Eighteen Finals On First Week Schedule At U.S Trials: Richardson, Norman, Mu, Cunningham, Crouser-Kovacs, Coleman-Lyles, Nuguse-Hocker And A Whole Lot More

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

DyeStat photos

The U.S. Olympic Team Trials, one of the biggest spectacles in track and field every four years, is about to begin anew in Eugene. 

For the fifth time in a row, and eighth overall, Hayward Field will become a place of "magic" for those seeking to live out their Olympic Dreams. It could also be a venue of heartbreak for those who come up short, or finish a dreaded fourth in their competitions over the 10-day event. 

The tension and drama that comes with a U.S. Trials is heightened because the stakes are so high. A top-three finish, most of the time, will affix Olympian to an athlete's name forever. Fourth, unless it may qualify for the relay pool, is painfully empty.  

Over the course of two four-day weekends, the U.S. track and field team will be assembled and processed for this summer's Paris Olympic Games. Those who finish in the top three, and have met the Olympic Games' stringent qualifying standard, will make the team. In events where three Americans don't have the standard, next-in-line athletes could still advance until the prescribed Paris fields are filled.

Three years after a pandemic-affected Trials, with masks and vaccination cards required for spectators, and an Olympic Games in Tokyo in which there were no in-stadium fans, the 2024 Trials and Games mark a return to normal. 

Here is a look at the first weekend of the Trials, in which 17 events will reach their conclusion in sessions between Friday and Monday. 

SCHEDULE

Friday, June 21 - 

The Men's 10,000 meters. 

This event is practically all sewn up, because only three American men have achieved the rigorous 27:00 Olympic Games standard: Grant Fisher, Nico Young and Woody Kincaid. 

Others in the field may try to hold a sub-27 minute pace for as long as possible, but the fact that Fisher, Young and Kincaid have already met that standard means they don't have to be out front driving the pace. In fact, they'd just as soon get through the race unscathed no matter the time, and clutch tiny stars-and-stripes flags when it's over. 

Fisher and Kincaid, of Nike, made this team three years ago. Fisher finished fifth in the Tokyo final and Kincaid was 15th. 

Young, a Northern Arizona University senior, secured the Olympic standard in his first attempt at 10,000 meters, at The TEN on March 16, when he ran 26:52.72. 

Paul Chelimo of the American Distance Project, a two-time Olympic medalist at 5,000 meters, is also in the field. So is U.S. Olympic team marathon qualifier Conner Mantz of Nike, Sam Chelanga of Saucony and Andrew Hunter of adidas. 

The rest of Friday's schedule features preliminary rounds and the start of the men's decathlon. 

Four have already met the standard in the decathlon (8,460 points), with Kyle Garland and Harrison Williams of Nike, Zach Ziemek (unattached) and Heath Baldwin of Michigan State, able to reach Paris with a top-three finish. 

Qualifying in the women's hammer in Friday's early session will trim the field for Sunday's final. 

First rounds will be held in the men's and women's 400 meters, the women's 800, the men's 3,000-meter steeplechase, the men's 1,500, the women's 100 and the women's 5,000. 

That means first appearances on the track for global stars Michael Norman, Athing Mu, Yared Nuguse and Cole Hocker, Sha'Carri Richardson and Elle St. Pierre. 

Meanwhile, there are also qualifying rounds on the schedule in the men's javelin, the men's pole vault, the men's shot put (world record holder Ryan Crouser's season opener) and the women's triple jump. 

Saturday, June 22 - 

This is the big day for Richardson, the world champion in the women's 100 meters and a favorite to reaffirm her status as the world's fastest woman in Paris. 

Remember, three years ago Richardson made a big splash as a 21-year old when she ran to a dominating victory in the 100 meters and then was denied a spot on the Olympic team after she tested positive for cannabis (legal in Oregon, but a doping infraction in athletics). 

A victory Saturday would bring an end to her long wait to become an Olympian. 

There are other fast women in the field who are also seeking a moment of glory in the 100. NCAA champion McKenzie Long of Ole Miss dominated the collegiate season. 

Last year at the U.S. Championships, it was Richardson (10.82), Brittany Brown (10.90) and Tamari Davis (10.99) taking the three spots on the national team. 

Brown will not return. She has scratched. Davis of adidas, Tennessee's Jacious Sears, Aleia Hobbs of adidas, Twanisha Terry and Melissa Jefferson of Nike, Jadyn Mays of Oregon and Abby Steiner of PUMA are among the leading contenders to finish in the top three.

It's also a big moment in the men's shot put, where the U.S. has been dominant globally in recent years. Crouser (Nike) comes in as a bit of a mystery for someone who has two Olympic gold medals and the world record. He hasn't shown his cards yet this spring and scratched out of the Prefontaine Classic. 

Joe Kovacs (Nike), on the other hand, seems poised to have the season of his life after throwing 75-10.75 (23.13m) at Pre. 

Beyond those two Olympic gold medal threats, Payton Ottderdahl is No. 4 in the world, Jordan Geist (Iron Wood TC) is ranked No. 7 in the world, Roger Steen (Velaasa) is No. 10 and Josh Awotunde (Shore Athletics) is No. 16.

In the women's triple jump, the status quo remains. Three years ago, it was Keturah Orji (14.52m), Tori Franklin (14.36m) and a 20-year-old Jasmine Moore (14.15m) making the team for Tokyo. It was the same trio at the top in 2022 and 2023. 

Those three remain the only women who have gone beyond 14 meters (45-11.25) in 2024 as well. 

Three events of the decathlon occupy morning and early afternoon. The javelin and 1,500 will complete the decathlon during the evening session. 

It would be a big moment for Garland, who was sixth in 2021, if he were to win. Likewise for Williams, who was fourth in the last Trials. Ziemek, the 2022 World bronze medalist, is seeking his third Olympic team. 

The evening session opens with qualifying rounds of the men's long jump and women's high jump, the women's 100-meter semifinals, and the first round of the men's 100. 

The men's 1,500-meter semifinals will no doubt leave someone of Olympic-team caliber out of the finals. 

The women's 400-meter semifinals will trim out potential relay members and set the lineup for the final. 

Sunday, June 23 - 

Eight American men have run under 10 seconds this spring, but the title of Fastest Man in the United States, let alone the World, seems up for grabs. 

Noah Lyles (adidas) is the reigning World champion and has big plans for Paris that all start right here. He ran a season-best time of 9.85 seconds June 1 in Kingston, Jamaica. 

Christian Coleman (Nike) won the 100 meters at the Prefontaine Classic in 9.95 seconds and will be looking to make a return to the Olympic team after missing Tokyo due to a suspension for missing a drug test. 

Fred Kerley is the 2022 World champion and Tokyo silver medalist. He didn't make the World Championships final last year and hasn't broken 10 seconds yet in 2024, but he's always dangerous when healthy. 

Kenneth Bednarek, No. 1 in the world this year in the 200, is also a threat, having run 9.91w in Kenya in April. 

High school record-breaker Christian Miller (Creekside FL) could offer a glimpse of the future if he can survive the first two rounds. He ran 9.95 in the semifinals at New Balance Nationals Outdoor last week in Philadelphia and then skipped the final. 

Kendal Williams (adidas), Cravont Charleston (adidas), Brandon Hicklin (LSU) and Ronnie Baker (adidas) are all showing up with sub-10 results this spring. 

The men's 100 caps off a night with six finals. 

In the women's hammer throw, three of the top four women in the world are from the United States: Brooke Andersen (2022 World champion, No. 3 in world history), DeAnna Price (2019 World champion, No. 2 in world history) and Janee' Kassanavoid (2023 World silver medalist, No. 7 in world history). 

If there is an upset, it could come from Rachel Tanczos (Velaasa), who is ranked seventh in the world. Another dark horse is Jillian Shippee, who was fourth at last year's national championships. 

In the men's pole vault, there is another storyline of redemption in the making. 

Sam Kendricks, 32, the American record holder, 2016 Olympic bronze medalist and six-time outdoor U.S. champion, was unable to compete in Tokyo due to COVID-19 quarantine protocols and spent the duration of his stay there stuck in a hotel room. 

He has been performing at his usual high standard, but there is some serious competition for the U.S. spots. 

Ordinarily, it would be easy to pencil Chris Nilsen in as a lock. But the Olympic silver medalist has gone no higher than 18-9.25 (5.72m) this spring. It will surely require something higher than that to make the team. 

KC Lightfoot, fourth at the Olympic Games in 2021, may enter the weekend as a slight favorite and has won three of his past five competitions. 

The men's javelin has a major college influence this year and no American has attained the Olympic Games standard of 85.50m (280-6). Jordan Davis from Division 2 Southern Connecticut State University has come the closest with 84.45m (277-1). 

Davis has never competed at the national championships before. 

He'll face battle-tested Curtis Thompson of Tracksmith, who is the Pan Am Games champion and three-time national champion, and two-time NCAA champion Marc Minichello of Georgia. 

Donavan Banks, Mike Stein (Iowa) and Dash Sirmon (Nebraska) have all thrown past the 80-meter line. 

In the women's 400 meters, Kaylyn Brown and Rosey Effiong, part of Arkansas' historic 1-2-3-4 sweep at the NCAA Division 1 Championships, are among the contenders in an event that feels as wide open as ever. 

With Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone deciding to concentrate her efforts on the 400-meter hurdles, the top entries that remain include the Razorbacks pair, Shamier Little, Talitha Diggs and Lynna Irby of adidas, Aaliyah Butler of Georgia, and Isabella Whittaker of Penn. 

But watch out for Alexis Holmes of Nike and Gabby Thomas of New Balance. Holmes won the U.S. Indoor title but has underperformed at the past two outdoor national championships. Thomas, Olympic bronze medalist in the 200, is a big talent without a lot of experience in the 400, but may feel she can grab onto a relay spot. 

In the men's steeplechase final, Hillary Bor (HOKA/American Distance Project), a three-time national champion, will seek to make a third Olympic team. He ran 8:13.30 in Morocco in May, the best by an American so far this year. 

Antony Rotich (Nike/U.S. Army), Kenneth Rooks (Nike), Duncan Hamilton (Nike/Bowerman TC) and Mason Ferlic (adidas) are among a handful of contenders.

Evan Jager (Nike/Bowerman TC), 35, will try to make a U.S. team perhaps for the last time. The 2012 and 2016 Olympian (bronze in Rio) missed multiple years with a spate of injuries, but his healthy again.

The heptathlon gets under way in the morning with the first two events for Olympic medal hopeful Anna Hall and the rest of the Trials qualifiers. Two more events will occupy the evening session. 

The women's 800 meters semifinals should offer once-and-for-all clarity into the fitness of Athing Mu, who hasn't competed in 2024, yet is the reigning Olympic champion. 

The men's 400 semifinals could draw attention to the talented high school sophomore Quincy Wilson of Bullis School MD, who will try to keep pace with the men and land a lane in the final. 

Monday, June 24 - 

Seven finals to conclude the first weekend at the Trials will build to a crescendo. 

Perhaps none is bigger than the men' s 1,500 meters. The track world has been captivated by the Josh Kerr v. Jakob Ingebrigtsen rivalry, but the Americans are also incredibly deep in this event and all three who make it through to the U.S. team could be players all the way to the last lap of the Olympic final. 

At the top of the list is Yared Nuguse of On Athletics Club, the American record holder in the mile, and Cole Hocker of Nike, who was sixth at the Tokyo Games as a 20-year-old. 

If those two seem like the surest bets, then Cooper Teare (Nike), Hobbs Kessler (adidas), two-time NCAA champion Joe Waskom (Washington), Colin Sahlman (NAU), Eric Holt (Empire Elite TC), Vincent Ciattei (Under Armour/Dark Sky Distance), Sam Prakel (adidas), John Gregorek (Asics) and Nathan Green (Washington) could all be trying to grab the third spot. Matthew Centrowitz (Nike), the 2016 Olympic champion who says that the 2024 season will be his last, has scratched.

As the heptathlon works its way to a conclusion throughout the day, Grant Holloway (adidas) and the men's 110-meter hurdles field will go through the first round to begin the evening session. 

Olympic champion Valarie Allman (Asics/NYAC) and the women's discus field will go through its qualifying round.

The women's high jump and men's long jump finals will start soon after. 

Vashti Cunningham (Nike/Red Bull), who has practically owned the high jump event in the U.S. since she was in high school in 2016, has won ever outdoor national title since 2017. And at 26 years old, she could keep that streak going. 

However, Rachel Glenn of Arkansas is a capable threat, despite finishing 13th at the NCAA Division 1 Championships. She jumped 2.00m (6-6.75) for the NCAA Indoor title in March and is the only jumper besides Cunningham with the Olympic Games standard.

Making that standard, 1.97m (6-5.50), is probably beyond what anyone else in the field can do.

Third on the list is Jenna Rogers of Nebraska, with a best of 1.90m and fourth is high schooler JaiCieonna Gero-Holt, a U20 team member in the heptathlon, with 1.89m.

The men's long jump feels like a redraw of the NCAA final. USC's JC Stevenson won the NCAA title with a dramatic sixth-round personal best (8.22m/26-11.75). 

NCAA runner-up Jeremiah Davis of Florida State, third-place Malcolm Clemons of Florida and fourth-place Johnny Brackins of USC are all among the contenders. 

Veteran pros Marquis Dendy and Jarrion Lawson of Puma are certainly in the picture, but their results have been modest so far this spring. 

The last 35 minutes of the night features the men's 400 final, women's 5,000 final and women's 800 final. 

Michael Norman (Nike) has raced sparingly this spring, but the 2022 World champion surely wants to bounce back from an injury-plagued 2023 and have the Olympics moment that eluded him in 2021 when he was fifth in Tokyo. 

Bryce Deadmon (Nike), Vernon Norwood (New Balance), Quincy Hall (adidas) and Chris Bailey (Tracksmith) all bring momentum into the event. USC's Johnnie Blockburger was the top American finisher at the NCAA Championships, in fourth. 

There are a half-dozen others who could get hot and grab a spot. 

In the women's 5,000 meters, there are seven women who have run under 15 minutes this spring. 

Of those, Elle St. Pierre (New Balance Boston) and Elise Cranny (Nike) have put together world-class performances and come into the Trials with confidence. St. Pierre is the world indoor champion in the 3,000 meters. Cranny is the American record holder indoors. 

Karissa Schweizer (Nike) is recovering from ankle surgery and has regained most, if not all, of her fitness. 

The big intrigue here is the entry of Parker Valby of Florida into her first U.S. championships and first opportunity to make an Olympic team. Valby dominated collegiate distance racing over the past year and will get a chance to see how that measures up against seasoned professionals. 

Josette Norris of On Athletics Club, Natosha Rogers of Puma and Ella Donaghu of Nike Union Athletics are the other three who have gone under 15 minutes. 

Another big name with no results in 2024 on the entry list is former North Carolina State star Katelyn Tuohy, who will compete in her first Olympic Trials. 

The women's 800 meters final closes the first weekend at Hayward Field. 

This event still may belong to Mu, the American record holder. Time will tell. But Nia Akins of Brooks Beasts has done more than any other U.S. 800-meter runner this season to indicate she is ready to take a spot on the team. She finished fourth at the Prefontaine Classic, and sixth at last year's World Championships. 

Sage Hurta-Klecker of On Athletics Club was seventh at Pre.

Raevyn Rogers (Nike), Olympic bronze medalist in Tokyo, and Ajee' Wilson (adidas), World indoor champion in 2022 and four-time outdoor national champion, bring world-class credentials. 

But it feels like the young blood in this event could crash the party. Stanford duo Juliette Whittaker and Roisin Willis went 1-2 at the NCAA Championships and are back at the Trials where they competed as high schoolers three years ago. 

LSU's Michaela Rose, the SEC champion, could be ready for a breakthrough as well.