Sydney McLaughlin runs WORLD RECORD on final day of Trials
Sydney McLaughlin crosses the line in a new 400m hurdles world record, 51.90. Photo by Jay Bendlin
By Caela Fenton
Sydney McLaughlin raced her way to a blazing fast 51.90 in the 400m hurdles in the U.S. Olympic Trials final, taking down Dalilah Muhammad’s world record of 52.16, with Muhammad herself in the race beside her.
McLaughlin and Muhammad are 1-2 on the world lead list leading into Tokyo. Anna Cockrell, who finished behind McLaughlin and Muhammad for bronze at the Trials, is a senior at the University of Southern California and won both the 100m hurdles and the 400m hurdles at the NCAA Championships earlier this month.
“Iron sharpens iron,” McLaughlin said post-raced when asked about competing with Muhammad.
McLaughlin competed at the 2016 Olympics as a high schooler, just 16 years old. She then competed for the University of Kentucky, winning an NCAA title before turning pro in 2018. In 2019 McLaughlin won a silver medal at the World Championships in the 400m hurdles.
She has been in three world record-setting races in the 400m hurdles, but this is the first time McLaughlin has been the record-breaker.
“It's an honor,” McLaughlin said. “So many amazing women have come before me so many amazing women will come after me. I just want to be able to leave my mark and be a part of such an amazing sport.”
For now, she’s going to savour this moment as one that she will cherish for the rest of her life.
“It doesn't last forever, and the glory is not mine,” McLaughlin said. “I really just want to be a vessel for the sport, and a vessel for God, and glorify him as much as I possibly can before I'm gone.”
McLaughlin and her coach, Bob Kersee, have been fine tuning for this race all year, including working on her stride patterns and on the 100m hurdle distance.
“For a lot of our season, we were doing the 100 hurdles and a lot of people didn't understand because they didn't see what it was translating to in our practices for the 400m hurdles,” McLaughlin explained. “I kind of knew right away. It was making sense. As time progressed, the strength started to build.”
Sydney McLaughin (right), Dalilah Muhammad (left) and Anna Cockrell (center) make up your women’s 400m hurdle team heading to Tokyo. Photo by Matt Parker
Her coach was also key to helping her stay collected when her race was delayed by about five hours due to extreme heat, a last minute shift that threw many athletes off-balance.
“Bobby is always talking about Muhammad Ali--you have to be ready for that left hook and we definitely were,” McLaughlin said with a laugh. “You can’t control what happens to you but you can control how you respond to it.
Despite the delay, McLaughlin said she knew in her heart that there was something special in store for today.
“I knew from the moment I woke up today that it was just going to be a great day.”
As she heads to the Olympics as the number one ranked athlete and world record holder, we hope what’s in store is another great day.
Another world record followed by “Duck, Duck, Goose!”
Cole Hocker and Matthew Centrowitz ignite the Hayward Field crowded with their finish in the 1500m final. Photo by Jay Bendlin
By Caela Fenton and Kate Walkup
The final day of the 2020 Track and Field Olympic Trials got off to an early start with the men’s 5,000m final being held at 10:00 a.m. to avoid the warmer temperatures projected for the afternoon.
Paul Chelimo (13:26.82), Grant Fisher (13:27.01) and Woody Kincaid (13:27.13) topped the podium in the 5,000. Oregon Duck Cooper Teare just missed making the team, finishing in fourth with a time of 13:28.08.
“The people that make me succeed are my coach, my family, my teammates and my friends,” Chelimo said. “These boys make it tough for me and that’s the reason why I work day in and day out because I know I'm not going to show up here and just win. I believe in one thing in life: go harder or suffer for the rest of your life.”
Events were scheduled to resume at 1:00 p.m. with the second day of the heptathlon events, but after three events, competition was postponed due to temperatures reaching a dangerous level for the athletes’ safety. Competition resumed at 8:30 p.m. with the men’s long jump final.
In the women’s 400m hurdles, Sydney McLaughlin took gold, running a new world record of 51.90! Dalilah Muhammad, the former world record holder, followed for silver (52.42), and USC senior Anna Cockrell for bronze (53.70).
“It's an honor,” McLaughlin said post race. “So many amazing women have come before me so many amazing women will come after me. I just want to be able to leave my mark and be a part of such an amazing sport.”
The night for the men’s 1,500m final finally arrived and it lived up to the hype. University of Oregon freshman (!) Cole Hocker, defeated the reigning gold medallist Matthew Centrowitz.
Hocker ran a personal record of 3:35.28. Centrowitz finished in 3:35.34 and Yared Nuguse finished in third, running a time of 3:36.19.
“At this time last year, if you’d have told me that I would have won the 1,500m at Trials, I’d be lying to you if I said that I wouldn’t have been shocked,” Hocker said. “But throughout the season, I’ve just been proving myself and to myself that I can run here, and I belong here.”
The much anticipated women’s 800m final did not disappoint. Athing Mu ran a personal record, meet record and new world lead of 1:56.07. Former Duck Raevyn Rogers ran a personal record of 1:57.66 and Ajee’ Wilson finished with a season best of 1:58.39 to make up the team for Tokyo.
Athing Mu leads the way in the women’s 800m final, running a world leading 1:56.07. Photo by How Lao
“I Just wanted to start making my move and start moving in the race,” Mu said. “And then the backstretch, I just kept going, kept my composure by not going too much, and I think the last 200 is where I really started to gear up and move my legs. The last 100 I just gave it literally all I had and just ran all the way through the line in case there was anyone nearby.”
No one was even close to Mu—Rogers finished over a second and a half behind.
Going into the 800m of the heptathlon, Annie Kunz was in second and had not yet achieved the Olympic standard. After setting personal records in three of the seven events, Kunz set a personal record of 6,703 points, achieving the Olympic standard and winning the event. Kendall Williams (6,683) and Erica Bougard (6,667) took second and third. The three heptathletes are headed to Tokyo with the three highest rankings in the world this year.
JuVaughn Harrison (2.33m), Darryl Sullivan (2.33m) and Shelby McEwen (2.30m) emerged victorious in the men’s high jump final.
In the men’s long jump JuVaughn Harrison jumped a personal record of 8.47m to win the Trials just after taking home gold in the high jump. He was joined on the podium by Marquis Dendy (8.38m) and Steffin McCarter (8.26m).
LSU’s Ju’Vaughn Harrison soars to victory in the men’s long jump after already claiming the Olympic Trials high jump title earlier in the day. Photo by Jay Bendlin
The men’s 200m final closed out the U.S. Olympic Trials. Noah Lyles (19.74) took gold, followed by Kenny Bednarek (19.78) and Erriyon Knighton (19.84). Knighton is only 17 years old, making him the youngest man to make the U.S. Olympic team since 1964.
Chelimo headed back to the Olympics, Kincaid and Fisher achieve the distance double
Paul Chelimo (center), Grant Fisher (right) and Woody Kincaid (left) top the podium in the men’s 5,000 meter at the Olympic Trials. Photo by Otto Horiuchi
By Caela Fenton and Kate Walkup
The final day of the 2020 Track and Field Olympic Trials kicked off early with the men’s 5,000m final starting at 10:00 a.m. to ensure cooler temperatures.
Sixteen men toed the start line with a trackside temperature at 88 degrees, feeling like 95. Six of them, including the University of Oregon’s Cooper Teare, had already achieved the Olympic standard of 13:13.50.
Heading into the race, 10,000m Trials champion Woody Kincaid wasn’t sure what to expect.
“I was standing next to Paul Chelimo on the start line [...] I thought he was probably going to take us out hard, he said that he really likes the heat and he’s known for taking races out hard,” Kincaid said post-race. “As soon as the gun went off I looked at Paul and he immediately went to the back, and I was like ‘okay, so this is probably going to be a slow race.’”
The race saw tactical, championship-style racing, with athletes jockeying for spots. Hillary Bor, Garrett Heath and BYU’s Conner Mantz all made attempts to pick up the pace and string out the race, but in the end, it came down to a crazy final lap to decide the 5,000 team bound for Tokyo.
The last lap was a full-out sprint, with Chelimo, Kincaid, Teare and Grant Fisher—who also qualified earlier in the 10,000m—all in contention. Chelimo swung wide as he tried to stave off a pressing Fisher, followed by Kincaid.
Chelimo’s tactical race ultimately paid off with a win in 13:26.82, securing his return to the Olympics.
Chelimo was followed by the BTC dynamic distance duo of Fisher (13:27.01) and Kincaid (13:27.13). The top three men closed out the race with a blistering 52-second final lap.
Only six American men have placed top three in both the 5,000 and 10,000 at the same Olympic Trials. Only three men have done it in the past 60 years, the last being Galen Rupp, who is Tokyo-bound in the marathon. Teammates Kincaid and Fisher are the first to do it as a pair.
Both runners see it as a testament to the strength of their training group, in both the physical and mental sense.
“You know, to make a U.S. team, you’ve got to beat some very, very talented, experienced and hardworking runners,” Fisher said. “It helps to train with that exact demographic of guys every day.”
“I think a lot of people know what a team culture is with cross country and I think what's interesting about Bowerman, we have that kind of team culture with track,” Kincaid said, and he appreciates racing with Fisher. “I think it's a huge advantage to have somebody there that you know you've been training with, that you know is going to help you if you need them.
Oregon Duck senior Teare hung with the lead pack every lap of the way. But, in the final stretch, the three medalists extended their lead just enough. Teare crossed in fourth, finishing in 13:28.08.
Oregon’s Cooper Teare mixing it up in the Olympic Trials 5,000 meter, finishing fourth in 13:28.08. Photo by Otto Horiuchi
“I wanted to be on the rail as long as possible,” Teare said. “I think I made a couple of stupid moves, I was worried about getting left behind.”
Race commentator and Olympian Kara Goucher described his race differently: “I am so impressed. He ran so smart, calm, collected. You wouldn’t know he just finished up a collegiate season.”
You also wouldn’t know how he felt during the race based on his performance.
“I'm proud of the way I ran,” Teare said. “I was hurting from pretty far out, my stomach was like a brick. Subway at 6 a.m. this morning was disgusting.”
However, Teare still seemed to have a chance at the very end when the leading three looked as though they were running toward the stands.
In the final stretch, Chelimo moved out to lane three, ultimately pushing Fisher and Kincaid to run farther. This gave Teare the opportunity to remain on the inside and maybe have the chance to lean past Kincaid at the finish line.
“I thought it might have had a little opportunity to maybe nick Woody at the line,” Teare said. “I mean I think they knew they had it locked up and it was kind of just a fight for a second and you don't want anyone passing on the inside. I thought maybe there's a lane on the inside, but it just didn't work like that.”
For Chelimo, this race was more of an opportunity to come out and test his fitness level before performing on the bigger stage of Tokyo. He wanted to make sure Fisher and Kincaid were working for their spots on the team.
“All these guys are really fit, probably better than me,” Chelimo said. “The goal is you’ve got to play with their mind, you’ve got to do mind games and that's where the experience comes in. Take them all the way and make them run the longest distance.”
But that wasn’t the only mind game Chelimo played during the race.
The 5,000 champion talked to five or six of his competitors throughout the event. At one point, he mentioned his look back to Kincaid and finger wave was him warning Kincaid to not get too close and clip him. The nature of the race was a tight, competitive pack with many lead changes.
“My momentum was just getting messed up, but at the end of the day, I'm a really nice guy,” Chelimo said. “When it comes to putting in work, It's work time, no games. We are friends now, but on the track we're not friends.”
Neither Fisher nor Kincaid was annoyed with the race tactics.
“We closed pretty hard today, and 10ths of seconds are really important,” Fisher said. “So, if you have good positioning and someone else has bad positioning, you don't want to just give it to them. That's just smart racing.”
“In the trials race, there's clipping and there's talking,” Kincaid said similarly. “You’ve got to do what you can to win the race and I think he made the right choice. Certainly, credit to him.”
All of that was forgotten at the finish line of course, as the three athletes embraced. As of now, both Kincaid and Fisher plan on completing the 5,000/10,000 double in Tokyo, leaving 21-year-old Teare as a force to be reckoned with in three years time.
And after today, people can definitely stop asking Paul Chelimo if he’s retired.
Emily Sisson lights up the track, running an Olympic Trials record in extreme heat
Emily Sisson took the lead early and never looked back, winning the Olympic Trials 10K in 31:03.82. Photo by Matt Parker
By Caela Fenton
The women’s 10,000m Olympic qualifiers got a jump start on their heat training for Tokyo during the US Olympic Trials final at Hayward Field, with the trackside temperature sitting at 85 degrees at the gun.
One of the deepest fields at the Trials, forty-one women lined up for the start, compared to twenty-four on the line at the last Trials in 2016. Thirteen of the athletes on the line had already run the Olympic standard of 31:25. Like with the US Olympic Marathon Trials, which saw a women’s field of unprecedented size, the depth of the 10,000m start list is an indicator that American women’s distance running is flourishing.
Several athletes lining up for the 10,000m were at the Marathon Trials, failed to make the team and were looking for another shot. Notably, Emily Sisson, who ran her first marathon in London in 2019, running 2:23:08 for sixth. She was forced to drop out of the US Marathon Trials. Also in this category was Sara Hall, the thirty-eight year old with a star-studded career but that had yet to make an Olympic team. Like Sisson, Hall was forced to drop out of the Marathon Trials, but came back with a vengeance, running the second fastest marathon ever by an American woman in December of 2020.
But, in a talented field featuring multiple previous Olympians, including Emily Infeld and Marielle Hall, who both competed in the 10,000m at the Rio Olympics, the day belonged to Sisson.
After allowing Lauren Hurley to lead for the first mile, Sisson took control of the race and never looked back. She looked remarkably cool and composed behind red sunglasses that she’d stolen off of her husband’s face just minutes before the race when she realized how bright it was on the track.
“I was prepared to lead,” Sisson said post-race. “The plan was to see how the first few laps went to see if anyone else is going to take it. And if it was going a little slower than 76 or 77, then I would just take it.”
The plan also involved breaking the race down into three sections: staying calm through the first 5K, then focusing on picking it up until 5 laps to go, and then finding that final gear for the last 5 laps. And she executed it perfectly, negatively splitting to a final time of 31:03.82 with a decisive lead over Karissa Schweizer, who placed second in 31:15.62.
Sisson’s time is a new US Olympic Trials record, taking down Deena Kastor’s 2004 record which was set in Sacramento, with temperatures around ten degrees cooler than today. It is certainly a sweet victory after the Marathon Trials, which Sisson describes as the race “that broke my heart.”
“To be honest I went through a pretty rough patch after Atlanta,” Sisson said, “because I went all in on that marathon and I came out of that race feeling really broken.”
It took a lot of hard work, and support from her husband (who is also her primary training partner), coach, and chiropractor, to get her back to track fitness.
When Sisson really started winding down the time with just over eight laps to go, Elise Cranny, Karissa Schweizer and Alicia Monson covered the move. In the chase pack were Rachel Schneider, Sara Hall and Natosha Rogers. Cranny, Schweizer and Schneider qualified for Tokyo earlier this week in the 5,000m.
Though Cranny and Monson both spent time running in second, in the end it was Karissa Schweizer who came across the line after Sisson, running 31:16.52 to qualify for her second event. This achievement places Schweizer in rare company as the fifth American woman to make the Olympic team in both the 5,000 and 10,000m in the same year. The club includes Molly Huddle (2016), Shalane Flanagan (2008), Kara Goucher (2008) and Deena Kastor (2000). Flanagan is now one of Schweizer’s coaches. Goucher was one of the NBC commentators providing real-time announcing for the race.
Karissa Schweizer doubled back after making the 5K team to earn a spot on the Olympic 10K team. Photo by Matt Parker
“It’s incredible,” Schweizer said post-race. “I've looked up to all of them for so long.” For younger runners who might be looking up to her as they navigate their way through the sport, the 25-year-old says having fun and recovery are the keys to the sport. She attributes her own consistency to recovery, including down days and down weeks.
There hasn’t been much down time for her in the last week and a half though, as she’s raced three times (5,000m prelim and final, plus the 10,000m) in the last nine days. And there might not be that much down time in Tokyo, if Schweizer and her coach decide that she’ll race both the events that she’s qualified for.
Schweizer would like to double, describing the 10,000m as a distance that she’s just begun dipping her toes into. It helped having her teammate and training partner (and now Team USA teammate), Elise Cranny, in the final with her.
“I just try not to think of the pain and really try to focus on the race as if it's a workout, and focus on my tempo and rhythm,” Schweizer explained. “For the majority of the beginning of the race I was behind Elise so it really just felt like another tempo day out there and I tried to really key on that.”
Ultimately though, the race was still pretty brutal. “I did not think that was going to be as painful as it was,” Schweizer said. “I knew going into it that Emily Sisson was going to make it a tough race [...] I think the heat and humidity really made it just a grind for everyone out there.”
Four athletes did not finish the race, a high DNF rate for an Olympic Trials final, that is likely attributable to the heat. Gwen Jorgensen, Olympic gold medallist in the triathlon, was one of the athletes who stepped off the track, as well as Weini Kelati, the standout graduate of the University of New Mexico, who became an American citizen just three days before the race.
Alicia Monson raced to third place in 31:18.55. The 23-year-old in her first year of racing professionally, ran a brilliant race to qualify for her first Olympics. Visibly wobbly on her last lap, Monsoon was taken to the hospital after collapsing post-award ceremony with symptoms of heat exhaustion.
The former University of Wisconsin athlete has had to navigate the beginning of her professional career in the most uncertain of times. She was in Albuquerque, New Mexico, ready to defend her NCAA title in the 5,000m at the 2020 NCAA Indoor Championships, when the meet was cancelled at the last minute due to Covid-19. The outdoor season was later cancelled as well. When her university decided not to give seniors an extra year of eligibility for the seasons missed due to the pandemic, Monson decided to go pro, signing with On Athletics, the budding new club that has focused its recruitment on talented recent graduates, such as Joe Klecker, who made the US Team for the men’s 10,000m.
Dathan Ritzenhein, the coach of the On group, said that, “Alicia is someone who has the potential to be the next great American female distance runner.” Monson made her debut at the 10,000m distance last December, running 31:10, which was at the time, the 9th-fastest time ever by an American woman.
Alicia Monson of the On Athletic’s Club on her way to finishing third in the women’s 10K at the Olympic Trials. Photo by Jay Bendlin
Today’s race was the first in Trials history with all top-seven finishers with sub-32 clockings.
Sisson, Schweizer and Monson have a few more weeks to get another training block in and hopefully one that includes some heat training, as the expected weather in Tokyo for the games is likely to be similar to sweltering conditions on the track today.
But, Schweizer is confident. “We'll be ready.”
Meet records fall under extreme heat
Gabby Thomas on her way to breaking the 200m meet record for the third consecutive time at the Olympic Trials, earning her spot on the Olympic Team destined for Tokyo. Photo by Otto Horiuchi
By Caela Fenton and Kate Walkup
With an extreme heat advisory in place, several of today’s distance events during the seventh day of competition at the 2020 Track and Field Olympic Trials were moved to earlier in the day to ensure cooler temperatures. The men’s and women’s 20km race walk started the day off with 7:00 a.m. start times in Springfield, Ore.
Robyn Stevens (1:35:13), Maria Micheta-Coffey (1:39:25) and Miranda Melville (1:40:39) took the podium in the women’s race, while Nick Christie (1:30:48) won the men’s race and Daniel Nehnevaj (1:31:59) and Emmanuel Corvera (1:34:38) took second and third.
Back at Hayward, the gun went off at 10:00 a.m. for the women’s 10,000m final, with a trackside temperature of 87 degrees. Emily Sission set a new meet record of 31:03.82 to win the event. Karissa Schweizer and Alicia Monson took second and third to round out the team for Tokyo.
“I talked to my coach beforehand and he said ‘let's play to your strengths and your strength is your strength,’” Sisson said of her decision to take the lead after the first race and force the field to run Olympic standard, “I was prepared to lead.”
That was just the first of eight meet records set that day.
In the women’s hammer throw final, DeAnna Price broke her previous meet record that she set in the first round by throwing 77.82m on her first throw of the finals. She extended it on her second. On her third attempt, she broke her own national record, throwing 79.98m. That was the farthest throw in the world this year and the eleventh farthest throw in history.
DeAnna Price celebrates after breaking her own American Record for the first time, throwing 79.98m (262-5). She would later go on to break it again in the meet. Photo by How Lao
On her fifth attempt, Price extended her national record, throwing 80.31m. That throw moved her into seventh for the farthest throw in history. Price’s record-breaking series of throws crowned her Trials champion. Brooke Andersen (77.72m) and Gwendolyn Berry (73.50m) joined her on the podium.
“My husband and I worked on competing at the highest level you can,” Prince said. “First one, get it in, make the meet, make the final. Then you go and you attack.”
Rai Benjamin won the final of the men’s 400m hurdles, breaking the meet record, taking the new 2021 world lead and recording the second fastest time in the world ever in a time of 46.83. The previous meet record was set by Edwin Moses in 1988. He was joined on the podium by Kenny Selmon (48.08) and David Kendziera (48.38).
“It was great, I felt great going in. I knew based on running the rounds I knew that I was in 46 shape,” Benjamin said. “It was just a matter of piecing the perfect race together.
Maggie Malone won the women’s javelin, throwing 63.50m—a new meet record—followed by Kara Winger (61.47m) and Avione Allgood-Whetstone (58.94m).
“[Rio] was the first time I’d ever competed internationally. So I had no idea what to expect,” Malone said in her post-event interview. “This time I feel more confident and know I can execute exactly what I’ve been doing all season.”
In the women’s 200m final, Gabby Thomas emerged victorious, clocking 21.61 for the gold medal. Her time is not only a personal record, but also a meet record and world-leading time for this year.
Thomas is now the second fastest woman in history in the event, with only Florence Griffith Joyner (FloJo) having run faster. Former Duck Jenna Prandini ran a personal record of 21.89 for silver, and collegian Anavia Battle ran a personal record of 21.95 for bronze.
Thomas also has an undergraduate degree in neurobiology and is currently pursuing an M.A in epidemiology.
Grant Holloway takes the victory in the men’s 110m hurdles, earning his first Olympic birth. Photo by Jay Bendlin
“I think, for me, being in school really makes me appreciate what I’m doing on the track,” Thomas said. “Being able to compartmentalize two different things that I love doing, it really makes me appreciate the time I have doing it.”
In the pole vault final, Katie Nageotte cleared 4.95m to set a new meet record, personal record and 2021 world lead and to top the podium. Morgan LeLeux cleared 4.7m for silver and Sandi Morris cleared 4.60m for bronze.
Grant Holloway ran a blazing fast time of 12.96 under 97 degree temps to top the field in the men’s 110m hurdles. Holloway’s time is an Olympic Trials record and world lead time. He was joined by former Duck Devon Allen (13.10) and Daniel Roberts (13.11).
In the men’s 200m semifinals, Kenny Bednarek (19.90) and 17-year-old high school senior Erriyon Knighton (19.88) snagged heat wins. Knighton beat Usain Bolt’s 20U world record with his top-qualifying performance. The final will be contested tomorrow.
Sydney McLaughlin (53.03) and Shamier Little (53.71) won their heats in the women’s 400m hurdles semifinal. The final will be contested on Sunday.
In the women’s long jump final, Brittney Reese (7.13m), Tara Davis (7.04m), and Quanesha Burks (6.96m) will represent team USA in Tokyo.
“It was perfect jumping weather out there,” according to Reese. “It produced two seven meter jumps from the competition, and anytime that happens, it’s a good competition.”
The first four events of the women’s heptathlon got underway today, with athletes contesting the 100m hurdles, high jump, shot put and 200m throughout the afternoon.
Heptathlon leader Annie Kunz threw a heptathlon shot put meet record on her second attempt, throwing 15.73m.
Christie and Stevens become Olympic Trials Champions in the 20km race walk
Nick Christie and Robyn Stevens celebrate after winning the Olympic Trials 20K Race Walk in Downtown Springfield. Photo by Otto Horiuchi
By Kate Walkup
SPRINGFIELD, Ore. – Nick Christie and Robyn Stevens both started off with commanding leads and held that position through the finish in the men’s and women’s 20km race walk on the seventh day of competition at the 2020 Track and Field Olympic Trials.
Although neither Trials champion finished under the Olympic standard—Christie finished in 1:30:48 and Stevens finished in 1:35:13—both competitors could still make their Olympic debut in Tokyo, given their world rankings.
Nick Christie (left) crosses the line as the. 20K race walk national champion, with his girlfriend Robyn Stevens (right) getting caught up in the finish line tape as she begins her last lap of the 1K course. Photo by Otto Horiuchi
Christie, of Vacaville, Calif., who also competed in the 50km race walk Olympic Trials in January of this year, has become a dominant race walker in the U.S. over the past few years. He has won 19 national championships from distances ranging from one mile to 50km.
“I was going into the Olympic Trials with a very specific set of marks I needed to hit to qualify,” Christie said. “I thought I was in much better shape than my result showed. I got through 8k/7k and my body was really tired.”
Due to significant heat in the Willamette Valley, the race was moved from a 9:00 a.m. start to a 7:00 a.m. start, but the athletes still raced in 70-degree heat.
The Olympic Trials champion still holds the indoor NAIA 3,000m national record that he set in 2013 during his collegiate career at Missouri Baptist University. In high school, Christie competed in the long jump and pole vault but switched to race walking in college, where he became a five-time NAIA All-American.
Stevens is also from Vacaville, Calif. (the two athletes are a couple) and retired from the sport in 2004 but came back 10 years later. The now Olympic Trials champion has improved ever since her return to the sport. Her Olympic Trials win marks the largest margin of victory in Trials history.
“My plan going in was first of all to just arrive to the starting line with no injuries,” Stevens said. “I knew it was supposed to get hot, so I was basically just trying to pace myself for a win.”
Stevens is the defending national champion who became the first woman to win both the 50km race walk and 20km race walk national championships in back-to-back years. In February, Stevens won the 2021 USATF National 35km Championship.
Robyn Stevens (right) and Taylor Ewert (left) come around the bend in the early stages of the Olympic Trials 20K Race Walk. Photo by Otto Horiuchi
“I felt strong, like I could’ve kept it up, but I wanted to be smart and ensure that I kept my spot,” Stevens said. “The first few laps felt pretty comfortable.”
Daniel Nehnevaj took second in the men’s race, finishing in 1:31:59, and Emmanuel Corvera finished in 1:34:38 to round out the podium. With only several laps of the 1km-loop course remaining, Corvera received a two-minute penalty and had to sit in the penalty box before finishing. Although fourth place was only two minutes and 48 seconds behind Corvera, he managed to hold onto his place, finishing in third—the spot he had been in before getting penalized.
Maria Micheta-Coffey finished second in the women’s race in 1:39:25, and Miranda Melville took third with a finishing time of 1:40:39. Nineteen-year-old Taylor Ewert, who has been the USATF National Junior (U20) 10km Race Walk Champion every year since 2017, started off at a quick pace, but the college freshman dropped back and finished sixth with a time of 1:43:41.
“I think it’s just that Nick and I both think that every day is a new day, and we try to make every day the best day possible for us,” Stevens said. “We give everything our best and we try to make every day better than the last.”
Bor credits long jump skills, bests field in Olympic Trials steeplechase final
Hillary Bor takes the TrackTown20 steeplechase title, earning his second Olympic birth with his 8:21.34. Photo by Jay Bendlin
By Caela Fenton and Kate Walkup
After a dramatic women’s steeplechase final last night, it was the men’s turn today—they didn’t disappoint.
Two-time Olympian Donn Cabral took the field out hard and continued to lead for most of the race, which took place in 93-degree heat. 2016 Olympian in the steeplechase, Hillary Bor, tucked himself in behind Cabral, biding his time.
“My goal this year coming in was just to wait until the last 300 and make a move,” Bor said. “I made a really, really hard move with 500 to go. I kind of sat behind him as much as I could. I was pretending my kids were behind me [with 250 to go] and I knew this was a killer move because I took it to heart and attacked the water pit, and the rest is history.”
The field remained in a tight pack for the majority of the race, only stringing out in the final three-laps. Coming into the bell lap, Isaac Updike and Bor made their move and a front pack emerged, with Bor and Keter blowing by Updike with 300m to go and Mason Ferlic passing him right off of the last water-jump.
The final results were Hillary Bor (8:21.34), Benard Keter (8:21.81) and Mason Ferlic (8:22.05).
Bor and Keter—former and current soldiers in the US Army—fell into each other’s arms, embracing before splaying out on the track, likely with a combination of happiness and heat exhaustion.
Bor, who took his terminal leave from the army this year and is now sponsored by Hoka, was born in Eldoret, Kenya and became a U.S. citizen in 2013. He grew up a track and field athlete, but spent most of his time on the field competing in the long jump and the triple jump.
“I was more of a field events guy [in high school]. I used to do long jump and triple jump,” Bor said. “But there's something in steeple that just took me in [and made me] want to try. I ran it a little bit in high school, but there were no water pits back in Kenya.”
After attempting the steeplechase a few times throughout his high school career, Bor knew it was the event he wanted to pursue in college. In 2007, Bor won a scholarship to Iowa State University.
“I remember when I told my college coach, ‘I want to do the steeple.’ He was like, ‘No, you’re too short for the steeple.’ And I was like, ‘No, I think this is my event.’”
In 2008, Bor placed fourth in the steeplechase at NCAA Championships to earn All-American status.
Bor made his first Olympic Trials debut in 2016, where he placed second in the steeplechase and made his first Olympic team. Although the former field athlete now sticks to the track, Bor continues to give the field events credit when it comes to his jumping abilities.
“I want to say the reason why I have the best water jump is because of my history with the long jump and triple jump,” Bor said. “If you see, I can finish the race without touching the water.”
Bor himself has been an inspiration to Keter. Both athletes were born in Kenya, competed collegiately, joined the U.S. Army and became American citizens while chasing their Olympic dreams. Keter also looks up to his brother, an Olympic steeplechaser as well.
“I wanted to be an Olympian just like him. You know, I always wanted to continue the family legacy,” Keter said.
Benard Keter embraces Hillary Bor after earning his spot on the Tokyo Olympic team on Friday. Photo by Adam Eberhardt
Keter first ran collegiately for Wayland Baptist, winning an NAIA championship before transferring to Texas Tech, where he was a four-time Big Ten champion. He placed 10th in the NCAA steeple in 2016 and 6th in 2017. Keter is the second Kenyan-born Texas Tech alumni to make the 2012 Olympic squad, after Sally Kipyego in the marathon.
Keter only began competing professionally in 2019 and views the pandemic-related postponement as lucky for him. He injured his achilles in May of last year, and likely would have been unable to race the Trials had they been held on time.
After the postponement, he set high goals for himself for 2021.
“I wrote a note to myself, and it’s still on my fridge. I told myself I was going to be an Olympian, and possibly running 8:10 this year,” Keter said. “So, now I've made the Olympic team but the next goal is to run 8:10, or faster.”
And he thinks he can do it this season. All he needs is a fast race, preferably one with a rabbit. “I think if I can get to a race that is going for the time from the gun, I think I can run really fast.”
For Mason Ferlic, racing at Hayward Field brings back memories. At the 2015 NCAA Outdoor Championships, he took a tumble into the water jump.
Mason Ferlic celebrates after snagging the final spot on the Olympic team in the steeplechase on Friday. Photo by Jay Bendlin
He can laugh now about the “iconic spill” he took, joking that he “made the U.S. diving team in that race, face first right into four inches of water.
But that fall at Hayward six years ago, in some ways, influenced the athlete that he is today.
“I just remember coming out of the water just gasping for air and being like, ‘What the heck happened?’ I got complacent [...] And that trip into the water was like, ‘Hey, don't take this for granted,’” Ferlic explained. “I turned that high dive into momentum for my senior season, and whether there's parallels or not, the pandemic and 2020 was similar.
“It was a high dive for all of us in this sport. We had the rug under our feet whipped out from under us and the sport came careening into four inches of water, and a lot of people asked what's next, what do we do, and for me that was the reset, that was like, ‘hey, stop taking this for granted.’”
Ferlic was the 2016 NCAA Champion in the steeplechase in 2016 and placed 5th in the Olympic Trials that year. This year, Ferlic qualified to race in the 1500m, 5,000m and the steeplechase at the Trials, but chose to focus on the latter. He trains in Ann Arbor Michigan alongside Nick Willis and high school standout Hobbs Kessler.
Ferlic also shares some characteristics with bronze medallist in the women’s steeple, Val Constien, in that he also works full-time while competing at the elite level. Ferlic just finished his first year of his PhD in statistics at the University of Michigan.
“I don't consider myself like a monk in a monastery when it comes to running,” Ferlic said, claiming that balancing his work, school and running has allowed him to develop holistically as a person and not just a runner.
Ferlic wears a Tracksmith singlet (like Constien), but also works with the brand in business analytics. When pressed about whether he would be seeking a more traditional big-ticket sponsorship moving forward, Ferlic was unsure.
“I'm at the point in my career that I value the connections and the growth,” Ferlic said. “It's exciting to be part of a brand that is invested in the sport and invested in the people, and invested in me.”
Now, the team of Bor, Keter and Ferlic will represent the U.S. in the steeplechase in Tokyo, with their eyes on the podium.
“I never thought I could be an Olympian in my life; but now, to be a second time, you can’t ask for anything better,” Bor said.
Nine false starts rile up the Hayward fans, steeplechase and discus champions crowned
Mason Finley (center), Reggie Jagers (left), and Sam Mattis (right) stand atop the podium as freshly minted Olympians after the shot put finals on Friday. Photo by Adam Eberhardt
By Caela Fenton and Kate Walkup
EUGENE, Ore. – In the first of two finals on Friday, Mason Finley (63.07m), Reggie Jagers (62.61m) and Sam Mattis (62.51m) topped the podium in the men’s discus to kick off the sixth day of competition at the 2020 Track and Field Olympic Trials at Hayward Field.
“My warmups weren’t going great, my first three throws weren’t going great, and then I just stopped trying to tweak things and said, ‘you’ve just got to make this team, you gotta go,’” Finley said. “I settled into my technique and turned a bad day into an ok day.”
In the first round of the men’s 110m hurdles, Grant Holloway (13.11), Daniel Roberts (13.22), former Duck Devon Allen (13.26) and Jaylan McConico (13.35) took heat wins to lead the qualifiers into Saturday’s semifinal. The fourth heat witnessed four false starts before getting off smoothly.
McConico said that four call-backs was the most he’s ever heard of in a race. “I’ve seen maybe three, tops,” he explained, “but you have to expect anything in championship season.” He says the key to making it through is to “just stay focused and be able to dial back in.”
The top eight women in the 800m semifinal advanced to Saturday’s final. Athing Mu (1:59.31) and Ajee’ Wilson (1:59.49) won their respective heats.
Athing Mu was the top qualifier on to the women’s 800m final, clocking 1:59.31 in the semis. Photo by Otto Horiuchi
“I haven’t raced an 800 in awhile, besides yesterday,” Mu said. “April is the last time I got to see how my gears work in the race, so being able to do it in the semi definitely makes me feel so much better going into the final.”
Sydney McLaughlin (54.07), Shamier Little (55.22), Cassandra Tate (56.11) and world record holder Dalilah Muhammad (55.51) took away heat wins to lead the top 16 women in the 400m hurdles to Saturday’s semifinal. The first heat saw multiple call-backs, similar to the men’s 110m hurdles. By the third false start call for the women, the Hayward crowd started voicing its displeasure.
In the men’s 1,500m semifinal, Craig Engels led the first heat to the fastest Trials semifinal ever, clocking 3:38.56. Matthew Centrowitz won the second semifinal in 3:42.96—the former Duck crossed the line with current University of Oregon freshman Cole Hocker. The top 12 qualifiers advanced to the final that will be contested on Sunday.
Former Duck Jenna Prandini sprinted to a personal record of 21.99 and Gabby Thomas also ran a personal record, clocking 21.94, to win their heats in the women’s 200m semifinal. The top eight sprinters—including five-time Olympian Allyson Felix—advanced to the final scheduled for Saturday.
To close out day six of the Olympic Trials, Hillary Bor (8:21.34), Benard Keter (8:21.81) and Mason Ferlic (8:22.05) raced their way onto the U.S. men’s 3,000m steeplechase team.
“It was just to come in, execute my race and it was tough, but it's one of the best accomplishments I’ve met,” Bor said. “I wanted to make sure 2016 was not a fluke.”
Erriyon Knighton (far right) runs s a new U.S. high school 200m record, 20.04, taking down Noah Lyles' record set at the 2016 Olympic Trials. Photo by Jay Bendlin
Maggie Malone threw 59.62m to lead the top 12 women in the javelin to Saturday’s final.
The men’s qualifying round of the long jump saw an 8.12m jump by Jarrion Lawson to lead the qualifying field of 12 to the final on Sunday.
Kenny Selmon (48.51) and Rai Benjamin (48.61) took heat wins to lead the eight fastest hurdlers to the final of the men’s 400m hurdles scheduled for Saturday.
Erriyon Knighton (20.04), Isiah Young (20.21), Terrance Laird (20.44) and Andrew Hudson (20.40) won their respective heats of the men’s 200m first round. The semifinal will be contested on Saturday.
Six athletes cleared 2.19m in the men’s high jump qualifying round. The top 12 jumpers advanced to the final will be contested on Sunday.
Bill Dellinger was honoured as the 2021 Legendary Coach, receiving a standing ovation from Hayward Field.
Coburn runs to 9th time as US Steeplechase Champion, Falland has gut-wrenching fall in the pursuit of podium
Emma Coburn wins her ninth national title, earning her third Olympic steeplechase birth on Thursday. Photo by Jay Bendlin
By Caela Fenton and Kate Walkup
In the women’s 3,000m steeplechase final, the most exciting and the most gut-wrenching realities of the Olympic Trials were on display.
The finals featured twelve women, eight of whom had the Olympic standard going in. By anyone’s estimation, it was likely to be a race for third, with veteran steeplechase Olympians and World Championships medallists Emma Coburn and Courtney Frerichs expected to lead the pack.
Coburn—who started on the far outside lane—spent the first half of the race in the middle of the pack, steadily working her way up to the front. Frerichs made a move with about four laps to go. The move was covered by Coburn and Leah Falland, who pulled away from the chase pack and seemed to establish themselves as the future Tokyo team.
“I've worked really really hard to get back to a place where I could contend for that team and I wasn't afraid at all,” Falland said. “ I believe in myself wholeheartedly and I felt like I was in a really good position. I just settled into third and I could feel us peeling away from the rest of the pack and that's what I had envisioned.”
But then Leah Falland tripped.
Similar to Jackson Mestler’s taking advantage of a double fall in the men’s steeplechase prelims, for Val Constien, who had been sitting in fourth, the reality was that another runner’s fall was her own chance.
“As soon as I saw her take a tumble. I knew that I had a really, really good opportunity,”
The Colorado native did not take any pleasure in the fact that the bad luck of a fellow athlete was her own good fortune.
“It breaks my heart to see that happen. But, it's a part of racing. And I mean, I'm really, really happy to be here and I think I earned it and I think I worked hard,” Constien said. “But, I think if she hadn't fallen down, I mean she might be sitting in this seat.”
She added, “I really wish Leah hadn’t fallen because I think it could have been an even more exciting race.”
Val Constien claims the third Olympic steeplechase spot, joining fellow Colorado alumni Emma Coburn on the Tokyo team. Photo by Matt Parker
Constien is a self-described “blue-collar runner,” meaning that she works a 40-hour a week day job. In an increasingly commercially professionalized sporting world, it is rare to see runners like Constien who live the amateur grind, medalling at events like the Trials. The 25-year old is sponsored by Tracksmith, but that support provides clothing only. She pays for all of her own racing, travel and training costs out of her own pocket.
She hopes that her success will help communicate that people who work full-time can still have Olympic aspirations—and be serious about them.
Coburn’s 9:09.41 established a new meet record for the Trials (besting her own previous record of 9:17.48) and served as her ninth time as the U.S. national champion. She won her first American title 10 years ago, and has been the defending champion ever since, save for 2013, during which she did not compete due to injury.
Frerich’s 9:11.79 served as a season’s best for the current American record holder. Constien’s 9:18.34 was a personal record. Each of the athletes in the final who placed first through eighth, posted the fastest times in U.S. Trials history for those placings.
As much as the crowd might like to project an idea of a bitter rivalry between Coburn and Frerichs, who have topped the American steeplechase scene for years now, Coburn says that is far from reality.
“Courtney and I genuinely really like each other. We want to beat each other and we're not secretive about that,” Coburn said. “I know she wants to beat me and I want to beat her. But we also know that we make each other better. We just keep getting better and better, and so I think together we can make a splash in Tokyo and come home with some hardware.”
For Coburn, despite having been in this position before (this is her third Olympic team), this one was particularly special after a difficult year.
“My mom was diagnosed with stage four colon cancer in December of 2019,” Coburn explains. “From a personal standpoint, last year I was able to spend the whole year with my mom at home, and that was a really, really hard year but there was a silver lining that I was able to spend time with her and be there through a lot of great moments and some scary moments too. I'm just grateful that the trials happened, I've gotten to Tokyo, and we can just keep on this streak and kind of get life back to normal.”
It was also an emotional night for Frerichs. While elated to make her second Olympic team, the 28-year-old was emotional post-race about the absence of her teammate, Shelby Houlihan, from the Trials. Houlihan, who failed a drug test earlier in the year, was recently given a four-year ban.
“We found out that she had been officially given the ban, just under two weeks ago, and that was probably one of the hardest weeks of my life,” Frerichs said. “Shelby is somebody who I basically have walked alongside my entire career, we've made every team together, and so for her to not be here honestly it's just absolutely devastating.”
Courney Frerichs clears the water jump in the steeplechase final on Thursday. Photo by Jay Bendlin
Each of the athletes who qualified for Tokyo made their way over to Falland, who was in shock and disbelief on the track, after the race.
While devastated about the loss of her own Olympic opportunity, Falland epitomized sportsmanship after the race.
“The women who made the team are incredible and I'm really happy for them,” Falland said. “They took time out of their victory lap to hug me and tell me good job and supported me. It's really hard, and I’m upset, but I'm really happy for them. I'm going to be cheering for them in Tokyo.”
Coburn, Frerichs and Constein will be headed toward a fast Olympic field. Coburn thinks that the Tokyo steeplechase final will be nine minutes or faster. And she feels ready to take that on.
“Every year since 2017, I felt that I was fit enough to break nine minutes,” Coburn said. “It's not a fitness issue, it's a getting in the race and making it happen. If I'm going to try and win a medal in Tokyo, I think it's going to be a nine minutes or sub nine minute race.”
Coburn will head back to life with Team Boss, the training group coached by her husband, Joe Bosshard, whose members also include newly Tokyo qualified 1,500m runner, Cory McGee. Coburn thinks the philosophy behind Team Boss has elevated her game.
“I think because we are a group that's not backed by a shoe company, it's not backed by anyone but ourselves, so we have a lot of autonomy,” Coburn said. “We really get to cultivate a group of people that we believe in as people and as athletes and everyone is choosing to be on this team. We're friends, we believe in each other, we want to be together, we want to fight together—they're my favorite people.”
Frerichs plans on heading back up to altitude for another training block with her team, the Bowerman Track Club, before the Olympics. Constien isn’t entirely sure how her life will change now that she’s an Olympian-to-be. A shoe contract might be nice, but she still wants to keep her day job.
Two finals two meet records
Jessica Ramsey celebrates after setting the Olympic Trials meet record in the shot put, launching the shot 20.12m. Photo by How Lao
By Caela Fenton and Kate Walkup
EUGENE, Ore. – In one of only two finals on Thursday at the 2020 Track and Field Olympic Trials, 2016 Olympian Raven Saunders broke Michelle Carter’s 2016 shot put meet record, throwing a personal record of 19.96m on her third attempt. Just minutes after Saunders set a new meet record, Jessica Ramsey took it down, throwing a personal record of 20.12m on her fourth attempt.
Ramsey’s meet-record throw came out on top, and she was crowned Olympic Trials Champion in the event
“I was prepared for this. I knew it was somewhere in there,” Ramsey said.
“Outside of teammates, we’re friends, then we’re competitors,” Ramsey said about Saunders. “We push each other. When I set it off, I went by her and I did it.”
In the second of two finals being contested tonight, Emma Coburn ran a new meet record of 9:09.41 to win the women’s 3,000m steeplechase. Courtney Frerichs placed second in a season’s best time of 9:11.79. Val Constien ran 9:18.34—a personal record—to snag the third spot on the podium.
“I just wanted to stay as chill as I could the first half and then Courtney, with maybe four laps to go, started really pushing,” Coburn said. “I was excited about that just because it thinned out the pack. She was rolling, and I was just trying to stick behind her and then with like two laps to go, I made a big push and didn't look back.”
DeAnna Price breaks the meet record on her first throw of the hammer qualifying rounds, throwing 77.10m. Photo by Jay Bendlin
In the qualifying rounds of the women’s hammer throw, DeAnna Price threw a meet record of 77.10m to lead the top 12 throwers into the final scheduled for Saturday. The top six women have all thrown farther than the Olympic standard—two of which achieved the standard in Thursday’s qualifying round.
High school standout Hobbs Kessler won heat one of the first round of the men’s 1,500m in 3:45.63. The 18 year old went from sixth to first in the last 100m, winning his professional debut (he signed with Adidas immediately before the Trials).
“I don’t have much experience with these races, so for the first bit I didn’t know how it was going to play out,” Kessler said. “I was just staying in position. But at 100 to go, I knew I was going to make it.”
University of Oregon freshman Cole Hocker took the win in the second heat in 3:39.72. Former Duck Sam Prakel won the third heat in 3:39.02.
Hocker, in his first year as a Duck, already has three NCAA titles to his name. At the indoor championships, Hocker took the top spot in the mile and 3,000m. At the outdoor championship, he won the 1,500m title and then doubled back to finish fourth in the 5,000m.
“I’ve grown a lot and am able to trust myself more and more with the confidence I’ve given myself through racing,” Hocker said about his development as an athlete over the last year.
In the first round of the women’s 200m, Cambrea Sturgis of North Carolina A&T won the first heat in 22.37. She won the 100m and the 200m at the NCAA Championships this year. Anavia Battle won heat two in the time of 22.37. Former Duck Jenna Prandini ran a personal best of 22.14 to win the third heat.
Gabby Thomas won heat four, running a personal record of 21.98—the first woman to break 22 seconds in 2021, moving her into the world lead.
Gabby Thomas clocks a world leading 21.98 in the 200m prelims on Thursday. Photo by Otto Horiuchi
Thomas says she was surprised that she ran the world lead time in the prelims. “I really was surprised because nearing the end I decided to slow down, so I was expecting maybe a 22.01. I feel like I have more left, so I’m super excited!”
Tamara Clark clocked 22.44 to win the fifth and final heat.
The women’s 800m kicked off on Thursday, with Chanelle Price (1:59.86) winning the first heat. Athing Mu—2021 NCAA Champion in the 400m and the 4x100m relay—ran 2:00.69 to win heat two. Ajee’ Wilson (2:00.55) won heat three, Sabrina Southerland (2:00.85) took the win in heat four and former Duck Raevyn Rogers (2:00.75) won the fifth heat to round out the first round.
The first round of the men’s 5,000m saw heat wins by Eric Jenkins (13:43.18) and Paul Chelimo (13:36.66). For Jenkins, the heat win was a confidence boost after the former Duck dropped out of the 10,000m on Friday.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve been in a meet like this, fighting for a spot on a team. Probably since 2017,” Jenkins explained. “I just let the moment overwhelm me and that’s about it. After the race, I just had to meet with my coach and have some words of wisdom spoken to me, and reset.”
Legend Boyesen Hayes threw 62.59m to lead the top 12 throwers in the men’s discus to the finals scheduled for Friday.
In the qualifying rounds of the women’s pole vault, five women cleared 4.50m to lead the top 12 vaulters to Sunday’s final. Half of the qualifiers already have the Olympic standard.
In the qualifying rounds of the women’s long jump, Brittney Reese jumped a season best of 6.86m to lead the field of 12 qualifiers to Saturday’s final.
Kenny Selmon (49.03), Rai Benjamin (49.12), Amere Lattin (49.81) and Cameron Samuel (49.89) won their respective heats in the first round of the men’s 400m hurdles. The top 16 advanced to Saturday’s final.
Olympic Trials competition schedule adjustments
Olympic Trials competition schedule adjustments
June 23, 2021
USA Track & Field tonight announced adjustments to the competition schedule for the U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Track & Field with regard to athlete safety while competing in high temperatures.
With a triple-digit temperature forecast over the weekend, the women’s 10,000m final will now be run in one section at 10:00 a.m. Pacific on Saturday, June 26. The men’s 5,000m final will now be run at 10:00 a.m. Pacific on Sunday, June 27.
The free park and ride shuttle from the Valley River Center will begin operating at 9 a.m. on both Saturday and Sunday, and the gates at Hayward Field at the University of Oregon will open to spectators at 9:00 am on both mornings as well. A valid ticket for the day’s session will be required to watch the races.
Spectators will be permitted to exit the secure perimeter after the races, but they will need to receive a hand stamp as they are leaving in order to be able to return later in the day. A hand stamp and a ticket are required for re-entry later in the day.
Limited food and beverage concessions will be available for the morning races, with free potable water available in the venue as well.
Spectator information for the event can be found here. All event-related information is available at TrackTown20.com.
Just a kid from Eugene
Oregon’s Jackson Mestler advances on to the Olympic Trials steeplechase final, set to take place on Friday. Photo by Matt Parker
By Caela Fenton and Kate Walkup
On the final day to qualify for the Olympic Trials, Eugene native and University of Oregon athlete Jackson Mestler took one more shot at the 3,000m steeplechase during a last-minute time trial at Hayward Field.
He is now preparing for his first Olympic Trials final and a chance to make the U.S. Olympic Team.
Mestler’s qualifying round was dramatic to say the least. With about 200m to go, he found himself in seventh place, just outside the top-five automatic-qualifying spots.
Then the steeplechase did its thing, and all of a sudden, two runners had wiped out in the final water jump, giving Mestler the opportunity to extend his Trials experience a little longer. Mestler finished his heat in fifth place, clocking 8:33.09.
In his post-race interview, Mestler clearly did not take pleasure in his competitors taking spills, even though it aided his own race.
“It's a bummer that, you know, I was in seventh with 200 left and then two guys fell in front of me,” Mestler said. “But, that’s the nature of what can happen and I’m glad I took advantage of the opportunity and stayed on my feet.”
Photo by Matt Parker
He later encapsulated the steeplechase in more explicit language, “Sh*t happens sometimes,” he chuckled.
This perhaps may be something he learned from his father, a four-time all American in the steeplechase between 1988-92, who competed in the 1996 and 2000 Olympic Trials.
Mestler—born and raised a Duck—has one more race wearing an Oregon uniform at Hayward field. Parents Rick and Jill Mestler both ran for Oregon, younger sister Caramia Mestler is a current member of the team and younger brother Vincent Mestler will be an incoming freshman for the Ducks in the fall.
The Mestlers are an intrinsic part of the Eugene running community. Jill has run the Oregon All-Comers meets since 2005, and all the Mestler kids grew up volunteering at meets at Hayward and other local races.
The race was bound to be a tough one no matter what, with the afternoon temperature in Eugene sitting at 94 degrees.
“Water,” Mestler joked when asked about his strategy for staying cool pre-race. “And then when that dried off, I got more water and dumped it on myself. And then I got colder water and dumped that on myself again.”
At the Pac-12 Championships earlier this year, Mestler won the steeplechase. At the NCAA Championships just a week before Trials, Mestler just missed the qualifying spot for the finals. Just four days after he thought his season was over, Mestler toed the line for one more chance to qualify for the Olympic Trials and follow in his father’s footsteps.
“Rest. Hydrate. Repeat,” Mestler said in regards to preparing for Friday. “We’ll be ready. Five days is plenty of time.”
Battles in the heat on the fourth day of the Olympic Trials
Elle Purrier St. Pierre takes her victory lap around Hayward Field after lowering the meet record to 3:58.03. Photo by Jay Bendlin
By Caela Fenton and Kate Walkup
EUGENE, Ore. – The fourth day of the 2020 Track and Field Olympic Trials was a big one at Hayward Field, with six finals contested.
The men’s 3,000m steeplechase was the only preliminary round on deck in a day packed with finals. Isaac Updike (8:21.01) and Hillary Bor (8:21.09) crossed the finish line together to take first and second in the first heat.
Despite gesturing to each other that they could ease across the line, Updike and Bor led what was the fastest steeplechase prelim in U.S. Olympic Trials history. Benard Keter won the second heat in 8:29.04.
Eugene native and University of Oregon athlete Jackson Mestler advances to the final in the steeplechase, after getting the Olympic Trials standard only last week.
The women’s 1,500m final saw a deep field battle it out. Elle Purrier St. Pierre won, followed by Cory McGee and Heather MacLean. Purrier St. Pierre ran a personal record and meet record, lowering Mary Slaney’s 3:58.92 by running 3:58.03. McGee also ran a personal record of 4:00.67. MacLean ran a personal record as well and achieved her Olympic standard during the race, running 4:02.09
An emotional Purrier St. Pierre said that having her training partner and close friend MacLean (who was in her wedding party) make the team with her makes the experience extra special.
“Training with her has been great for both of us, we’ve made each other better and have supported each other through this,” Purrier St. Pierre said. “I didn’t know what had happened until I turned around, but when I saw her name, I was just so happy. We get to do this together!
Purrier St. Pierre also said that getting shoved in the first 50m of the race motivated her to take the lead. “I wanted to get out of the mess,” she explained. “I was just like, screw it, I’m going for it!”
Clayton Murphy defends his Olympic Trials 800m title, running a world-leading 1:43.17. Photo by Otto Horiuchi
In the men’s 800m, Clayton Murphy was crowned Trials champion, followed by Isaiah Jewett and Bryce Hoppel. Murphy ran his way to a world-lead time and Hayward Field record with his negatively split 1:43.17.
“I’m super excited to see what I can do over the next six weeks and to actually train like an 800-meter runner,” Murphy said about his training plan leading into Tokyo.
In the men’s pole vault final, Chris Nielsen was crowned Trials champion, clearing 5.90m. KC Lightfoot and Sam Kendricks tied for second, clearing 5.85m.
Chris Nielsen (Center), Sam Kendricks (Right), and KC Lightfoot (Left) are your men’s pole vault Olympic Team. Photo by Adam Eberhardt
Curtis Thompson topped the podium In the men’s javelin, throwing a season best of 82.78m. Michael Shuey (79.24) and Riley Dolezal (77.07) took second and third.
Thompson threw a season’s best, but as of yet does not have the Olympic standard (85m). Thompson says his level of optimism is high that he, Shuey and Dolezal will get the call to go to Tokyo. “I just have to keep doing what I’m doing and hope for the best,” Thompson says, “I hope the three of us qualify and represent the US the best we can.”
Will Claye (17.21m), Donald Scott (17.18m) and Chris Benard (17.01m) came out on top in the men’s triple jump.
In the final event of the day, 15 runners fought tough weather conditions, racing in 91 degree heat. Elise Cranny recorded a season best of 15:27.81 to take the win, and Karissa Schweizer (15:28.11) and Rachel Schneider (15:29.56) placed second and third to round out the podium.
Cranny said post-race that it was pre-planned that she and Schweizer would share leading duties throughout the race. “It was great to be there with Karissa, and also have Gwen [Jorgensen] and Vanessa [Fraser] in the race as well,” Cranny said. “It just makes it feel like practice and feeding off of each other’s team energy.”
Allyson Felix makes fifth Olympic Team, first since becoming a mother
Allyson Felix celebrates with her daughter Camryn after making her fifth Olympic Team. Photo by Jay Bendlin
By Caela Fenton and Kate Walkup
Allyson Felix relied on a strong final 50 meters to qualify for her fifth Olympic Games at the 2020 Track and Field Olympic Trials at Hayward Field, running a season best of 50.02 in the finals of the 400-meter dash. Felix is only the sixth female U.S. track and field athlete to qualify for five Olympics.
“Honestly, I just told myself before the race that, when it comes down to it, I'd have to fight,” Felix said. “That's been a theme of mine for the past couple years. I was just going to give it my all and leave it all on the track.”
Minutes after crossing the finish line, Felix picked up her two-year-old daughter and carried her down to the track, where the mother-daughter duo shared the historic moment together.
Felix gave birth to Camryn at 32 weeks via an emergency C-section. In an opinion piece Felix wrote for New York Times, she said that her then-sponsor Nike would not guarantee that she “wouldn’t be punished if I didn’t perform at my best in the months surrounding childbirth.”
Felix has been a vocal advocate of maternity protection for athletes. In May of 2019, she published an op-ed in the New York Times detailing that when she asked Nike to contractually agree to maternity protections, Nike declined.
Despite being one of the most decorated athletes in the history of track and field, Nike offered Felix 70% less pay after she became a mother.
Felix—along with other Olympians Alysia Montaño and Kara Goucher—represents the rising demand for change in the sport industry. As Felix said, “The rules are still mostly made for and by men.”
After leaving Nike in 2019, Felix became Athleta’s first sponsored athlete and has been with them ever since. Gymnastics phenom Simone Biles joined Felix and the Athleta team earlier this year.
Felix wasn’t the only mother celebrating post-race with a child on the track.
Quanera Hayes won the 400, crossing the finish line in 49.78. Her two-year-old son, Demetrius, joined her on the track, participating with Haynes on the medalists’ victory lap and standing with her on the podium.
Quanera Haynes (center) also joins Felix (left) as a mother to make the Olympic Team destined for Tokyo. Photo by Jay Bendlin
Hayes and Felix join a cohort of athletes, including the USA Olympic Marathon Trials winner, Aliphine Tuliamuk, who are currently uncertain as to whether their infants/toddlers will be able to travel to Tokyo with them for the Olympics, given the rules barring international spectators.
Felix expressed her gratitude about sharing that moment on the Hayward Field track with her daughter.
“I just wanted to really show [Camryn] that no matter what, you do things with character, integrity, and you don't give up,” Felix said. “To me, whether that was winning, losing, no matter the outcome, I wanted to stay consistent to that.”
The 2004 Olympics in Athens marked Felix’s Olympic debut, where she won silver in the 200 meters at the age of 18. Now, at the age of 35 and a mother, the USC alum has come full circle, competing for one last time at the Olympic Trials at Hayward Field.
“I knew that this was going to be my last Olympic trials,” Felix said. “I knew I wanted to come race in this beautiful stadium, and having my daughter here was just like icing on the cake.”
Photo by Adam Eberhardt
Rudy Winkler sets new American record in the hammer throw and sets sights on Olympic podium
With Lance Deal (right) watching on, Rudy Winkler celebrates after launching the American Record at Hayward Field on Sunday. Photo by Tim Healy
By Caela Fenton
Every athlete faced obstacles during the pandemic, with training facilities closed and competitions postponed. For hammer thrower Rudy Winkler, Covid-19 truly hit home when the athlete tested positive for the virus in early April 2020. He describes having run through the “gauntlet of symptoms,” which ultimately ended up in him taking a month off from training.
“So after that I kind of had to build back up from square one and I felt like that was good in a way...my physical fitness and my mental fitness and everything has just kind of built up since then so I think the hurdles I faced along the way were a positive in a way,” the 26-year old from Sand Lake, NY explains.
And it has clearly been quite the build up.
Winkler threw 82.71m for a new American record, besting Lance Deal’s 82.52m which has stood since 1996. Deal, who was on site for Winkler’s throw, was one of the first to congratulate him, telling Winkler “I’m really proud of you.” Winkler also bested Deal’s consistency record, with five out of six of his throws landing over 80m.
Lance Deal (front) congratulates Rudy Winkler (back) after Winkler bests his American Hammer Throw Record. Photo by Tim Healy
Winkler thinks that there is more to come. When he launched the throw that would end up being a record-breaker, he was surprised by how easy the distance felt. “I don’t think that’s it for me,” he says. He’ll soak up this moment for now though. When asked what this record means to him, Winkler responded, “It means the world...I really don’t have any words for it. It’s everything that I’ve been working for.”
As the 2016 Trials champion, Winkler has already come so far. He threw 76.76m to win the Trials in 2016, which was just shy of the 77m Olympic standard. The then 20-year-old was invited to join the field in Rio, as an insufficient number of athletes had achieved the standard.
Winkler describes his 2016 experience as “kind of unexpected” as he was still “immature in terms of my experience.” He says these Trials are a whole different experience, after preparing for five years, including making the 2019 World Championships hammer throw final in Doha.
Winkler’s throw was also a facility record for Hayward Field, a record formerly held by Koji Murofushi of Japan. Winkler calls Murofushi a “huge role model” of his. “I couldn’t ask for more, to live in the same sort of shoes that Koji lived in is a huge honour,” Winkler says.
It has been 25 years since the USA had a men’s hammer thrower on the Olympic podium and close to 100 years since it has had multiple on the podium. Winkler thinks that with fellow teammates, Daniel Haugh and Alex Young, more than one spot on the podium is possible. “We’ve been so consistent this year,” Winkler says, “Everyone today threw a personal best, and that bodes very well for us in Tokyo.”
An American record in the hammer throw and a fifth Olympics for Felix
Rudy Winkler breaks Lance Deals American Hammer Throw Record in a cage built by Deal at Hayward Field. Photo by How Lao
By Caela Fenton and Kate Walkup
On the third day of the 2020 Track and Field Olympic Trials, Rudy Winkler set a meet record of 80.75m to open the finals of the men’s hammer throw. The previous meet record (80.12m) was set by Jud Logan in 1992. For Winkler’s second throw of the competition, he extended his meet record and broke the national record, throwing 82.71m. The previous national record (82.52m) was set by Lance Deal in 1996.
“If you saw my practices leading up to this I don’t think this would surprise you,” Winkler said post-event. “My mindset going into this was just to stay focused and not overdo it.”
All three top finishers in the hammer throw recorded personal records. Daniel Haugh (79.39m) came in second and Alex Young (78.32m) in third.
In the women’s high jump final, Vashti Cunningham won, clearing a height of 1.96m. Inika McPherson and Nichole Greene both cleared 1.93m to finish in second and third.
Keturah Orji wins her fifth straight U.S. national title in the women’s triple jump on Sunday. Photo by Matt Parker
In the women’s triple jump final, Keturah Orji broke the meet record, jumping 14.52m. Tori Franklin (14.36m) took second and Jasmine Moore (14.53m) took third.
“A lot of people look at the event as weak, and so it’s exciting to have three people with the standard going to the Olympics,” Orji said.
Orji is the American record holder and placed 4th at the 2016 Olympics.
Keni Harrison (12.47), Brianna McNeal (12.51) and Christina Clemons (12.53) topped the podium in the women’s 100m hurdles. Harrison, who went into the 2016 Olympic Trials as the favorite but missed making the team, came back with a vengeance this year.
In the women’s 400m, Quanera Hayes (49.78), Allyson Felix (50.02) and Wadeline Jonathas (50.03) are Tokyo bound. Jonathas ran the fastest time for 3rd place in Olympic Trials history. Hayes and Felix were both joined by their toddlers on the track immediately post-race.
The 1-2 punch by veterans Hayes and Felix seems to speak to the importance of big meet experience. Hayes says experience means that, “You know what you’re up for when you’re coming to races like this, and you know what’s at stake. It means taking your time and running your own race, not running anyone else’s race.”
In the men’s 400m, Michael Norman (44.07), Michael Cherry (44.35) and Randolph Ross (44.74) took the podium. The field for this final featured eighth athletes who all came into the final with the Olympic standard.
Trayvon Bromell took the top spot in the men’s 100m final, clocking 9.80. He was joined on the podium by Ronnie Baker (9.85) and Fred Kerley (9.86).
Trayvon Bromell completes his comeback from injury to earn his spot on the Olympic Team heading to Tokyo. Photo. by Jay Bendlin
“I had to go into the race humble and understand that I can’t get complacent and think that this is just up for grabs. I had to give every athlete in the field their respect,” Bromell said of his race attitude. And now? “I’m still going to go home and train like I’m not being talked about at all.”
The women’s 3,000m steeplechase got underway today with Grayson Murphy (9:25.37) and Emma Coburn (9:21.32) winning their preliminary heats. The final will be contested on Thursday evening. Murphy is the 2019 World Mountain Running Champion. Coburn is the 2017 World Champion and 2016 Olympics bronze medallist in the steeplechase.
Sunday marked the final day of the men’s decathlon where Garret Scantling (8647 points), Steven Bastien (8485) and Zach Ziemek (8471) topped the podium. Bastien and Ziemek achieved their Olympic standard at the Trials, both athletes are also unsponsored.
Sha’Carri Richardson makes a statement at the Olympic Trials
Sha’Carri Richardson floats across the line in the 100m semi-finals, clocking 10.64 (+2.6). Photo by How Lao
By Caela Fenton
The crowd loves Sha’Carri Richardson.
The 21-year-old from Dallas, Texas delivered one electric performance after another in her debut at the 2020 Track and Field Olympic Trials. Richardson went pro in 2019 after one year of competition at Louisiana State University (during which she captured the NCAA title in the 100m).
Richardson ran 10.86 in the 100m final to secure her Tokyo berth. That 10.86 came on the heels of a 10.64 in the semi-finals earlier in the afternoon, during which Richardson pointed at the clock for the final 10m of the race, a show of confidence and a move that sent the Hayward Field crowd to new decibels.
Richardson’s post-final celebration was more of an emotional one. Seconds after finishing the race, with all her competitors still on the track, Richardson bounded up to the stands and into the arms of her grandmother.
Sha’Carri Richardson (right) celebrates with her grandmother (left) after earning her spot on the U.S. Olympic Team in the 100m. Photo by Sarah Northrop
“My grandmother is my Superwoman, so to be able to just have her here at the biggest meet of my life,” Richardson said post-race. “Honestly, that will probably feel better than winning the race itself, of being able to just hold her after becoming an Olympian.”
Family means everything to Richardson, who revealed in a trackside interview immediately post-race that she had found out about the death of her biological mother in the week before trials.
“Nobody knows what I go through. Everybody has struggles and I understand that,” Richardson said. “But y’all see me on this track and y’all see the poker face I put on but nobody but them [her family] and my coach, know what I go through on a day to day basis…without them, there would be no me. Without my grandmother, there would be no Sha’Carri Richardson.”
While the athlete did not wish to elaborate on her biological mother’s passing, saying that it is sensitive and confusing topic for her to speak on, but she did say this: “I am grateful for her giving me life, bringing me into this world...I will always love and respect her for that and I definitely pay her respect every time I step on a track. I love her, and I know she loved me.”
Despite this emotional situation leading into the trials, Richardson—through the strength of the rest of her family—was able to stay focused on her Olympic goal.
Richardson says she has dreamed of being an Olympian since she first started in the sport as a kid. Javianne Oliver (26) and Teahna Daniels (24) rounded out the podium for the women’s 100m, making this a fleet of young, first-time Olympians in the event.
In 2016, Richardson was competing at the AAU Junior Olympics while many of her other competitors were in Eugene trying to make the Olympic team for Rio. After winning the 100m at the Junior Olympics, Richardson came back the next year and won the 100m at the USA Track and Field Junior Champion in 2017. Her early success prepared her for moments like these.
“Age doesn't matter when you step on the track,” Richardson said. “It's about who's been working the hardest at practice, it's about who has the heart, who wants to go into that finish line first.”
The Olympic Trials Champion showed that heart and determination in both her semifinal and final performance in the 100. Richardson’s sizable wins seemed to fuel her celebration that followed the finish line.
Sha’Carri Richardson takes a moment to appreciate her gold medal from the U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Track & Field. Photo by Adam Eberhardt
“I use my age as honestly an intimidating factor to everybody else getting on the track,” Richardson said. “If you've been doing this and I step on the scene, I'm letting you know, ‘I respect you, but at the end of day when we go on this line, what you've been doing, you have to do that against me,’ and we just go on from there.”
Even at her own young age, Richardson is fast becoming an inspiration for younger athletes. Her message to those athletes is to stay true to their own individuality, a mindset that Richardson embodies.
“It's okay to have role models, but at the end of the day never be someone else,” she said. “Always continue to be yourself and work hard.”
One of the ways that Richardson expresses her individuality is through her various colourful hairstyles. She sported bright orange hair for the trials, a color that was picked out by her girlfriend for being “loud, encouraging, and honestly dangerous,” which seems to be a pretty apt encapsulation of Richardson’s persona on the track.
It doesn’t hurt that it looks like flames when she reaches top speed.
There are high hopes and big hype around Richardson’s Olympic debut. The Guardian calls her “the most exciting, compelling, and intriguing sprinter since Usain Bolt.” Many are hoping that Richardson might be able to snag the USA’s first gold medal in the women’s 100m since Gail Devers’ win in 1996.
But one thing is for sure, American fans cannot wait to see Sha’Carri take on the Olympics.
Sha’Carri Richardson and Valarie Allman headline day 2 of the Olympic Trials
Valarie Allman celebrates after throwing 69.92m in the discus to earn her spot on the Olympic Team. Photo by Matt Parker
By Caela Fenton and Kate Walkup
EUGENE, Ore. – To conclude day two of the 2020 Track and Field Olympic Trials at Hayward Field, the women’s 100m final featured a blazing fast field. In the final event of the day, Sha’Carri Richardson took the top spot, running 10.86. She was followed by Javianne Oliver (10.99) and Teahna Daniels (11.03). It will be their first Olympics for all three athletes.
In Richardson’s semi-finals performance earlier in the day, she ran her fastest time of the competition (10.64).
In the women’s discus, Valarie Allman threw 69.92m to be crowned Olympic Trials Champion. Allman was followed by Micaela Hazelwood (PB 62.54) and Rachel Dincoff (60.21). Allman’s meet-record heave (70.01m) in the qualifying round stood as her farthest throw of the competition.
“Coming in [in 2016], I just had the goal of trying to make the Olympic Team, and I missed it by three feet,” Allman said. “It was in that moment that I really realized I wanted to try again to be an Olympian and represent the United States.
“To now be here five years later, after so much hard work—it’s the best feeling.”
Kicking off the hurdling events for the trials, Taliyah Brooks won the second heat of the women’s 100m hurdles first round, recording a personal best and Olympic “A” standard of 12.61. Keni Harrison (12.49), Anna Cockrell (12.63) and Brianna McNeal (12.50)—all having previously achieved the Olympic “A” standard—won their heats to advance to the semifinals scheduled for Sunday June 20th.
Harrison, the world record holder in the 100m hurdles, projected focus in her post-race interview: “My mindset is to come out here and win every round.”
In the women’s 1,500m semifinals, Elle Purrier St. Pierre (4:09.18) and Nikki Hiltz (4:05.87) won their heats. Twelve runners advance to the final on Monday. Julia Heymach of Stanford is the only collegiate athlete to advance to the final.
Nikki Hiltz was the fastest time qualifier of the day in the women’s 1500m, securing her spot in the finals on Monday. Photo by Jay Bendlin
In Hiltz’s post-race interview, when asked what they would do with their day off, they had a joke for the local crowd, saying “I’m going to go hike Spencer’s Butte! Just kidding.”
Hiltz wasn’t joking around when about the final on Monday though.
“I’m in the best shape of my life,” Hiltz said. “I think it’s going to take a sub-4 to make the team and you know with the workouts I’ve been doing with Mac [Mac Fleet, her coach], I feel ready.”
In the men’s 800m semifinal, Clayton Murphy won the first heat, running 1:46.26, and Bryce Hoppel won the second with a 1:46.00 finish. The top eight semifinalists advanced to Monday’s final.
“The track is unbelievably fast. The fans are unbelievably great,” Murphy said. “It feels like we’re back for track and field.”
Kendall Ellis (50.83)—followed closely by Allison Felix (51.01)—and Quanera Hayes (50.07) took away heat wins in the women’s 400m semis. The final will be contested on Sunday June 20th.
In the men’s 400m semifinal, Michael Cherry took the win in the first heat running 44.50, and Michael Norman ran 44.73 to win the second semi-final heat. The top eight finalists advanced to the final, which will be contested on Sunday June 20th.
Garrett Scantling (left) embraces Harrison Willams (right) after the Decathlon 400m. Photo by Sarah Northrop
Today marked the first day of competition for the men’s decathlon. The multi-sport event will be contested over days two and three of the trials. The athletes competed in 100m sprint, long jump, shot put, high jump and the 400m today. After today’s series of competition, Garrett Scantling leads the event with a total of 4,494 points. He is followed by Kyle Garland (4,424) and Zach Ziemek (4,409).
In the qualifying round of the men’s javelin, Mark Anthony Minichello (76.63), Curtis Thomposn (76.23) and Capers Williamson (75.94) led the top 12 competitors in the field to the finals, which will be contested on Monday.
Kenny Bednarek (10.07), Trayvon Bromell (9.84), Marvin Bracy-Williams (10.00) and Ronnie Baker (9.88) took the wins in the men’s 100m heats to advance to the semis, happening on day three of the trials. University of Oregon freshman Micah Williams advanced to the semifinals as well.
Twelve athletes advanced to the final in the men’s triple jump, led by Will Claye (16.85), Donald Scott (16.81) and Chris Benard (16.55), all of whom have the Olympic “A” standard. Twelve athletes also advanced in the qualifying round of the men’s pole vault. Eleven out of 12 of those competitors cleared 5.65m.
Ryan Crouser’s Shot Put World Record Performance in Front of His Home Crowd
Photo by Matt Parker
Ryan Crouser came home.
Competing in his home state, in front of a crowd that included family members he hadn’t seen since Christmas 2019, at the new version of the stadium in which he had some of his first track meets as a kid, Crouser threw 23.37m, setting a new world record in shot put.
After leaving the state to throw the shot put for the Texas Longhorns, the Portland, Ore., native found himself under the spotlight at the 2020 Olympic Trials back in Oregon where it all began.
Crouser says he has known it was possible for him to throw a world record since 2019. A world record has been a dream of his since childhood.
“From the time I started throwing it was really a dream,” Crouser said. “I think any little kid who does track and field or any sport, you dream about breaking a world record...There were so many times I was throwing the six pound shot out behind the school, throwing by myself and putting my hands above my head and yelling, ‘New world record!’”
And this record certainly doesn’t come out of nowhere. Crouser is the 2016 Olympic gold medallist and 2019 World Championship silver medallist. In the year leading up to the Trials, Crouser was named a finalist for the Male Track and Field World Athlete of the Year by World Athletics in 2020. He was undefeated in all 10 of the meets he competed in during that season, had a world-leading throw of 22.91m—third on the all-time list. Crouser also had 36 throws of 22m or better, 14 of those being farther than 22.56m.
The three time USA National Outdoor Shot Put Champion (2016, 2017 and 2019) and two time USA National Indoor Shot Put Champion (2019 and 2020) went into the Olympic Trials as not only the nationwide favorite but also the state of Oregon favorite.
After breaking the 21-year-old meet record on his first throw of 22.92m from a static start in the qualifying round, Crouser knew he had more in the tank for the finals later that day.
And he definitely did.
Photo by Matt Parker
Throwing just shy of his preliminary record on his first three attempts, Crouser still hadn’t performed like he knew he could. With his fourth throw of the finals, Crouser broke Randy Barnes’s world record that had stood for 31 years. His 23.37m heave officially secured his berth in Tokyo. Crouser’s world record was also the first ever shot put world record to be set at the U.S. Olympic Trials.
Crouser grew up watching footage of Barnes, as well as German shot putter, Ulf Timmermann that were dvd formatted versions of old super 8 tapes. And then he and his dad would go out to practice. They would imagine the marker from Crouser’s best throw in practice belonged to either Barnes or Timmermann.
“On the last throw of practice, I had to beat that. So I got used to coming from behind, and yeah, I don’t know how many times I beat Ulf Timmermann or Randy Barnes in practice,” Crouser said with a chuckle.
The consummate athlete, Crouser already has his sights set on furthering his PR: “I think I can still go farther.”
In the meantime, he says, it’s time for a burger tonight, and then getting back to work for Tokyo.
Day One Recap: Ryan Crouser Breaks 31-Year-Old World Record to Kick off the Track and Field Olympic Trials
Ryan Crouser celebrates his World Record mark on day one of the Olympic Trials. Photo by Matt Parker
By Kate Walkup and Caela Fenton
To open the 2020 U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Track & Field at Hayward Field, Ryan Crouser broke a 21-year-old meet record with his throw of 22.92m in the prelims of the men’s shot put. Crouser’s preliminary throw gave him the top seed by nearly four feet going into the finals. In his fourth throw of the finals, the first 2021 Olympic Trials champion broke Randy Barnes's 31-year-old world record throwing 23.37m—the first ever shot put world record set at the U.S. Olympic Trials.
Crouser’s record received a standing ovation from an admiring Hayward audience, and he discussed how special it was to set it at Hayward Field in his post-race interview.
“What makes Hayward special is not just the phenomenal stadium, it’s the fans. It’s TrackTown, USA for a reason,” Crouser said. “The pandemic has definitely pushed people apart, and kept them socially distanced, it was cool to see people start to come together.”
Abbey Cooper ran away from the rest of the field in the first heat of the women’s 5,000m, soloing her way to the Olympic “A” standard with her 15:07.80 finish.
Cooper, who competed in the 5,000 in the 2016 Olympics, was awarded the Rio 2016 Fair Play Award after she and New Zealand athlete Nikki Hamblin fell during their heat but helped each other to cross the finish line. Cooper was injured in the fall and was unable to compete in the final.
“The past five years since Rio have been so hard, so much harder than I ever could have imagined,” Cooper said. “Thank God I didn’t know how hard it was going to be. I kept going because this is a calling for me.”
Josette Norris (15:32.58) took the win in heat two.
Valarie Allman threw a meet record of 70.01m on her second throw in the women’s discus preliminary round. Her record-breaking throw moves her into the second spot in the world this year.
Jenny Simpson (4:11.34), Dani Aragon (4:13.34) and Elle Purrier St. Pierre (4:11.78) won their respective heats of the first round of the women’s 1500m. The top six athletes from each heat advance to the semi-finals, which take place tomorrow night.
Jenny Simpson and Nikki Hiltz lead the way in heat No.1 of the women’s 1500 meters, earning them the top two qualifying times on the day, 4:11.34 and 4:11.42 respectively. Photo by Matt Parker
Simpson, who is attempting to make her fourth Olympic team, noted in her post-race interview that the Trials are a time during which she is emotional and grateful for having seen generations of athletes move through the event. The presence of so many collegiate athletes also impacted her race strategy.
“The collegians are really sharp, they’re really race ready, so if I really leave it to the last 200,” the 35-year-old said. “They've got a decade of youth on me now, so I wanted to make sure I was in it the entire way.”
Five collegiate athletes advanced to the semis in the event.
Allyson Felix (50.99), Quanera Hayes (52.34), Wadeline Jonathas (50.64) and Kendall Ellis (51.02) crossed the finish line first to advance in the women’s 400m. The top three finishers in each heat and the next four fastest runners advance to the semifinals on Saturday.
Felix is attempting to qualify for her fifth straight Olympic Games, her first after giving birth to her daughter.
In the first round of the men’s 400m, Trevor Stewart (44.75), Michael Cherry (44.86), Elija Godwin (44.81) and Wil London (45.46) won their respective heats to advance to Sunday’s semifinals. The top 16 in the first round advance and will compete in the semifinals tomorrow.
Abraham Alvarado (1:48.35), Donavan Brazier (1:45.00), Michael Rhoads (1:48.64) and 2021 NCAA 800m champion, Isaiah Jewett, (1:47.83) won their respective heats of the men’s 800m to advance to Monday’s finals. Brannon Kidder took second to Brazier in the second heat of the event, clocking a personal record of 1:45.06 and achieving his Olympic “A” standard.
Gabby Thomas ran 11 seconds flat to win the first heat of the women’s 100m dash first round, achieving the Olympic “A” standard in her personal-record race. Cambrea Sturgis (11.15), Javianne Oliver (10.96) and top qualifier Sha’Carri Richardson (10.84) also won their heats of the event to advance to the semifinals.
Keturah Orji jumped 14.29m to lead the top 12 women in the triple jump to the finals on Sunday. Twelve athletes advanced in the women’s high jump qualifying round by jumping a height of 1.87m. Rudy Winkler threw 79.13m to lead the top 12 in the men’s hammer throw into the finals scheduled for Sunday.
To conclude the first day of the Olympic Trials, Woody Kincaid won the men’s 10,000m final, running a time of 27:53.62. Grant Fisher (27:54.29) and Joe Klecker (27:54.90) finished second and third to complete the 10,000 Olympic team. Kincaid ran a bell lap of 53.47 to propel him to the win.
“It was hard to stay patient early in the race,” Kincaid said. “Patience was a big part of what helped me stay in that race today.”
Woody Kincaid (Center) celebrates atop the podium with Bowerman Track Club teammate Grant Fisher (Left) and Joe Klecker (right) after the men’s 10,000 meter final on Friday. Photo by Adam Eberhardt