Bernard Lagat won the Wanamaker Mile at the Millrose Games indoor athletic meet for the seventh time on Friday, matching Eamonn Coghlan's record. The former Kenyan now American finished in 3 minutes, 58.44 seconds. He beat New Zealand's Nick Willis, the 2008 Olympic bronze medalist in the 1,500m. Coghlan, who long dominated the event on the old wooden Millrose track, was in attendance at Madison Square Garden at the 102nd edition of the meet. The Irishman last won the Wanamaker Mile in 1987. Lagat raced past Willis on the final lap. “This is not any other race for me,” Lagat said. “This is a race that means a lot. This is a race I've had a lot of respect for it, respect for athletes who have competed here, particularly Eamonn Coghlan.” Lagat won the 1,500m and 5,000m at the 2007 World Championships and hoped to pull off the double again in Beijing, but a left Achilles' tendon injury hampered his training leading up to the Olympics. He failed to qualify for the final in the 1,500m and came ninth in the 5,000m. In other events, Olympic gold medalist Steve Hooker of Australia came up short of breaking the world indoor record in the pole vault. Hooker missed on three attempts at 6.16 meters. Pole vault great Sergei Bubka has held the mark of 6.15 since 1993. Hooker still set a personal best by clearing 6.00. American Derek Miles, who finished fourth at the Olympics, was the runner-up, clearing 5.70. American Terrence Trammell won the 60m hurdles. Minutes later, he finished second in the 60-meter dash to fellow American Michael Rodgers. Kara Goucher defended her mile title, winning in a personal-best 4 minutes, 33.19 seconds. American Bianca Knight won the women's 60 dash, beating US Olympian Muna Lee. Canadian Olympic bronze medalist Priscilla Lopes-Schliep edged Australian Sally McLellan, the silver medalist, to win the women's 60m hurdles in 7.95 seconds. Adam Nelson of the United States won the shot put with a throw of 20.79 meters. Americans won the women's jumps: Amy Acuff took out the high jump at 1.92 meters, and Jenn Stuczynski won the pole vault by clearing 4.71 meters.
