We are just a few days away from the true start to the track and field season – the Millrose Games. This is the second stop on the World Athletics Indoor Tour’s gold schedule.

On the seven-meet circuit, athletes will be looking to snag some points in their respective disciplines (Women: 400m, 1500m, 60m hurdles, high jump, long jump | Men: 60m, 800m, 3000m/5000m, pole vault, triple jump, shot put) for the $10,000 grand prize and a wild card entry for the World Indoor Championships in Belgrade, Serbia, in March.

Here’s a quick preview of the top athletes and storylines to watch in each men’s event. Thanks to David Melly for contributing and helping out with it. For a full look at the women’s events, check out my women’s preview here.

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Men’s 60m Hurdles – 2:34 p.m. ET

At the 2021 U.S. Olympic Trials, we got a cool moment between Devon Allen and Daniel Roberts trading looks after the semifinal. Both guys went on to make the Olympic team with Allen making the final and coming up just .04 seconds shy of a bronze medal. With no Grant Holloway in this race, Allen and Roberts are locked into another showdown and Allen has won the last six races they’ve had against each other. However, in the only 60m hurdle duel they’ve ever had, Roberts won by .06 seconds (7.67 to 7.73 in Jan. 2020 in Iowa City).

Men’s 60m Dash – 2:50 p.m. ET

It’s a shame this race is just six seconds long because it’s one that I wonder how many different outcomes there could be if one tiny thing changed each time the race was run. Each athlete in this one comes in with a compelling storyline… and a whole host of hardware. The field contains a world champion and three Olympic medalists. Despite that, it’s entirely possible that they all lose to the two 60-meter specialists in the field. The TV media coverage of this race will likely focus on the return of Christian Coleman but every lane features top-tier talent capable of taking the win.

Noah Lyles, 6.57 PB – The 200m world champion and Olympic bronze medalist was the first to admit that he’s not even considered a headliner in this one as he drops down in distance for his first 60m race at the Armory since 2018 when he finished second to Ronnie Baker.

Josephus Lyles, 6.65 PB –The 400m specialist will be racing his brother over the 60m distance for the first time in their respective careers.

Trayvon Bromell, 6.47 PB – People forget Bromell was the 2016 world indoor champion in this event. This time last year, Bromell ran 6.48 at one of the American Track League meets in Fayetteville, which started the “Bromell is back” excitement. Although he won the U.S. Olympic Trials 100m final and went into the Tokyo Games with the fastest time of the year, he failed to make the Olympic final. He did rebound by running a 9.76 personal best at altitude in Nairobi, Kenya to close out his season.

Christian Coleman, 6.34 PB, AR, WR – The reigning 100m and 60m world champion will compete at his first major meet since serving an 18-month suspension for missed drug tests. Earlier this month, he ran his first race since his suspension, notching a small personal best of 33.20 over 300 meters at the Jim Green Invitational at the University of Kentucky.

Marvin Bracy, 6.48 PB – For some reason, Bracy wasn’t included in the initial press release by organizers but you can’t overlook the fact that he was a world championship silver medalist in this event back in 2014. All four of his U.S. titles have come in the 60m dash – including the one that Coleman won but was later disqualified for since Bracy finished second.

Ronnie Baker, 6.40 PB – Much of the U.S. sprints spotlight in the past four years has been on the likes of Coleman, Lyles and Bromell, so Baker has been overlooked a bit. Unlike his competitors, however, the 60-meter dash is arguably Baker’s strongest event. The 2018 world indoor championship bronze medalist’s 60m personal best has him at No. 3 on the all-time U.S. list and just .01 behind Maurice Green for No. 2.

Omar McLeod, 6.61 PB – McLeod has three global gold medals from his career – the 2016 110m hurdles Olympic gold, the 2017 110m hurdles world championship gold and the 2016 60m hurdles world championship gold medal. He brings more star power to the field, but he would likely need the stars to align to come away with a win.

Bryan Sosoo, 6.71 PB – This has to feel like his Olympics for the local Central Park Track Club fella.

Men’s 800m – 2:55 p.m. ET

I think this field is relieved that 800m world champion Donavan Brazier has opted to run the 400m after the monster move he pulled on the guys at 700m to set the indoor American record in 2020. When I spoke with Olympian Bryce Hoppel about it last year, he was still reeling from it. Hoppel is the top returner from that race but the 800m landscape has changed a little bit since before the pandemic. Charlie Hunter and Isaiah Jewett claimed last year’s NCAA indoor and outdoor titles, respectively before making the Olympics. Michael Saruni, who won the 800m at the 2019 edition of the Millrose Games in 1:43.98, has the fastest personal best of the field with his 1:43.25.

Overall, the field is very evenly-matched. Saruni is probably the slight favorite, but his physical and somewhat unpredictable racing style can get him in trouble in indoor competitions. Hunter showed he was in solid early-season form in his professional debut with Union Athletics Club at Texas A&M by running 1:48.29 about an hour after winning the mile in 4:00.86. He won’t be the only one sporting a fresh kit as Isaiah J. will make his pro debut for Nike and Isaiah H. is running his first race in a Brooks Beast uniform. If you’re looking over the entries, don’t be fooled by Jesus Toniatu Lopez’s 1:53 indoor PB, as the Mexican Olympian is coming off a breakout year where he lowered his (outdoor) personal best to 1:43.44. He ran 1:46 at the Trials of Miles Texas Qualifier in February last year, so don’t be surprised if he’s sharp early in the year.

Men’s 400m – 3:24 p.m. ET

After Brazier walked off the track injured at the U.S. Olympic Trials, he said: “I’ll come back from this. I’ve been down worse before.” That comeback begins with his first 400m race since he ran his 46.91 personal best in College Station, Texas in Jan. 2018. Keep an eye on the start of this race to see if he attempts to start out of blocks… it’s unlikely, but you never know. It will be up to Vernon Norwood (45.31 PB) and Christopher Taylor (45.73) to defend the sprinters’ territory as the middle distance star drops down.

Paralympian and social media star Hunter Woodhall will make history as the first amputee to race at the Millrose Games. His personal best is 46.64.

I’m going to be the first amputee ever to race at @MillroseGames .. blessed 🤯

— Hunter Woodhall 🎲 (@hunterwoodhall) January 26, 2022

Men’s 3,000m – 3:29 p.m. ET

When this field was first announced, we wanted to put together a rookies vs. veterans graphic, but then we realized most people in this field have only been professionals for a year or two. The longest-tenured professionals in this one are…Tinman Elite’s Drew Hunter and Sam Parsons?! (Yes, it’s been six years since Hunter broke four minutes as a high schooler at the Armory). The field contains 5 collegians, as well as 4 pros who competed at the 2021 NCAA championships.

Former Oregon Ducks Cole Hocker and Cooper Teare will be making their professional debuts after signing with Nike last fall. Teare is the fastest American in the field with his 7:46.10 personal best. Hocker has not raced since the Olympic 1,500m final, where he was sixth in 3:31.40. When Hocker appeared on the CITIUS MAG Podcast in early January, he said his fall buildup went well and, with little public training to look over, we have to take him and Oregon coach Ben Thomas at their word.

(New Generation Track and Field has been following their journey to Millrose for a multi-part YouTube series.)

Cooper Teare vs. Cole Hocker Head-To-Head 2021

Race	Cooper Teare	Cole Hocker
3,000m (Razorback Invitational, Jan. 3	7:46.10	7:46.44
Mile ((Tyson Invitational/Feb. 12)	3:50.39	3:50.55
800m (Tyson Invitational/Feb. 13)	1:49.29	1:48.44
3,000m (Hayward Time Trial, Feb. 19)	8:49.11	8:49.33
3,000m (NCAA Indoors, March 13)	7:46.23	7:46.15
800m (Hayward Premiere, April 3)	1:48.99	1:46.60
5,000m (Oregon Relays, April 23)	13:20.24	13:19.98
1,500m (Oregon Twilight (May 7)	3:35.97	3:36.47
5,000m (PAC-12 Champs, May 16)	13:34.45	13:32.68
5,000m (NCAA Outdoors, June 11)	13:12.27	13:18.95

They split their head-to-head races in 2021: 5–5. On paper, the 3000m distance seems to favor Teare, who is both the reigning NCAA 5000m champion and the NCAA record holder in the mile. Hocker did win their last 3,000m meeting last March, but it’s a toss-up which of these two you’d consider the favorite in this race.

Two-time NCAA champion Conner Mantz, who signed with Nike and won the USATF Half Marathon Championships in December, will be making his professional track debut. Last year, he didn’t race Teare or Hocker during the college track season so the only recent head-to-head reference we have for how his speed fares was that Teare took fourth in the Olympic Trials 5,000m final (13:28.08) while Mantz finished eighth (13:32.69). I’d be curious to see how he was able to sharpen his speed for his shortest race in a while.

NAU’s Nico Young, Stanford’s Charles Hicks and Iowa State’s Wesley Kiptoo are the three collegians looking to get as close as possible to Alistair Cragg’s 7:38.59 collegiate record, which has stood since 2004. Edward Cheserek’s 7:40.51 in 2016 is the closest anyone has come since. Kiptoo is a known frontrunner, so don’t be surprised if he keeps it honest after the rabbit drops, and he’s already used to racing professionals, taking the On Athletics Club duo of Olli Hoare and George Beamish to the line in a 5,000m race at Boston University in December. Young has already taken down a pro with his mile victory over Luis Grijalva in 4:02.89 at 7,000+ feet of altitude – which converts to a 3:54.07.

If neither Hocker and Teare take the crown, Beamish seems like the most likely candidate. The 2019 NCAA champion in the mile has struggled to stay healthy since turning pro, but things are looking up for the aspiring podcaster who just notched a massive personal best of 13:12 in the 5000m in December. The combination of mile footspeed and altitude-honed fitness can be lethal in a 3k.

Men’s Wanamaker Mile – 4:20 p.m. ET

This race is always a classic. There will be a new champion as 2020 winner Chris O’Hare announced his retirement on the same day the start list was announced. He made his preferred pick known on Twitter, saying: “Now it’s time for [Josh Kerr] to hold down the Millrose Games Wanamaker Mile for the Scots!”

Kerr’s mile PB is from the 2019 edition of this race when he ran ​​3:53.65 for fourth place behind Yomif Kejelcha’s 3:48.46. He skipped last year’s indoor season and was rewarded with a long and successful outdoor campaign, which ended with a bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics in a 1,500m PB of 3:29.05. He’s got to be the favorite and you often forget that he’s just 24 years old because he’s been performing at such a high level – including a runner-up finish to O’Hare in the 2018 Wanamaker Mile – since he hit the U.S. scene in 2016.

Olli Hoare showcased his early-season fitness with a 13:09.96 win and Australian indoor 5,000m record at Boston University last month. He’s a proven commodity indoors, as his indoor personal best of 3:32.35 in the 1500m is an Oceania Record, and the most recent mile he clocked was a 3:51.63 PB at the Pre Classic last August. OAC is on fire so far this season, and like his teammate Beamish, Hoare has proven range as well as top-end speed.

An American has not won the Wanamaker Mile since Eric Jenkins’s victory in 2017 five years ago. A solid stable of Americans could threaten for the win in this race, including two-time Olympian Clayton Murphy, fan-favorite Craig Engels and high school phenom-slash-unofficial CITIUS intern Hobbs Kessler. The fastest overall PB in the field belongs to Johnny Gregorek, at 3:49.98, a mark he achieved alongside the 3:50.94 set by Sam Prakel in 2019.

The other fun storyline to watch within the race will be Nick Willis, who is pursuing his 20th consecutive year of running under four minutes for the mile – a streak that began a year before his training partner Kessler was born. He fell just short with a 4:00.22 at Tracksmith’s Midnight Mile to ring in the new year on Jan. 1 but with better competition and pacing, he’s got a good shot at making history.

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HOW TO WATCH MILLROSE GAMES

Date: Saturday, Jan. 29, 2022

Time: Races start as early as 10:25 a.m. ET but the main event with the professional and marquee races won’t start until 2:34 p.m.

Tickets: If you’re in the NYC area, you shouldn’t miss this meet. Get tickets here. There is an afterparty in the infield that also requires tickets.

Live Result, Schedule and Entries: You can find live results, start times and entries here.

TV: You can catch the main event and races on NBC between 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. ET. Any race between 10:25 and 2:30 p.m. ET will not be televised and you’ll have to watch on USATF.TV and which require a RunnerSpace +PLUS subscription.

Live stream: You can watch online at nbcsports.com/live

Postrace show: We will be going live on the CITIUS MAG YouTube channel at the conclusion of the men’s Wanamaker mile. When all the action is done on the track, join us to analyze the best moments and catch some interviews with athletes who just competed.

That’s it from me today. As always, thank you for reading! If you enjoyed this, learned something new or have any questions or commentary on anything featured in this issue, feel free to hit my inbox by replying or writing to chris@citiusmag.com

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