in 2021. 

Tia Jones needed every bit of her meet record and world-leading 7.72 to edge out Nigeria's Tobi Amusan (7.75) and Devynne Charlton (7.76) of the Bahamas in the women's 60-meter hurdles. 

In the women's long jump, Tara Davis-Woodhall jumped past 22 feet on five of six attempts and produced a best of 6.86m (22-6.25) on her first. 

Other highlights came in the distance events. 

Hobbs Kessler, the 20-year-old phenom from Ann Arbor, Mich., became the third-fastest American of all-time in the indoor 1,500 meters, out-running 2022 world champion Jake Wightman of Great Britain to win in 3:33.66.

In the women's 3,000 meters, Jessica Hull of Australia won a competitive race against Elle St. Pierre as both ran lifetime bests. Hull broke her national record with 8:24.93 and St. Pierre was second in 8:25.25 after both women broke away from the pack.  

Marco Arop broke the Canadian record in the men's 1,000 meters with his winning time of 2:14.74.

Lamecha Girma from Ethiopia dominated the men's 3,000 meters, winning by 10 seconds in a new meet record 7:29.09.

Another Ethiopian, Gudaf Tsegay, closed the meet with a meet record in the women's 1,500 meters, with 3:58.11.

California high school standout Sadie Engelhardt became the third-fastest prep girl in the indoor mile, running 4:34.45 to win the girls' junior international mile. Only Mary Cain and Alexa Efraimson have run faster and both did it in races against pros. 

A day earlier, Engelhardt ran the fourth-fastest 1,000 meters in high school history at BU with 2:41.00.

Three more preps broke 4:40, with Allie Zealand running 4:37.76, Samantha Humphries 4:39.11 and Ali Ince 4:39.74.

Mikiah Brisco won the women's 60 dash in 7.10 seconds. 

Kendall Ellis overcame a near-fall early in the second lap to win the women's 400 meters in 52.77 seconds. 

Vernon Norwood won the men's 400 meters in 45.76 seconds. 

Sammy Watson ran a personal best time of 2:01.20 to post a big win in the women's 800 meters. 

Mark English from Ireland won the men's 600 meters in a personal-best time of 1:16.64.