BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Watch as Kentucky standout sprinter Abby Steiner flashed to the fastest indoor 200m ever by an American at the 2022 SEC Indoor Championships inside Gilliam Indoor Stadium on Saturday. A fit-again Steiner blazed to a stunning 22.09 seconds to smash the American indoor record in a dominating performance on the second and final day of the championships on the Texas A&M campus.
Steiner showed early record-breaking form
The Kentucky senior had indicated that she was aiming to run something special on the first day of the competition when she posted 22.44 seconds to win her heat and looked very relaxed in doing so as well. Read more: Watch Abby Steiner breaks Merlene Ottey 300m indoor collegiate record with 35.80
On Saturday she took that performance to another level on her way to winning her third consecutive SEC Indoor Championships gold in the 200m and moving up three spots on the world’s all-time list.
The record-breaking time by Steiner this weekend is the fastest on the World Athletics top list in 2022, improving on her own previous best of 22.37. Read more: Watch Abby Steiner runs NCAA Indoor 200m record with 22.37 at Clemson
A stunned-looking Wildcat sprinter was delighted with her performance, especially the way she executed the run.
“I don’t even know what to say,” Steiner told the SEC Network after her winning run. I am just so happy with that time, most importantly the execution felt really good. I was really proud of the way I maintained my form on the backstretch.”
Steiner moves up the all-time list to No. 2
The 22-year-old who was ranked No. 5 on the all-time list heading into the SEC Indoor Championships, became the second-fastest runner in the indoor 200m ever behind Jamaican legendary Merlene Ottey, who holds the world indoor record with 21.87. Her winning time bettered the previous American record of 22.33 secs, set by sprint great Gwen Torrence in Atlanta in 1996.
On her way up the world chart, the talented young American moved past two European sprinting legends, Russia’s Irina Privalova (22.10) and Heike Drechsler (22.27) of Germany who have combined to win multiple global championships titles.
Earlier at the championships, Steiner finished third in the women’s 60m dash with a time of 7.19 seconds to follow home surprised event winner Alia Armstrong of LSU who set a personal best of 7.11 to win the gold medal.
In the 200m final LSU’s Favour Ofili also had reasons to celebrate as she improved her own African indoor and Nigerian national record when finishing second to Steiner in a time of 22.46. Karimah Davis of Kentucky also posted a PB with 22.79 for third, while Florida’s Talitha Diggs slipped under the 23-seconds barrier as well in fourth with 22.92.
