PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, May 31–June 01 — It was an unseasonably cool weekend in Philly, the first non-tropical stop of the Grand Slam Track series. But a sizzling two days of performances (the meet was condensed from three days after the Miami stop), including a pair of electrifying 100s to end the meet, made certain that Franklin Field was red hot late Sunday afternoon.
The first of those was the final event on the women’s side, as Melissa Jefferson-Wooden — completing a Short Sprints slam sweep for the second time over the three meets — reached new heights. Running relaxed and with obvious confidence, she blasted a wind-legal, world-leading 10.73 (1.4) to elevate herself into the top 10 century dashers all-time and top five among Americans.
The previous day, she had beaten Gabby Thomas, who had won Slam 200s in Kingston (Long Sprints) and Miami (Short Sprints; beating Jefferson-Wooden) with a sparkling new 21.99 PR (1.1). Jefferson also put herself in the driver’s seat for the Racer of the Year honors with 66 points, with three 100 victories and two at twice the distance.
While the Coastal Carolina alum had proven to have been on a trajectory to run legal 10.7s in the 100, the improvement in the 200 is something that wasn’t necessarily anticipated. “I don’t know, they’re both kind of sweet,” she told the panel of studio hosts later, when asked if 10.73 or topping Thomas at 200 was a bigger highlight. “I surprised myself in the 200… [But] that 10.73 really kind of sits right with my spirit.”
Long Sprints: For the second straight Slam, Marileidy Paulino swept both the 400 and the 200 in the Long Sprint category and ascended into 2nd in the overall Racer of the Year standings, passing Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone. Her 49.12 in Saturday’s drizzly conditions is second only to Salwa Eid Naser’s 48.67 world leader from the Kingston Slam on the world list.
Eid Naser, in fact, looked very strong around the final turn at Franklin, leading Paulino before the eventual winner surged ahead. During that homestretch, the Bahraini drifted from lane 6 into lane 5, where Nickisha Pryce would run 50.04 several strides behind (Paulino was in 7). While Eid Naser didn’t exactly impede the Jamaican en route to her 49.47 runner-up finish, she was DQed anyway.
In the following day’s 200 — an event that none of this group really specializes in — Paulino got out to a strong start, was leading through the curve and continued to pull away in the stretch to a 22.46 win. Isabella Whittaker, competing on her old home track, moved really well in the final 50 to take 2nd in 22.82.
Short Hurdles: The weekend slate of the 100 hurdles Saturday and 100 dash Sunday got extra attention this time around as Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone moved from the Long Hurdles slam — where she had swept the first four races — to the Short.
The native New Jerseyan got a heroine’s welcome as she stepped on the track at the end of Day 1 and got a great start, but couldn’t quite stay with a 100H field full of women with 12.19 to 12.51 PRs, compared to her own 12.65. But even though she was 5th, she ran a solid 12.70 into an 0.4 wind, really in the mix with everyone except Ackera Nugent, who looked absolutely stellar with her PR 12.44.
The Jamaican looked nearly as unbeatable in the 100 the next day, looking more like a sprinter than any of her competitors. Her 11.11 (0.1) was 0.3 clear of everyone in the field — except McLaughlin (11.21).
Nugent said she doesn’t train for the 100, but even though she won’t be running the final Slam, she knows the experience from the three 100/100H doubles she’s now done will help her come late summer. “We’re just going to use what I have in my flat speed and put it over the hurdles,” she said.
“It’s a great combination for the 100 and the hurdles,” said Nugent. “Even though I won’t be at the last Grand Slam, I know where I’m at speed-wise, so it’s just for me to literally take it and put it over the hurdles.”
McLaughlin — still 3rd in the Racer of the Year standings — seemed to be enjoying herself just as much, soaking up the adulation from the Franklin Field faithful. “It was really fun!” she said. “Awesome to come back home and to be able to switch up events,” she said, “[and] see friends and family.”
She admitted, with a smile that in the 100 it was “not the best execution; I definitely popped right up, and no drive phase whatsoever.… So to come out with the result I did, I’m happy.”
Long Hurdles: With no McLaughlin-Levrone in this category, the door was open for competitors and/or challengers to step through. Doing so first in Saturday’s 400H was challenger Anna Cockrell. The Paris silver medalist trailed early behind Jamaicans Rushell Clayton and Andrenette Knight, but rallied around the second curve, finally passing Clayton into 1st after hurdle 8 and pulling away to the 54.04 victory in her first Slam race.
On Sunday, Great Britain’s Lina Nielsen — just 6th in the 400H — sprinted best to clock 52.60 for the win over Jasmine Jones. And, since Jones was runner-up behind Cockrell in the hurdles at 54.65 (and her fellow former USC Trojan was, in turn, just 6th on the flat), she won the slam with 16 points.
Short Distance: The new challengers in the short distance category definitely added some intrigue in Philly. There was Addy Wiley, with PRs of 1:56.83 and 3:59.17 — and coming off a 1:57.55 in a narrow defeat in the Rabat Diamond League. Then there also was Nia Akins, the Olympic Trials champ last year in 1:57.36. Finally, Paris bronze medalist Georgia Hunter Bell (3:52.61, plus 1:56.28) joined the fray.
But no one could match Diribe Welteji. The Ethiopian slammed the door shut by outrunning Jessica Hull Saturday in a quick 3:58.04, then just outkicked Hunter Bell on Sunday, 1:58.94–1:58.99. Wiley managed just 6th in both races, while Akins had an 8th and DNF.
Welteji had won the first slam in Kingston, with 1st- and 2nd-place finishes, but then was just 4th overall in Miami. She made sure neither affair in Philly was slow and tactical.
Long Distance: With on-the-fly adjustments that Michael Johnson and Grand Slam officials made after two meets, the Long Distance slam has been condensed to one 3000 race (instead of a 3K and a 5K).
Ngetich led from the start, a slow pace that was 3:03 at 1000m and 5:59 at 2K. The field included a pair of American challengers who each won at Franklin Field in high school, Josette Andrews and Weini Kelati, plus a resurgent Elise Cranny and, most threatening of all, 8:19 performer and 2-times Worlds medalist Ejgayehu Taye of Ethiopia.
Andrews got right on Ngetich’s shoulder in the final 600, then with 150 to go, Taye started her sprint and tried to pass. But the Kenyan made sure no one could match her 61.54 and 29.95 finishing splits.
The Los Angeles Slam, the series finale, is set for June 28–29 at UCLA’s Drake Stadium.
GST PHILADELPHIA WOMEN’S RESULTS
(¶=Slam winner; earned $100K. Long Distance winner ran one race, earned $50K).
Short Sprints:
200(1.1): 1. ¶Melissa Jefferson-Wooden (US) 21.99 PR; 2. Gabby Thomas (US) 22.10; 3. Tamari Davis (US) 22.59;
4. Dina Asher-Smith (GB) 22.65; 5. Jadyn Mays (US) 22.80; 6. Jenna Prandini (US) 22.82; 7. Celera Barnes (US) 22.89 PR; 8. Thelma Davies (Lbr) 22.91.
100(1.4): 1. Jefferson-Wooden 10.73 PR (WL, AL) (=10, x W; 5, x A);
2. Davis 11.03; 3. Davies 11.14; 4. Thomas 11.16; 5. Asher-Smith 11.16; 6. Barnes 11.21; 7. Mays 11.25; 8. Prandini 11.28.
Long Sprints
400: 1. ¶Marileidy Paulino (DR) 49.12; 2. Nickisha Pryce (Jam) 50.04; 3. Bella Whittaker (US) 50.16 PR;
4. Alexis Holmes (US) 51.02; 5. Sharlene Mawdsley (Ire) 51.12; 6. Laviai Nielsen (GB) 52.01; 7. Jessika Gbai (CI) 52.54;… dq—Salwa Eid Naser (Bhr).
200(1.6): 1. Paulino 22.46; 2. Whittaker 22.82; 3. Gbai 22.85; 4. Eid Naser 22.90; 5. Pryce 22.96; 6. Holmes 22.97; 7. Mawdsley 23.24; 8. Nielsen 23.34.
Short Distance
1500: ¶1. Diribe Welteji (Eth) 3:58.04 (=out WL);
2. Jessica Hull (Aus) 3:58.36; 3. Nikki Hiltz (US) 4:00.54; 4. Georgia Hunter Bell (GB) 4:00.85;
5. Abbey Caldwell (Aus) 4:01.54; 6. Addy Wiley (US) 4:07.41; 7. Mary Moraa (Ken) 4:25.79;… dnf—Nia Akins (US).
800: 1. Welteji 1:58.94; 2. Hunter Bell 1:58.99; 3. Hull 1:59.63; 4. Caldwell 2:00.57; 5. Moraa 2:00.92; 6. Wiley 2:00.93; 7. Hiltz 2:01.43; 8. Akins 2:13.07.
Long Distance
3000: 1. ¶Agnes Ngetich (Ken) 8:43.61; 2. Ejgayehu Taye (Eth) 8:43.70; 3. Josette Andrews (US) 8:44.70 PR;
4. Weini Kelati (US) 8:45.31; 5. Elise Cranny (US) 8:45.44; 6. Medina Eisa (Eth) 8:48.26; 7. Nozomi Tanaka (Jpn) 8:51.64; 8. Tsige Gebreselama (Eth) 8:57.64.
Short Hurdles
100H(-0.4): 1. ¶Ackera Nugent (Jam) 12.44; 2. Tia Jones (US) 12.60; 3. Megan Tapper (Jam) 12.66; 4. Tonea Marshall (US) 12.68;
5. Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone (US) 12.70; 6. Ditaji Kambundji (Swi) 12.79; 7. Danielle Williams (Jam) 12.84; 8. Christina Clemons (US) 12.96.
100(0.1): 1. Nugent 11.11; 2. McLaughlin-Levrone 11.21 PR; 3. Kambundji 11.41 PR; 4. Williams 11.44; 5. Marshall 11.48 PR; 6. Tapper 11.52; 7. Jones 11.66; 8. Clemons 11.94.
Long Hurdles
400H: 1. Anna Cockrell (US) 54.04; 2. ¶Jasmine Jones (US) 54.65; 3. Andrenette Knight (Jam) 54.86; 4. Dalilah Muhammad (US) 54.88;
5. Rushell Clayton (Jam) 55.14; 6. Lina Nielsen (GB) 57.14; 7. Ayomide Folorunso (Ita) 57.90;… dnf—Shamier Little (US).
400: 1. Nielsen 52.60; 2. Jones 52.73 PR; 3. Knight 52.87; 4. Clayton 53.17; 5. Muhammad 53.29; 6. Cockrell 53.35; 7. Folorunso 53.88;… dnc—Little.
