Zallow to race Olympic champ

April 13, 2019 at 12:05a.m.

For the second time this year, Chad Zallow will be sharing the track with an Olympic athlete.

The Youngstown State track star is running in the 110-meter hurdles today as part of the 2019 Hurricane Alumni Invitational at the University of Miami. Zallow is in the same flight as Jamaican hurdler Omar McLeod, the reigning Olympic champion.

“It’s a great experience racing someone of that caliber. He’s the 2016 Olympic Champion and that’s someone I look up to,” Zallow said. “It’s cool just to be in the same race as him. I’m looking forward to a fast race and him pushing me down the stretch.”

The race will be Zallow’s third of the outdoor season and through two races, he has the sixth-best time in the nation at 13.70 seconds, which he set on March 30 in the Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays. In that race, he took fifth while Houston’s Amere Lattin took what is currently the nation’s top time at 13.40.

“I’m satisfied [with my times], but it’s still pretty early in the season. I’m running faster times compared to other years,” Zallow said. “It’s great to open up with a fast time and you just have to work week by week on getting faster and faster.

“When it’s time for nationals, I’m already running fast.”

During the indoor season, Zallow raced two Olympic athletes managed to beat one of them. On Feb. 9 during the 112th NYRR Millrose Games, Zallow took third place in the 60-meter hurdles and finished ahead of 2016 Olympic qualifier Johnathan Cabral. Fellow qualifier Devon Allen took first place.

Zallow and McLeod will face off at 4 p.m. Teammate Collin Harden will be in the second flight of the 110 hurdles. According to Invitational rules, all flights are considered to be finals with the top eight times on the podium.

A few YSU athletes completed their events on Friday in Miami. Javelin throwers Noah Drudy and Jacob Wilson took third and fourth place, respectively. Drudy’s best throw was his third at 60.81 meters and Wilson threw 59.47 on his fourth throw.

High jumper Abby Jones cleared a season-best 1.71 meters to take fifth place. Zach Gehm was sixth in the hammer throw with his best toss coming at 47.50. Nicolette Kreatsoulas took seventh in the women’s hammer throw, with her second toss reaching 53.64.