NEW YORK — The brutal nature of championship racing was on full display tonight on the second day of the Toyota USATF Track & Field Championships at Icahn Stadium. At this year’s championships, the men’s and women’s 800m only have two rounds, so fields of 22 men and 22 women were cut down to just nine for Sunday’s finals. Only the top two finishers in each of the three heats were guaranteed a place in the final, so there was some fierce racing as a result.
On the men’s side, all eyes were on Cooper Lutkenhaus, the rising high school senior from Justin, Texas, who won the World Athletics Indoor Championships gold medal back in March. He ran in the first heat against 2024 Olympian Hobbs Kessler, the world indoor (short track) record holder for 2000m.
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The two stars let Christian Jackson and Lloyd Frilot lead through halfway in 52.58 before Lutkenhaus moved to the front on the backstretch. Kessler followed the 17-year-old, and the pair was able to run undisturbed to the finish in 1:45.83 and 1:45.93, respectively. Jackson finished third in 1:46.16 and qualified on time.
“I felt really good,” Lutkenhaus told reporters. “One forty-five now feels not so bad, so that’s a good sign. The final is in two days.”
Kessler, who decided not to contest the 1500m here, was not only pleased with his race, but also shared his admiration for Lutkenhaus. Like the young Texan, Kessler also turned pro in high school and skipped the NCAA.
“I only had one gear left,” Kessler admitted. “Like, a junior in high school is looking at me like, this is all you’ve got? He’s just measuring his effort trying to see how easy it would be for him. It’s pretty crazy. I think I’m a pretty good runner, and I can appreciate what it means to try to do it young. He’s doing it younger. He’s carrying himself pretty well. It’s pretty incredible.”
Tinoda Matsatsa of Georgetown University made a bold bid to win the second heat by streaking through the halfway mark in 49.77 seconds. He still held the lead through 600m (1:16.59), but the wheels fell off in the final 100 meters and he faded to sixth place and did not advance. Instead, Wes Ferguson got the win by hanging back in the first half then only slowing slightly in the second. He clocked 1:45.17, the fastest time of the day.
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“That’s exactly how I wanted to run it,” said Ferguson, who competed for the University of Nebraska-Kearney during his NCAA career. “Coach and I talked about how those guys needed to make it quick to have a good shot. So, we planned for that and it happened. I made sure to stay attached and that’s exactly what I did.”
Andrew Casey, the University of Wisconsin 800m record holder, ran behind Matsatsa through 600 meters, and managed to hold it together in the final 200 meters of the race to finish second in 1:45.59. Carver Morgan (1:46.24) and Shane Cohen (1:46.27), too third and fourth, respectively, and advanced to the final on time. Casey, 21, was delighted to make his first USATF final.
“I didn’t expect to make the U.S. final,” Casey told Race Results Weekly. “I’ve got two years eligibility left. I’m really excited about it.”
The third and final heat featured defending national champion, and 2019 world champion, Donavan Brazier. The 29-year-old completed a remarkable multi-year comeback from injury last summer, and was certainly a fan favorite coming into tonight’s race.
But sadly, Brazier ran in fourth position for every split of his heat, including the finish. He ran a tepid 1:46.93 and did not advance. Ahead of him, Atlanta Track Club Elite teammates Sean Dolan and Camden Marshall finished one-two in 1:46.11 and 1:46.40, respectively, and advanced to the final. Dolan, 25, has had an excellent year and recently won the 800m at the Cork City Sports meeting in Ireland.
“Make the final was the plan,” said Dolan. “Whatever it took to make that final. I want to win every race. I don’t care who’s in there. I want to compete and I want to beat people. I don’t have a flashy PR to my name, but I know how to race and compete. I’m beyond excited for Sunday’s final.”
