INDIANAPOLIS -- Bettering the world and American indoor record in the masters women's 50-54 60 meters*, Cynthia McNamee (Torrance, CA/USATF Gulf) earned recognition as the seventh USATF Athlete of the Week award winner for 2026.
McNamee, 51, took advantage of the friendly altitude and lightning-fast track at the Albuquerque Convention Center to clock 7.93 for the 60 meters and take .10 off the ratified world and American records set in 2015 by Renee Shepherd. She added an American record in the 200 with a 26.10 that trimmed .14 off the ratified record of 26.24 that was set at Albuquerque in 2011 by Joy Upshaw.
Other top performances from last week:
Anna Hall won the women's pentathlon at the USATF Indoor Combined Events Championships with a score of 4,831 points, the second highest ever by an American.
Hakim McMorris was the men's heptathlon champion at the USATF Indoor Combined Events Championships with a lifetime best of 6,255 points, making him the No. 8 all-time U.S. performer. Sophia Gorriaran of Harvard set a collegiate indoor record in the women's 1000 with a 2:37.72 at the Battle for Boston.
Ashley Paulson bettered the women's world record for 100 miles with her 12:19:35 at the USATF 100 Mile Championships in Nevada.
Rajpaul Pannu was the men's winner at the USATF 100 Mile Championships in Nevada, clocking 11:38:57.
Craig Wood bettered the world record in the men's 55-59 masters indoor 200 at the USATF Masters Indoor Championships in Albuquerque with a time of 23.14.
* – all American records are subject to verification by the USATF Records Committee.
Now in its 25th year, USATF’s Athlete of the Week program is designed to recognize outstanding performers at all levels of the sport. USATF names a new honoree each week when there are high-level competitions and features the athlete on USATF.org. Selections are based on top performances and results from the previous week.
2026 Winners: January 15, Jonathan Simms; January 22, Michelle Rohl; January 29, Josh Hoey; February 5, Roisin Willis; February 12, Jordan Geist; February 19, Cole Hocker; February 26, Cynthia McNamee.
We welcome your nominations!
To nominate an athlete for USATF Athlete of the Week, please send a detailed email about their performance to communications@usatf.org.
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