Drake Relays 4/18/2024 4:30:00 PM Drake Athletic Communications

Elite Hurdles Slate Headlined by Olympians, Fan Favorites in 2024 Relays

Some of the sport’s most accomplished hurdlers to compete in Des Moines

DES MOINES, Iowa – The Drake Relays presented by Xtream powered by Mediacom has announced a field of renowned athletes in the elite men's and women's hurdles for 2024. The lineups for the four hurdles events include a balance of accomplished Olympians and national record holders looking to fend off several of the sport's young rising stars.

 
"Elite hurdlers are some of the most impressive athletes at any track and field event, and we're proud to again feature the world's best at the Drake Relays," Blake Boldon, the Franklin P. Johnson Director of the Drake Relays said. "These fields make such a difficult sport look easy, and every seat in the house will be full for these races."
 
One name in this year's women's elite 100m hurdles that stands out for Relays fans is hometown hero Lolo Jones. A three-time Olympian and former American record holder in the 60m hurdles, Jones also returns to Des Moines to be inducted into the Drake Relays Athletes Hall of Fame on April 25 at the Schickler Club in the Knapp Center.
 
The Des Moines Roosevelt graduate became the first four-time winner in the Drake Relays invitational women's 100m hurdles capturing consecutive titles from 2005-08. She was named the outstanding women's performer of the 2008 Drake Relays after setting a meet record of 12.74 seconds and finished second in the 100 hurdles at the 2010 and 2011 Drake Relays.
 
The U.S. Olympic Trials champion in 2008, Jones led the finals of the 100 hurdles at the Beijing Olympics before clipping the ninth hurdle, finishing seventh. She also finished fourth in the 2012 Summer Games.
 
She won U.S indoor track and field national titles in 2007, 2008, and 2009 in the 60m hurdles. With gold medals at the World Indoor Championship in 2008 and 2010, Jones became the first to win back-to-back titles in the event. An 11-time NCAA All-American at LSU, Jones won three NCAA golds and earned silver four times.
 
"Not only is Lolo one of the most dynamic athletes to grace the Blue Oval, but her ties to Drake, Des Moines, and the state of Iowa cannot be understated," Boldon added. "She has always been such a beacon of pride for Iowans and track and field fans everywhere. We're eager to give her a much-deserved celebration, both on the track and off."
 
Nia Ali enters Drake Stadium as one of the favorites in an accomplished 100m hurdles field. Ranked sixth in the event's global rankings, Ali's personal-best of 12.30 seconds is the ninth fastest finish in world history. The 2016 Olympic silver medalist, 2019 World Champion, and Drake Relays veteran is vying for her first Drake Relays victory, having finished third last year and fifth in 2019. Ali earned an eighth-place finish in the 100m hurdles at the 2017 and 2023 World Championships.
 
Joining Jones and Ali as American Olympians in the race are Gabbi Cunningham, Christina Clemons, and Queen Harrison-Claye. Cunningham, who has held a world ranking as high as No. 8, earned seventh at the 2021 Olympic Games in Tokyo. She claimed third at the World Indoor Championships in the 60m hurdles the proceeding spring.
 
Clemons achieved a fifth-place finish at the 2017 World Championships and was a semifinalist at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. The world's former third-ranked hurdler secured one of her two NCAA Championships in Drake Stadium in 2012 and ran the tenth-best time of her career in 2018 at the Des Moines USA Championships in the Blue Oval.
 
Queen Harrison-Claye, who set her personal record of 12.43 seconds in her 2013 Drake Relays victory, will be competing in her fifth Relays and first since 2017. The 2008 Olympian placed fifth at the World Championships in 2013 and won the Pan American Games in 2015. Great Britain and Northern Ireland's national record holder (12.50 seconds) and two-time Olympian Cindy Sember also poses as a threat in this year's race. She comes to Des Moines with a world rank of 23 and has held a rank as high as fifth.
 
In the men's 110 hurdles, Tade Ojora will also represent Great Britain and Northern Ireland as a top contender in the event. The four-time national champion presently holds the best global ranking of his professional career at No. 22 and has a personal best time of 13.26 seconds.
 
Two American challengers, Michael Dickson and Dylan Beard, have sights set on a top finish. Dickson placed seventh at the 2022 Relays while Beard is slated to make his Relays debut in 2024. Beard, a two-time conference champion at Howard, burst onto the national scene earlier this year, besting an impressive field the 60m hurdles at the 2024 Millrose Games in February. Beard's time of 7.44 seconds was just one-hundredth of a second from tying the all-time Millrose record.
 
Fans will witness a bevy of Olympians in this year's women's 400m hurdles. Ashley Spencer, who holds claim to the eleventh-best time in American history at 53.11 seconds, headlines a field of familiar athletes. Spencer won a bronze medal for the United States in the 400m hurdles at the 2016 Rio Olympics. With a decorated international resume in both the 400m hurdles and 4x400m relay, Spencer has finished second (2021), third (2019), and fourth (2018) in her career at the Drake Relays.
 
The majority of the women's 400m hurdlers representing international countries including Panama's national record holder Gianna Woodruff, who holds the second-best personal-best of the field at 53.69 seconds. The Olympian is racing in her fourth-consecutive Relays, placing third last year after claiming second in 2022 and first in 2021. Tia-Adana Belle of Barbados returns to America's Athletic Classic following her fourth-place finish in Des Moines last spring. Belle competed in the last two Olympic Games and is a five-time Barbados national champion.
 
The slate for the men's 400m hurdles features a trio of Americans leading the field with the top personal-best times. Trevor Bassitt, No. 6 in the event's latest world rankings, aims for the title in his Drake Relays debut. A recent collegiate standout at Ashland, Bassitt set two NCAA Division II records (Indoor 200m, Indoor 400m) and garnered 10 national championships and 21 All-American awards in his college career. Only two years removed from his days as a student-athlete, Bassitt has already set the ninth-best time (47.38 seconds) in United States history just last August at the 2023 World Championships.
 
Fellow Americans Khallifah Rosser and Aldrich Bailey Jr. should also challenge for the title in the men's 400m hurdles. Rosser is now ranked No. 12 and had long held a world rank of second. His personal best of 47.59 seconds is good for 14th best in American history. Bailey Jr., who has an accomplished resume in the 100m and 400m, began running in the 400m hurdles in 2021. Shortly after, he placed fourth at the 2021 Olympic Trials, narrowly missing the Olympic team by one place.
 
Single session tickets are now available, and the Saturday session is heading toward a 57th-consecutive sellout. Tickets for the 2024 Drake Relays are available here.
 
Women's 100m Hurdles
Nia Ali (United States)

• Ranked No. 6 in the world
• Won silver at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro
• Won gold at the 2019 World Championships in Doha, Qatar

• Indoor and outdoor All-American at Arizona in 2023
• Won the 100m hurdles and took third in the high jump at the 2023 Pac-12 Championships
• Placed sixth in the 60m hurdles at the 2024 USA Indoor Championships in February

• Took third in the 2021 U.S. Olympic Team Trials
• Semifinalist at the 2021 Olympics in Tokyo
• Has held a world ranking as high as third

• Placed seventh at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics
• Won bronze medal at the 2022 World Indoor Championships
• Two-time national champion in the 60m hurdles at the National Indoor Championships

• Won 2015 Pan American games
• Represented United States at the 2008 Beijing Olympics
• Personal-record time of 12.43 second set at Drake Stadium in 2013 Drake Relays victory

• Holds the seventh fastest 60m hurdle time in world history
• Two-time Summer Olympian, placing fourth in 2012 and seventh in 2008
• Five-time United States national champion and three-time NCAA champion
• Competed in the 2014 Winter Olympics in two-person bobsled

• Three-time Big 12 champion while at Texas Tech
• Finished eleventh at the 2023 NCAA Outdoor Championships
• Personal record of 12.44 seconds

• Ranked No. 23 in the world and has been ranked as high as third
• Two-time Olympian (2016, 2021) and placed fourth at 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro
• Seven-time Great Britain national champion

• Won the 60m hurdles at the 2024 Millrose Games in February
• Placed sixth at the 2023 Pan American Games
• Two-time Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) champion at Howard

• 2023 Cayman Islands national champion
• Placed fifth at 2023 Pan American Games
• Qualified for 2022 and 2023 World Championships

• Ranked No. 32 in the world and has been ranked as high as No. 21
• Placed seventh at the 2022 Drake Relays
• Personal record of 13.23 seconds

• Runner-up at the 2024 U.S. Indoor Championships in 60m high hurdles
• Five-time NCAA East Regional qualifier and five-time All-ACC at North Carolina State
• Personal record of 13.39 seconds

• Ranked No. 22 in the world
• Four-time Great Britain national champion
• All-American at Southern California

• Won 2023 NCAA Indoor Championships in the 60m hurdles
• Four-time All-American at Clemson
• Personal record of 13.23 seconds

• Five-time Chile national champion
• Placed fourth at South American Championships and third at Pan American Games in 2023
• Personal record of 13.60 seconds

• 2023 Canada national champion
• Personal record of 13.52 seconds

• Represented Barbados in the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro and 2021 Olympics in Tokyo
• Placed fifth at 2019 Pan American Games
• Five-time Barbados national champion with a personal record of 54.18 seconds

• Semifinalist at 2019 Olympics
• Has placed in the top-six three times at Pan American Games
• Three-time Puerto Rico national champion, most recently in 2022

• Placed fifth in both the 400m hurdles and 4x400m relay in the 2023 Asian Games
• Took third at 2022 NCAA Outdoor National Championships
• Philippines national record holder and Duke University school record holder

• Finished fourth at the 2023 NCAA Outdoor Championships
• Qualified for 2023 World Championships in Budapest
• Two-time All-American, competing four years at Cornell and one year at Vanderbilt

• Bronze medalist in the 400m hurdle at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro
• Member of 2013 World Championship winning 4x400m relay team
• Placed sixth at 2019 World Championships in the 400m hurdles
• Has held a world ranking as high as fourth

• Two-time All-American at Texas A&M
• Holds three top-seven marks in Texas A&M history (400m hurdles, 60m hurdles, 100m hurdles)
• Personal record of 55.15 seconds

• Placed seventh at the 2021 Olympics in Tokyo
• Gold medalist at 2023 Pan American Games
• Panama national record holder in the 400m hurdles and 400m
• Top-three finisher in three consecutive years (2021-2023) at the Drake Relays

• Two-time Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) champion and two-time NCAA qualifier at Howard
• Member of 4x400m relay team that earned silver at 2024 World Indoor Championships in March
• Personal record of 55.81 seconds

• Placed second (4x400m relays) and fourth (400m) at 2018 World Indoor Championships
• Member of NCAA champion 4x400m relay while at Texas
• Began running 400m hurdles in 2021 and finished fourth at Olympic Trials in same year

• Ranked No. 6 in the world
• Placed sixth at 2023 World Championships and second at 2022 World Championships
• Two-time world champion (2022, 2023) in 4x400m relay
• Set two NCAA Division II records (Indoor 200m, Indoor 400m) and earned 10 national championships and 21 All-American awards at Ashland

• Philippines national record holder at 48.98 seconds
• 2016 Olympian and three-time national champion
• Won 2017 Asian Championships in the 400m hurdles

• Three-time defending Bahamas national champion
• Placed third (4x400m relay) and eighth (400m hurdles) at 2022 NACAC Championships
• Personal record time of 49.25 seconds

• Ranked No. 35 in the world
• El Salvador national record holder with a time of 48.56 seconds
• Four-time national champion and three-time World Championships qualifier

• Three-time Ivy League medalist in the 400-hurdles before finishing his career at Texas
• Fifth at 2023 World University Games
• Personal record time of 49.15 seconds

• Ranked No. 12 in the world and has held a rank as high as second
• Placed fifth at 2022 World Championships in Eugene, Oregon
• Took first (4x400m relay) and second (400m hurdles) at 2022 NACAC Championships