On a cold opening day of the NYC Mayor's Cup, Midwood Junior Tai Brown unleashed a blistering 14.14 in the 110m High Hurdle Prelims at Icahn Stadium. The mark was a full 1.5 seconds ahead of anyone else in the field. With a 0.6mps tailwind guiding him, the mark stands as a legal best. Brown would go on to take the finals in 14.40 the next day, now with a 2.3mps headwind slowing him down.
Brown set the Junior State Record in the 60m Hurdles this Indoor Season at New Balance Nationals Indoors. There, he took second in the emerging elite division of the event. He has no signs of slowing down outdoors, as he jumped up to US #18 in the event, going against States like Texas and Florida, who are already contesting their State Qualifying Meets. For New York, the action is just beginning.
Brown will be chasing the Junior State Record in the event, set by Verrol Jackson of Schenectady in 2005. Jackson ran 13.85 to win AOC Nationals in North Carolina that year. This will be a tall feat, as only 8 athletes in State History have broken 14.00. The last to do so was JJ Stallworth on Connetquot in 2013, who ran 13.96. Before him, it goes all the way back to 2004. Only time will tell if Brown can join the list of those under 14.00.
110 Meter Hurdles (HS = 39")
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Fr: 14.3 Kip Dow (Deer Park) 1985
14.66 Greg Hines (Walt Whitman,Huntington Station) 1991
So: 14.03 Verrol Jackson (Schenectady) 2002
Jr: 13.85 Verrol Jackson (Schenectady) 2003
Sr: 13.46 Joe Galeano (Centereach) 1987