Top 10 Best Performances Of The Weekend

Top 10 Best Performances Of The Weekend

Catch up on the top 10 best track performances from the first weekend of February.

Feb 6, 2017 by Taylor Dutch
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Between all-time best marks on the track and cross country battles for world teams, this weekend contained excitement at every turn. Catch up on the best performances that went down in the first weekend of February.

Laura Muir breaks European 3,000m record

Laura Muir smashed the European indoor 3K record with a winning performance of 8:26.41 at the indoor meeting in Karlsruhe, Germany, on Saturday. Muir's time broke Russian Liliya Shobukhova's previous European record by over a second. Not only did Muir's performance land at eighth on the all-time list, but she also beat 2012 world indoor champion and 2016 Olympic silver medalist Hellen Obiri who trailed three seconds behind.


Ajee Wilson runs fourth-fastest 600m all-time, Sammy Watson lowers national record

With no competitors challenging her, Ajee Wilson blasted a 600m victory of 1:24.28 at the Armory Track Invitational on Saturday to notch the fourth-fastest time in history and the second-fastest mark by an American, behind Alysia Montano's national record of 1:23.59. In the same race, high school senior Sammy Watson finished third in a new national high school record of 1:27.13, which improved upon her own record set two weeks ago.


Christian Coleman runs top 10 NCAA all-time

In a dominant performance, Christian Coleman of Tennessee blasted a 6.51 in the 60m to win the Doc Hale Elite Meet on Saturday. Coleman's mark catapulted him to the top of the NCAA ranks and earned him the position of eighth-fastest performer on the collegiate all-time best performances list.

Colorado runs top NCAA mile marks at altitude

The Boulder altitude of 5,430 feet didn't slow down the Buffalo trio of Ben Saarel, Joe Klecker, and Zach Perrin. While racing the mile at the Colorado Open, Saarel led his teammates and Colorado State's Cole Rockhold to NCAA leads by altitude conversion. Saarel won the heat in 4:01.49 and was followed by Klecker in 4:01.72, Perrin (4:02.27), and Rockhold (4:03.12). According to the altitude conversion used by TFRRS, Saarel ran 3:55.60, Klecker ran 3:55.82, Perrin ran 3:56.36, and Rockhold ran 3:57.19 to top the NCAA ranks.

Dani Jones recorded a top NCAA mark in the women's mile with the assistance of Olympic bronze medalist Jenny Simpson. Simpson paced Jones to a winning time of 4:39, which converts to an NCAA lead of 4:32.68.



Nitro Athletics stuns the track world

Highlighted by unconventional events and exciting relay showdowns, the Nitro Athletics meeting in Melbourne, Australia, on Saturday was unlike any track event fans have ever seen. Between the mixed-gender All-Stars relay of Usain Bolt, Jenna Prandini, Jenebah Tarmoh and Asafa Powell, and the grueling three-minute run challenge, track got an exciting look into the first event of its kind.

Watch Bolt's relay in FloTrack's Tasty Race of the Week:



Tyrese Cooper becomes first high schooler to break 33 seconds in 300m

Tyrese Cooper may just be a sophomore in high school, but the Florida native is already breaking his own national records. On Saturday at the Armory Track Invitational, Cooper lowered his own national record in the indoor 300m to 32.87, becoming the first high school runner in history to dip under 33 seconds.

Emmanuel Korir, Michael Saruni lead NCAA in 800m

UTEP teammates Emmanuel Korir and Michael Saruni worked together to notch altitude converted 800m marks of 1:46.15 and 1:46.30 at the New Mexico Collegiate Classic. The performances now rank No. 1 and No. 2 in the NCAA and earned Korir a FloTrack Kick of the Week.



Amy Cragg becomes sixth-fastest performer all-time in half marathon

In her first race of 2017, Amy Cragg became the sixth-fastest performer among Americans in the half marathon. But because the all-time best list on AllTimeAthletics.com doesn't include Shalane Flanagan's personal best of 67:51, I compiled the top American performers with her mark added as well as Cragg's.

1. 66:57 - Kara Goucher
2. 66:34 - Deena Kastor
3. 66:41 - Molly Huddle
4. 67:51 - Shalane Flanagan
5. 67:53 - Deena Kastor
6. 68:05 - Kara Goucher
7. 68:23 - Joan Benoit Samuelson
8. 68:27 - Amy Cragg

At the Kagawa Marugame Half Marathon, Cragg finished second to Eunice Jepkirui in 68:27, which stands as a huge personal best for the Olympic marathoner.


Leonard Korir leads American Distance Project sweep at U.S. XC

Fresh off of two outstanding kicks to victory, Leonard Korir displayed yet another winning kick to claim the individual title at the USATF Cross Country Championships in Bend, Oregon. Korir led the Scott Simmons's American Distance Project squad to top four finishes--Stanley Kebenei (second), Shadrack Kipchirchir (third), and Sam Chelanga (fourth), who all earned spots on Team USA headed to the IAAF World Cross Country Championships in Uganda.


USC's 4x400m breaks school record, runs NCAA #2 solo

With a killer 4x400m lineup of Michael Norman, Just'N Thymes, Zyaire Clemes and Ricky Morgan, the USC Trojans broke the school record and ran one of the top times in the NCAA this year. With a leadoff from world junior champion and freshman phenom Norman, the Trojans ran a winning time of 3:05.57, which stands at No. 2 in the NCAA behind Texas A&M's collegiate record from last weekend.