The cheers had barely died down before 24-year-old Yelena Isinbayeva took center stage to make a case for newcomers, too.
The ebullient Isinbayeva, competing for the first time in the United States, lost no time in getting her name into the Millrose Games record books. Her winning vault of 15 feet, 9.75 inches/4.82 meters not only broke Stacy Dragila’s meet record 15 feet, 5.75/4.72m set in 2003, but is the highest ever recorded on U. S. soil. The two-time World Athlete of the Year took also took three attempts at 16 feet, 2 inches/4.93m, which would have eclipsed her World Indoor Record. Although she came up short, her winning height now gives her eight of the nine top marks in indoor history.
Meet Director Emeritus Howard Schmertz shows Yelena Isinbayeva how close she came to a World Indoor Record.
“I felt very good today from the beginning, but then I had some fouls and I got a little bit tired,” said the reigning Olympic gold medalist, World Champion and World Record-holder. “The big time difference between Russia and New York made me a little bit sleepy. Maybe that’s why I didn’t jump a World Record today.”
For her efforts, Isinbayeva was awarded the Fred Schmertz Outstanding Performer Trophy.
On the other end of the experience spectrum were Lagat, 32, and Devers, 40, meet record holders who each won here for the fifth time.
Running the famed Wanamaker Mile for the sixth time, Lagat came into the race with four victories (2001, 2003, 2005 and 2006), knowing that a fifth would tie him with Marcus O’Sullivan for third-most ever, behind only Glenn Cunningham (six) and Eamonn Coghlan (seven). Getting No. 5 was no easy task, however: the Kenyan-born Lagat, who became an American citizen in 2004, found himself in a last-lap duel with Australian Craig Mottram. Passing Mottram on the backstretch, Lagat won in 3:54.26, the fifth-fastest Wanamaker Mile in Millrose history behind his 2005 meet record 3:52.87.
“Absolutely,” said Lagat when asked if this was his most hard-fought victory here. “This time it was really hard. I had (Alan) Webb at the beginning, then Mottram. With four laps to go, I thought OK, this is not going to be easy. And it was not easy.” Mottram was a close second in 3:54.81, followed by Americans Chris Lukezic (4:01.48) and Webb (4:04.86).
Coghlan, who was in town all week for centennial festivities that included appearances with Lagat at a New York Track Writers luncheon and Monday’s NASDAQ closing bell, fired the starter’s pistol for the race and congratulated Lagat soon after he crossed the finish line with the exclamation “three more to go!” Another three wins for Lagat would give him eight, one more than the legendary Irish miler.
Several times in the days leading up to the 100th Millrose Games, the crowd-pleasing Devers proclaimed that “40 is the new 20.” She proved her point in beating a world-class field in the 60-meter hurdles; her time of 7.86 seconds left 2004 Olympic gold medalist Joanna Hayes (7.91) in second and 2003 World Champion Perdita Felicien (7.96) in fourth.
It was her third victory in the hurdles, and her fifth overall at Millrose. Her previous hurdles wins came in 2003, when she ran 7.74 for an American Record, and 2004, when her 7.76 set the still-standing meet record. Her other two Millrose triumphs came at 60 meters in 1993 and 1994, when she set the still-standing meet record of 7.00.
Devers, whose fourth-place finish at last year’s Millrose Games had been her only competition since the 2004 Olympics and the birth of her daughter, Karsen, said afterward: “This has always been a great experience for me. I wanted to come back at 40 and do something great for my fans, for the people who supported me having a baby, saying please don't retire.”
In third place (7.94) was Danielle Carruthers, the 2005 US Indoor Champion who is now coached by Devers. “I think the baby has made her stronger than she was before,” said Carruthers after the race. “She has set the tone for all of us in track and field.”
Making his mark on Millrose, shot putter Christian Cantwell unleashed a monster throw of 71 feet, 9.50 inches/21.88m to win the four-throw competition and break two-time defending champion Reese Hoffa’s meet record set just last year.
“I had the (Millrose) record here three years ago, and he broke it the last two years, so it's about time it comes back to me,” said Cantwell, the 2004 World Indoor Champion, of Hoffa, the 2006 World champ. “This year seems to be really hot (in the shot put). Every time we come here, it's great. Anytime you can come out here and put on a good show, you can make history."
Also making history – just by setting foot on the track – was Ethiopia’s Tirunesh Dibaba, whose 8:46.58 won the first women’s 3000 meters contested in the 100 years of the Millrose Games.