Ajee Wilson, Ce’Aira Brown, and Charlene Lipsey To Square off At Millrose 800 in 2019 with American Record a Possibility
by NYRR Millrose games
November 26, 2018
LRC’s note: Both the men’s and women’s AR could fall in Millrose as the men’s race features Donavan Brazier and Clayton Murphy.
NEW YORK – The 112th NYRR Millrose Games are scheduled for Saturday, February 9th, and the Jack and Lewis Rudin Women’s 800m race promises to be one of the highlights of the meet. Four competitors from last year’s world record-setting race in the 4x800m relay are set to return to the New Balance Track & Field Center at The Armory.
Highlighting the field is local superstar Ajeé Wilson, the 2017 world championship bronze medalist, and the hero of the American relay team that set the 4x800m world record. Wilson is the outdoor American record holder in the 800m, with a personal best of 1:55.61. Wilson will certainly have her eyes set on claiming the indoor American 800m record as her own. (Editor’s note: Wilson broke Nicole Teter’s American record of 1:58.71 at the 2017 Millrose Games only to have the result nullified for testing positive for a drug that is banned, but determined to have come from tainted beef she took.)
“I’m looking forward to a great race at Millrose,” said Wilson, of Neptune Township, N.J. “I know that it will be a tough race with the talent and strength of the other girls running.”
Victory will indeed not come easily for Wilson, as she will be challenged by Jamaican standout Natoya Goule. The Commonwealth Games bronze medalist had a tremendous 2018 season, running a Jamaican record of 1:56.15 at the Diamond League meeting in Monaco, a race where she bested Wilson. Goule will look to continue to establish herself as one of the best 800m runners in the world at Millrose.
(l to r) Ajee’ Wilson, Charlene Lipsey, Chrishuna Williams, and Raevyn Rogers after setting a pending world record for 4 x 800m at the 2018 NYRR Millrose Games (photo by Jane Monti for Race Results Weekly)
Also in the field is Charlene Lipsey, who ran on the record-setting relay team, and is also Wilson’s training partner and the current indoor American record holder. Lipsey ran her record-setting time of 1:58.64 at Millrose in 2017, and built off that momentum to make the world championship final that summer, where she finished seventh. Another American name to look out for is 2018 breakout star Ce’Aira Brown. Brown ran a terrific third leg on the runner-up relay team at Millrose last year, and later went on to break two minutes for the first time, running 1:58.01 in Sweden.
The Rudin family has a long and distinguished history supporting the sport of running and New York City. During the 111th NYRR Millrose Games the Rudin family sponsored the women’s 4×800 relay which culminated in a world record.
“We are excited to again be a part of this iconic sporting event in New York City, the 112th NYRR Millrose Games at The Armory,” said Eric and Bill Rudin. “We believe the Jack & Lewis Rudin Women’s 800m in a few months will match the excitement of last February’s world-record breaking performance by a superb USA team.
“Our fathers were extremely devoted to New York City and the sport of running. What better way to add to their legacy than for their names to be associated with this prestigious indoor track & field meet.”
“The Armory is delighted to announce the continued generous support by The Rudin Family- New York City’s First Family of Running, for the Jack and Lewis Rudin Women’s 800m featuring many of the most renowned runners in the world, during the 2019 NYRR Millrose Games,” Armory Foundation Co-President Rita Finkel added.
The Jack & Lewis Rudin’s Women’s 800m is just one of many loaded events at the 112th NYRR Millrose Games, the most historic indoor track meet in the world. The men’s shot put will feature Olympic gold and silver medalists Ryan Crouser and Joe Kovacs throwing from the center of the track. Top athletes for the Men’s 800m were recently announced, including the dynamic trio of Clayton Murphy, Michael Saruni and Donavan Brazier. The night’s signature events are the prestigious NYRR Men’s andWomen’s Wanamaker Mile.
Entry announcements will continue leading up to the February 9th event and high school and youth qualifiers are determined during the January 9th NYRR Millrose Games Trials at The Armory.
For more information on the 112th NYRR Millrose Games and to purchase tickets please go to www.nyrrmillrosegames.org.
Follow The Armory on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at @armorynyc, or go to ArmoryTrack.com or Armory.NYC.
About the NYRR Millrose Games
With a storied history that spans more than a century, the NYRR Millrose Games is one of track and field’s most prestigious and enduring annual events. A New York City sports staple, the meet moved to the New Balance Track & Field Center at The Armory in Washington Heights in 2012 after having called Madison Square Garden home from 1914 to 2011. The Games—established by employees of Wanamaker’s Department Store—features track and field’s most prolific male and female stars as well as collegiate, high school, club and youth competitors. More than 200 athletes share the distinction of being both Millrose and Olympic champions. In November of 2013, New York Road Runners became the title sponsor of the NYRR Millrose Games, which is owned by The Armory Foundation. The NYRR Millrose Games is a USATF television series event and The Armory Foundation appreciates the support of USA Track and Field.
About The Armory Foundation
The Armory is a New York City non-profit institution, with the mission of “Keeping Kids on Track.” Each season The Armory— the proud home of the NYRR MillroseGames — hosts more than 100 track & field meets and welcomes more than 220,000 athlete visits. Among its many youth sports and educational programs, including the acclaimed Armory College Prep program, The Armory runs the leading collegiate indoor track meet with the Dr. Sander Invitational, and hosts the largest high school indoor track meets with this year’s 25th Hispanic Games, The New Balance Games, and the New Balance Nationals Indoors. The Armory also runs NewYork – Presbyterian ColumbiaDoctors Indoor Marathon presented by New York Road Runners, which is the world’s largest indoor marathon relay. The Armory is also the home to the National Track & Field Hall of Fame and dozens of very large education-focused events. For more: Please visit Armory.NYC and ArmoryTrack.com.
About the Rudin Family
The Rudin family has long supported running in New York City and is best known for its Samuel Rudin Trophy, presented since 1976 to the winning male and female runners in the TCS New York City Marathon. Samuel Rudin was an accomplished runner and member of the Class of 1918 at City College, not far from The Armory in Washington Heights where the Millrose Games takes place. His sons, Jack and Lewis, honored their late father by becoming the first sponsors of the five borough New York City Marathon. Now their sons, Eric and Bill, along with their children and grandchildren, carry on this tradition by naming the Women’s 800m for Jack and Lewis Rudin at the 112th NYRR Millrose Games. The Rudin family’s real estate holdings are comprised of 16 office towers with more than 10 million square feet of Class A space, and 18 apartment buildings, all in New York City.