DES MOINES, Iowa -- Thanks to generations of historic and thrilling performances, the hurdles have become a marquee event at the Drake Relays presented by Xtream powered by Mediacom. The 113th installment of the Drake Relays will be no different with current women's World Champion and world record holder Tobi Amusan and reigning Olympic gold medalist Hansle Parchment returning to Drake Stadium.
Combined, the men's 110-meter hurdles and women's 100-meter hurdles fields, announced today by Franklin P. Johnson Director of the Drake Relays Blake Boldon, feature a pair of Olympic medalists, eight Olympians, seven World Championship qualifiers and the last two women's World Champions. Boldon also announced the men's long jump field, including World Championship qualifier and 2023 Drake Relays dunk contest winner Will Williams.
The men's long jump is slated to begin at 2:05 p.m. on Saturday, April 29 while the women's 100-meter hurdles are scheduled to start at 2:35 p.m. followed immediately by the men's 110-meter hurdles.
"We are thrilled to continue to stage some of the best hurdles events in the world with a pair of fields the likes of which you would expect to see at a Diamond League meet or Olympic trials," Boldon said. "These athletes always put on a show and love competing at the Drake Relays, with Olympic medalists like Hansle Parchment and Nia Ali coming back year after year to start their seasons at Drake Stadium."
The women's lineup boasts the last two World Champions, Nigeria's Tobi Amusan and the USA's Nia Ali, and the 2015 World Champion, Danielle Williams of Jamaica.
Amusan set the world record of 12.12 last summer in the semifinals of the World Championships before blitzing the field to win the final. A 2016 Olympic semifinalist, she finished one spot off the podium in 2021. A regular on the Blue Oval, she is making her third Drake Relays appearance in search of adding a Relays crown to her storied career.
Nia Ali owns the 12th fastest time in history, set at 12.34 while winning the 2019 World Championship two years after winning the silver medal at the 2016 Olympics. Another familiar face at Drake Stadium, Ali, will be appearing in her fifth Drake Relays.
The recent Millrose Games 60-meter hurdle winner, Devynne Charlton, also returns to Drake Stadium after appearing in last year's World Championship finals as the Bahamian national record holder in the 100-meter hurdles.
All will attempt to dethrone reigning Drake Relays champion Tia Jones, the 2018 World Junior Champion and one of the most decorated high school athletes in history that already owns one of the top-20 all-time performances in the event.
Parchment headlines the men's 110-meter hurdle lineup as he travels to Des Moines as the 2021 Olympic gold medalist in the event and defending Drake Relays champion with a personal best of 12.94. His gold medal performance came nearly a decade after he claimed his first, a bronze at the 2012 Olympics for his native Jamaica.
Parchment will also have to fend off the three hurdlers that finished right behind him last year in Jamal Britt, Shane Brathwaite and Aaron Mallett.
Brathwaite, who hails from Barbados, is a six-time national champion in his country, two-time Olympian and two-time World Championship qualifier.
Britt, who competed collegiately at Iowa, just missed a spot on the U.S. Olympic team in 2021, finishing fourth at the U.S. Olympic Trials. He has also finished in the top three at the last two Drake Relays. His fellow Hawkeye, Aaron Mallett, finished fourth at last year's Drake Relays after a standout collegiate career on the Blue Oval.
Another up-and-coming talent in the field is Jamaica's Damion Thomas, who has a personal best of 13.11. The 2021 Olympic semifinalist finished sixth at the Drake Relays last year and was the 2018 World Junior Champion.
"The fact that so many of these competitors return to Drake Stadium yearly is a testament to the level of competition and our fans' appreciation for these athletes," Boldon said. "Additionally, seeing so many athletes that competed at the Drake Relays in college choose to return as professionals speaks volumes to their experience on the Blue Oval and the college competitions continuing to showcase the future star of track and field."
Boldon also unveiled the men's long jump field, which includes five athletes that have cleared 26 feet.
The 2023 U.S. Indoor champion Will Williams leads the way with a best of 8.23m (27-00) and a World Championship appearance to his credit. In January, Drake Relays fans got a sneak peek of his athleticism when he thrilled a Knapp Center crowd by winning the Drake Relays Slam Dunk competition.
He will be challenged by the 14-time Serbian national champion Lazar Anic, who finished eighth at last year's World Championships. The field also features some of the best new professional talents in the sport, with a slew of recent NCAA Champions and All-Americans rounding out the field.
Fans of the Drake Relays unable to attend in person will be able to watch a live broadcast of America's Athletic Classic thanks to a partnership between RunnerSpace.com and USATF.TV. Beginning with the first event Wednesday of the 113th Drake Relays presented by Xtream, powered by Mediacom, and continuing through the final race Saturday, with the exception of 2-4 p.m. Saturday, RunnerSpace+ will air this year's action. All events from the 25+ total hours of live streaming on USATF.TV will also be available for on-demand viewing.
Men's 110-Meter Hurdles
Shane Brathwaite (Barbados)
- Was a 2021 and 2012 Olympian.
- A two-time World Champions finalist and four-time qualifier.
- Finished third at the 2022 Drake Relays and fourth in 2021.
- Has a personal best of 13.21
Josh Braverman (USA)
- Finished fifth in the 60-meter hurdles at the 2023 USA Indoor Championships.
- Has a personal best of 13.41.
- Finished sixth in the university division at the 2022 Drake Relays for Iowa.
Jamal Britt (USA)
- Finished second at last year's Drake Relays and was third in 2021.
- Was fourth at the 2022 USA Outdoor Championships.
- Was fourth at the 2021 USA Olympic Trials.
- Has a personal best of 13.08.
Eric Edwards, Jr. (USA)
- Has a personal best of 13.15.
- Finished seventh at the 2022 USA Outdoor Championships.
- Was second at the 2022 NCAA Championships.
Aaron Mallett (USA)
- Finished fourth at last year's Drake Relays, fifth in 2019 and fifth in 2018.
- Was a collegiate Drake Relays champion in 2017 for Iowa.
- Was the 2020 USA Indoor champion in the 60-meter hurdles.
- Owns a personal best of 13.15.
Hansle Parchment (Jamaica)
- The defending Drake Relays champion.
- The 2021 Olympics gold medalist.
- The 2012 Olympics bronze medalist.
- The 2015 World Championships silver medalist.
- A two-time Jamaican national champion
- Owns a personal best of 12.94, the 14th-fastest time in history.
Damion Thomas (Jamaica)
- Was a 2021 Olympics semifinalist.
- Finished sixth at the 2022 Drake Relays.
- Owns a personal best of 13.11.
Women's 100-Meter Hurdles
Alaysha Johnson (USA)
- Owns a personal best of 12.35, the 14th fastest time in history.
- Finished second at 2022 USA Outdoor Championships.
- Was the 2023 USA Indoor champion in the 60-meter hurdles.
Devynne Charlton (Bahamas)
- Finished sixth at the 2021 Olympics.
- A four-time national champion and national record holder.
- Was seventh at the 2022 Outdoor World Championships and second in the 60-meter hurdles at the 2022 World Indoor Championships.
- Owns a personal best of 12.46.
Nia Ali (USA)
- The 2016 Olympics silver medalist.
- The 2019 World Champion
- Appeared at the 2022 World Championships.
- Appearing in her fifth Drake Relays.
- Owns a personal best of 12.34, the 12th fastest time in history.
Gabbi Cunningham (USA)
- Finished seventh at the 2021 Olympics.
- Won the USA Indoor Championship in the 60-meter hurdles in 2020 and 2022.
- Was the 2022 World Indoor Championships gold medalist in 2022.
Tonea Marshall (USA)
- Finished second at the 2022 Drake Relays.
- Was the fourth-fastest collegian ever with a personal best of 12.44.
- Was fourth at the 2022 USA Outdoor Championships and second in the 60-meter hurdles at the 2023 USA Indoor Championships.
Tia Jones (USA)
- The defending Drake Relays champion.
- Finished fifth at the 2022 USA Outdoor Championship.
- Has a personal best of 12.38, the 20th-fastest time in history.
Danielle Williams (Jamaica)
- Was the 2015 World Champion and a three-time World Championship finalist.
- The three-time Jamaican national champion.
- Owns a personal best of 12.32, the ninth-fastest time ever.
Tobi Amusan (Nigeria)
- The current world record holder at 12.12.
- The 2022 World Champion.
- Finished fourth at the 2021 Olympics and was a 2016 Olympics semifinalist.
- Is the two-time African champion.
- Is appearing in her fourth Drake Relays.
Men's Long Jump
Lazar Anic' (Serbia)
- A 14-time Serbian national champion.
- Finished eighth at the 2022 World Championships.
- Owns a personal best of 8.15m (26-9).
Isaac Grimes (USA)
- Finished sixth at the 2022 USA Outdoor Championships.
- Finished in the top three at the NCAA Championship three times.
- Owns a personal best of 8.09m (26-6.5).
Treyton Harris (USA)
- Was the Big Ten champion at Indiana and a 10-time conference medalist.
- Owns a personal best of 7.90m (25-11).
Jalen Seals (USA)
- Finished second in the long jump at the 2023 USA Indoor Championships.
- Was a Big 12 Champion in both the long jump and triple jump. Was a three-time NCAA qualifier in the triple jump.
- Owns a personal best of 7.82m (25-8).
Abraham Seaneke (Ghana)
- Was a seven-time NCAA Division II All-American and NCAA Division II champion.
- Owns a personal best of 8.06m (26-5.5).
Shawn-D Thompson (Jamaica)
- The 2022 NACAC Bronze medalist.
- Finished fourth at the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
- Owns a personal best of 8.20m (26-11)
Will Williams (USA)
- The 2023 USA Indoor national champion.
- Appeared at the 2022 World Championships
- Was a four-time All-American at Texas A&M
- Was the 2023 Drake Relays Slam Dunk Contest winner.
- Has a personal best of 8.23m (27-00), which currently ranks No. 2 in the world.
