by RBR AdminI
Hunter Woodhall, Tara Davis, Gabby Thomas, Katie Nageotte, Ryan Crouser, 2022 Millrose Games Presser, photo by Jeff Benjamin
Nick Willis, Josh Kerr, Cole Hocker, Elle Purrier St. Pierre, Athing Mu, 2022 WHOOP Millrose Miles, photo by Jeff Benjamin
Christian Cantwell, 2022 Millrose Games, photo by Jeff Benjamin
Matt Wisner is in New York! Matt covered the Millrose Games presser for RunBlogRun today , and Jeff Benjamin shot photos for us (used in social media). Special thanks to Matt for this piece on the exciting 114th version of the Millrose Games.
Elle Purrier St. Pierre, Cole Hocker, and Noah Lyles Highlight Millrose Games Press Conference
By Matt Wisner
Thirteen of track and field’s biggest names took the stage at today’s press conference ahead of the 114th Millrose Games, which will happen tomorrow. This year will be the tenth time the Millrose Games will be held at the Armory after many years of the meet taking place on Madison Square Garden’s 165-meter track.
When the meet moved to the Armory, Ray Flynn took over as the meet director, and the moderator of today’s panel, Ian Brooks, praised Flynn for restoring the prestige of the Millrose Games. This is in part because Flynn manages dozens of the best athletes in America, three of whom were on the panel today: Elle Purrier St. Pierre, Cole Hocker, and Josh Kerr.
Many of the athletes dispensed rehearsed responses because many of the questions were standard. Brooks certainly didn’t aim for spectacle in asking his questions. Here are some of my favorite responses.
Coming off his Olympic gold medal performance in Tokyo, Ryan Crouser will open his indoor season at the Millrose Games. When asked about the pressure of following up the World Record performance he set at the Olympic Trials last year, Crouser said, “The best thing about being a World Record holder is that now when I throw a PB it’s a new World Record.”
Tara Davis, Gabby Thomas, Katie Nageotte and Ryan Crouser, 2022 Millrose Games Presser, interviews by Ian Brooks, photo by Jeff Benjamin
Crouser said he’s chasing that PR feeling that all track athletes understand. He said, “There’s no other feeling in the world.”
Like many of the athletes on the panel, Crouser says he’s in the middle of a hard training block and plans to peak at the World Championships in July, but despite the heavy load, he still hopes to throw over 22 meters tomorrow. He says, “I still think 22 meters is the gold standard of shot putting.”
Katie Nageotte is also coming off an Olympic gold medal. She says Olympic Champion “is definitely my favorite title I’ve ever had. Maybe wife will come next.” She got engaged to her fiance just five weeks ago.
Tara Davis, Gabby Thomas, Katie Nageotte, 2022 Millrose Games Presser, photo by Jeff Benjamin
Speaking of couples who are so deeply in love, Tara Davis and Hunter Woodhall were on the panel together. Davis says she wasn’t thrilled by her sixth-place finish in Tokyo but was happy to be there. “When we landed in Tokyo, I just started bawling my eyes out,” she said. “It did fulfill my dream of being an Olympian… but I can’t wait for Paris.”
Hunter Woodhall and Tara Davis, 2022 Millrose Games Presser, photo by Jeff Benjamin
Woodhall will be the first ever Paralympic competitor in a Millrose Games championship event. “I’ve always wanted to be first at things,” he says. “If I can be completely honest, my goal is just to keep making it through life, but I’m very grateful and blessed for the position I’m in.”
Woodhall is excited to race Donovan Brazier in the 400 and is thankful their race won’t happen over Brazier’s best event. He was quick to tell everybody that he ran an 800 once though and wasn’t shy to announce that he ran 1:50.
Elle Purrier St. Pierre set her American Record of 4:16.85 at the Millrose Games in 2020. “I wasn’t expecting that performance that day, but I went into it with confidence,” she says. She suggested she’s in similar shape, and when she was asked about her recent 1000-meter time trial, which is rumored to have been very fast, she downplayed it and didn’t reveal any concrete details. One of her competitors, Athing Mu, was sitting immediately beside her.
Cole Hocker, Elle Purrier St. Pierre, 2022 Millrose Games, photo by Jeff Benjamin
Coogan’s unfortunately has closed down, and Purrier St. Pierre said she’ll miss it dearly. Apparently, she’d routinely be served cheesecake with maple syrup. Of course they had to ask her a question about being from Vermont or growing up on the dairy farm. We’ve heard it before.
Cole Hocker will make his professional debut tomorrow in the 3,000, and when he was asked how being pro is different from college, he said there are basically no differences. His coach is the same, he does the same training, he lives in the same place, and has the same teammates (me).
Somebody said he must have more pressure on him now, and Hocker said that’s not true. “There’s definitely some more pressure but honestly the most pressure I get is the pressure I put on myself,” he says.”
After nearly breaking four minutes on New Year’s Eve at the Armory, Nick Willis is back to try again. He said, tomorrow, compared to New Year’s Eve, will be “very contrasting experiences.”
Nick Willis and Josh Kerr, two amazing milers, photo by Jeff Benjamin, 2022 MIllrose Games
He says he’s raced at the Armory 28 or 29 times now.
Willis says his advice to himself is: “Don’t be a wimp. Trust in your training. Sometimes in my old age I worry that it won’t be there and I’ll tie up, but I just need to forget all of that stuff and get out there and race.”
He continued speaking about his age: “Lebron averages 29 points a game at 37. You’re only as old as the times you run.”
Noah Lyles is also very familiar with racing at the Armory. He says, “I’m a little sad to see that my high school 200 record went down, but at the same time it’s very exciting to see the next generation come behind me.”
Noah Lyles, 2022 Millrose Games, photo by Jeff Benjamin
When asked about Tokyo, Lyles looked over at Trayvon Bromell for affirmation and then said, “I don’t think anybody wants to talk about Tokyo.” Fair enough. A single race doesn’t define your career.
Trayvon Bromell, 2022 Millrose Games, photo by Jeff Benjamin
Lyles compared his experience at the Olympics in Tokyo to the World Relays which were held there in 2019: “I saw the crowd go insanely nuts just watching us go from the warm-up area to the track at World Relays, and it was dead silent [in Tokyo this time].” He continued, “It was my first Olympics and we couldn’t have a crowd.”
Tomorrow, though, there will be a crowd. The Armory will be packed and loud–another contrast to Tokyo this year, which is where many of these athletes last competed.
