The temperature outside the New York Armory Track during the 2012 New Balance Games was a mere 26 degrees Fahrenheit. On the inside, however, some athletes were on fire, such as Akayla Anderson, a Jamaican junior at Benjamin Cardozo High School in Queens, who blazed to a personal record (PR) 7.99secs in the 55m hurdles.
But it was Jamaican-born Strymar Livingston, a senior at Columbus High School in the Bronx who really heat up the Arena with a new national record (1:01.68) in 500m race, shattering the 27-yr-old mark of 1:02.68 set in 1984 by Michael Greene of Boston. This race was one of the premier events on the meet schedule, and was billed “The Rematch” as it pitted Livingston against Najee Glass of St. Peter’s Prep in New Jersey. Glass was second in 1:02.16.
According to Livingston, as far back as one year ago, he started looking forward to this race more than any other on this year’s track calendar. The reason, he explained, was the opportunity to “set the record straight.” He was referring to last year’s New Balance Games, when Glass defeated him and broke Michael Greene’s record but was later disqualified for a lane violation. The race was eventually awarded to Livingston, who accepted the victory but said that that was not how he wanted the win. This was Livingston’s second national record in as many years. Last year he set the 600m record in 1:17.64, which he still holds.
Kadecia Beard (Guyana) a junior at Medgar Evers College Prep of Brooklyn, New York showed her class as she beat an elite field in the Girls Invitational 400m, stopping the clock at 55.60secs. She later ran a 24.56secs split in the High School Girls Invitational 4x200m relay as her team clocked 1:41.52, nipped at the line by Mount Vernon High School in 1:41.20.
New high school track sensation and Foot Locker National Cross Country Champion Kenyan Born Edward Cheserek, a junior at St. Benedict High School, Newark, New Jersey competed in the Elite Men’s Mile and ran 4:02.21, which placed him at the No. 12 spot on the All-Time Greatest High School Milers list. This achievement has put him among such greats as American Olympian Alan Webb, the current record holder with a time
of 3:53.43 set in 2001.