schema:articleBody
| - This season's only top-level US indoor track meet is moving from Boston to New York, organizers said Wednesday, after its original venue was named a mass Covid-19 vaccination site. The World Athletics Tour's New Balance Indoor Grand Prix, staged 25 times at Boston's Reggie Lewis Center, was forced to relocate because the venue will become a vaccination center starting Monday. The meet will be staged without spectators at the Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex on Staten Island, a New York City Parks facility. All athletes, staff and officials at the meet must have a negative Covid-19 test within 72 hours of the event, which will also require face masks except upon athletes while competing. The move comes after two other major indoor meets, the Millrose Games in New York and US national indoor championships in Albuquerque, were called off due to Covid-19 issues. Reigning world 200m champion Noah Lyles will compete indoors for the first time in four years, the American planning to run his first indoor 200 as a professional at the event. American Trayvon Bromell, the 2016 world indoor 60m champion, has battled back from nagging injuries the past three years and began his season last week at 6.48 seconds, 0.01 off his personal best. Sydney McLaughlin, 400m hurdles runner-up at the 2019 world championships, will compete in the 60m hurdles and 500m. The men's 1,500 will feature reigning Olympic champion and 2016 world indoor champion Matthew Centrowitz, Britain's Jake Wightman and reigning US outdoor champion Craig Engels. js/rcw
|