World leader Matthew Boling continued his winning streak this season over the 200m after posting 20.41 seconds to win a close encounter with Javonte Harding of North Carolina A&T at the 2022 Tiger Paw Invitational on Saturday. The race was the clash between the two fastest 200m indoor runners in the world this year.
Watch video highlights Boling edging Harding at the 2022 Tiger Paw Invitational
After a mini delay which resulted in Boling receiving a yellow card warning, the event finally got underway. In what turned out to be a very close and exciting race, the Georgia junior managed to take the lead entering the home straight and then held off Harding in the closing meters to secure his third 200m indoor title this season.
Harding, who owns the Clemson Indoor Track & Field Complex facility record with his 20.33 seconds, set earlier this season on January 29, finished second to Boling on Saturday in a time of 20.43 secs.
Boling leads the NCAA performance chart and the 2022 world list with his seasonal best of 20.27 secs, achieved in Fayetteville, Arkansas, on Jan. 28. It was the second time the NCAA indoor champion was getting the better of Harding this season after beating the North Carolina A&T star at the Clemson Invitational last month.
No Christian Coleman again
The heat with Boling and Harding was also supposed to have been include world 60m record holder Christian Coleman, but he was a non-starter after pulling out of the 60m dash on Friday as well.
Meanwhile, the second section of the men’s 200m at the 2022 Tiger Paw Invitational also produced fast times. In fact, the heat was responsible for the next four fastest times of the day.
The inform Kennedy Lightner of Kentucky clocked 20.45 secs to win heat two with the third-best time overall and he was followed home by teammate Lance Lang (20.59), Georgia’s Elija Godwin (20.60), and NC A&T’s Daniel Stokes (20.75).
A total of 13 runners broke the 21-seconds barrier on the day.
At the same meet, Kentucky national champion Abby Steiner broke the NCAA record in the women’s 200m with a sizzling time of 22.37 seconds. Her time improved the previous mark of 22.38 which she had held jointly with Gabby Thomas.
