Ryan Crouser, Katie Nageotte, Grant Holloway Win Gold Medals As Local Hero Devon Allen Bows Out With Questionable False Start

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

EUGENE – On the balance, yes, it was an historic day for the United States on Day 3 at the World Athletics Championships at Hayward Field. 

The U.S. won more medals – nine – than any country ever has on a single day at these championships. Three golds and seven overall medals were settled in a matter of 20 minutes. 

Olympic champion Ryan Crouser responded twice to big throws by defending World champion Joe Kovacs to win the shot put by five centimeters as the U.S. swept the medals, something no nation has ever accomplished in the event.

Olympic champion Katie Nageotte managed to pull another rabbit out of the hat and beat teammate Sandi Morris in the pole vault by taking one fewer attempt to clear 15 feet, 11 inches (4.85m). 

Then there was the men's 110-meter hurdles, and it went completely haywire. 

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First, Jamaican Olympic champion Hansle Parchment of Jamaica injured his leg during a routine run-out over the first two hurdles. He was unable to continue and scratched.

Then, one of Eugene's chief rooting interests, former Oregon football and track star Devon Allen, the world leader in the event, was dealt a red card for leaving the blocks ahead of the allowable reaction time, which is a tenth of a second. Allen's reaction time was ruled to be a thousandth of a second too fast. 

And so, without anyone on either side of him, Grant Holloway defended his world title in the hurdles and first-year pro and NCAA champion Trey Cunningham took the silver. 

"It felt like being at practice, to be honest," said Holloway, who ran 13.03 seconds to win. "It's just one of those things. It's athletics. Excuse my language, but shit happens. 

"I'm on Devon's side. I didn't think he false-started at all."

Allen, after some time to cool off, accepted that he left a tiny fraction of a second too early. 

But consider, too, that when Eugene was awarded the bid for the World Championships in late 2015, Allen was still a popular student-athlete on the University of Oregon campus. He has spent six and a half years thinking about this exact opportunity to compete for 13 seconds and it was taken from him for something that the naked eye couldn't detect.

"I am just suffering (that) I could not run," Allen said. "There's not much I can do. It's just one race, but it's frustrating. Track and field is so difficult because you train the whole year for one competition that lasts 13 seconds. Your identity is based on one competition, which is frustrating."

Allen calmly made his case to the meet officials, but was not permitted to race. 

"I know for a fact I didn't react until I heard the gun," Allen said. 

Allen's reaction time in the semifinal was .101, the fastest in the field and just .002 seconds slower than his push-off in the final. 

Cunningham said he felt fortunate to get to race in the final after seeing two of the pre-race medal favorites depart. 

"I've been in a lot of track meets," Cunningham said. "I've never in my life seen something like that. I've never seen one of the best ever hit a hurdle and not be able to get up from it. I've never seen a false start like that, by a (thousandth) of a second and not be able to run under protest. It was one for the books, for real."

The delays and loss of competitors took a toll on the impact of the race. 

"I think it really messed up the whole dynamic of the race," Cunningham said.

Cunningham tried to close on Holloway in the second half of the race and made some progress before hitting the finish line in 13.08. 

Spain's Asier Martinez took bronze in a personal best 13.17 seconds, placing third out of five who finished the race. 

Crouser Surges Past Kovacs 

While the drama of the hurdles final unfolded, the best shot-putters in the world were competing on the far side of the infield. 

Kovacs, the 2019 champion in Doha by one centimeter, put down a big throw of 74-3 (22.63m) in the first round to take the lead. 

Josh Awotunde came up with a personal best 72-11.75 (22.24m) and momentarily shoved the world record holder and two-time Olympic champion into third. 

"Joe is always a fantastic competitor and I knew coming in that there would most likely be lead changes, especially with me going with a static start. I made that decision to make sure I secured a position in the final," Crouser said. 

After taking the lead back in the third round with 74-6.25 (22.71m), Crouser had a brief return to the lead. 

But Kovacs went a bit deeper in the fifth round and went back in front with 75-1.25 (22.89m). 

Suddenly, the pressure was on. Crouser delivered with a fifth-round throw of 75-3.25 (22.94m), a new World Championships meet record. 

Nageotte Edges Morris

The women's pole vault came down to a contest between the two top Americans and the bar at 15-11 (4.85m). Sandi Morris, the world indoor champion, missed her first try at 4.85m before making it on her second. 

Nageotte, despite first-attempt misses at 15-5 (4.70m) and 15-9 (4.80m), got over 4.85m cleanly. 

They both missed three times at 16-0.75 (4.90m), and after two unsuccessful attempts at 15-11, Nina Kennedy of Australia was also unable to clear her one try at 16-0.75, earning bronze with a 15-9 clearance. 

Morris won a silver medal for the third straight time at the World Championships and has another one from the 2016 Olympic Games. 

Nageotte, who has suffered through a foot injury in 2022, found a way to get back on the top of the podium.

"I just tried not to think too much about the things that happened earlier (this season)," Nageotte said.  "I tried to allow this volume of training that I have done (to work) and I am proud of the jumps that I had. Sandi is disappointed with her silver and that is why she is the best. Because I would have been disappointed with the silver, too."

Morris, a two-time World Indoor champion including March in Serbia, desperately wanted to break the silver streak outdoors, and her second attempt at 4.90m nearly did the trick. She barely brushed the bar and it fell. 

"I have to say that I am not very much happy about this medal," Morris said. "Another silver, this is my fourth. But my happiness for Katie is separate from what I feel about my performance. I am really disappointed about my attempt at 4.90. I knew what I had to do. I had to put that jump together. But that is a sport."