| The 17th-annual New Balance Indoor Grand Prix has come and gone, but that doesn't mean there aren't a few things left to wrap up. Tops on the list: If you were among the 4,072 track-savvy fans rocking the sold-out Reggie Lewis Center on Saturday night, thanks for coming. Just as you never cease to be amazed by the feats on the track, the athletes and meet organizers never cease to be grateful for your knowledgeable and enthusiastic support. If you weren't in the house on Saturday night, we missed you! Hope you caught the action on Sunday's ESPN2 broadcast of the meet before the Super Bowl, and hope to see you next year. Extra, Extra! Read All About It
Boston fans were honored to welcome one of their favorites, double Olympic gold medalist Tirunesh Dibaba, back to competition after almost 18 months away from the track while battling injuries. Click here to read the official meet report. The Reggie has always been a special venue for Jenn Suhr. It's where she won her first national title as an unknown in 2005, set her first American Record indoors in 2009, and has never lost in five appearances at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix. On Saturday night, she added to her Boston legacy by breaking her own American Record on her first attempt at 16 feet. The Boston Globe tells the story. Jenn's hometown newspapers, The Democrat and Chronicle in Rochester, NY, and the Buffalo News had something to add. It was Maggie Vessey in an 800-meter photo finish, as one of the stars for Boston-based New Balance made her mark in their namesake meet. The Boston Herald has more. When frontrunner Mo Farah sprawled to the track three-quarters of the way into the first lap of the men's Mile, all bets were off. Hear Farah and training partners Galen Rupp and Ciaran O'Lionaird, the winner, talk about their eventful race here, on Flotrack. And Before We Say Goodbye...
Let's end with a few fun facts: - The New Balance Indoor Grand Prix saw five world-leading performances for the 2012 indoor season, in the women's pole vault, 1000 meters and 3000 meters, and the men's 400 meters and 3000 meters.
- Kirani James is batting 1.000: The 400-meter World Champion was running in his professional indoor debut.
- Speaking of pro debuts, Matthew Centrowitz finished 7th in the men's 3000 meters, in 7:46.18. The surprise World Championships bronze medalist at 1500 meters last summer while still a student at the University of Oregon, Centrowitz turned pro a few months ago and decided to step up to the 3000m for the night. “I can't be disappointed,” he said. “For the first race coming out, I'm happy.”
- Not so happy with her race was Jenny Simpson, the 1500-meter World Champion who was also stepping up in distance here. “I did something risky today,” she said. “I didn't have a rust-buster. I went straight from really heavy aerobic work in Monument (Colorado) at 7000 feet, and said I was just going to try to come down and race fast. Whether you're in middle school or high school, that's what it looks like when somebody dies in a race. I think I just overestimated what I was able to do on my first run. ” Simpson finished last after struggling the last 800 meters. But no one who's followed Simpson's career will be surprised that she said it all with a cheerful smile on her face.
- Simpson was one of three top athletes on Saturday who raced in the Junior Invitational Mile at this event as high schoolers: Simpson in 2005, O'Lionaird in 2006 and Centrowitz in 2007. And you know what? Not one of them won their junior races. Since then, Simpson has become a World Champion, Centrowitz a World Championships bronze medalist and O'Lionaird already is fourth on Ireland's all-time 1500-meter list. So, young runners: you don't have to win ‘em all to have a golden future!
On that note, we'll see you next year. |
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