2024 World Indoors Day 1 AM: Hoppel & Harris Through, American 800m Women Out
The 2024 World Indoors have begun. Bryce Hoppel looked fantastic and Isaiah Harris ran fast but Allie Wilson and Addy Wiley will both be going home.
By Robert Johnson and Jonathan Gault
GLASGOW, Scotland – It was a mixed bag for Team USA during the first session of the 2024 World Athletics Indoor Championships on Friday morning.
On the plus side, in the men’s 800, Bryce Hoppel looked fantastic and cruised home as a heat winner while fellow American Isaiah Harris also advanced after running 1:46.12, the second-fastest time of the day.
The women’s 800 was a different story, however, as Allie Wilson and Addy Wiley, both of whom were competing in their first global championship, failed to advance to the semifinals – a disastrous result considering an American had medalled in the women’s 800 at every edition of this meet since 2010.
There was more bad news in the men’s 400 as Americans Brian Faust and Jacory Patterson also failed to qualify for this evening’s semifinals. Faust (47.11, 3rd in heat 4) did not get out well and was only 4th at halfway and could not move up, while Patterson (47.04) let up at the line and wound up missing on the second auto qualifier in heat 1 by two-thousandths of a second.
Big stars Karsten Warholm (46.68 Q), Femke Bol (52.00 Q), Noah Lyles (6.57 Q), and Christian Coleman (6.49 Q) cruised through in the 400m and 60m, respectively, with the semis in both events to come this evening (as well as the 60m final).
In the one final of the morning session, Canada’s Sarah Mitton, the outdoor silver medallist last year, won the gold in the women’ shot with a 20.22m throw as two-time outdoor world champion Chase Jackson of the USA earned the bronze in 19.67. Normally when an outdoor champ only wins bronze indoors, they are disappointed but Jackson was ecstatic as she injured her groin yesterday and almost didn’t compete at all. She was extremely proud to figure out a new way to throw and feels like battling through adversity will help her in Paris.
(Full recap and analysis below. Come back at 8 pm ET tonight for a live reaction show on youtube).
Men’s 800m: Hoppel cruises, Garcia keeps improving
Americans Bryce Hoppel and Isaiah Harris are veterans of this event, with both men racing the indoor 800 extensively both in college and as pros, where they finished 3rd and 7th at the last World Indoors in 2022. The main thing both men said they have learned is the importance of getting into good position early in the race.
“Positioning matters,” Harris said. “I ran well in the prelim [in 2022] but then in the final I got out and I was in last place and I just couldn’t make a move to get anywhere and I got jostled around. It’s just a real emphasis on tactics.”
There are always exceptions – at the last World Indoors, Spain’s Mariano Garcia was last after one lap and moved all the way up for gold – but it can make for a much smoother ride when you establish yourself up front early. That’s what Hoppel did in heat 2, sitting in second behind Morocco’s Abdelati El Guesse and staying there until the final straight, when he eased past for the win.
Hoppel was beaten convincingly in his indoor opener on February 4 in Boston, running 2:16.91 to Marco Arop’s 2:14.74, but Hoppel has won all four of his 800s (including heats) this season and says the best is yet to come.
“I feel like there’s yet to be an 800 that’s challenged me [this season],” Hoppel said. “…I definitely have the capability [to break 1:45] right now, the races just haven’t come together for that. So I’m hoping it goes fast and we can get some of those fast times and put up some world leads.”
Harris had to work harder in 5, which was the quickest race of the day, but he managed to fight off France’s Benjamin Robert and earn the second and final auto qualifier in 1:46.12 to Robert’s 1:46.12 (though Robert made the semis on time).
Reigning champion Mariano Garcia won Hoppel’s heat and ran the fastest time of the day in 1:45.81. It was a great sign for the Spaniard, who had a slow start to the season (1:46.75 in his season opener) but has subsequently run 1:45.50 in Lievin and won the Spanish championships. He will be a real threat to repeat as champion, though Belgium’s Eliott Crestan (1:46.79 to win heat 3) and 22-year-old Spaniard Mohamed Attaoui (1:46.20 to win heat 4) also looked impressive.
The most notable casualty was Kenya’s Noah Kibet, who was 3rd in heat 2 in 1:46.90 and missed the final time qualifier by .56. Kibet was the silver medalist in Belgrade in 2022 at age 17 and subsequently moved to the US later that year to train with Donavan Brazier and coach Pete Julian as part of the Nike Union Athletics Club. He did run an indoor pb of 1:44.98 to win Millrose last year but has struggled to regain his form since then, failing to make the final at the Kenyan champs last year and now failing to advance to the semis at World Indoors two years after earning silver.
Kibet said that it was a blow to lose Brazier as a training partner, who has struggled with injuries and subsequently left the UAC. But overall Kibet still feels pleased with his training setup and his move to the US.
Women’s 800: Reekie leads Qualifiers as Americans go home
Home favorite Jemma Reekie, who grew up in nearby Kilbarchan, looked terrific in winning the British championships two weeks ago and ran well once again this morning, leading all qualifiers with the 1:59.45 she ran to win heat 3. Top seed Habitam Alemu of Ethiopia also looked great, winning heat 1 in 2:00.50, while the woman with the fastest outdoor pb, 1:55 woman Natoya Goule-Toppin, had to work harder but made it as the second auto qualifier in heat 1 behind Alemu, clocking 2:00.83 in her season opener after a knee injury prevented her from racing Millrose.
The two Americans, Allie Wilson and Addy Wiley, both failed to advance in their first appearances at a global championship. Wilson got out in 4th place through halfway in heat 4 and stayed there for most of the race, finishing 4th in 2:01.66. Wilson was determined not to waste energy by making a bunch of moves early on, but she wound up waiting too long and was never able to move up for one of the two auto qualifying spots.
“It wasn’t the best tactics on my part,” Wilson said. “…I was trying to be smart, be patient. I feel like I never really made a full move.”
There was one piece of good news this week: Wilson, who gave up her shoe contract at the end of last season when she left the Atlanta Track Club to follow coaches Amy and Andrew Begley to Indianapolis, signed a deal with Nike. Wilson said that will allow her to focus on running full-time (she had been nannying this winter to help pay the bills) and put her mind at ease as she turns her focus to the Olympic Trials.
Wiley did put herself in position to battle for a qualifying spot in heat 5 but was edged for second by Switzerland’s Lore Hoffmann, 2:02.53 to 2:02.69. Wiley, who ran 1:57.64 last summer outdoors, was disappointed not to advance but said she has been “training through” the indoor season and doesn’t feel as sharp as she did last year.
“I’m really proud of these 800s I’m running because compared to what I felt like finishing last outdoor season, the speed isn’t the same,” Wiley said. “This is all strength. I think that’s pretty cool.”
Men’s 60m First Round
In the men’s 60, both of the Americans looked great. Noah Lyles won the first heat in 6.57 while the world record holder Coleman won the 6th heat in the fastest time of the day in 6.49 despite shutting it down before the finish line. The wide gap in their times is a little bit misleading as Lyles only had a .170 reaction time while Coleman had a .116.
Coleman declined to speak with LetsRun.com at the Millrose Games in February and his boycott of LetsRun.com continued as he refused to answer any questions from the press with LetsRun in the vicinity and walked off. Coleman did speak to some reporters later in the mixed zone, one of whom let us upload the video to our YouTube channel below.
*Men’s 60 Results
*Full Day 1 AM Results
Talk about the action on our messageboard / fan forum.
- 0fficial 2024 World Indoor Day 1 Am Discussion Thread – Start Lists Now Posted
- both US 400 men out in heats
Come back at 8 pm ET tonight for a live reaction show on youtube.
