Pinto is only 10th female to run 7.08 or faster in January

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

German sprinter Tatjana Pinto has run faster indoors in her career, but her performance Friday at the Berlin ISTAF Indoor indicated she might be able to not only challenge for her country's 60-meter record this year, but also contend for a medal at the IAAF World Indoor Championships.

Pinto clocked a world-leading 7.08 seconds, just one-hundredth off her personal best from 2016 in Leipzig. The German record remains 7.04, first produced by Marita Koch in 1985 and equaled in 1988 by Silke Gladisch-Moller.

Pinto became only the 10th sprinter to run 7.08 or faster in January, joining Koch, American Gail Devers, Murielle Ahoure of the Ivory Coast, Merlene Ottey of Jamaica, Chioma Ajunwa of Nigeria, Laverne Jones-Ferrette of the Virgin Islands and Russia's Natalya Voronova, Natalya Ignatova and Yuliya Tabakova.

Fellow German Gina Luckenkemper ran 7.11 on Jan. 21 in Dortmund, sharing the No. 2 mark in the world this year with Ahoure.

LSU teammates Aleia Hobbs (7.14), Mikiah Brisco (7.15) and Kortnei Johnson (7.18) remain the top three collegiate performers this year.