If you’re going to run 60 meters, you should have a football in your hand and a guy should be chasing you. This is to say that, for my tastes, 60 meters is too short for a race. I realize why 60 meters is the indoor track distance—indoor tracks are small, so 60 meters is all there is really room for—but I’d rather watch runners jostle with each other for several laps than watch the 60 meters indoors.
This weekend’s IAAF World Indoor Championships had a lot to watch. Mondo Duplantis of Sweden cleared a world-record 6.2 meters in the pole vault, breaking his own WR mark to win gold. Yulimar Rojas of Venezuela jumped 15.74 meters on her final jump to win the triple jump and smash her own WR as well. The men’s 1500m and women’s 800m were great races; Ajee Wilson, the American, completely destroyed the last lap to win her first world title.
But a race at 60 meters, specifically the 60m hurdles, was my favorite for once. That’s because of one man: Grant Holloway. The reigning Olympic silver medalist in the 110m hurdles has a great start—and in a short race like the 60 meters, that means he can get out in front and never be challenged.
The semifinal was actually my favorite race of the whole weekend. Holloway tied his own world record at 7.29 seconds. He was so far ahead that he might have been able to ease up, but he ran through and won the semi in record-tying time. The final was a bit closer, and he didn’t run as fast after whacking the third hurdle. But he still ran 7.39, won easily and earned his first indoor gold medal.
Great stuff. I could watch this all day. For once, 60m was the perfect distance for a race.
