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There is an allure to off-distance track events which is difficult to explain. A one-hour race is time-based, rather than distance. The 150-metre run just isn’t performed in global championships or at professional track series meets or the NCAA and the 100-yard dash is a relic from before the metric system was used—last used at the 1966 Commonwealth Games, 54-years ago.

Andre de Grasse at 2016 Harry Jerome Track Classic in Vancouver. Photo credit: Christopher Kelsall/Athletics Illustrated

Canada’s Andre de Grasse, the 2016 Rio Olympic bronze medallist in the 100-metre sprint, won the 100-yard dash into a strong headwind during the Inspiration Games on Thursday. He sprinted to a 9.68 finish time over Frenchman Jimmy Vicaut (9.72) and Jamaican Omar McLeod (9.87).

McLeod is the Rio Olympic 110m hurdle champion and won the World Athletics championships from the 2017 London meet. Vicaut has run the 100m event as fast as 9.86.

De Grasse is the national record holder in the 200m event with his 19.80 best.

The 100-yard dash is 91.44 metres in length. Jamaican Asafa Powell has the current world record at 9.07 seconds, which he ran en-route to a 100m finish.

Allyson Felix won the 150-metre race against Olympic 400m champion Shaunae Miller-Uibo.

In Walnut, CA, Felix finished the off-distance event in 16.81 to  Bahamian Miller-Uibo finished in 17.15  Finishing in third was Swiss Mujinga Kambundji, who stopped the clock at 17.28 in Zurich’s Letzigrund Stadium.

Dalilah Muhammad, the reigning world 400m record holder, was a late scratch.

The athletes were competing in a streaming link-up from various venues around the world.

American Noah Lyles competing from his home of Bradenton, FLA clocked a jaw -dropping 18.91 seconds. The time was later rounded down to 18.90. This performance was faster than Usain Bolt’s current world record. However, Lyles started on the wrong line and only ended up running 185m of the intended 200m distance.

Lyles defeated France’s 2010 European champion Christophe Lemaitre, who clocked 20.65 running at the meeting epicentre in Zurich, and the 2016 European champion Churandy Martina, (20.81) in Papendal in The Netherlands.

Other winners included Sam Kendricks and Sandi Morris in the pole vault, as well as Pedro Pablo Pichardo in the triple jump.