Matthew Payamps made an emphatic statement on Saturday, recording the No. 2 all-time high school performance for 1,000 meters at the USA Track and Field Indoor Championships in Staten Island, New York, finishing 16th overall in the first round of the men's race in 2:23.46.
While that time didn't qualify Payamps, a Saint Anthony's (NY) High School senior, out of the rounds and into the championship race on Sunday, it placed the future Georgetown University runner into the high school record books, slotting him just behind national record holder Robby Andrews.
That performance was a national Catholic's School record and broke a 36-year-old New York record at the distance, passing Miles Irish, who ran 2:24.1 in 1983.
Payamps split 28.27, 28.77, 29.33, 29.04 and closed with a 28.07 lap.
While it was Payamps first loss of the 2019 season, it formally ushered the New York middle-distance star into elite company, furthering a momentous season that will continue at New Balance Nationals Indoor in March.
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