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By David Melly & Chris Chavez
The 2026 indoor season is officially underway, and it hasn’t taken long for things to really heat up. Fresh off two world indoor records in Boston, the top U.S.-based pros are almost all headed down to New York for the 118th Millrose Games at the historic Armory, looking to take things up yet another notch. Every year, this is the best meet of the indoor season. Yes, even better than World Indoors. The stars turn out. There’s rich tradition. And this year’s line-up of races is no exception to it all.
We’ll have a full CITIUS MAG team on-site for this weekend’s coverage. On Saturday, we’ll be LIVE from the Armory for a pre-race preview show with Chris Chavez, Kyle Merber, Eric Jenkins, Aisha Praught-Leer and Anderson Emerole. During the meet, you can follow along with all the action and catch post-race interviews across our CITIUS social channels. We’ll record our post-race show when the meet wraps up on Sunday evening as well.
The professional events kick off Sunday, February 1 at 4:00 p.m. ET, with the two-hour TV window broadcast on NBC and Peacock. You can find a full schedule, entries, and live results here.
Here are the key events and athletes to watch at the 2026 Millrose Games:
Men’s 60m: Team Jamaica Takes New York (4:23 P.M. ET)
The men’s 60m is sneakily stacked with two major Jamaican stars making their Millrose Games debuts. Ackeem Blake just won the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix last weekend in 6.53—his first race in his new On spikes. He shared that his plan is to get back to the World Indoor Championships. Then there’s Bryan Levell, who took bronze in the 200m at the 2025 World Championships and is now running just his fifth career indoor 60m race. He clocked a 6.54 outdoors at a low-key meet in Jamaica earlier this month.
Noah Lyles? Not here. Christian Coleman? Nope. Trayvon Bromell? Also no. Instead, the United States is sending out two 21-year-old stars who’ve long been battling each other in the SEC and at NCAAs: Jordan Anthony (6.47 PB) and T’Mars McCallum (6.59 PB). Now, they get to take on some elite professional competition.
Women’s 3000m: NCAA Stars Headline The Pro Race (4:29 p.m. ET)
The women’s 3000m field looks very little like the ones from Millroses past. Last year’s entire top five aren’t racing for a variety of reasons—injuries, post-pregnancy comebacks, or opting for other races. Whatever the reasons, this just means we get to focus on the college stars about to throw down. This is the first track meeting between NCAA cross country champion Doris Lemngole and runner-up Jane Hedengren. When we told Hedengren she’d be facing Lemngole in New York, her response was an immediate “Oh, let’s go!” (49:20 mark). That’s the exact energy you want going into a race like this.
Hedengren just broke the NCAA record with a 14:44.79 at Boston University last month. Meanwhile, Lemngole quietly opened her indoor season with a 4:32.69 mile PB in Clemson last weekend. Both are clearly ready. Enjoy this one because this might be the only Lemngole vs. Hedengren showdown before NCAA Indoors. Also worth noting: there’s buzz about Lemngole heading to Boston in a few weeks to chase a sub-14:40 indoor 5000m and take back her NCAA record.
Men’s Shot Put: Joe Kovacs Opens His Season (4:32 p.m. ET)
The shot put doesn’t often get the attention it deserves during the indoor season, so kudos to the Millrose organizers for assembling a great field, with five of the top ten-ranked throwers in the world right now entered. All five have 22+ meter PBs, headlined by two-time World champ Joe Kovacs. The perennial global medal contender, now 36, is opening up his 2026 campaign by taking on Olympic medalist Rajindra Campbell and the reigning U.S. champ, Josh Awotunde. After missing out on the U.S. team last year but still winning the Diamond League final in Zurich, Kovacs surely has a bit of a chip on his shoulder heading into this season and, despite his long list of accolades, may feel like he has something to prove. That sense of unfinished business on his end is also playing into Kovacs’ decision to pursue a full indoor season this winter for the first time in his career.
Women’s 600m: Ajee’ Wilson Takes On The Rising talent (4:42 p.m. ET)
We’ve written extensively in the past about Ajee’ Wilson‘s dominance at the Armory. She put together a winning streak that ran from 2014 all the way until last weekend at the Dr. Sander Invitational. (Technically, the streak fan from 2014 to 2023 if you want to be precise about it, since she didn’t race at the Armory the last two years, but still… that’s a DECADE of winning.) She’s won the Millrose Games eight times and when she retires, meet director Ray Flynn really ought to name the women’s 800m at the meet after her. Wilson’s 1:23.84 600m PB, set back in 2017, makes her the third-fastest American of all time and the fastest entrant on the list.
But the new guard is here. Roisin Willis just ran a 1:59.59 personal best, which is also the world lead, in her professional debut for New Balance last weekend in Boston. Then there’s Juliette Whittaker, the only U.S. finalist in the 800m at the Paris Olympics, who’s coming off a 2:37.54 1000m on Washington’s oversized track. That’s No. 2 on the NCAA all-conditions list. France’s Anais Bourgoin, the 2024 European Championship 800m bronze medalist who ran a 1:56.97 PB outdoors last year, could also steal the show. Wilson’s resume at Millrose is legendary and her consistency is unmatched, but she’s got her hands full in this one.
Men’s Two Mile: The Event Of The Meet? (4:49 p.m. ET)
It’s hard to outshine the Wanamaker Miles, but the field assembled for the men’s two mile may very well steal the show. That’s because it’s the strongest ever assembled, featuring world indoor record holder Josh Kerr, 5000m world indoor record holder Grant Fisher, 5000m world champion and Olympic 1500m champion Cole Hocker, 1500m World silver medalist Jake Wightman, steeplechase World champion George Beamish, and a whole bunch of young talent, including Graham Blanks, Parker Wolfe, and Ethan Strand.
Make no mistake: this is a global-final caliber field, and instead we’re getting it in New York in February. In 2024, Josh Kerr’s highly-touted record attempt lived up to the hype as he ran 8:00.67 ahead of Fisher, Hocker, and Beamish. The only thing that could top it this year would be the first indoor sub-eight in history, and unless the pace dawdles early, it’s certainly in the cards. If things don’t get too strung out, the legendary kicks of Hocker, Beamish, and Strand may get a true test, but it also wouldn’t be a surprise to see Fisher and Kerr battling the clock and leaving the field in their dust.
Because the two mile is so infrequently run, we could see up to six national records set in the race with the presence of the Americans, Brits, a Kiwi (Beamish), an Aussie (Ky Robinson), an Eritrean (Habtom Samuel of New Mexico), and a Kenyan (Edwin Kurgat). And yes, the Kenyan indoor record (Paul Koech’s 8:06.48 set in 2008) is slower than four other nations’ bests. It’s also something of an NCAA “where are they now” as nine of the 14 entrants won NCAA titles in their collegiate days.
One intriguing dark horse to keep an eye on is Drew Hunter, who ran a 7:39.77 3000m PB at a random college meet in Kansas two weeks ago. That time won’t turn any heads, but since he ran a lot of that race solo with no competition, he’s likely capable of running something much faster here.
Women’s 1000m: CITIUS Brings You The Goods (5:14 p.m. ET)
We love all the races at Millrose, but the 1000m means a bit more to us this year. This is CITIUS MAG’s first-ever sponsored race and we are incredibly proud of how deep this field is for our namesake event. The 1000m requires 800m speed with a dash of mile strength, so it should be entertaining. With the talent assembled, the American indoor record of 2:34.19 (Jen Toomey, 2004) or even the world record of 2:30.94 (Maria Mutola, 1999) can’t be counted out. Let’s run through the contenders one by one:
Sage Hurta-Klecker – Fifth place at the 2025 World Championships in the 800m, known for being good at both 800m and the mile, and she’s coming off the World XC Championships Mixed 4x2K relay.
Tsigie Duguma – 2024 Olympic 800m silver medalist. World Indoor champ. African Games gold medalist. Three-time Diamond League winner.
Addy Wiley – U.S. outdoor 1000m record holder at 2:30.71. Wiley possesses the rare sub-1:57/sub-4:00 combo of 800m and 1500m speed.
Jemma Reekie – 2024 World Indoor Championships 800m silver medalist and Tokyo Olympics finalist.
Maggie Congdon – 2025 U.S. Outdoor Championship 800m runner-up.
Natoya Goule – Three-time World Championships 800m finalist, Tokyo Olympic finalist, and the Jamaican national record holder.
Gabija Galvydyte – Nine-time national champion for Lithuania and the 2023 NCAA Championship 800m runner-up.
Meghan Hunter – Two-time NCAA 800m third place finisher who just ran a 1:59.70 PB and won at the Dr. Sander Invitational last weekend.
The toughest part isn’t picking a favorite; it’ll be making sure we’re holding the finish line tape properly.
Men’s 800m: U.S. Vs. Europe (5:25 p.m. ET)
One week after Josh Hoey broke the men’s 800m world record in Boston with that bonkers 1:42.50, you might be thinking: “How do you follow that?” The answer is: you don’t try to top it. For the men assembled here, time shouldn’t be a consideration. This is a pure race featuring five men who have all run 1:42 or faster in their careers, but who will prove a whole lot more with a win here. The field includes reigning U.S. outdoor champion Donavan Brazier, U.S. outdoor record holder Bryce Hoppel, 2025 World Championship 4th place finisher Cian McPhillips of Ireland, Spanish outdoor record holder Mohamed Attaoui, and 2023 World Championship bronze medalist Ben Pattison of Great Britain.
Last weekend in Boston, Brazier and Hoppel headlined the NBIGP 600m but got outkicked by McPhillips, who took the victory in 1:16.37. That race ended up being slower than Hoey’s split through 600m during his world record. You can’t fault these guys for not trying to match Hoey right now. No one in the world is as fit as him at this moment. So instead of chasing Hoey’s shadow, let’s just enjoy watching these stars race each other.
For Brazier, this is his first time back at Millrose since he ran the 400m in 2022. (He won the 800m here in 2019.) Hoppel won this race in 2022 and 2024, so he knows how to close at this meet. From our mixed zone conversations last week, it sounds like Hoppel and Brazier are planning full indoor seasons, while Hoey is not planning to defend his World Indoor title. Last weekend, we watched history. This weekend, we get to watch a fight.
Women’s Wanamaker Mile: Elle St. Pierre Chases History (5:40 p.m. ET)
Like Nuguse on the men’s side, Elle St. Pierre will also be going for her fourth Wanamaker title, but unlike the men, no woman has ever won four titles. St. Pierre’s victories have been non-consecutive—she was the 2020, 2022, and 2024 champ—but she still has a chance to make history.
This one comes down to a battle of American record holders past and present. St. Pierre is the American record holder indoors with a 4:16.41 from this race two years ago and faces off with the former and present outdoor mile record holders in Nikki Hiltz (4:16.35 in 2023) and Sinclaire Johnson (4:16.32 in 2025). The second fastest woman all-time indoors is also in the race, as Heather MacLean debuts her new Adidas kicks and looks to lower her 4:17.01 PB from last year.
And yet, none of them may come out on top as last week’s New Balance Indoor Grand Prix 1500m champ, Dorcus Ewoi, is also in the race. Ewoi broke out in a big way with her World silver in Tokyo last fall and clearly hasn’t missed a step, clocking a 4:01.22 ahead of Johnson. The fastest miler in the whole race is Aussie Jessica Hull, who also has three global medals but was a full ten seconds behind St. Pierre in the 3000m in New Balance. If Hull regains her top form quickly or if last week was a rust buster, she should be able to contend with the rest of the field and then some.
Men’s Wanamaker Mile: The Top Three Run It Back As Yared Goes For Four (5:51 p.m. ET)
It’s rematch time. For the men’s Wanamaker Mile, the intrigue comes from the return of the top three finishers from last year, all of whom have a strong case to make for the win. Yared Nuguse will try to make it four in a row, and after he set the world indoor record at last year’s event, expectations are high for a fast time. Of course, in addition to extending his streak, he may also want to reclaim said record from Jakob Ingebrigtsen, who broke Nuguse’s 3:46.63 mark less than a week later. Ingebrigtsens time to beat is 3:45.14, which would require sub-28 second 200s all the way home.
Nuguse will have his work cut out for him to even break the tape, as last year’s second- and third-place finishers are each coming off statement victories in Boston. Hobbs Kessler not only decisively beat Grant Fisher in the 2000m, but he also ran faster than Kenenisa Bekele’s 18-year-old world record in the process. And 19-year-old Cameron Myers closed the last 1km of his Australian record 3000m in 2:24.92, running 7:27.57 to take the win ahead of Irishman Andrew Coscoran, who’s also on the start line and a formidable miler in his own right.
The whole field will likely be keying off Nuguse as he chases history, but it’ll all come down to whether or not he’s able to hold off the race-honed kicks of his younger rivals. Kessler, who ran sub-3:47 here last year as well, may be the biggest threat based on how sharp he looked at New Balance.
Another returner to watch is Virginia’s Gary Martin, who ran 3:48.82 at this race last year to land at #2 on the NCAA all-time list. He’s half a second behind Ethan Strand’s 3:48.32 record… for now. The most recent winner of the Wanamaker Mile not named Yared Nuguse is also in the race: Olli Hoare, the 2022 champ, who’s fresh off a gold-medal-winning relay performance for Australia at World XC. If the race isn’t won in the 3:46 range and you’re looking for more experienced legs to win out, Hoare or Coscoran could be your dark horse.
Note: Josh Hoey, who was previously announced as one of the headliners for the race, has scratched just days after his indoor 800m world record in Boston.
As well as the events mentioned above, high school phenoms Cooper Lutkenhaus and Quincy Wilson will feature in the 600m and 400m, respectively, and many of the sprinters from last weekend’s New Balance Indoor Grand Prix will double back in the women’s 60m and 60m hurdles, including winners Dina Asher-Smith and Danielle Williams.
Get ready for a big weekend! You can follow along with all the action on Twitter, Instagram, and Bluesky and subscribe to our YouTube channel for post-race interviews.
The weather for Millrace could be a problem although I think the big storm (bomb cyclone) will mercifully spare NYC for the most part.