Hayward Field opens track to variety of athletes at 2025 Oregon Twilight
The Oregon Duck mascot runs alongside children during the Kids Half-Lapper at the Oregon Twilight presented by TrackTown USA Kids Club. Photo by Rian Yamasaki.
By Owen Murray, TrackTownUSA
Everybody can run fast at the Oregon Twilight, it seems. First, it was the collegiate student-athletes who set their personal-best times on the track. Then, the middle schoolers.
Then, the gingerbread men.
The doors were open to everyone — elementary and middle-school-age runners, unattached high schoolers, professionals and collegiate athletes — at the 2025 Oregon Twilight meet on Friday evening. The Kids Half-Lapper and Middle School Mile at the Oregon Twilight presented by TrackTown USA Kids Club, plus the Warsaw Business Club Costume Relay, ran alongside Duck athletes and a local high-schooler as they shared the historic track together.
Those student-athletes, though, weren’t the youngest competitors at Hayward Field on Friday. The Middle School Mile at the Oregon Twilight presented by TrackTown USA Kids Club saw 6th-8th graders battle for four laps on a grand stage. Their performances, though, proved more than grand enough.
Harper Fawcett after her win in the Middle School Mile at the Oregon Twilight presented by TrackTown USA Kids Club. Photo by Rian Yamasaki.
The girls’ mile saw Alma Galicia dominate for nearly the entire race — she ran a personal-best 5:36.27 time, but was outkicked by Harper Fawcett over the final 100 meters for the win. Fawcett, who finished in 5:32.92, was followed minutes later in the boys’ mile by Ryder White, who cleared the field by more than 50 meters at the finish line to finish in 4:43.41.
Even younger were the competitors in the Kids Half-Lapper at the Oregon Twilight presented by TrackTown USA Kids Club: young athletes, 8th grade and under, took a 200-meter stretch alongside The Oregon Duck. Each customized their own bib pre-race underneath the Hayward Tower, and received a ticket to watch the rest of the meet.
Also among the unattached athletes at Twilight was Churchill High School junior Addison Kleinke, a pole vaulter who set a new personal-best mark at 14’ 0.75” — to also win the event. Currently uncommitted, Kleinke also competed in the long jump, where she jumped 5.39m to finish sixth overall.
The Warsaw Business Club Costume Relay was where the gingerbread men — and the bananas, the pizza chefs and the business executives — made their appearance. In a long-running tradition, one of Oregon’s business clubs sent costumed students in a 4x100m relay around the Hayward Field track.
The finishers, clad in soon-deflated inflatable gingerbread suits, aprons and formal wear, had their moment — as many have — at their stadium. The Ducks, though, took center stage by night’s end.
The early field events featured Oregon athletes in major roles: In the men’s javelin, Ducks junior Zach Young threw a season-best 204’5” to finish second — Oregon transfer junior Daniel Thrana, competing unattached, dominated the field with a 249’9” throw on his final attempt.
“It felt pretty good, man,” Young said. “I had a little breakthrough, and I’m thankful for the opportunity to come out here and compete.”
Oregon sophomore Ella Thorsett sat third for most of the race in the women’s 1500m (B) section, but pulled a nearly 400-meter kick over the final lap to stop the clock in 4:16.82 — a new personal-best time.
Oregon sophomore Ella Thorsett after her win in the Oregon Twilight Women’s 1500m. Photo by Rian Yamasaki.
She’s primarily a 5k runner — and had only run one 1500m race this season before Friday but gave the shorter race a shot at Twilight in order to potentially qualify for the NCAA regional round.
“I wouldn’t really consider myself a 1500m runner,” Thorsett said afterward. “It’s kind of scary going out hot in those first 800m, but I felt pretty good on the third lap. I kind of got a second wind, and it was nice to have people to hawk down.
“It was fun,” she said. “I love the 1500. It’s just different than a 5k — 1500 is a little bit more exciting, a little less pain in my opinion.”
Indoor 2024 NCAA men’s 800m champion Matthew Erickson also tried his hand at a relatively unfamiliar event, the 400m race — for a different reason. Erickson dusted the field, winning with a personal-best 47.04 seconds (more than two seconds ahead of second place), but for him, the race was an opportunity to train his mental acuity ahead of next weekend's Big Ten Outdoor Championships in Eugene.
“My idea was just to come in and run as fast as I can,” Erickson said. “The faster I can run in the 400m, and the faster my 1500m personal best is, it kind of comes together to make a good 800m race.”
Erickson’s middle-distance partner, sophomore Simeon Birnbaum, closed out the night against a gallery of professional runners in the newly named McChesney 1500m race. It was Birnbaum, though, who kicked over the last lap to finish in a personal-best 3:37.02.
“I just wanted to win. That’s all that really mattered.”
– Oregon sophomore Simeon Birnbaum following his win in the McChesney 1500m
“Tactically, yeah, it’s (the best race of my college career),” Birnbaum said. “This one, the first one back after an injury, it’s been circled in the calendar for a while. It meant a lot.”
He didn’t have an NCAA regional-qualifying time yet, either, but he “took care of that” on Friday, too.
“I just wanted to win,” he said. “That’s all that really mattered.”
Next at Hayward Field is the 2025 Big Ten Outdoor Track and Field Championships, scheduled for May 16-18.
2025 Oregon Twilight photo gallery
Photos by Rian Yamasaki
Eugene Marathon features first-time winners in 2025 edition
Eugene native Jackson Mestler wins the 2025 Eugene Half Marathon in 65:04, his first race over the distance. Photo by Carlos Celio
by Owen Murray, TrackTown USA
Marathons are emotional.
The finish line is always stocked with elation, disbelief and exhaustion — and it was no different in Eugene on April 27.
The sold-out 2025 Eugene Half and Full Marathon took runners around the city on a dry Sunday morning. The winners, for many of whom the day was their first-ever win, took victories on the track at Hayward Field with pride in front of a packed grandstand. Their emotions — optimism, joy, excitement and satisfaction — were on full display at the line.
Men’s half marathon winner Jackson Mestler was the first runner to enter Hayward Field on Sunday morning — the Eugene native finished his first-ever half marathon in 1:05:04.
“I knew it was going to be a patient game for me, at least, to get to eight to 10 miles,” Mestler said. “And then I’d know at that point if this was a big mistake or where I am fitness-wise. It was the latter.”
Mestler led early and often after the field’s early-morning departure on Agate Street, but it wasn’t the victory that he said he was focused on from the gun.
“I just wanted to be cautiously optimistic — to go out there and find a rhythm,” Mestler said. “I just wanted to be rhythmic and efficient. I had a good group of guys out there, so it was really nice.”
On the women’s side, high school track coach Hannah Calvert won her half marathon in 1:16:44 — and, in her first finish at Hayward Field, she let her imagination run, too.
“This’ll be my only win at Hayward Field. I’ll pretend it’s a Diamond League meet.”
- Eugene Half Marathon winner Hannah Calvert
“It was so cool,” Calvert said of the finish line. “I was like, ‘This’ll be my only win at Hayward Field. I’ll pretend it’s a Diamond League meet.’”
Calvert, an experienced distance runner, said she secretly loves half marathons.
“I think the half is the magical distance,” Calvert said. “You can recover from it super easily, you can run more of them than a marathon, and for me it’s that you can pretty much feel good the whole way.”
The men’s full winner, Bradley Hodkinson, took the tape in his first Eugene Marathon. Hodkinson, who finished in 2:19:44, eased ahead of a group with around 10 miles to go and secured the win.
“It was very special,” Hodkinson said of his finish. “This is my first time being at the new Hayward Field, and they did an awesome job. It was super exciting — all the fans were awesome and had lots of hype.”
“The fans were awesome and had lots of hype.”
- Eugene Marathon winner Bradley Hodkinson
He’s a former collegiate track runner who got back into distance running after careers at Pacific Lutheran University and Washington University — Sunday was his fourth marathon, but his first win.
“It went about how I planned,” Hodkinson said. “There were definitely a lot of people going out really quick…I was maybe expecting five or six, but there was a big group of 30 or 40 people.”
Women’s full marathon winner Anna Kenig-Ziesler said the conditions were “just perfect.” She finished in 2:36:53 to take top spot in her category. The race was also her fourth marathon — and her best finish.
“I ended up running alone for a lot of it, but I felt good,” Kenig-Ziesler said. “I liked the backside, because there’s not a lot of people and I feel like that’s when you’re suffering, so it’s kind of nice to have the quiet.”
She’s a current PhD student specializing in environmental public policy at the University of Washington, but started marathoning in 2023 after an undergraduate college soccer and track career at the University of Chicago.
“I’m someone who loves training, and I feel like with the marathon, you get to train all the time.”
- Eugene Marathon winner Anna Kenig-Ziesler
“I just thought it would be fun,” she said of her decision to start running marathons. “I’m someone who loves training, and I feel like with the marathon, you get to train all the time.”
Even with expanded fields, this weekend’s Eugene Marathon sold out across all distances – from the 1k Kids Duck Dash through the full marathon. Registration for 2026 has already opened at eugenemarathon.com.
2025 Eugene Marathon photo gallery
Photos by Carlos Celio
2025 Eugene 5k and Duck Dash inspire finishers, provide pancakes
Lauren Ross breaks the tape at the Eugene 5k. Photo by Rian Yamasaki
by Owen Murray, TrackTown USA
There are a couple things that are different about the finish line at the Eugene 5k.
It’s at the heart of Hayward Field — the centerpiece of track and field in the Pacific Northwest.
For a special group, it also means pancakes.
The 2025 Eugene 5k sold out for its third-straight year as more than 2000 runners stacked the start line on Agate Street on Saturday morning — some in their best kit and others with strollers-in-hand. For some, it was all about competition; for others, it was about the promise of free pancakes. Every finisher, though, wrapped their race at one of the nation’s most historic finish lines.
“I’ve raced here before, a couple of times,” men’s winner Eric Beyerle said. “It’s a special place.”
Beyerle used to work out at historic Hayward Field. “I’ve been training for 5ks and 10ks on the road this winter,” he said. “I got sick at the beginning of April, so that set me back.”
It didn’t matter. Beyerle outleaned second-place finisher Nickolas Russell to finish in 15:00.30.
“It’s always nice to break the tape.”
- Eugene 5k winner Eric Beyerle
“It’s hard — the hill at mile 1 up University Street was difficult, but fortunately the last mile was downhill,” Beyerle said. “It’s always nice to break the tape.”
Women’s category winner Lauren Ross checked an item off her bucket list at her first Eugene 5k. She got the word that she was in front by a small margin from a spectator — so she picked it up as she entered the stadium.
“I’ve won some races in my time, but I’ve never broken the tape,” Ross said. “That was highly motivating.”
Ross, who finished in 17:28.00, usually opts for longer distances. She’s a frequent finisher in this Sunday’s event, the half-marathon, but she decided that a 5k was what she needed in 2025.
“I’ve actually been training specifically for the 5k,” Ross said. “Just slightly different workouts, a little bit less mileage and higher intensity.”
Ross was one of two women — with second-place finisher Annie Boos — to beat both the Krusteaz mascots on Saturday.
Flap Jack and Flap Jill, the pancake-clad mascots, were the bar; those who beat them earned a supply of free Krusteaz pancakes for the next year. 11 men and 17 women beat their respective counterpart and secured the supply on Saturday. It’s this Flap Jill’s second year running, and she said that this year, she nailed down the technique.
“I didn’t get stuck in the syrup this time,” Flap Jill said afterward. “It’s a little bit of a technique, a little bit of squeeze-your-arms.”
Non-binary category winner Kate Lewandowski, like many of the pancake winners, had big plans for the year of pancakes.
“We can probably make endless pancakes,” Lewandowski, who finished in 25:48.40, said. “Pancake cakes…I don’t even know — pancake burritos?”
Like Ross, Saturday was Lewandowski’s first Eugene 5k — and the win was unexpected.
“I run maybe twice a week, but just for fun,” Lewandowski said. “I wasn’t planning on winning — I was standing, and I heard my name. I was like, ‘Oh, I must’ve placed!’”
The sold-out Duck Dash, a 1k race for kids aged 2-12, wound through the University of Oregon campus less than an hour later. The medal rack was restored, and finishers picked their style: one leaned across the line while another chose a cartwheel to cap the morning’s action.
Sunday’s half and full marathon start on Agate St. tomorrow morning at 7:00 AM.
2025 Eugene Marathon 5k photo gallery
Photos by Rian Yamasaki
Oregon, Texas A&M take home team titles from 2025 Oregon Team Invitational at Hayward Field
Oregon’s Matthew Erickson and Texas A&M’s Kimar Farquharson following the men’s 800m at the Oregon Team Invitation. Photo by Rian Yamasaki.
By Owen Murray, TrackTown USA
University of Oregon and Texas A&M University — two of the nation’s premier track and field universities — split honors as the Ducks hosted the Oregon Team Invitational at Hayward Field on April 19.
The Ducks took home individual event wins across the board, including a men’s shot put win from freshman Kobe Lawrence and men’s 800m sweep from reigning NCAA Indoor champion Matthew Erickson and Koitatio Kidali. The A&M Aggies won six of the women’s events, racking up 222.5 total informal points. Oregon, meanwhile, snagged 137.5 on the men’s side through four event wins to claim its win.
The scoring system, which Oregon brought to the table in an effort to boost team competition, was unofficial so as to remain in line with NCAA qualifying rules. Every finisher — 14 on the women’s side and 10 on the men’s side in each event — earned a point relative to their position; first place received 14 (women)/10 (men’s) points, second 13/9, and last place a single point.
“As our first go at bringing a team meet back to Eugene and college track, it was a lot of fun,” Oregon head coach Jerry Schumacher said. “The athletes had a great time, and I think the coaches had a lot of fun with it.”
Texas A&M sophomore Abigail Martin took home the first win of the day. A 56.37m throw in the women’s discus secured top spot for the Aggies — Kansas State University junior Tamaih Koonce grabbed second with a 51.75m throw and Martin’s teammate Carlie Weiser threw 50.05m for third.
The Aggie field dominance continued into the women’s long jump, where A&M freshman Sofia Iakushina jumped 6.11m to sneak past Kansas State University senior Shalom Olotu, who jumped 6.09m.
Oregon, meanwhile, took home a win in the men’s shot put when Lawrence, a freshman, threw a 2025 NCAA Division I #16 mark — 19.28m — on his fourth attempt. Lawrence outdueled two Kansas State athletes, Gary Moore and Nate Collier, for the crown.
The Ducks doubled down when Klaudia Kazimierska — winner of the 800m race in the Oregon Open on Friday — returned to the track to run her first 1500m of the season at Hayward Field. The 2024 Olympic finalist surged past her Oregon teammate, Mia Barnett, with 200 meters to go and secured a 2025 Division I #7 time: 4:07.28.
“We opened pretty hard,” Kazimierska said. “I was like, ‘This is a spicy pace.’ But I felt good, and the strategy was just to stay with the pacer and then work with Mia.”
“This is a spicy pace, but I felt good.”
- Oregon's Klaudia Kazimierska following her Oregon Team Invitational 1500m win
Texas A&M won its first track event of the day in the men’s 1500m race, where Luca Santorum ran a personal-best 3:38.91 seconds (2025 Division I #28) to secure the win ahead of Oregon sophomore Rheinhardt Harrison. Harrison ran 3:39.07 seconds — good for a 2025 Division I #29 slot.
The Aggies took the top two slots in the women’s 100m hurdles, too: sophomore Jasmine Harmon ran 13.22 seconds (2025 Division I #16) to best junior Jaiya Covington by one one-hundredth of a second. A&M men’s hurdler Ja’Qualon Scott sped past the field to set a new 2025 Division I #3 mark at 13.30 seconds ahead of Wichita State University sophomore Josh Parrish.
Scott has run at Hayward Field before, at last summer’s U.S.Olympic Team Trials - Track & Field. It still brings the best out of him, he said.
“The adrenaline — I knew that it was going to be there,” he said. “Walking through that little tunnel out to the big old stadium…you don’t get to perform in a place like this often. I wanted to go out there and do the best I could.”
Oregon grabbed a win when high jumper Shaun Miller Jr. hit a new 2025 Division I #50 mark at 2.11m without missing a jump. Miller clearned 2.01m and 2.06m on his first attempts before making it over the bar to secure the win. He took three shots at the 2.14m mark, but couldn’t clear.
A&M, meanwhile, continued to build a dominant lead on the women’s side in the 400m race, where Kennedy Wade and Jaydan Wood ran 53.42 and 53.52 seconds, respectively, to sweep the top two slots. Oregon sophomore Ella Clayton finished third, running 53.63 seconds behind the Aggies.
It was a top-two Aggie sweep on the men’s side, too, where seniors Hossam Hatib (46.71 seconds) and Cutler Zamzow (47.14 seconds) grabbed pole positions. Oregon sophomore Fuad Omer finished fourth, running 47.73 seconds.
Both the A&M athletes in the women’s 100m race took top positions; Camryn Dickson ran 11.27 seconds followed by Jasmine Montgomery (11.33 seconds). Ernest Campbell ran 10.57 seconds to earn maximum points in the men’s heat — Oregon athlete Rodrick Pleasant finished fifth running 10.66.
Oregon distance runner Silan Ayyildiz set a personal-best in the 800m race, where she stopped the clock in 2:03.11 (2025 NCAA Division I #20).
“I was kind of nervous today,” Ayyildiz said. “I’m still getting used to the speed, a little bit, but I got the PR, so I can’t complain.”
On the men’s side, it was the senior Duck, Erickson, who earned top spot ahead of the Oregon freshman Kidali. Erickson, the reigning Big Ten and NCAA indoor champion in the race, ran a 2025 Division I #35 1:47:39, while Kidali ran 1:48.14.
“Kadali is great,” Erickson said. “He is one of the best 800m runners in the world, and you see it in training. He is just a phenomenal talent. He and I work really well together.”
The Ducks clawed back some points in the women’s 5000m race, where Juliet Cherubet ran 15:28.86 (2025 Division I #12) ahead of a strong field that included a personal-best 15:54.95 time from Oregon sophomore Ella Thorsett.
The Oklahoma State University men, though, swept the top two places of their 5000m race. Fouad Messaoudi and Ryan Schoppe both ran personal-best times (13:28.17 and 13.28.88), good for 2025 Division I #15 and #18 slots nationally.
A&M took the final two events — the 4x400 men’s and women’s relays — with 3:06.02 (men’s) and 3:31.54 (women’s) times and closed the women’s victory. The Oregon women ran 3:38.80, while the men struggled with the final handoff and ran 3:20.87.
Schumacher hopes the Oregon women have the juice for an outdoor title run — less than a month removed from the indoor NCAA Championship.
“We won’t know until we get a little deeper into the season, but I sure hope so,” Schumacher said of Oregon’s chances. “That’s what we’re always planning, and when we’re looking ahead as coaches, that’s what we’re doing.”
Oregon returns to Hayward Field next for the Oregon Twilight, on May 9. The venue, though, will be back in action next weekend as the finish line for the 2025 Eugene Marathon, half-marathon and 5K.
"We’re all improving together": Oregon Open welcomes athletes for 2025 edition
University of Oregon alumnus Jackson Mestler paces current Ducks Benny Balazs, Sergio Del Barrio, and Vincent Mestler in the Oregon Open Men’s 3000m Steeplechase. Photo by Rian Yamasaki
by Owen Murray, TrackTown USA
In an open field, athletes have the freedom to learn.
The Oregon Open kicked off under sunny skies at Hayward Field on April 18. Host University of Oregon, led by steeplechase winners Katie Clute and Benjamin Balazs, triple jump winner Ryann Porter, and 800m winner Klaudia Kazimierska, won six events on the individual competition day as college athletes looked to push season and personal-best marks ahead of championship season.
Clute, a sophomore, opened the day with a comprehensive victory in the 3000m steeplechase: the Ohio native led from the gun and ran 10:13.16 (good for 23rd in the West region and 41st in NCAA Division I) to head a trio of top-seven Duck finishers.
Clute, though, is used to being in front.
“My automatic response, since my first cross country race in seventh grade, was to go to the front and hang on as much as I could,” said Clute following her Oregon Open win. “Today, I was just going to try to feel it out for the first thousand meters, and then if I was feeling okay, then try and start pushing it a little bit.”
Push it she did: Clute extended her advantage over the last 2000 meters and outpaced second place finisher Soňa Kouřilová (University of Utah) by 6.2 seconds when she stopped the clock. Oregon junior Kendall Martin finished third and ran a personal-best 10:21.72.
Training with runners like Martin demands Clute’s best every day, she said.
“It’s comforting. I train with these girls every day.”
- Oregon sophomore Katie Clute following her 3000m steeplechase win
“It’s definitely nice,” Clute said. “Knowing and trusting that you can run with them — and just trying to do well together. Being with teammates means you have a gauge on where you should be — and then it’s just kind of comforting. I train with these girls every day.”
Clute was matched on the podium minutes later by her teammate, men’s steeplechase winner Benjamin Balazs. The sophomore ran a personal-best 8:34.72 (2025 NCAA DI #14 / West region #9) as three Ducks finished in the top four.
“It feels good,” Balazs said of the Oregon near-sweep. “You see them improving too, and you’re like, ‘Oh, I’m doing the same thing as these guys. We’re all improving together.’”
Balazs, though, said that he ran faster than he thought he would in his first steeplechase of the season — and that means recalibrating expectations. Now, he’s already shooting for a sub-8:30 time in the event, he said.
“I’m only four seconds off, and I was running pretty conservative to start,” Balazs said. “I don’t see why not. We’re gearing up this year to be fast at the end of the year.”
“We’re gearing up this year to be fast at the end of the year.”
- Oregon sophomore Benjamin Balazs following his 3000m steeplechase win
Ryann Porter, meanwhile, needed just two attempts to set her winning mark in the triple jump; after fouling her first attempt, the Oregon senior jumped 13.24 meters to set a new 2025 NCAA DI #6 mark that led the field and passed her next four attempts.
“We were thinking one to three jumps, and then shut it down,” she said. “There’s a couple competitors in that field, so I was a little bit wary, but I figured it would be good.”
Porter finished second at the 2025 Big Ten Indoor Championship meet, where she jumped 13.37m, before finishing 12th at the NCAA Indoor Championship with a 13.00m jump.
“I can jump a lot farther by the end of the season,” Porter said. “My coach and I have been talking about 14 meters all season, so we’ll see if we can make that happen.”
Klaudia Kazimierska, a junior at Oregon who hadn’t run at Hayward Field since August due to an injury, returned with a bang. The Polish 2024 Olympian ran 2:02.80 in the 800m race to take the top spot ahead of her Oregon teammates Mia Barnett and Samantha McDonnell, who both ran personal-best times
“I did maybe two speed workouts before this, and I didn’t know where my shape was at,” Kazimierska said. “Now, going into the 1500m, it was a good opener but I want to get into fitness to race it.”
She made her move at the bell in the race and jumped ahead of Oklahoma State University athlete Isis Grant — she called it a “brave move” to overtake the athlete who led the initial 400 meters with so long to go. Even though it worked out in the end, it wasn't necessarily the plan, she said
“Honestly, we didn’t have any strategy,” Kazimierska said. “I wasn’t feeling great this morning, so we were thinking to trust your instincts and just race.”
“Trust your instincts and just race.”
- Oregon junior Klaudia Kazimierska following her 800m win
Oregon junior Evan Bishop won the final solo race of the night, the 5000m open, in a field stacked with Ducks. Bishop, who transferred to Oregon in 2024 after two years at the University of Wisconsin, ran a personal-best 13:42.79.
“You learn something every time you race,” Bishop said. “We all love to race more than train, so you can’t take these opportunities for granted. We had a blast out there.”
Elsewhere, Oregon pole vaulter Kyle Gibbs jumped 5.16m but was bested by the Texas A&M duo of Jack Mann III and Aleksandr Solovev — the latter of whom made it over 5.56m to set a new NCAA Division I #2 mark.
Ducks freshman sprinter Mihaly Akpamgbo ran a season-best 10.61 seconds in the 100m to win, while his freshman teammate Reggie Witherspoon III finished fifth with a time of 10.89 seconds. Akpamgbo also placed fourth in the 200m race, where he ran 21.51 seconds.
Oregon will continue competition tomorrow, in the scored Team Invitational. The final flights of the men’s and women’s hammer throws will also be competed, but no Oregon athletes are scheduled to throw. The Team Invitational begins field events at 4:00 pm PT, with the national anthem set for 4:55 pm PT.
2025 Oregon Open photo gallery
Photos by Rian Yamasaki
The Old Spaghetti Factory Joins TrackTown USA as a Preferred Restaurant Partner
Photos by Rian Yamasaki
TrackTown USA, the organization dedicated to hosting premier track and field events, is proud to announce The Old Spaghetti Factory as its newest preferred restaurant partner. This collaboration brings together two institutions with deep roots in the Pacific Northwest and a shared commitment to excellence, hospitality, and community engagement.
As a preferred restaurant partner, The Old Spaghetti Factory will offer enhanced dining options to athletes, fans, and visitors attending events at Hayward Field at the University of Oregon. The partnership reflects a commitment to delivering quality experiences for those who make Eugene and Springfield a destination for track and field.
“We are thrilled to welcome The Old Spaghetti Factory to the TrackTown USA family,” said TrackTown USA CEO Michael Reilly. “Their reputation for great food and exceptional service aligns perfectly with our mission to provide outstanding experiences for athletes and spectators alike.”
The Old Spaghetti Factory, renowned for delectable and affordable 3-course meals, Mizithra cheese, and inviting atmosphere, has been a staple in the Pacific Northwest since the first restaurant opened in Portland in 1969. The Eugene location is situated in the popular 5th Street Market District, within the historic Oregon Electric Station building.
“We are honored to partner with TrackTown USA and support the vibrant track and field culture in Eugene,” said The Old Spaghetti Factory president Dean Griffith. “We look forward to serving world-class athletes and passionate fans who come to experience the magic of Hayward Field.”
The partnership is set to enhance visitors' overall experience while reinforcing both organizations’ dedication to the Eugene community. Fans and athletes can look forward to special promotions and exclusive dining opportunities throughout the season.
65 Years Since the First Sub-4 Mile at Hayward Field
Dyrol Burleson outkicks Stanford’s Ernie Cunliffe, in a dual meet against Stanford University to become the second American to break the 4-minute barrier. Photo provided by UO Libraries Special Collections and University Archives
by Natalie Baltierra
“When you see someone do the impossible, everything becomes possible.”
65 years ago this month, 20-year-old University of Oregon sophomore, Dyrol Burleson, ran the first sub-4 minute mile at Hayward Field on April 23rd, 1960.
Burleson clocked a time of 3:58.60 for the mile, outkicking Stanford’s Ernie Cunliffe, in a dual meet against Stanford University to become the second American to break the 4-minute barrier. His mark surpassed Don Bowden’s American record by one tenth of a second.
Under the guidance of Coach Bill Bowerman, Burleson never lost a race during his time as an Oregon Duck. He received the first full ride scholarship from Coach Bowerman and credits his undefeated collegiate career to his coach, as mentioned in an interview with sportswriter Gary Cohen.
Burleson was a three-time NCAA champion between his sophomore through senior seasons. He won the 1500m in 1960 and the mile in 1961 and 1962. Since freshmen were not allowed to compete during this time, Burleson competed in the 1500m at the 1959 Pan American Games and the AAU and US-USSR dual meet.
Since then, over thousands of athletes have accomplished the sub-4 minute mile feat – something that used to be thought of as an impossible task. It was not until British athlete Roger Bannister did the “impossible” to become the first person to run a mile in under four minutes in 1954.
Almost seven decades later, the "impossible” has nearly become the norm.
According to the Track & Field Results Reporting System (TFRRS), a total of 129 NCAA-level (Division I, II, and III) athletes have run a sub-4 mile this past 2024-25 NCAA Indoor Track & Field season.
A lot has changed since then and there are many factors that come into play when looking at the why and how of the remarkable increase of sub-4 minute miles: The evolution of training, advanced coaching, modern facilities, the introduction of “super shoes,” and much more.
Yet, one thing remains the same no matter the passage of time: The chase for the coveted sub-4 mile.
Today, the sub-4 feat is commemorated right here in our Eugene/Springfield community. Founded in 2022 by Olympian, World-Record Holder, and three-time U.S. Champion Ben Blankenship, the Endless Mileage Project is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to fostering sustainable environments and programming that inspire the next generation of track & field athletes to break barriers.
Under the Endless Mileage project, the Fast Forest is the visible recognition of the accomplishments of the American athletes who have run a sub-4 (men) and sub-4:30 (women) mile.
Located at Dorris Ranch in Springfield, Oregon – just three miles east of Hayward Field – hundreds of trees have been planted to honor the American athletes who have accomplished this feat, with more trees being added every year. Dyrol Burleson’s sub-4 minute mile is immortalized with the second tree planted in the grove.
How hurdler Rasean Jones took his competitive fire from the football field to the track at the 2025 Oregon Relays
Rasean Jones wins the boys’ 110m hurdles at the 2025 Oregon Relays. Photo by RunnerSpace.
by Owen Murray
“Two? Three? Four? Five?”
Rasean Jones couldn’t remember how many hurdles he hit. By the time the hurdler from Baker High School crossed the finish line, his left knee was scraped and scratched.
It didn’t matter.
Jones, who returned to Hayward Field to run under the lights for the 2025 Oregon Relays in April, wasn’t sure by the time he got in front of the broadcast camera to talk to the host. All he could do was guess at which hurdles bloodied his leg.
What he did know was that he had two top three finishes in his two hurdles races, including a win in the 110-meter hurdles. He’d learn soon that his two times were both the best in Oregon this year. He’s known how to play this game— be confident, and run your race.
But this isn’t his only sport. Jones is a wide receiver, too, with his eyes on the college gridiron. He’s a three-star prospect, per 247Sports, and has official offers from five schools, including Boise State University and Oregon State University. He’s used to the contact — just not on the rubber.
“It’s a lot different,” he said. “(In track), nobody’s touching you. Nobody’s in your space. It’s just you versus you, and trying to do your best.”
On the final straightaway at Hayward Field on April 5, it was Jones versus the record books. The junior ran 14.34 in the 110 meter hurdles to set a new 2025 Oregon #1 time. Behind him, three athletes ran personal-record races. None were closer than 0.16 seconds.
He’s used to being in front. It was nice that they were close.
“It’s definitely a lot more competitive,” he said. “I don't really get a whole lot of competition in Eastern Oregon, so it’s cool to be out here and run with the best of the best.”
He’d come back to the track less than half an hour later to rack it back up. He got back in the blocks and was in the field for the 300 meter hurdles.
That race didn’t go exactly how he wanted — despite running an Oregon #1 38.52, he had runners in front of him. 38.52 seconds grabbed third place, behind Keith Rogers Jr. (Todd Beamer High School) and Miller Warme (Kamiak High School).
He didn’t even check the final results on the video board before coming to the media mixed zone. It’s all about the mentality, he said.
“In football, you’ve gotta get yourself almost psyched out,” he said. “You just have to be way more energetic. (In) track, it’s more that you’ve got to be confident. You’ve got to know what you need to do, run your race, and trust the training.”
Now he’s got one more year to lock his spikes into the track. He’ll keep his studs in the turf, too. Both are special.
There’s something about Hayward Field, though. He knows it, and he had the time to look.
The fastest high school hurdler in Oregon even had time to glance up during his race at the lights and the people. He knew the feeling.
"There’s just something about it": Oregon Relays brings the best out of high school athletes over two-day meet at Hayward Field
The Wilson High School girls’ relay team celebrates after competing at the Oregon Relays. Photo by Rian Yamasaki.
by Owen Murray, TrackTown USA
Hayward Field is for records. It doesn’t matter how old you are.
Eugene’s historic track and field venue has played host to innumerable athletes who take the record book and rip it up. It was no different when high school athletes in the Oregon Relays came to town for the first weekend in April. The winners set the bar with seven U.S. 2025 #1 times and 21 Oregon 2025 #1 times. They say running at Hayward Field matters — they say it feels different. Over two days, they proved it.
The action started early, when Central High School’s Aiden Wendring ran a U.S. #1 5:59.02 in the boys’ 2000m steeplechase on Friday morning. Victoria Rodriguez (Mercer Island High School) ran her own U.S. #1 time — 6:41.62 — just minutes later.
Mateo Ganje and Aster Jones sprinted to their own wins in their respective 200m races. Ganje, from Glacier Peak High School, ran 21.65 to outstrip second place by 0.82 seconds. Jones, meanwhile, ran a U.S. #3 (Oregon #1) 23.44 to clinch her second-straight title.
Jones, the Roosevelt High School junior who won the 200m race last year at Hayward, returned in 2025 to sweep both the 100 and 200m titles in Eugene on Friday night.
“I haven’t been here since Nike Nationals last year,” Jones said. “It just feels good to come out here. (Hayward Field) is only two hours away from my house, and it honestly just seems like a home.”
“It honestly just seems like a home.”
- Roosevelt High School’s Aster Jones following her two Oregon Relays titles
She’d return to the track later on Friday with an 11.55, Oregon #1 (U.S. #24) time in the 100m race to claim her second title of the day. Grant Valley, meanwhile, ran a personal-record 10.80 in the boys’ 100m final to best Ganje by eight-hundredths of a second.
On the infield, Marissa Johnson (Tigard High School) set a new Oregon 2025 #1 13.14m throw in the girls’ shot put. It was more than enough to win her the event.
Shortly afterward, Hayden Williams-Downing won the girls’ javelin. It took until her third throw, but she uncorked a 43.89m mark that topped the next-closest throw by 2.94m. She’ll get used to Hayward Field soon — the West Linn High School senior is committed to throw at Oregon next year.
The final hour on Friday night was blazing fast. Eugene mayor Kaarin Knudson (and former Oregon track and field All-American) was on the track with a microphone, pulling even more enthusiasm from the crowd. The sun began to set, and Wilson High School (Long Beach) kicked off the second window of the meet with a 3:17.07 4x400m relay that won the event by nearly six seconds.
Minutes later, Max Billett (Shorewood High School) and Sophia Rodriguez (Mercer Island High School) set U.S. #1 marks in both the boys’ and girls’ two mile. Chloe Huyler (Lakeridge High School), ran 4:46.70 in the girls’ mile to earn her own American #1 mark while Kellen Williams (Jesuit High School) ran a personal-best 4:09.06 to win the boys’ mile.
For high school athletes like Rodriguez, running on hallowed ground matters.
“I was talking about this with my friend,” Rodriguez said after winning the two mile race. “The track actually looks a little big — maybe it’s just the stadium…there’s just something about it.”
“There’s just something about it.”
-Mercer Island High School’s Sophia Rodriguez on competing at Hayward Field
Maya Bybee finished second in the two mile — the top 17 athletes all reset the top US times in order. She loves running against the best, she said.
“It’s so cool,” she said. “I keep running into these girls throughout the races, and competing with them at these meets. They’re all so kind and so nice — it’s so cool to have such a competitive field that really pushes you and makes you stronger.”
Friday was extra special for Niwot miler Addison Ritzenhein. The senior was born in Eugene before moving away in first grade, and she returned to run a new U.S. #2 time (4:51.08) and place third in the girls’ varsity mile.
“It’s such a special feeling, coming back here,” Ritzenhein said. “It sounds kind of weird, but there’s memories.”
Ritzenhein was in the girls’ distance medley relay, too, but the focus was on Lakeridge when the event rolled around on Saturday night. Trailing for most of the race, it took something that anchor Chloe Huyler doesn’t usually do to grab victory.
“Normally, I’m the one to get outkicked at the end,” Huyler said. “So today, it feels great to be able to outkick someone and be in the opposite position.”
Huyler pushed past Mercer Island’s Sophia Rodriguez on the back stretch at Hayward Field, where fans filled the outer lanes cheering, to sweep the Pacers into the lead and grab the win, running 11:37.83.
That stretch matters, Huyler’s DMR teammate Margaux McCloskey said.
“I feel like, especially with all the people on the back end…it’s so encouraging,” McCloskey said. “I’m in the 400 meter leg, and that last half of the race was so brutal. When I see all the people and faces, it’s super encouraging to finish that leg.”
Of course, it had to end with shock, too. When the boys’ distance medley relay hit its final leg, the Mercer Island boys weren’t close to the front.
Islanders runner Owen Powell had other ideas. He ran a sub-four minute 1600m leg to pull the team into first place — 10:04.01.
“Coming off this indoor season, (where I) ran sub-four twice, gave me a lot of confidence,” Powell said. “I knew it’d be a bit trickier here, in a high school only race…honestly, I wasn’t trying to run any time. I was just trying to catch the guys.”
He caught them.
“I wasn’t trying to run any time. I was just trying to catch the guys.”
- Mercer Island High School’s Owen Powell following his sub-4 minute 1600m in the boys’ DMR
Wilson (Long Beach) wrapped up the meet underneath the lit-up Hayward tower and claimed its third-straight Oregon Relays title when the night ended, with 160 points. The Bruins won 14 of 60 events, including a team sweep of the 4x400m relays, where the girls ran a meet-record 3:48.12, and both the sprint medley relays. The victory was comprehensive.
The prize for the athletes?
A pizza party.
2025 Oregon Relays photo gallery
Photos by Rian Yamasaki
“Road to TrackTown” Video Series Returns For Third Season
TOGETHXR joins series as digital distribution partner
TrackTown USA’s digital-first original video series titled “Road to TrackTown” will return for a third season, providing an all-access look at athletes’ journeys on and off the track throughout 2025. Lexus, the Official Luxury Vehicle of TrackTown USA, will return as the presenting sponsor of the series. With this year’s all-woman cast, TrackTown USA will also join forces with TOGETHXR, the fastest growing and most engaging women’s sports brand, for digital distribution.
Athletes participating in the series include:
Heather MacLean of New Balance: American record holder in the women’s indoor 1500m (3:59.60); 2021 Olympian in the women’s 1500m; 2022 USA champion in the women’s indoor 1500m; 2022 North American, Central American and Caribbean Athletic Association (NACAC) champion in the women’s 1500m
Jasmine Moore of Puma: Two-time Olympic bronze medalist in the 2024 Long Jump and Triple Jump. Moore was the first American woman to qualify for the Olympic Games in both the Long Jump and Triple Jump, and the first woman in U.S. history to win an Olympic medal in the Triple Jump. Moore was a seven-time NCAA champion and Bowerman Award finalist while at the University of Florida.
Masai Russell of Nike: Reigning Olympic champion in the women’s 100m Hurdles; 2024 USA champion in the women’s 100m Hurdles, and 2025 USA indoor champion in the women’s 60m Hurdles. Russell is the NCAA record holder in the 100m Hurdles and holds the fifth fastest time ever run in the discipline.
Laulauga Tausaga of Nike: 2023 World Athletics Outdoor Championships gold medalist in the women’s Discus, 2022 NACAC champion in the women’s Discus. 2019 NCAA champion in the women’s Discus while at the University of Iowa.
The first episodes will debut Tuesday, April 29 through Friday, May 2, with subsequent episodes airing every Friday on TrackTown USA’s Facebook, YouTube, and website. Promotional content for episodes can be found in the lead-up to each air date on TrackTown USA’s Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, X, TikTok, and website.
TOGETHXR will share promotional content for the series to their 3+ million person social media audience, as well as include links to the full episodes in their regular newsletters and on their website. Additionally, fans can engage with TOGETHXR in-person at this year’s Prefontaine Classic through their activation at the Marshfield District, the meet’s fan festival open to the public.
The first season of “Road to TrackTown” earned industry recognition by receiving a Northwest Emmy Award nomination in the category of “Sports Story - Short and Long Form Content” and making the Hashtag Sports Award shortlist in the category of “Best Original Film or Series: Long Form.”
Click here to watch the first two “Road to TrackTown” seasons in full.
Lexus Returns as Official Luxury Vehicle of The Prefontaine Classic and TrackTown USA
TrackTown USA and Lexus have renewed their partnership that names the brand as the Official Luxury Vehicle of The Prefontaine Classic and the overall TrackTown USA season at Hayward Field at the University of Oregon.
Fans at the 2025 Prefontaine Classic can enjoy the luxury of the Lexus Legacy Experience with a VIP brunch before the meet and an all-inclusive happy hour celebration with the day’s winners. Fans interested in being part of this exclusive opportunity can learn more at www.preclassic.com/vip.
The latest Lexus models will be on display inside Hayward Field and in the Marshfield District (Fan Festival) for fans to view and experience.
“TrackTown USA is excited to continue our partnership with Lexus and our friends at Kendall Lexus of Eugene,” said TrackTown USA CEO Michael Reilly. “This year’s 50th edition of The Prefontaine Classic will provide our fans with exhilarating performances much like the amazing experience of driving a Lexus vehicle.”
Lexus’ partnership includes sponsorship of the Lexus Community Events the week of The Prefontaine Classic. Hundreds of children, fans, and local running enthusiasts took part in last year’s Youth Meet and Night of Miles. This year’s programming promises to be just as engaging with details to be announced at a later date.
“We are thrilled to continue our partnership with TrackTown USA and The Prefontaine Classic”, said Chad Stilwell, General Manager at Kendall Lexus of Eugene. “Lexus is looking forward to creating memorable experiences to track fans and enthusiasts at Hayward Field this year”
Visitors traveling to Track Town U.S.A. through the Eugene Airport will get a firsthand view of Lexus vehicles displayed just outside the front doors and at baggage claim during the 2025 track and field season.
To learn more about Lexus and schedule your test drive, please visit: www.kendalllexuseugene.com.
Tickets for TrackTown USA’s Premier Events at Hayward Field Now On Sale
Tickets for this summer’s top events at Hayward Field at the University of Oregon are now on sale.
The Prefontaine Classic will be held on Saturday, July 5 at Hayward Field. Tickets start at just $25 and may be purchased at PreClassic.com (PreClassic.com/tickets).
In celebration of 50 years, the Pre Classic is providing nothing less than the best for an elevated fan experience with the opportunity to purchase VIP hospitality packages in addition to an event ticket. The all-inclusive Lexus Legacy Experience will take place both prior to the meet with a Heritage Brunch and also immediately following the meet as a Celebration Happy Hour with gourmet bites and toasts to the day’s performances. VIP hospitality also includes perks like private concessions, a dedicated VIP concierge, and more. Lexus Legacy Experience VIP packages are on sale now at PreClassic.com (PreClassic.com/vip).
The 2025 Toyota USATF Outdoor Championships will be held July 31 - August 3 at Hayward Field. The 2025 USATF Para National Championships will be held concurrently at Hayward Field from July 31 - August 2. This will be the fourteenth time the USATF Championship meet will be staged in Track Town, U.S.A. and the first time the USATF Para National Championships will be combined with the USATF Outdoor Championships. The USATF Championship meet will also serve as the qualifying event for the 2025 World Athletics Championships Tokyo 25, set for September in Tokyo, Japan. The USATF Para National Championships will serve as the qualifying event for the 2025 Para Athletics World Championships, set for September in Delhi, India.
In this first phase of ticket sales for the USATF Championship meet, only all-session ticket packages will be available in reserved seating and general admission areas. Tickets for the USATF Outdoor Championships also serve as tickets for the USATF Para National Championships. Customers will be able to select their reserved seat at the time of purchase. Prices for all-session ticket packages start at $99. Single day tickets will be available for purchase later this spring.
Beginning today, February 12, customers can purchase tickets for The Prefontaine Classic online at PreClassic.com (PreClassic.com/tickets) and the 2025 Toyota USATF Outdoor Championships and Para National Championships online at GoTrackTownUSA.com (GoTrackTownUSA.com/tracktown25). Tickets can also be purchased by calling 1-800-WEBFOOT (1-800-932-3668) or in person at the University of Oregon Athletics ticket office at the Moshofsky Center ticket office inside the Autzen Complex (2727 Leo Harris Parkway, Eugene, OR 97401).
For the Prefontaine Classic, media accreditation requests can be submitted in late February 2025 at portal.diamondleague.com.
For the USATF Outdoor Championships, details on media accreditation can be found at www.usatf.org/media-center.
Media accommodations can be explored at www.eugenecascadescoast.org/lodging.
Air travel options to Eugene can be found at www.flyeug.com.
USA Track & Field Announces Historic USATF Para National Championships
USA Track & Field today announced the 2025 USATF Para National Championships, which will take place at the renowned Hayward Field at the University of Oregon from July 31-August 2, 2025. The event will be the first time in U.S. Para track and field history that the meet will be combined with the USATF Outdoor Championships after the Paralympic track and field program transitioned to USATF in January.
National championships will be the first major Para track and field event that USATF hosts as the official national governing body for the sport. The three-day competition will also serve as the team selection event for the 2025 Para Athletics World Championships, set for Delhi, India, in September.
“This meet will be momentous for the sport because we don’t often get the opportunity to showcase able-bodied and Para sport side by side,” Sherrice Fox, Director, Paralympics Track & Field, said. “It will not only determine which of our athletes we take with us to worlds, but also will be the first time that fans will get to see Para sport contested at USATF Outdoor Championships. We are so excited to set the cornerstone for what will hopefully be many more combined meets in the future.”
The spectator-friendly competition will feature many of the nation’s top Para track and field athletes fresh from earning medals at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, and an event schedule will be released ahead of the competition.
“We are thrilled to host the USATF Para National Championships concurrently with the USATF Outdoor Championships at Hayward Field for the first time,” said USATF CEO Max Siegel. “This historic event underscores USATF’s commitment to providing equal opportunities for all elite track and field athletes. With the Championships just a few months away, we’re excited to showcase the incredible talent of both Para and able-bodied athletes in one of the most extraordinary facilities in the world.”
Tickets to the 2025 Toyota USATF Outdoor Championships also serve as tickets to the USATF Para National Championships, being held on the same dates at Hayward Field. Beginning February 12 at 10 a.m Pacific time, customers can purchase tickets for the 2025 Toyota USATF Outdoor Championships and 2025 USATF Para National Championships online here, by calling 1-800-WEBFOOT (1-800-932-3668), or in person at the University of Oregon Athletics ticket office at the Moshofsky Center ticket office inside the Autzen Complex (2727 Leo Harris Parkway, Eugene, OR 97401).
With a capacity of 12,650, the iconic Hayward Field has played host to many groundbreaking moments in U.S. track and field history, including the 2024 U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Track & Field.
Tickets for 2025 USATF Outdoor Championships to go on sale February 12
It’s time for fans to mark their calendars to watch America’s best athletes compete for a chance to make the world’s No. 1 track and field team.
All-session ticket packages for all four days of the 2025 USATF Outdoor Championships will go on sale to the public on Wednesday, February 12 at 10:00 am Pacific time.
The meet will be held July 31-August 3 at Hayward Field at the University of Oregon. This will be the fourteenth time the USATF Championship meet will be staged in Track Town, U.S.A. The meet will also serve as the qualifying event for the 2025 World Athletics Championships Tokyo 25, set for September 13-21 in Tokyo, Japan.
In this first phase of ticket sales, only all-session ticket packages will be available in reserved seating and general admission areas. Customers will be able to select their reserved seat at the time of purchase. Prices for all-session ticket packages start at $99. Single day tickets will be available for purchase later this spring. Fans interested in early ticket access can sign up for Priority Ticket Access here by Friday, January 31 at 11:59 p.m. Pacific time. Fans interested in VIP hospitality or reserving a suite can send an email to tickets@gotracktownusa.com.
USATF Outdoor Championships return to Track Town, U.S.A. July 31 - August 3, 2025
Track Town, U.S.A. is set to host the USATF Outdoor Championships from July 31 - August 3, 2025 at Hayward Field at the University of Oregon.
The four-day meet will crown national champions and also serve as the qualifying event for the 2025 World Athletics Championships Tokyo 25, to be held September 13-21 in Tokyo, Japan. This will be the 14th time that the USATF Championship meet will be staged in Track Town, U.S.A.--most recently seeing the 2024 U.S. Olympic Team Trials–Track & Field held at Hayward Field this past summer.
Tickets will go on sale to the public at a later date. Fans interested in receiving updates related to ticket on-sale, VIP hospitality experiences, and more, can sign up for the TrackTown USA email list here.
Media accreditation information will be updated here.
Why Mykolas Alekna will win in Paris, and how it’s fine if he doesn’t, by Kara Winger
Kara Winger with Mykolas Alekna following his world record discus throw in Ramona, Oklahoma. Winger served as an official at the event.
Hey, it's Kara Winger, TrackTown USA Throws Ambassador! I simply had to write about my favorite throwing story in the world, just ahead of the Paris Olympic Games. Especially after my recent jaunt back onto the javelin runway, and feeling performance nerves again even at 38, I'm so wildly impressed by Mykolas Alekna, the 21-year-old World Record holder in the discus from Lithuania. I threw the javelin for long enough that I get to say I was on World Championships teams when both Virgilijus (Mykolas's Dad) and Mykolas were competing, so while every thrower feels connected to this story, I feel like I've had a front row seat. I haven't. But it feels that way. And I needed to talk about it. Enjoy!
If you’re not a huge throws fan, it’s understandable that you could have missed Mykolas Alekna’s World Record earlier this year. Just 21 years old (and not 22 until September), he’s the youngest of all of the 27 men to have set a world record in the discus in history. His 74.35m throw came in the fifth round of the Throw Town Ramona World Athletics bronze meet held on April 14. All five of his other throws traveled more than 70m as well, an astounding feat of top-notch consistency for any discus thrower. He PRed three times in that series. The record he broke was the oldest one in track and field: 38 years. My own age, as of four days before I had the honor of officiating that incredible competition.
He’s quiet. It happened in a field in the middle of nowhere. There was no mixed zone, press conference, or in-depth analysis by the athlete himself on social media. Just a short interview with Dan McQuaid, some great angles by Throws University, and a few articles (World Athletics, Sports Illustrated, Cal Athletics, and Citius Mag). A biomechanical analysis is in the works, and coaches and avid throwers are still salivating over this early May tweet. You can now watch Mykolas’s Cal Coach, Mo Saatara, break down his technique on CoachTube. Paul Hof-Mahoney did get to chat with the reserved Alekna for Citius Mag, and I just read this endearing Q&A in doing research for this piece.
One of the reasons that chatter about this absolutely monumental event died down quickly is that the new World Record holder just. kept. going. And he seems to have very impressive wisdom beyond his years to be, simply, enjoying the ride.
This is, kind of, just the beginning of a transcendental career. But the most miraculous things about it are a) it didn’t just begin: It was already incredible. And b) it won’t matter if, tomorrow, he puts the discus down. This kid has on lock the things that some of us (ahem, ME) take two decades to figure out: His worth isn’t tied to his results, he’s in it for the fun, and he has noticed when it isn’t as fun, and curated his experience to avoid those traps. This phenom has an incredible, holistically supportive team behind him, he knows it, and is actively grateful for it. This student is fully present in - and continuing to learn from - all areas of his life.
Here are all the reasons he’ll win Gold in Paris. Or, you know, not, and be the same guy.
He has established a history, already, of performing at major championships, and when big opportunities present themselves.
Mykolas was NINETEEN when he earned Silver at the Oregon 2022 World Championships. His toss of 69.27m was second to merely-23-year-old Slovenian Kristjan Čeh, who we’ll get to. Mykolas had thrown 69 meters just twice prior to that performance: To win that season’s Lithuanian National Championship, and then to get second to Čeh at the Stockholm Diamond League. In an event as saturated with talent as the men’s discus is in our current throws world, a teenager had no business on the podium. But there he was.
That same season, Mykolas became the youngest European Champion in discus history, throwing just three centimeters under his then-PB 69.78m for Gold in the Berlin Olympic Stadium.
In 2023, he became the youngest athlete ever over 70m when he, at 20, launched the discus 71.00m at Cal’s Edwards Stadium (he’s competing collegiately for the Golden Bears). His results were modest by his standards until, again, he became Lithuanian Champion for the second time, and, again, he made the World Podium in Budapest with 68.85m and bronze.
Ramona, Oklahoma was not a global championship, but an enormous opportunity that captivated the imaginations and hopes of the entire throws community the moment that Alekna’s name appeared on the start list. For Mykolas to step up under all of that pressure and deliver on the World Record dreams everyone had for him? At 21? There are not enough words. It seems simple to him. He seems to have the levelest of heads. But anyone who has ever thrown anything with people watching and expectations put upon them knows that harnessing your own calm under all of those eyes is anything but simple. His ability to perform anyway is amazing.
Perhaps the biggest argument for Mykolas topping the Paris podium to me is the way he waltzed from the World Record to multiple 70m Diamond League victories this year. And while Oslo was not a major championship, his second-best result of the season being a meet record that his Dad (we’ll get to him soon) had formerly held is symbolic of him standing up to that particular kind of pressure that others apply to his career: Living up to Virgilijus. His 70.91 there made a statement.
Mykolas has incredible examples of what’s possible, all around him. He appreciates them, lets them inspire him, and has freaking built on them.
His Dad, Virgilijus, is widely regarded as the best discus thrower of all time. He owns three Olympic medals and four World Championships ones, including two Golds from each of those. He was Top 6 in EVERY major championship final from 1996 to 2012, and on three of the four European Championship podiums in the between years (5th at Europeans in 2010 when he was 38 is the minor blemish in those 16 years, omg). There’s a quote from Mykolas in the Paul Hof-Mahoney Q&A linked above about watching London 2012 on TV, and being disappointed for his Dad that he got fourth with 67.38m. In the same paragraph and clearly the same breath, Mykolas understands that 67 meters at 40 years old is incredible, and aspires to the same greatness. He lived with it growing up. But it informs his dreams rather than crowding them. That’s so cool. To BE a fly on the Alekna dining room wall, discussing technique and competition mindset in what seems to be the most supportive of environments?! The most amazing leg up. Excellent parenting, as it’s clear there was never any pressure to follow in Dad’s footsteps, for any of the kids (Martynas will also compete for Lithuania in Paris).
Mykolas watched his countryman (and eventual fellow Eugene 2022 medalist) Andrius Gudžius and established talent, Swede Daniel Ståhl at the European Championships in 2018, the same year he picked up a discus for the first time at 15, and was inspired to compete with them. When the time came to do so, at a meet in San Diego Daniel came to in 2022, Mykolas stepped up with a 66.70m PR to get second to the Tokyo Olympic Champion. That same season, another young phenom was making a name for himself: Kristjan Čeh didn’t just throw 70 meters a lot, he typically did it in stadiums, and at meets that mattered. He’d burst onto the international scene in 2020, with a five-meter jump from 2019 and from 20 years old to 21. Kristjan Čeh was very nearly Mykolas Alekna, just during COVID, and without the famous Dad. His dominance in 2022 at 23 years of age had to be encouragement to the young Alekna: I imagine him thinking, “I can do that, too.” And he kept on keeping on.
He bounces back from stuff.
Mykolas Alekna, the World Record Holder in the men’s discus, has not yet won an NCAA title. He was second in 2022 and third in 2023, both with, it should go without saying, some of his worst marks of each season. And each season, he went on to earn a bunch of other stuff, including in both cases a Lithuanian title and a World Championships medal.
If you watch the Throws University video of Mykolas’s series in Ramona this year, you’ll see frustration in round 1. The guy everyone wanted to see break the world record had the strongest reaction anyone has ever seen him have to that throw, and a) it still went 72.21m but b) he buckled down, didn’t let himself lean into that bit of struggle, and delivered the series of anyone’s lives after that blip on the emotional radar. The composure he showed was astounding.
Mykolas rolls with the punches. Which means that his bronze in Rome at this year’s European Championships will only spur him on to further greatness.
The consistency Mykolas has shown this year is unmatched.
While an Olympic year definitely sees people bring their best at The Games themselves, Mykolas’s four competitions over 70m in 2024 is difficult to argue with. That number would be 5 if his first PB of the year, 71.39m, were recorded anywhere. Why it isn’t (from a meet at home at Cal) is a mystery to me, but should remain a source of confidence. His consistency in other seasons and ability to show up at major championships in the last few years also indicate that there is more in the tank! Even in poor conditions (which the recent FBK Games in Hengelo, Netherlands reportedly sported), he can reach 68+ meters darn reliably. Three Diamond League wins of three so far this year is formidable. The other meet record that Dad Virgilijus holds that Mykolas might be interested in breaking? The 69.89m Olympic Record, set when Mykolas was 2 in the course of Dad winning his second straight Olympic Gold.
Consistency isn’t everything, and the past two Worlds winners (Čeh and Ståhl) both threw 71m to get the job done. But with all this confidence building up with all these 70m throws all season? Mykolas could absolutely win his Olympic debut.
The way that everyone around Mykolas supports him as a whole human.
The Alekna family clearly just loves each other. Supports each other. In whatever way each of them need. Values education as much as or more than Olympic medals. Likes to fish. Virgilijus provides guidance to both his discus-throwing sons, but never pushes them. An incredible resource, but mostly, a loving Dad. It seems romanticized in terms of idyllic family life but, also, true.
Mantas Jusis of Jusis Training in Vilnius, Lithuania started Mykolas on his discus path at home. They figured stuff out, and quickly. Mohamad Saatara, a treasure, fully supports and participates in that continued coach-athlete relationship as he helps guide Mykolas on American soil at Cal. Coaches can be egotistical and possessive, but the exact opposite is true of this scenario: It’s a joy to watch an athlete’s best interests kept in mind by all parties.
I’ve read articles that mention Mykolas’s friends at Cal. How he doesn’t talk much unless he’s around them, sitting in the stands after a meet and just casually being a college kid. Friendship. It’s important. And I bet he didn’t lead with, “I’m the best discus thrower in the world” when he met those fellow students. They like him for him.
The holistic support of this guy is obvious, and precious, and needs to be protected at all costs. It’s something every human being should aspire to gather around themselves. What an awesome place to keep growing within.
Mykolas, who I first got to meet after we both became World Medalists for the first time in Eugene, earning the same color bauble, has such a big fan in me. He was 19. I was 36. Join me in cheering on this generational talent, whose level-headedness, humility, clear gratitude for his family and support system, obvious respect for and from competitors, and simple love of what he does make him worthy of role model status for any aspiring athlete. I believe we’ll always be left wanting more from this guy: The lack of flash, simplicity in describing his own technique, disciplined-rather-than-fiery, matter-of-fact way he goes about being the best in history is just cool. I believe he’ll win Gold in Paris. But if he doesn’t, he’ll be more than fine. Neat.
Kara Winger with fellow official Lionel at the ThrowTown Ramona event, where Alekna broke the world record
Moments I will always remember from (Mykolas’s First?) World Record Day:
Mykolas, peeking out from his hat, asking me how much warm-up time was left for the third of three flights.
The murmur-excited sound the crowd made after I announced that his frustrating first attempt was a massive 72.21m.
How it felt to whisper re-ordering stuff excitedly with Axton Ors, the Seal Throwing Club athlete who monitored live results all three days of that weekend. It took 66.28m to be Top 8 at a mid-April meet in the middle of Oklahoma.
Cherishing hearing “74.41m” from Lionel, my fellow Official operating the laser that day, after Round 5. The way we grinned at each other before he re-measured to make sure was one of those moments that will forever connect you to a fellow human. True appreciation for just being there. And my hands immediately shook.
My quads burning as I made sure there was no twist in the steel tape we used to verify the mark, squat-hustling from 74 meters to the ring, holding the tape between my fingers an inch from the ground the whole way.
Being told, later, by multiple competitors, that they saw just a bit of overwhelm, slightly more emotion than typical in the 21-year-old’s eyes. That these older men had celebrated him, wanted to build him up as he rightfully deserved, but also protected his peace by noticing and breaking up that overwhelming attention. Letting him savor it in his own way. Giving him space. And watching him record yet another 70m mark to truly solidify his greatness. The emotional intelligence of the entire group was incredible to understand.
Watching Mykolas turn back into as much of a kid as he lets the world see these days after the meet was over. I always think there’s more of a joke behind his relaxed expressions than most of the world gets to experience, and that’s perfect.
The Men’s Discus Final is set for Wednesday, August 7 at 11:25 a.m. Pacific time, streaming live on Peacock.
U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Track & Field Women's Shot Put preview, by Kara Winger
Photo by Oregon Track & Field
Hey track & field fans—TrackTown USA Throws Ambassador Kara Winger here. Let’s talk about the women’s shot put!
The most competitive throwing event on the women’s side - and perhaps across genders - to make at this Olympic Team Trials is the shot put. In the hammer, four women came into the Trials with the 74m Olympic Standard and one achieved it here. In the discus, only three women had the 64.50m mark. One javelin thrower owns the 64m Olympic Standard. Seven men’s shot putters had thrown the 21.50m Olympic qualification distance coming into their competition last weekend.
Eight women possess the Olympic Standard of 18.80m entering the first round of the shot put on Friday. One other athlete lives within the Top 32 in the World Rankings, and would be eligible for the team if she beat enough standard-holders in the final. And two to three more could earn enough points to climb the rankings with great performances in qualifying and finals.
This field boasts the American Record holder, an Olympic silver medalist, the NCAA Record holder, Olympians, World Team members, and a serious stock of upcoming collegiate talent and post-collegiate experience.
Jessica Ramsey had a baby last year. She also won the 2021 Olympic Trials in commanding fashion, and will not only draw on that experience, but dropped an 18.90m performance in the Bahamas this month to come into these Trials with the wind at her back. With that recently-recorded post-baby PB, the Tokyo Olympic finalist has to be feeling confident that her 20.12m overall PB from her last Trials victory (also the Trials Meet Record) is near.
Adelaide Aquilla’s 2024 season has been somewhat of a roller coaster, but the 19.38m SB she recorded at the Suzhou Diamond League came early and seemingly a bit easier than some of her hard-won 2023 results that still put her on the Budapest World team. Adelaide knows how to show up at Hayward Field, where she has won two NCAA titles, made two World Championships teams, and became an Olympian after making the Tokyo team here in 2021. Her personal best of 19.64m is two years old now (she set it in winning NCAAs in 2022), so I wouldn’t be surprised to see this still-young talent make a little jump in an environment she has thrived in before.
The third of three women’s shot put Olympians returning to this Trials competition is Raven Saunders, the Tokyo silver medalist with a 19.79m effort at the 2021 Olympic Games, and 5th place finisher from Rio in 2016 at just 20 years old. Raven returned to competition this May after serving an 18-month whereabouts filing failure ban from the sport by the anti-doping governing body. That ban began on August 18, 2022, and her first mark back on May 18, 2024, was 18.62m, just shy of the 18.80m Olympic Standard. Raven now has two competitions on the season over 19.10m
Oregon22 World Championships finalist and 19.40m shot putter Jessica Woodard achieved the Olympic Standard with 2cm to spare at last season’s Brussels Diamond League, and while her results haven’t been what she wanted this season, she had some solid indoor results, and has been climbing again lately with an 18.39m performance and the USATF NYC Grand Prix. A breakthrough - ilke has happened in this ring for her in the past - at the right time will send her to Paris.
The 2024 Indoor NCAA Champion and the 2024 Outdoor NCAA Champion both own Olympic Standards coming into their first Olympic Trials.
Mya Lesnar, the Colorado State University rising senior, had a breakout indoor season with two February performances over 19m (19.07m and 19.10m). She took the indoor NCAA victory with an 18.53m toss in Boston. While her outdoor NCAA run didn’t mimic her indoor success, she did get back out over 19m to win a conference title for the Rams, and will look to improve on her fifth place finish out of this ring from outdoor NCAAs earlier this month.
Jaida Ross will be a senior at the University of Oregon this fall. She’s from Medford. She threw 19.57m out of her home ring to win her first NCAA title this month, and a few weeks prior, became the first collegiate women’s shot putter to throw 20m, setting an NCAA Record of 20.01m at the NCAA West Regional competition. She was named a Bowerman award finalist this week, and throwers would LOVE if one of those finally went to one of us. A really wild thing about the best NCAA shot putter in history? She first broke the nineteen meter barrier just this outdoor season. I can’t wait to see what her future holds, and that starts in qualifying on Friday.
The seventh and eighth athletes with the 18.80m mark coming into women’s shot put qualifying are two of the most accomplished athletes in the field. Neither has made an Olympic team quite yet.
Maggie Ewen was our last hope for a Bowerman award, when she was named a finalist during her junior year at Arizona State University, the season she set the collegiate hammer record in winning her first outdoor NCAA title. Spoiler alert, she didn’t win the Bowerman, but the next season she won shot put and discus outdoor NCAA titles (and set the shot NCAA record) and was again named a Bowerman finalist, becoming the first thrower of either gender to receive back-to-back nominations. While she didn’t win yet again, that year’s award went to a jumper we love, Keturah Orji (she just made her third Olympic Team), and was the first ever win for the field. Maggie Ewen, notably, got the fan vote. Let’s take that into account ahead of time this year please, Bowerman committee.
Okay tangent tangented. Maggie’s professional career, like her collegiate one, has featured multiple events, but shot put has been her main focus, and she’s had a lot of close calls in terms of international podiums. After her 2018 graduation, she quickly hopped onto the Doha 2019 World Team in the shot put, finishing a devastating fourth with 18.93m after throwing what would have been in the medals in the qualifying round. A dreaded fourth place at the 2021 Olympic Trials echoed that performance at Maggie’s next opportunity to make a team, but at the end of 2021 she won the Diamond League Final, securing her place on the Oregon22 World Team. While she finished 9th at that Worlds, her friend Chase Jackson (nee Ealey) won, and Maggie and Jessica Woodard got to celebrate the first American World Champion in the event as teammates in that final. Maggie put on an absolute clinic in becoming last year’s National Champion, and was over 20m for the first time in her career in 2023 (a 20.45m stunner at the LA Grand Prix), finishing fifth in Budapest when Chase again won gold. So many close calls for one of the most consistent shot putters and magnificent throwers in U.S. history. She deserves an Olympic berth just as much as everyone else in this field.
Chase Jackson (formerly Ealey, married Mitch this January in a gorgeous rural England ceremony) has won the last two straight World titles, becoming not only the first American woman to do so in Oregon in 2022, but proving it twofold in Budapest last summer. At the Diamond League Final at the 2023 Prefontaine Classic, she demolished the American Record that Michelle Carter set when she won Rio 2016 Olympic Gold, recording a 20.76m effort that put the world on notice for a 21m throw from her. She has stated publicly that that is the goal. A proponent of women using rotational technique rather than the (perhaps formerly) traditional glide, her results this season have spoken volumes about where she might be at in a championship season: All three of her Diamond League victories have been over 20m so far in 2024, and while injuries have hampered her in the past, she bounced back from an indoor ailment (and still secured bronze in Glasgow) much more quickly than she has from other issues in previous seasons, proving her veteran status in a new way. She wants her first Olympic berth VERY badly, and her performance in this ring at 2023 PRE has to give her confidence that it will happen.
Other neat stories in this qualifying field (they all are!! Everyone has a shot!! Pun intended!!) are Rachel Fatherly and Monique Riddick of Garage Strength. I will just not stop singing the praises of that team’s support of each other and the rest of the field and event group. They are awesome, keep showing up, and demonstrate the heart of the throws so well. Jalani Davis of Ole Miss is in the Top 32 at 26th, was second at last year’s USAs, and got her feet wet on the Budapest Team at 2023 Worlds. KeAyla Dove is currently World Ranked 38th, and therefore has a chance to move into the Top 32 with great performances this weekend. Her PB from May 2023 of 18.95m would be good for an Olympic Standard if she can do it again in this competition. Cierra Jackson of Fresno State, Jayden Ulrich from Louisville, and Veronica Fraley of Vanderbilt are all throwing both discus and shot put at this Olympic Trials. Veronica will now definitely be an Olympian, after finishing third in the discus final with an Olympic Standard in that event. Jayden will also likely be an Olympian if the bump in World Rankings that she’ll get with her strong performance and second place finish in the final holds up through Sunday. How to celebrate making an Olympic discus team? Throw the shot put! Gabby McDonald-Morris was second to Jaida Ross at outdoor NCAA Championships, and the senior from Colorado State will wear her Rams uniform alongside teammate Mya Lesnar for the final time here at this Trials. Gabby’s 18.66m PB to earn silver earlier this month is just 14cm away from the Olympic Standard.
See the full field here, and dig into each and every story behind the names you see! The future of shot put is here in Chase Jackson, but who will rise again, and who might take up the healm in terms of new talent? We’ll see who shows up when women’s shot put Olympic Trials start with the qualifying round on Friday. Finals Saturday will determine yet another extremely strong American women’s shot put contingent for Paris in just one month.
U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Track & Field Women's Discus preview, by Kara Winger
Photo by Howard Lao
Hey track & field fans! TrackTown USA Throws Ambassador Kara Winger here to break down all the drama in the upcoming women’s discus final.
Olympic Trials is always brutal in one way or another, and while media focus has revolved around Athing Mu’s fall in the 800m final, the women’s throws have quietly been completely shaken up as well.
The two women who were the first to make a podium together in the women’s hammer, and did so at Hayward Field, will not be on the Olympic Team. Brooke Andersen, the 2022 World Champion and current World Leader in the event, and Janee’ Kassanavoid, two-time World Medalist (bronze in Eugene and silver in Budapest in 2023), did not finish top 3 in Sunday’s final. Then, on Monday, Laulauga Tausaga, 2023 World Champion and the second-best discus thrower in U.S. history, sector fouled all three of her qualifying round throws, eliminating her shot at a Paris bid.
But others’ dreams came true (Annette Echikunwoke’s hammer victory is my favorite throws moment of Trials so far, Ryan Crouser’s strong return to the shotput ring coupled with Joe Kovacs’s willingness to admit he has added fuel to a frustrated fire was great), and still more will realize Olympic-sized ones when the women’s discus final is contested on Thursday. Let’s take a closer look.
The Hayward Field facility record holder rewrote that line in the book with her one and only effort of the day: Valarie Allman’s 70.89m first round throw of qualifying made waves all around the stadium on Monday, and her celebration of it kept the party going. Even though that mark is just the second furthest in the world this year, Val boasts three of the four marks so far over 69m. She rocketed to 70m distances in 2020, and has not looked back, but only added ridiculous consistency AND pushed her top level higher each season. The defending Olympic Champion has expressed a lot of joy in 2024, and appears to be handling the pressure of that title defense very, very well. If history is to repeat itself like it did in the qualifying round (Val set the former stadium record in qualifying at the 2021 Trials), we’re in for another 70m effort on Thursday, and likely another Olympic Gold for the American Record holder.
The second of two athletes in this final who owns an Olympic Standard distance of 64.50m is Veronica Fraley, 2023 World Championships team member and 2024 NCAA Champion in this event. Veronica threw a big personal best of 67.17m in Oklahoma in April, and has made the Hayward Field ring her home, with her 63.66m NCAA title throw earlier this month and a solid showing in qualifying on Monday with two 62m efforts. She looks to be a strong contender for an Olympic spot indeed.
Two athletes within striking distance of the World Rankings necessary to qualify for Paris are Jayden Ulrich (currently sitting in 30th) and Elena Bruckner (37th).
Jayden, the Louisville rising Senior, has made a 5-meter PB jump this year, from 59m to 64.29m, but in her first season as a 60m discus thrower, only has one competition out of 8 below the 60m line. Remarkable consistency for not only a young athlete, but one who has made such a significant improvement in one year. Her 63.61m mark from qualifying is her lifetime second-best, but she had a 63m effort to earn second at the NCAA Championships out of this very ring as well, giving her all the confidence coming into the Olympic Trials final. Once the Performance Score from Jayden’s qualifying round effort is added to her World Athletics Ranking Score, she should get bumped up to 25th or 26th on the Road to Paris list, making her Olympic opportunity very, very real.
Elena, teammate of Val and Veronica’s in Budapest in 2023, was just a meter short of her personal best with 61.35m in qualifying on Monday, and will look to build on that momentum as she needs more Ranking Points to crack the top 32, or the standard. Lanie’s 62.38m PB and some consistency this year means she could absolutely get this done! See below for more on that
In order of World Rank right now, the other eight finalists in the women’s discus are Shelby Frank (48th, also 8th in the women’s hammer final Sunday), Micaela Hazlewood (50th, she got silver at this meet three years ago), Jordyn Bryant (55th, one of two Fresno State athletes in this final, so cool), Kaia Harris (68th), Cierra Jackson (72nd, the other Fresno State thrower), Erika Beistle (102nd, had a 61.68m PB in qualifying that would move her up to about 76th), Kat Moody (110th, qualifying will bump her up to about 86th), and Alexandra Freeman (who was not on Road to Paris as of Tuesday but I believe it might be because she just switched her affiliation from American Samoa to the United States and some paperwork is necessary. She should be around 96th).
This event is such an exciting mix of post-collegiate, still-finding-their-way athletes, fresh NCAA talent, and an irrefutable star. Something to keep in mind as you watch is that, in the eyes of USATF and the USOPC, the selection system treats Olympic Standards the same as World Rankings, so if an athlete that has the standard is beaten by someone who is within, or climbs to within the Top 32 of the World Rankings within the qualification period (ending Sunday), the person with the ranking is selected over the standard holder. Three spots are up for grabs.
By way of introducing you to these athletes, I’d like to present the math needed for one person to climb the rankings enough to be Top 32, and share the framework for my calculations so that you may extrapolate! Go forth and math, and cheer on your favorite women’s discus throwers really, really specifically
Elena Bruckner. Currently ranked 37th with a Ranking Score of 1125 from her top 5 meets: A personal best of 62.38m in Fresno, 59m and third at the USATF Throws Festival, 60m and second at the Iron Wood Classic, a 62m victory in Oklahoma, and bronze at Harry Jerome with 58.81m, which resulted in a Performance Score of 1119. That Harry Jerome result is the fifth of Lanie’s Top 5, and since the qualifying round here, at a B meet, doesn’t result in any Placing Scores, her 61.35m toss in qualifying only earns her a 1096 Result Score and doesn’t replace her fifth Top 5 mark (it is lower than the current 1119).
In order to bring her Ranking Score (the average of her Top 5 Performance Scores between July 1, 2023 and June 30, 2024) up to the ~1141 points necessary to be ~30th on the World Rankings, Lanie needs a Performance Score of ~1197 in the final to replace her current lowest Performance Score. An 1197 equals a 62.50m toss (1117 Result Score), AND second place (80 Placing Score) in the final. She could also throw further than that and place lower, as you can see on this chart (I’ve highlighted yellow the required score she needs to up her average enough, and PINK anything above and beyond that score. Green is any other probable outcome, but wouldn’t be enough points to up her ranking to Top 32.).
Do the math on your own!
The numbers above are for women’s discus specifically, using this calculator (which was created using World Athletics Scoring Tables) to determine Result Scores (x axis, bottom row) based on potential distance (x axis, second row up, in meters). The y axis is Placing Score (furthest left column, scores pulled from Table 7.2 here), based on potential place in the final (second column in from left). All Performance Scores possible from 58m and 8th to 64.49m and victory (1cm below the 64.50m Olympic Standard that would negate all these Ranking Scores) are calculated based on individual equations in the middle. You can use this table’s values for any women’s discus thrower competing in the final (a B Category competition) on Thursday!
For Lanie specifically (and you can do this with your favorite athlete of the 12 women), I clicked on her name in the Road to Paris list to view her Top 5 results in the Qualification Period, and copied those values over to my own table. Then, I entered a hypothetical equation (=average(her specific Top 4+the hypothetical value she needs in the final to get a Ranking Score of 1141)) in the yellow highlighted cell, and tried a bunch of values from the larger table to get the number she needs. See below.
The final layer of World Rankings that makes predicting what might make an Olympic Team difficult is that other athletes in the world are constantly chasing their own points! So while 1141 was approximately 30th in the World on Tuesday, that number will probably keep creeping up as June 30th approaches, and other countries are also contesting their own Olympic Trials, with valuable points on the line and in the ring.
As we’ve already seen, anything can happen at the USATF Olympic Trials. I look forward to sharing all of the nerves with you as we watch the women’s Olympic discus team earn their Paris berths in TrackTown USA on Thursday at 4:50pm PST!
First four days of U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Track & Field start with a bang at Hayward Field
Photo by Evan Poulsen
By Sophie Fowler
June 21st kicked off the first four days of the U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Track & Field, where the country’s best athletes compete to represent the United States in the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris this August. Over 900 athletes descended upon Hayward Field to try to claim their spot. Some highlights:
Noah Lyles won the men’s 100m with a personal best time of 9.83 seconds. This will be Lyles' second Olympics appearance, having won bronze in the men’s 200m in the Tokyo Olympic Games. Kenny Bednarek placed second this weekend with a personal best time of 9.87 seconds. Bednarek took home silver from Tokyo in the men’s 200m. Fred Kerley came in third with a time of 9.88 seconds. Kerley won silver in Tokyo in the men’s 100m.
“It’s amazing to finally be here,” Lyles told NBC News following his race. “In Tokyo, I felt like I had blown a huge opportunity. The more I look back at it, the more I’m like, ‘Wow, if I never had that moment happen, I never would have produced what I have done up until now.’ I don’t think there would be the drive in me as much as it has the last couple of years.”
In the women’s 800m, Nia Akins placed first with a personal best time of 1:57.36. Allie Wilson placed second with a time of 1:58.32, and Stanford sophomore Juliette Whittaker placed third with a personal best of 1:58.45. This is Akins, Wilson and Whittaker’s first time representing the U.S. in the Olympic Games.
Ryan Crouser won the men’s shot put with a distance of 22.84m (73 - 11 ¼). This is Crouser’s third time making Team USA, previously winning gold in both the Rio and Tokyo Olympic Games. Joe Kovacs placed second with a distance of 22.43m (73 - 7 ¼), also taking him to the Olympic Games for the third time. Kovacs won silver in Rio and Tokyo. Payton Otterdahl placed third to qualify for the Paris Games with a distance of 22.26m (73 - 0 ½).
Quincy Hall had an impressive finish in the men’s 400m to finish first with a personal best time of 44.17 seconds. Michael Norman placed second with a time of 44.41 seconds, and Chris Bailey placed third with a personal best time of 44.42. Norman represented Team USA in Tokyo, where he won gold in the 4x400m relay.
Sha’Carri Richardson placed first in the prelims, semi-finals and finals–finishing with a time of 10.86 seconds to claim her spot on her first Olympic team. Melissa Jefferson placed second in the finals with a personal best of 10.87 seconds, and Twanisha Terry placed third in 10.89 seconds. These three training partners will represent Team USA next month in the 100m.
“The trials have shown us what we already know and what we’ve been preparing for,” Richardson said in a press conference following her race. “We knew this moment would be possible if we put our minds, bodies and spirits into it … We got the job done today.”
The U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Track & Field resume on June 27th, where the rest of Team USA will be selected to compete in Paris next month. Tickets and VIP upgrades are available at TrackTown24.com.
U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Track & Field Men's Javelin preview, by Kara Winger
Photo by Charlie Townes
Hey field fans! TrackTown USA Throws Ambassador Kara Winger here. I’m back in a dual role serving as ambassador to the throws community for TrackTown USA, AND as a competing athlete at this year’s U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Track & Field.
The only American javelin thrower who has thrown the Olympic standard in the Paris qualification period is Maggie Malone-Hardin. Yes, this is the men’s javelin preview, and I’m mentioning the only U.S. athlete with the javelin qualification mark, a woman! Yay, women! The men’s standard is 85.50m, and the closest American athlete this season is Jordan Davis at 84.45m. More on him later. Cool story.
The severe lack of standards in American javelin means that World Athletics Rankings will be majorly at play this weekend to determine the men’s javelin team headed to France. Let’s have a little lesson!
You can learn all of this from the World Athletics source!
In a lot of words:
An athlete earns a Result Score by throwing a distance at a meet. Result Scores are listed by event in this very long document, available if that last link doesn’t download automatically for you via World Athletics here under the “Scoring Tables” dropdown menu.
A Placing Score is added to the Result Score, based on what level of meet the athlete is competing at and what place they achieve at that meet. The Ranking Criteria lists the categories of competitions around the world, from OW (Global Majors: Olympics and Worlds) down to F (national permit meetings and “other). The USATF Olympic Track and Field Trials is a B Meet, which means (for no other reason than deduction, subtraction, and observational skills (both mine but mostly Ariana Ince’s)) that first place gets 100, second 80, third 70, fourth 60, and so on (though 5th at a B gets 55 so I’m not completely sure of the progression after that. It’s not linear).
The sum of the Result Score and the Placing Score is that athlete’s Performance Score for that competition.
An athlete’s World Ranking Score is the average of the athlete’s Top 5 Performance Scores across a 12-month period.
For Paris, the Olympic standard AND World Ranking qualification period started July 1, 2023, and will end on June 30, 2024. So, only competitions after July 1, 2023 count toward an athlete’s World Rank, and athletes hoping to qualify on World Rank must have at least 5 competitions that give them a Performance Score, in order to achieve that World Rank.
Athletes ranked within the Top 32 of their respective event are eligible for selection to the Olympic Games.
In fewer words:
Result Score (based on this scoring table) + Placing Score (higher if you place higher and if the meet you achieve the place at is better) = Performance Score
Ranking Score = Average of Best 5 Performance Scores in a 12-month period (July 1, 2023-June 30, 2024)
In math:
RESULT SCORE + PLACING SCORE = PERFORMANCE SCORE
AVERAGE OF TOP 5 PERFORMANCE SCORES = RANKING SCORE
TOP 32 = PARIS
This Road to Paris list will help you out, because only marks achieved after July 1 of last season are included, and only athletes who have achieved 5 Performance Scores in that time period are listed. That is NOT to say that athletes who achieve their quota of competitions this weekend won’t pop onto the list, because that is very possible, but the Ranking Score that marks ~32nd on the list will probably stay pretty consistent (right now it’s ~1170). The only issue I’ve run into so far on the Road to Paris list is that Jordan Davis is absent, despite being ranked 42nd in the event. Again, more on him later. Very neat story brewing.
A thing to remember about rankings is that Olympic Trials is not just one B Meet, but two. In the field events, having a qualification round plus a preliminary and final later means two distinct competition opportunities. Two competitive chances to throw an Olympic Standard, made all the more possible by lack of automatic qualifying marks from the first round, a great move by meet organizers to allow for more attempts at better marks if athletes need them for Paris. Two very important ranking points days for anyone who does not reach that big 85.50m mark.
U.S. leader Jordan Davis threw 84.45m to win the Division II NCAA title for Southern Connecticut State University. The DII Championships is an F meet. Jordan’s PB earned him a Performance Score of 1180 (1165 Result Score + just 15 Placing Score for 1st). By contrast, his clutch performance at the USATF New York Grand Prix (an A-level comp) earned him a Performance Score of 1203 (only 1083 for throwing 78.72m, but a 120-point Placing Score for second place). This guy’s PB before 2024 was 72.85m, almost 12 meters less than his best now! Also a football player for Southern Connecticut, this surprise talent of the entire 2024 season burst into javelin’s consciousness with 83.77m as a season opener at Texas Relays. That was just outside the top 10 in U.S. history, and with his 84m effort in May, he sits at sixth all-time.
I truly cannot figure out why Jordan isn’t on the Road to Paris list. I actually spoke to him and his coach about it in passing, and they don’t know either. He doesn’t have a photo or birthdate on his World Athletics profile, so it’s possible that some paperwork needs to be filed? By someone? Because there’s evidence (Capers being listed as the fourth American on the list despite only two others (Curtis and Marc) visibly above him) that Jordan will be included, just not yet for some reason that is hopefully easily remedied. I’m rooting hard for a standard to really cement the deal, and his top end so far plus the maturity he showed in his first really big test in New York tell me he can absolutely do this.
Donavan Banks has thrown 80m or more in more than the two competitions shown on his World Athletics profile this season, but he did so in meets not included on the World Athletics calendar (and therefore not eligible for categorization or, thus, performance scores). As his body of work towards rankings stands right now, these two B meet opportunities are huge for him: He literally needs two more meets to achieve a World Rank after a 2023 season that saw him shut it down after May. The Olympic Trials will be the opportunity the 82.90m athlete - now coached by former World Record holder Tom Petranoff - needs to burst onto the Road to Paris list. His consistency this season has been impressive, and he’ll need that (and maybe a little more) both days in Eugene to climb the rankings enough to think about an Olympic roster spot.
Marc Anthony Minichello just collected his second career NCAA Title (a B meet at the DI Championships level, btw), and did so on this very runway. He was third at last year’s National Championships in Eugene, and did the tough job of chasing Rankings points after that meet in an attempt to make it to Budapest. He’s gotten ahead of that beast this year, has been very consistent, and currently sits 30th on the Road to Paris list. As the third American javelin thrower on that list (if Jordan Davis is counted), the Georgia Bulldog is far from safe, but his steady results this year on a runway he knows how to perform on could do him some favors. At just 24, I’ve been really impressed with his ability this season to fit in NCAA responsibilities and professional-level points chasing, and accomplish both goals.
Ranked fourth on distance in the U.S., defending national champion and Tokyo Olympian Curtis Thompson sits at 14th on the Road to Paris list, his Ranking Score of 1241 all made up of marks from 2023 and 2022 (Area Championships carry forward three years). While the 3rd-best-ever American javelin thrower and PanAm Champ from 2023 hasn’t enjoyed the big distances yet this season, his 81m efforts in his season opener and recently at the Iron Wood Classic are right where he was at when he had a big breakthrough in 2022. He’s in pretty good shape right now in terms of rankings, but of course wants to improve on his season’s bests, and winning yet another national title is always the safest bet.
Capers Williamson, with an entry distance that has him 8th on the Trials list by seed mark, is actually listed as Next Best on the Road to Paris Rankings. Since three athletes per country go to the Olympics in each event, this denotion means that three other American athletes are ahead of him on that particular list. Which again means that Jordan Davis is not actually lost in the ether. But great results for Capers at this Olympic Trials could mean a second straight U.S. Team (he qualified for Budapest on Rankings in 2023), and his first Olympic one. The tallest athlete in the field truly started the party on this runway last year, so there’s no reason why he can’t pull this off. His season’s best might be 76.45m, but he’s an 80m+ javelin thrower.
Mike Stein is another NCAA athlete who could make some waves here, and is looking for redemption after his trip to the NCAA Championships for the Iowa Hawkeyes earlier this month didn’t turn out the way his big PBs this season might have predicted. Mike, Iowa born and raised and self-taught high school javelin thrower, got out to 75.59m during his freshman year (2023). His opener this season was 79.26m, and he further improved to 81.19m in May to win a Big Ten title. At only 20 years old, his Road to Paris Performance Score marks include his U20 PanAm Games Gold from August of 2023, valuable international experience regardless of distance or age level. He’s been surprising people all year, and could climb the rankings really well with these two big opportunities starting Friday.
Chandler Ault, Ethan Dabbs, Samuel Hankins, Dash Sirmon, and Ethan Shalaway are all within distant striking distance on the Road to Paris list to make some headway this weekend with great performances, but GREAT is truly the operative word. Brett Thompson and Cameron Bates have had moments of greatness in the last few seasons. All of these athletes earned their places on the start list, and must compete to see who is the best that day. They’re all capable of greatness!
I encourage you, dear reader, to dive into the Road to Paris list, the World Rankings criteria, and the Scoring Tables, and crunch some numbers of your own! What will your favorite javelin thrower need to throw Friday and Sunday to up their average of 5 performances enough to jump into the top 32? Stay tuned! I’ll share my own findings before Sunday’s final.