10-Year-Old Sets World Record at Adidas Grand Prix!

Author:
Christina M. Tapper
Publish date:
Jun 17, 2014

The crowd at New York’s Icahn Stadium watched a 10-year-old run a world record time in the mile, Yohan Blake sprint to a disappointing second-place finish, and a thrilling high jump competition at the Adidas Grand Prix Saturday.

SI Kids was on hand to witness the speed and agility of some of track and field’s biggest (and up-and-coming) stars. Here’s our recap.

A Record-Breaking Fifth Grader

Catch him if you can! Clocking in at 5:01, Jonah Gorevic ran the fastest mile for a 10-year-old. After four laps around the track at Icahn Stadium, the Rye, New York, native shattered the previous record by four seconds. “I just wanted to break it so badly,” Gorevic said after the race. “Getting it feels awesome.” Gorevic had a show of support, too. His cheering section included family, friends, and even his babysitter.

Blake Edged in 100-Meter Defeat

Jamaican sprinter Yohan Blake, the second fastest man alive (his personal best of 9.69 is tied with Tyson Gay and behind Usain Bolt’s 9.58), suffered a shocking loss when he placed second in the 100-meter race. Stumbling out of his starting blocks, Blake, who was hampered with a hamstring injury last year, finished with a time of 10.21, behind fellow countryman Nesta Carter’s 10.09. “Everybody saw what happened at the start,” the Olympic silver medalist in the event said as he sped by reporters afterward. “There’s not much more to say.”

Bondarenko and Barshim Show Off Hops in Epic Battle

The track events may have gotten all of the hype coming into the Adidas Grand Prix, but one field event had the stadium buzzing all afternoon. During the high jump faceoff between Ukraine’s Bohdan Bondarenko and Qatar’s Mutaz Barshim, the two took a combined five attempts at a new world record of 2.46 meters. That’s eight feet! It was the most suspenseful part of the day, but neither managed to clear the height. But both men did clear 2.42 meters — the first time two athletes leaped that high in the same competition. In the end, Bondarenko, who had fewer misses, won the competition.

Mary Cain Looking Forward to Pro Career — and a Driver’s License

In 2013, Mary Cain broke indoor and outdoor high school and/or junior records in six events at distances from 800 through 5,000 meters. And even though the 18-year-old finished fourth in the 800 (2:01.67) on Saturday, she was upbeat and chatty about what’s next on her agenda: a driver’s license. “I have my driver’s test on Friday,” the Bronxville, New York, native said. “I’m a pretty good driver. I took a highway trip with my dad upstate, and he only yelled twice!” Cain will also collect her diploma this week before she prepares for the University of Portland, a school she chose so she can pursue her pro career with the Nike Oregon Project (Olympic distance runner Mo Farah is now her teammate!). Cain, who will major in chemistry, will spare anyone who wants to dorm with her, though. “I’ll live on campus and will have my own dorm room, because who wants to room with a runner?” she said with a laugh.

Lolo Jones Places Third With Double Vision

After running an exhibition race in China, Lolo Jones flew straight to New York Friday. She had no time to adjust to the time zone before getting into her starting blocks for her 100-meter hurdles race on Saturday. “I’ve been here less than 24 hours. I’ve never flown 17 hours and then ran a race. That’s insane!” she said. Seeing twice as many hurdles, Jones finished in third place (12.77) but was satisfied with her performance. “At the starting line, I was seeing 20 hurdles. I was nervous,” Jones said. “I told myself, ‘Just don’t hit the hurdle. Don’t fall.’ I didn’t win, but this was a big victory for me. My body just fell apart at the end.”