The US college circuit will be a beehive of indoor meets this weekend but all eyes will be on New York and the 114th Millrose Games. Set for January 29, the event will see four Jamaican Olympians in action. They are hurdlers Omar McLeod and Britney Anderson, 800m ace Natoya Goule-Tappin and sprinter Briana Williams.
As he did last year, McLeod will open his season by contesting the 60 metres flat rather than the hurdles where he has won Olympic, World and World Indoor Championship gold in the past. His rivals include the last two World Indoor 60 metre champions, Americans Christian Coleman and Trayvon Bromell.
Coleman is the world record holder at 6.34 seconds. McLeod’s personal best is 6.61.
Goule, an Olympic finalist last year, goes in her pet event against American Ajee Wilson, winner of 4 World Championships bronze medals.
The 30-year-old Jamaican opened her season a fortnight ago with a 1000m cruise covered in 2 minutes 41.03 seconds.
Anderson, the 2017 World Under 18 100m hurdles champion, and 8th in Tokyo last year will match spikes in her first race of the season with reigning World Indoor champion Kendra Harrison in the 60m hurdles and the two women who finished immediately ahead of her in the Olympics – Devynne Charlton of the Bahamas and Harrison’s US countrywoman Gabrielle Cunningham. Tokyo runner-up Harrison is the world leader in the 60m hurdles at 7.81 seconds.
Olympic 4x100m relay gold medallist Williams will race Mikiah Brisco for the second time this year in the flat 60m. Two weeks ago in Baton Rouge, the American edged the 19 year old Jamaican, 7.17 to 7.18 seconds, with Aleia Hobbs clear at 7.10. Nevertheless, Williams had matched her personal best in her first competition of the season.
The meet will be shown on NBC between 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Eastern time.