The 116th Millrose Games kicked off with an incredibly dynamic start as Devynne Charlton continued her standout season in the 60m hurdles, reclaiming her former world lead (WL) with a world record of 7.67 on Sunday (11 Feb).
“It’s all about crossing the line first,” Devynee Charlton said in a post-race interview with NBC Sports. “I feel I got the start I needed; I just held it,” she added. ALSO READ: Terrence Jones Teases Noah Lyles on X: A Friendly Rivalry for the 60m World Lead
The Bahamian achieved the best start in a field that included several Olympic and World Championship hurdle finalists (both indoor and outdoor), among them the reigning 100m hurdles World Champion, Danielle Williams of Jamaica. Williams ran a season’s best of 7.79 to narrowly beat Tia Jones (7.79), the athlete who had taken the WL from Charlton in Boston on February 4th, for second place. Ackera Nugent, who finished sixth in Budapest, came in fourth on Sunday with a season-best of 7.80.
“So many of these ladies have the capability to do it; it’s all in executing the race,” Charlton remarked.
This season, Charlton has competed in seven 60m hurdles races, finishing under 8 seconds in each. Her performances included two sub-7.80 runs: a 7.75 that earned her a win at the Corky Classic with a new national record (NR) for the Bahamas and WL, and a 7.76 effort that surprisingly only secured third place behind Jones’ 7.72 and Nigerian Tobi Amusan’s 7.75.
Charlton, who was fourth outdoors last season in Budapest and runner-up in Belgrade in 2022, appears to be in prime position to improve her championship finishes in Glasgow.
Following closely after the Women’s 60m hurdles was the flat Women’s 60m, where Julien Alfred raced to a new personal best (PB) and WL of 6.99.
Julien Alfred Breaks the 7-Second Barrier in Women’s 60m at Millrose Games
Like Charlton in the hurdles, Julien Alfred had a strong start, leading the field by mid-race and decisively pulling ahead by the 50m mark. Jamaican Shashalee Forbes finished second in 7.14, while American Destiny-Smith Barnett took third in 7.16.
The St. Lucian sprinter became the first woman to break 7.00 seconds in 2024, surpassing Ewa Swoboda’s 7.01.
“It means I’m on the right track,” Alfred told NBC Sports. “It just means I have to keep going and keep training hard.”
Alfred, who graduated from the University of Texas and signed with Puma in 2023, is navigating her first full professional season with careful consideration, even with the Paris World Championships on the horizon.
“I’m taking it race by race; I’m not thinking about down the line right now,” she stated. “Now that I’m done with Millrose, I’m focusing on the World Indoors.”
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