World records, New Mexico connections and a 60 meter showdown: Three things to watch at the USATF Indoor Championships

Feb. 15—For the second straight year, USA Track and Field Indoor Championships are back in Albuquerque. And between a highly-anticipated 60-meter men's final, notable New Mexico connections and a few world records in the balance, there's more than enough to keep an eye on as 300 of the country's best athletes take the Mondo track at the Albuquerque Convention Center.

Three athletes, races and records to look out for on Friday and Saturday:

A Los Alamos connection

A Los Alamos native competing — and often winning — at the indoor championships isn't a new development: Chase (Ealey) Jackson has dominated women's shot put over the last year with top finishes at the outdoor World Championships and both USATF national championships, including an indoor title in Albuquerque last year.

"I always loved doing it on home soil," the Oklahoma State and Los Alamos High School alumnus said in a press conference prior to last February's USATF Indoor Championships. "And this is true-true home soil."

But two Los Alamos natives in the same event? That's a new one.

It'll be just that on Friday as Jackson and New Mexico State's Rebecca Green compete against each other in the women's shot put. Green qualified for the indoor championships through her school-record toss of 16.10 meters (52 feet, 10 inches) just two weeks ago at the Don Kirby Invitational in Albuquerque.

Jackson is the favorite to win the final on Friday night with a top qualifying mark of 20.76 (68-1 1/2 ) while Green is the lowest-seeded competitor. But even if a shared podium is unlikely, this level of New Mexico representation is worth keeping an eye on.

Lyles, Coleman and a potential record

The last scheduled event of the weekend, the men's 60-meter dash, might just be its best.

Because, if for no other reason, it boasts one of USATF's biggest stars. In December, World Athletics named Noah Lyles the men's track athlete of the year after he took home gold medals in the 100 meters (9.83 seconds) and 200 meters (19.52) at the 2023 World Championships in Budapest, Hungary. Barring injury, he's a near-lock for the Paris Olympics ahead of qualifying and has ambitions beyond simply competing.

"I want to show people how far they can really go," Lyles told Olympic.com in August. "I don't want them to stop at medals. Yes, medals are nice, they get your attention. That should be the first stopping point, that should be the first check off the box.

"After you go to medals, now you go to moving outside of the sport. After you're outside of the sport, we go and reinvent ourselves."

He'll have all he can handle this weekend, however.

Christian Coleman may be nearly six years removed from his world record 6.37 at 60 meters at the 2018 USATF Indoor Championships — held in Albuquerque — but he still owns the event like no one else ever has and just won the Millrose Games with a 6.51 last weekend. On the other hand, Lyles ran a world-leading 6.44 at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix less than two weeks ago and yet, Coleman remains the favorite off pedigree alone.

So, come Saturday afternoon, they'll both toe the line with a slew of questions to be answered. Can Lyles finally beat Coleman in his own race? Will Coleman extend his title as the best 60-meter runner of all-time? And will a record fall?

Records to watch

Speaking of records, here's three other athletes who could break (or better their own) world records this weekend:

Grant Holloway, the reigning world record holder in the 60 meter hurdles (7.29), is going for a remarkable 60th straight win on Friday night. He ran a 7.32 on Feb. 10, right in the range of another win and a clean shot at his three-year-old record.Aleia Hobbs came 0.02 seconds shy of tying Irina Privalova's long-standing 60-meter world record last February at the USATF Indoor Championships, saying then that she "knew" the record was in her grasp and "just had to execute the race and get it done."

She most recently ran a 7.05 at the Razorback Invitational on Jan. 24; can a little bit of altitude at a venue that's been good to her in the past shave some time off?

Ryan Crouser is the world record holder in both indoor (22.82 meters, or 78 feet, 2 1/2 inches) and outdoor (23.56 meters, or 77-3 3/4 ) , men's shot put with three USATF indoor titles to his name. A good day from Crouser almost always means a record is in the balance, but this weekend marks his first competition of the season.