There were American records, season-altering surprises, dominant performances, clutch kicks and a few bold fashion statements. Let’s hand out some awards from the third day of action at the USATF Outdoor Championships. 

Best Kick: Shelby Houlihan

Again, Houlihan’s close was too much for the rest of the field as she flew off the final curve to win the women’s 1500m in 4:03.18. 

From the gun, the race didn’t follow the typical championship rhythm. Lauren Johnson went out quickly and eventually the rest of the field had to respond. Jenny Simpson took second and made another US team, she’s made all of them since 2007. 

The battle for third was fascinating with Kate Grace, Nikki Hiltz and Sinclaire Johnson all trying to chase down Houlihan and Simpson in the homestretch. Hiltz’s path to the finish line was in doubt in the final 50 meters, with Grace in front of her and Johnson to Hiltz’s right. After clashing elbows with Johnson, Hiltz moved back toward the inside. The rail was open and she took it, crossing the line just ahead of Johnson and Grace. The top five were separated by .64 seconds. 

Despite the close miss, it’s been a phenomenal season for Johnson. She’s won an NCAA title and dropped almost eight seconds off her personal best in the last eight months. 

And there’s still a chance that she could end up in Doha. 

Diamond League champions get a berth into the World Championships, meaning if an American won the Diamond League final in Zurich on August 29th, Johnson would get to run in the World Championships. 

Those are long odds, especially after Houlihan said she doesn’t plan on competing in Zurich.

Best Hair: Noah Lyles

Noah Lyles isn’t just prepping for a run at a World Championship gold medal, he’s working toward Goku’s Final Form. To fully understand the latter it might take some Googling, but the overall effect is that Lyles had silver hair, an homage to his love of anime, on Saturday when he cruised through the 200m heats.

If everything goes to plan in Sunday’s final, there will be even more silver hair in Doha at the end of September (again, you should probably Google). 

Overall, the men’s 200m as a whole has several interesting subplots. Christian Coleman looked good in the opening heat the night after his 100m victory. JUCO standout Kenny Bednarek stopped just steps into his race because he thought he heard a second gun. He restarted running and qualified easily. His 19.82 personal best puts him in line for a top-three finish. 

Bednarek’s post-JUCO performances in Europe raised questions about how ready he was to get back to the 19.8s in this meet. Since those races in Europe, he’s joined Dennis Mitchell’s training group in Florida and now works out alongside Justin Gatlin and Isiah Young. Saturday’s race was a small sample size, but Bednarek looks like he is trending in the right direction. 

Biggest Upset: Fred Kerley

Kerley insisted his 400m victory in a lifetime best of 43.64 wasn’t an upset. But it’s possible to both credit Kerley’s status as the top-ranked 400m in the world of 2018, while also acknowledging that Michael Norman’s 2019 put him in a tier by himself entering this race. 

That last point obviously changed on Saturday. Kerley foreshadowed his big run in Friday’s semifinal when he pushed Norman all the way to the line. 

In the final, Kerley led off the final curve. Norman tried to close the gap, but the deficit was too big. Norman’s time, 43.79, was the third-best of his career. After the race, he revealed he was running with a slight injury (he didn’t give any further details other than it was a strain) and hadn’t done any race pace running for two weeks. 

Men’s 400m final???
FRED KERLEY 43.64! ? 7th fastest ever!
Michael Norman 43.79
Nathan Strother 44.29 pic.twitter.com/yjBMZbHCuz

— FloTrack (@FloTrack) July 27, 2019

Spun outside the prism of wins and losses (which is hard to do since Norman hadn’t lost a 400 since this meet in 2017), the race in Des Moines could be seen as a success for Norman. He advanced to Doha. He ran quickly. And he did it with a far from ideal build-up. Kerley was just better on Saturday. 

Now Kerley immediately vaults into the gold medal discussion. Outside the United States, there hasn’t been anyone who has threatened Norman and it’s not likely that many serious contenders will materialize in the next eight weeks. Kerley is confident, fast and motivated.

Nathan Strother, Vernon Norwood and Blake Leeper took the next three spots. By placing fifth, Leeper, a double amputee Paralympian, is theoretically eligible to be in the United States’ 4x400m relay pool. But while the USATF allowed him to compete in these championships, Leeper prosthetics have run afoul of the IAAF rules. Leeper has a case pending to allow him to compete at the World Championships and make him eligible for the 2020 Olympics.

Best Shirt: Sydney McLaughlin

Here’s Sydney with an homage to Kawhi Leonard and a jab at the patriarchy after her 400m hurdle prelim. 

Sydney’s shirt pic.twitter.com/17avxii8xn

— House of Run (@HouseofRun) July 27, 2019

McLaughlin, a recent resident to Los Angeles, hasn’t met the laconic LA Clipper and fellow wearer of New Balance. “The dry humor to me is hilarious. It’s kind of like me,” she said. 

As for the race itself, the women’s semifinals eliminated just three people and the big names of McLaughlin, Dalilah Muhammad, Ashley Spencer and Shamier Little all advanced easily setting up a race that looks to be a replay of the 2017 classic in Sacramento. 

Best Celebration: Men’s Pole Vault

It was a reaction worthy of the performance. Sam Kendricks cleared 6.06m in the pole vault, breaking the American record. When he hit the mat, the entire field engulfed him in a vigorous dog pile. 

? AMERICAN RECORD ? @samkendricks
6.06m/19-10.50
Swipe ? to watch#ToyotaUSATFOutdoors pic.twitter.com/QqViQ71LVl

— USATF (@usatf) July 27, 2019

They had practice. On Kendricks’ first attempt at 6.06m, half of the field ran toward the pit thinking history had been made. But the bar wobbled and fell. 

The miss allowed runner-up Cole Walsh and a few other competitors to gather up the entire field to make sure they’d crash the pit if Kendricks cleared the height. 

“That moment where we all ran up and tackled Sam, gave him a hug that is a great example of the camaraderie that pole vaulters have. It’s not shared in every other event,” Walsh said. 

Biggest Breakthrough: Andy Bayer

Four times, Andy Bayer has finished in the most excruciating position at a US Championships. The three most recent fourth-place finishes came in the steeplechase in 2015, 2016 and 2017. 2017, was particularly harsh, just .07 behind third-place.

With seven-time champion Evan Jager out with an injury this year, there was an opening for Bayer. It became a race for three spots, not two. 

Bayer ran with Hillary Bor and Stanley Kebenei from the gun. The gap grew between the three and the rest of the field. With three laps to go, it was clear who was going to Doha. The lack of drama didn’t make the finish any less satisfying for Bayer. His thoughts when he crossed the line? 

“Finally.”

Best Defense By A Favorite: DeAnna Price/Rai Benjamin/Brittney Reese

Price broke her own American record in the hammer throw with a final round throw of 78.24 meters. After Saturday’s competition, Americans have the top three women of the year in the event. 

Benjamin rolled in the 400m hurdles as expected. He ran 47.23--the third-best time of his career--to win by over a second. Entering the race, he said he wanted to reclaim his world lead from Norway Karsten Warholm, who ran 47.12 in London. That will have to wait until later in the summer.

Reese won her eighth outdoor U.S. long jump title with a jump of 7.00 meters. The five-time outdoor gold medalist looks in a strong position to add another title to her lengthy list of accomplishments. Reese’s jump on Saturday puts in second on the yearly list. Tori Bowie placed fourth, but because Reese is the reigning world champion, Bowie will also get to jump in Doha.