Twenty-Two Finals Build To A Sunday Crescendo At U.S Trials: Allman, Holloway, McLaughlin-Levrone, Jackson, Davis-Woodhall, Benjamin And A Whole Lot More

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

John Nepolitan 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.

Here is a look at the second weekend of the Trials, in which 22 events will reach their conclusion in sessions between Thursday and Sunday. 

SCHEDULE

Thursday, June 27 - 

Coming out of the two-day break, the Trials restarts with a day full of preliminary action and is highlighted by two finals. 

The women's discus competition already lost World champion Laulauga Tausaga when she fouled on three attempts Monday and did not advance out the qualifying. That was one of several big losses over the first weekend of competition. 

If reigning Olympic champion and World silver medalist Valarie Allman wasn't the favorite already, she certainly is tonight. Allman threw a meet record in qualifying with 232-7 (70.89m). 

Behind her, only Veronica Fraley of Vanderbilt has met the Olympic Games qualifying standard. Jayden Ulrich of Louisville, or someone else, still might get it (64.50m).

The women's 3,000-meter steeplechase final features 14 talented women who all seemingly have a shot to finish in the top three. The injuries earlier this season to Emma Coburn and Courtney Frerichs have opened up this event to women seeking a breakthrough opportunity. 

Eight, however, have the Olympic standard and comprise the most likely group of U.S. team candidates. Kaylee Mitchell of Nike Bowerman and Gabbi Jennings of adidas were the two semifinal heat winners. Marisa Howard of Tracksmith, Olivia Markezich (On Athletic Club), 2021 Olympian Val Constien, Courtney Wayment of On, Madie Boreman of Oiselle and Krissy Gear of HOKA NAZ Elite all can make the team with a top-three finish. 

Allie Ostrander is another one to watch. She has been sharing her story on social media and has an army of followers who have watched her conquer eating disorder and body images issues. 

Qualifying rounds are on deck for men's high jump, women's long jump and men's discus. 

High school standout Sadie Engelhardt will get her first taste of U.S. Olympic Team Trials experience in the first round of the women's 1,500 meters. She was named Gatorade High School Female Athlete of the Year this week. 

Friday, June 28 - 

The day belongs to Grant Holloway.

There is only one final, and it's the men's 110-meter hurdles. This is not an easy team to make and with the reigning World champion in it, there are really only two spots up for grabs.

Holloway ran a sensational world-leading time of 12.92 seconds in the first round (the semis are Thursday) and may be looking to take a stab at the world record in Eugene. He is on a mission to win gold in Paris. The Olympic title is the one that has so far eluded him.

Trey Cunningham, Daniel Roberts, Jamal Britt, Freddie Crittenden III and Ja'Qualon Scott all ran 13.15 or faster in Monday's first round. 

Semifinal rounds will set the lineups in the men's and women's 200, with finals coming on Saturday. (More on that below). 

Qualifying rounds are on tap for four field events: women's pole vault, men's hammer, men's triple jump and women's javelin. 

The ovation coming for Kara Winger may pick up where it left off two years ago at Hayward Field, when she made an incredible sixth-round throw to earn a silver medal at the World Championships. Winger retired shortly after that, but re-emerged about a month ago and threw at the USATF NY Grand Prix. 

Winger doesn't have the standard yet, but if she can win another U.S. title she might still get to Paris. Or, she'll just throw the standard this weekend. 

Two more Olympic team veterans, Christian Taylor and Will Claye, are entered in the men's triple jump. They are no longer the favorites, but their experience and their achievements will no doubt be honored as the compete again for spots on the team. 

Taylor, 34, won gold in 2012 and 2016 but was injured and did not make the team in 2021. Claye has made every U.S. team since 2011 and earned silvers in 2012 and 2016 and was fourth in 2021. 

Saturday, June 29 - 

Can a local from the University of Oregon upset the apple cart and earn a trip to Paris in the women's shot put?

Oregon's Jaida Ross, who prepped at North Medford High (same as the legendary Dick Fosbury), will get her chance to build on a record-breaking collegiate season and NCAA championship when she faces the top women in the U.S., including two-time world champion Chase Jackson. 

Maggie Ewen, Jessica Ramsey, Adelaide Aquilla, and the return of Olympic silver medalist Raven Saunders all make this a compelling event with numerous athletes capable of reaching an Olympic final. 

In the women's long jump, Tara Davis-Woodhall will aim to defend her national title and make her second Olympic team. Davis-Woodhall was sixth in Tokyo and has emerged since then as the premier jumper in the United States. 

The 200-meter finals are both on tap as well. 

And based on how the 100s went last week, Noah Lyles and Kenneth Bednarek both look destined to make the team in what is the best event for both of them. Lyles is the reigning world champion and Bednarek is the world leader so far in 2024 with 19.67 seconds. Courtney Lindsey is currently No. 2 in the world at 19.71 seconds. 

In the women's 200 meters, nine of the top 10 women in the world this year are Americans. This is going to be an extremely difficult team to make, with NCAA champion McKenzie Long aiming to bounce back from a disappointing 100 meters, Gabby Thomas trying to reassert herself as a gold medal threat in Paris, and Sha'Carri Richardson out to make the team in a second event and prove she can potentially sweep the sprints in Paris. 

In the women's 10,000 meters, Weini Kelati of Under Armour/Dark Sky, is the only woman with the standard and brings a compelling story to Eugene. It was 10 years ago this summer that Kelati came to Eugene for the World Juniors and represented her native Eritrea. As that meet concluded, she slipped away with a couple of teammates and sought asylum in the U.S.  

Other women who have broken 31 minutes include NCAA champion Parker Valby, who was fourth in the 5,000 meters, Olympian Karissa Schweizer, who was third in the 5,000 meters, Natosha Rogers of Puma Elite and Elly Henes of adidas. 

Sunday, June 30 - 

Let's start where the meet ends.

The men's and women's 400-meter hurdles have become marquee events for the United States thanks to a couple of all-time greats who are in the prime of their careers. 

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, the world record holder and Olympic champion, is the featured attraction in the final race of this year's Trials - a tribute to her status not only in U.S. track and field but around the world. 

McLaughlin-Levrone may have it in mind to go after a world record in the flat 400 meters sometime this summer, but her No. 1 goal is to win another gold medal in the women's 400-meter hurdles, which has been her main event since she was in high school at New Jersey's Union Catholic. 

Among those who have already achieved the Olympic standard are former world record holder Dalilah Muhammad, Shamier Little and Anna Cockrell. 

Rai Benjamin, the silver medalist in an historic Tokyo final in 2021, has been trying to put injuries behind him and make his second Olympic team. He ran 46.64 at the L.A. Grand Prix for an indication that he is ready.  

The rush to the finish begins with five field event finals: men's hammer, women's pole vault, men's high jump, men's triple jump and women's javelin. 

Then, it's just one hour on the track. The men's 5,000 meters will see Grant Fisher try to earn a second spot on the team amid a slew of capable candidates. The men's 800 features Bryce Hoppel, the world indoor champion, looking to make the team again in the men's 800 meters. 

The women's 100-meter hurdles features a loaded field of contenders, including 16 women who have met the Olympic qualifying standard. 

And the women's 1,500 meters will be another exceedingly dramatic race, with Sinclaire Johnson, Elise Cranny, Cory McGee, Heather MacLean, Nikki Hiltz, Emily Mackay and 5,000-meter champion Elle St. Pierre all jockeying for position.