Pleasantville’s Nia Ali ran her fastest indoor hurdles race in four years Saturday in Kazakhstan.
In her 2024 indoor debut, the 2016 Olympic silver medalist and three-time world champion ran 7.89 at Astana Indoor Meet for Amin Tuyakov Prizes (yeah, that looks like the name of the meet, who knows?) at the Qazaqstan Track and Field Complex in Astana, Kazakhstan.
Ali ran within 1-10th of a second off her lifetime best in the 60-meter highs. Tobi Amusan of Nigeria, the world record holder in the 100-meter highs, won the race in 7.77.
It was Ali’s first indoor race since the Millrose Games a year ago at the Armory, where she placed 4th in 7.97.
Ali’s time was her fastest in four years, since she ran 7.88 in February 2020 in a meet in Madrid.
Her PR is 7.80, which she ran twice in 2014 – in Albuquerque in February and in Sopot, Poland, in March. That’s No. 30 in world history and No. 10 in U.S. history. Outdoors, Ali has run 12.30, No. 9 in world history and No. 3 on the all-time U.S. list. So far this year, Ali is No. 6 in the world and No. 3 American.
Presumably, Ali will race at this year’s Millrose Games, which is scheduled for a week from Saturday at the Armory. But nine days before the meet, there are no entry lists on the meet’s web site.
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 