Kincaid closes in 54.89 for a third US 10,000 m title; Sydney Vaught wins her first
On the opening night at Icahn Stadium in New York, Kincaid held off Grant Fisher 30:13.66 to 30:14.46; Vaught ran 33:30.60 after a 3:13 opening 800 m.
Photograph: Woody Kincaid and Grant Fisher in the 10,000 m at the 2021 US Olympic Trials in Eugene, by jenaragon94, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia CommonsThe USATF Outdoor Championships opened on Thursday at Icahn Stadium on Randall's Island, the first national championships in New York City since 1991, with both 10,000 m finals on the first night. The results decide national titles and ranking points for the new World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Budapest in September.
Luke Tewalt led the men through 5 km in 16:12 while Woody Kincaid and Grant Fisher waited. Fisher took it on over the last four kilometres and the race came down to three: Fisher, Kincaid and Drew Bosley. Bosley went for it on the last lap, Kincaid took the lead straight back and ran the final 400 m in 54.89 to win in 30:13.66, his third national 10,000 m title. Fisher was second in 30:14.46 and Bosley third in 30:20.60, both season's bests. Chandler Gibbens and Acer Iverson were next, in 30:25.37 and 30:25.82.
The women's race started at a crawl, 3:13 for the first 800 m and just under six minutes at the mile, and Sydney Vaught, in her first year as a professional, reached 5 km in 18:09.44. Then she ran a kilometre in 3:00.85, held a string of 3:07s and closed the last one in 2:57.64 to win in 33:30.60. Katie Izzo was second in 33:36.98 and Allie Buchalski third in 33:42.29.
Earlier, Vincent Ciattei ran the fastest 1500 m heat, 3:41.30, Nikki Hiltz won hers in 4:04.54 and Addy Wiley ran 4:04.17. Swirling wind troubled the long jumpers, where Isaac Grimes won with 8.18 m.
A 10,000 m decided by a 54-second last lap is a mile race with a 24-lap warm-up. Kincaid has now won three of them.
Sources: USATF; World-Track; Wikipedia.
