Whittni Morgan

The 117th Millrose Games are set for Saturday afternoon. When the professional races get underway at The Armory at 4 p.m., hold onto your hats for two straight hours of scintillating action.

Last year saw two world records and three American records fall. With even stronger fields in 2025, Millrose could outdo itself.

You can follow along with live results and watch on NBC Sports or Peacock (subscription required), and we’ll have live updates on all the CITIUS MAG social channels.

FULL PREVIEW HERE: https://citiusmag.com/articles/millrose-games-preview-2025-athletes-storylines

Storylines discussed:

💥 Hocker vs. Fisher (Men’s 3000m)

• Olympic 1500m champ Cole Hocker takes on double Olympic medalist Grant Fisher in a classic speed vs. strength battle.
• Fisher set an American record last year in the 2-mile at Millrose—can he take down Yared Nuguse’s 7:28.23 American record in the 3000m?
• World record watch: Ethiopia’s Lamecha Girma’s indoor WR of 7:23.81 could be in danger.
• 
  

🔥 Nuguse vs. Kerr (Wanamaker Mile)

• Two-time defending champ Yared Nuguse looks for the three-peat against Olympic silver medalist Josh Kerr.
• Kerr is undefeated at Millrose over longer distances, but 0-3 in the Wanamaker Mile—will that change?
• World record chase: The 3:47.01 WR (Yomif Kejelcha, 2019) is in serious jeopardy.
• 
  

🚀 Can Nikki Hiltz hold off Georgia Bell (Women's Mile)?

• Hiltz has won four straight U.S. 1500m titles and outkicked rivals with ease.
• Olympic bronze medalist Georgia Bell (3:52 PB) is a different kind of challenge.

🏃‍♂️ Can Brandon Miller break the 600m world best?

• Miller is targeting Donavan Brazier’s WR (1:13.77) after a strong 800m opener.
• Quincy Wilson (16-year-old Olympic gold medalist) could also take down the high school record.

🏆 Women’s 3000m: Jessica Hull, Tuohy, and Whittni Morgan clash

• Olympic 1500m silver medalist Jessica Hull faces Katelyn Tuohy, who ran a collegiate record (8:35) here in 2023.
• Can Tuohy compete with top U.S. and international pros?

“I know that track is fast and with the energy that the crowd brings and the fields that show up at Millrose, it's going to be a great competition. You go to Millrose to win and you're racing to win. That's what brings the fast times. I'm going to put myself in a position to compete for the win and hopefully walk away really happy.”

My guest for today's episode is Josette Andrews, who is going to be one of the headliners at the 2025 Millrose Games on February 8th at the Armory in New York City. Tickets for the meet are on sale now at millrosegames.org. 

Who else is in the field you might be wondering? As of right now, I have a preliminary entry list. I don't know if some things have changed since these names were added into this document, but we've got Josette Andrews, Karissa Schweizer, Tsige Gebreselama, Whittni Morgan, Courtney Wayment, Katelyn Tuohy, Elly Henes, Sarah Healy, Melissa Courtney-Bryant, Gabbi Jennings, Hilda Olemomoi, Nozomi Tanaka, and so many more competitors and loaded races in the mile, the 800m, the 60m hurdles, and 60m dash. Lots to look forward to. We'll be on-site for that meet. 

In this episode, Josette and I talk a little bit about that because we're both East Coast people. She's from Jersey, 20 minutes away from the Armory, and I'm, of course, a proud New Yorker who will take any opportunity to boast about the Millrose Games. We talk about the energy and atmosphere of the Millrose Games, but then in addition to that, we reflect on Josette's 2024 season, which wasn't perfect. She dealt with a foot injury, which sidelined her throughout spring and forced her to open up her season at the Olympic Trials, which wasn't easy. She ended up finishing 11th in the 5K, did a couple of races after that, but then really took time to heal in the fall. We get an update on how training's been going, her goals for 2025, and what else she's looking forward to this year.

Host: Chris Chavez | ⁠@chris_j_chavez on Instagram 

Guest: Josette Andrews | @josettenorris on Instagram

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Whittni Morgan talks about her experience at the Olympics and her journey to becoming an Olympian, her favorite breakfast foods and the best pancakes that she’s ever eaten, her faith and how it’s impacted her journey, funniest teammates in her training group, Oreos and the chocolate muffin that she found in Paris and more!

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Whittni Morgan had a little bit of delayed gratification as she was named to the U.S. Olympic team in the 5000m about a week after the Trials. So how did it happen?

Elle St. Pierre won the 5000m and finished third in the 1500m but has decided to only run the 1500m at the Paris Olympics. This elevated Parker Valby into that final spot for the 5000m after her fourth place finish in the Olympic Trials final.

Valby also finished second in the 10,000m. After a few days of consideration and conversation with her coaches Will Palmer and Samantha Palmer, she decided to just run the 10,000 meters at the Paris Olympics. She qualified for that event based off her World Ranking.

This meant that Whittni Morgan, who finished fifth in the 5000m final, got the final spot for Paris.

In this episode, we chat about what it was like to get that call. Plus, we talk through just how incredible her comeback has been in the past seven months. She underwent patellar tendon surgery in December and did not run on the ground until early February. She ran her season’s best of 15:06 in the Olympic Trials final. Plus, we chat about what it’s been like to be on this journey with coach Diljeet Taylor for the past few years.

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On this week’s show, we had some fast times thrown down in Lievin, France where we saw several world-leading performances and a world record. We’re going to spend much of our time previewing the USATF Indoor Championships and the World Cross Country Championships this weekend.

Lievin World Indoor Tour: Lamecha Girma broke the indoor 3000m record with a 7:23.81; Meet records fell at the hands of Karsten Warholm, Keely Hodgkinson and Femke Bol. Jakob Ingebrigtsen is paying attention to the American stars now but says, 'I'm still the best.'

USATF Indoor Championships: Many of the top stars are absent from this meet since there is no World Indoor Championships this year. Noah Lyles is still the premier star showing up for the men's 60m. Major props to the likes of Aleia Hobbs, Anna Hall, Whittni Morgan, Cole Hocker, Clayton Murphy, Bryce Hoppel and others for contesting the meet.

World Cross Country Championships: The race will be held in Mount Panorama Circuit in Australia. If you want to watch, tune in on Friday, Feb. 17, at 11:30 p.m. ET on Peacock. It’s a 2K loop. People will be running through a vineyard at times. Possibly some kangaroo sightings. Very hot conditions. Should be spicy with Joshua Cheptegei, Selemon Barega, Letesenbet Gidey and Francine Niyonsaba among the stars competing.

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