One week after Millrose, Kelsey Chmiel (Saratoga Springs) is back on the podium. This time, it was one step higher. Running the mile up in Boston, at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix, Chmiel was yet again matched up with Gabrielle Wilkinson out of Pennsylvania. At Millrose, the pair ran the race much together, both anticipating a fade from Tuohy, and working past. However, there, Wilkinson would kick past the crowd, bypassing Chmiel for the win.
Not so in Boston. There, Chmiel was trailing Wilkinson with one lap to go. Chmiel, typical to her strategy, had been leading much of the race, but Wilkinson was a step ahead with 200m left. This time, Chmiel grinded past Wilkinson on the final turn, pushing ahead in the final straight, and securing the win in 4:44.84, just shy of her Indoor Best of 4:44.55 set last week at Millrose.
It's been an interesting Junior year for Chmiel. She is now the only girl in the country to have ever beaten Claudia Lane (Foot Locker Champ), Katelyn Tuohy (NXN Champ) and Gabrielle Wilkinson (Millrose Champ), who many consider to be three of the best runners in their respective states, maybe ever. Chmiel's consistency has been key, one off-race during her career, where she was sick during NXN-NY of this year.
Hear from her below
