LOS ANGELES — We're gonna need a longer sector. Putting together an historic series that was topped by a massive 23.56m/77-3.75 in round four to smash his own men's shot put world record, Ryan Crouser thrilled the Drake Stadium crowd with three of the longest throws in history to highlight Saturday's return of big-time track and field to the City of Angels at the USATF Los Angeles Grand Prix. Already the world indoor and outdoor record holder and reigning Olympic and world champion, Crouser put any doubts about who would be the winner to rest right away with an opening throw of 23.23m/76-2.75, breaking the stadium record. Why is that significant? That Drake Stadium record of 23.12m/75-10.25 was the world record when it was set by Randy Barnes in 1990, and it was Barnes' mark that Crouser bettered to snag the WR with a 23.37m/76-8.25 at the 2021 Olympic Trials in Eugene. The 1990 meet where Barnes set his record was the last major professional event to be held at UCLA before today's star-studded gathering. Not content with that, Crouser threw even further in the next round, almost hitting the barrier at the end of the landing area with a 23.31m/76-5.75 that was the second-farthest in history. A 22.94m/75-3.25 on his third throw prefaced his big fourth-round effort, and he polished off the day with a 22.80m/74-9.75 and 22.86m/75-0 in the last two rounds. New Zealand's Tom Walsh was second at 22.12m/72-7, and Payton Otterdahl set a lifetime best of 21.99m/72-1.75 in third. After taking the lead with a season best 19.43m/63-9 on her opening throw in the women's shot put, Maggie Ewen uncorked the fifth-farthest throw in U.S. history in round three, hitting 20.45m/67-1.25 to become the No. 3 all-time U.S. performer. Jamaica's Danniel Thomas-Dodd, the 2019 World Championships silver medalist, set a national record in that round with her 19.77m/64-10.5, and then reigning world champion Chase Ealey went 19.98m/65-6.75 in the penultimate round to take over second. Ewen added a 20.12m/66-0.25 on her fifth throw and came away with the best day of her career as five women surpassed 19 meters. Fresh off a PB three weeks ago at the Doha Diamond League meet, CJ Allen surged through the last turn and chopped another .02 off his lifetime best with an impressive 47.91 win in the men's 400m hurdles. Going into the last five hurdles, Kyron McMaster of the British Virgin Islands had the lead, but he took a tumble at the seventh barrier and opened the door for Allen. World Championships fifth-place finisher Khallifah Rosser came on to take second in 48.60, with Eugene bronze medalist Trevor Bassitt third in 48.62. Running even through the curve in the women's 200m, Olympian Jenna Prandini and TeeTee Terry fought it out through the final 100m and Prandini eased ahead near the finish to win in 22.34 ahead of Terry's 22.44 PB. Prandini, who moved to Los Angeles during the offseason and trains at the UCLA track, was running her first 200m of the season and looked to be in top form already. Her Tokyo teammate, Anavia Battle, was third in 22.57, and the bronze medalist from the Games, Gabby Thomas, placed fourth. Clayton Murphy's spirited stretch run carried him to a U.S.-leading 1:44.75 in the men's 800, with the top six men all notching season bests. The bronze medalist at the 2016 Rio Games, Murphy was in seventh at the bell, but steadily moved up and put himself in position off the final bend to sprint past Isaiah Harris and Isaiah Jewett and grab the win. Kenya's Noah Kibet also closed very well to take second in 1:44.98, with Jewett third in 1:45.10. Kameron Jones had a lifetime best of 1:45.20 in fourth, and Harris was sixth in 1:45.41. A converted frontrunner who is now comfortable hovering mid-pack through the initial stages of the women's 800m, Ajee' Wilson was fifth at the bell and bided her time until the final turn, when she started to push and pass the early leaders. With only 2019 world champion Halimah Nakaayi of Uganda in front of her with 100m to go, Wilson pushed the pedal a bit more and surged to the lead on the way to win in a U.S.-leading 1:59.01 over Nakaayi's 1:59.35 in second. Kaela Edwards claimed third in 2:00.22, and Allie Wilson and Sammy Watson also dipped under 2:01 in fourth and fifth. Storming down the final 50m almost unnoticed in the outside lane, 2021 NCAA champion Terrance Laird staged an upset of sorts to win the men's 200m in 20.06 over Trinidad's Jereem Richards, the 2022 world indoor 400m champion and a bronze medalist in the 200m at the 2017 World Championships, who was second in 20.08. Elijah Morrow, who won the USATF Bermuda Grand Prix last weekend, nabbed third in 20.22. Morolake Akinosun won the women's 100m in 10.97 over 2022 USATF champion Melissa Jefferson, who was second in 11.07. In the heats, Sha'Carri Richardson won the first section in 10.90, with Marie-Josee Ta Lou of Cote d'Ivoire taking the second heat in 10.88 ahead of Aleia Hobbs' 10.95. Swirling winds hindered pole vaulters Mondo Duplantis and Sam Kendricks, but the old rivals still put on a show for the faithful, with world record holder Duplantis winning on the basis of fewer misses as both men cleared 5.91m/19-4.75. Duplantis, the reigning Olympic and world champion from Sweden by way of Louisiana, went over on his first attempts at 5.61m/18-4.75 and 5.81m/19-0.75 before navigating his winning height, also on the first try. Kendricks, the 2019 world champion and American record holder, had several misses at lower heights and needed two attempts at 5.91. Olympic and world silver medalist Chris Nilsen was third at 5.71m/18-8.75. Most eyes were on Christian Coleman and Marvin Bracy-Williams in the center of the track for the men's 100m, but it was the youngest man in the field, Jamaica's Ackeem Blake, who proved the fastest on the day with a PB 9.89 to take top honors. Cravont Charleston beat Coleman for second by the slimmest of margins as both men were given 9.91, Charleston adjudged to have been .001 ahead of Coleman, 9.908-9.909. Ronnie Baker was fourth in 10.01, and Bracy-Williams fifth in 10.03. Reigning Olympic champion Jasmine Camacho-Quinn and American record holder Keni Harrison were clearing barriers in sync in the women's 100m hurdles before Camacho-Quinn came off the final hurdle and won the sprint to the finish to clock a world-leading 12.31. Harrison ran the fastest time by an American in 2023 at 12.35 for second, and Tia Jones took third in 12.50 in one of the strongest non-championship races ever assembled. Keying off a fast-starting Lynna Irby-Jackson to her outside in the women's 400m, Olympic and World Championships silver medalist Marileidy Paulino of the Dominican Republic romped to a world-leading 48.98 to turn back 2019 world champion Salwa Eid Naser of Bahrain, who took second in 50.27 as Irby-Jackson had a season best 50.38 for third. Kenyans Timothy Cheruiyot and Reynold Kipkorir Cheruiyot came in as heavy favorites in the men's 1,500m, with T. Cheruiyot sporting a world title from 2019 and a silver medal from the Tokyo Olympics to go with his PB of 3:28.28, which makes him the No. 7 all-time world performer. Kipkorir Cheruiyot had the fastest time in the world in 2023 at 3:32.01 from winning the Nairobi Continental Tour meet. That duo traded the lead with a lap to go, and Timothy Cheruiyot had the best finish to win in a world-leading 3:31.47. Kipkorir Cheruiyot matched his PB in second, with fast-finishing American youngster Hobbs Kessler notching a lifetime best and U.S.-leading 3:32.61 in third and Cooper Teare a PB 3:32.74 in fourth. 2012 Olympic champion Kirani James of Grenada went out very quickly in the men's 400m and had a big lead into the final 100m, but he ran out of gas and was passed down the stretch by Jamaica's Sean Bailey, who won in a PB 44.43, with James hanging on for second in 44.50. Quincy Hall was the top U.S. finisher, placing third in a season best 45.09. Using a 59.34 final lap in the women's 1,500m, Ethiopia's Diribe Welteji cruised to an outdoor world-leading 3:57.84 to win by more than two seconds. Welteji, the fourth-place finisher in the 800m at last year's World Championships, took the lead after two laps and was never in real trouble. Britain's Kate Snowden took second with a PB 4:00.04, and Josette Andrews recorded a season best of 4:00.77 in third. World champion Anderson Peters of Grenada was the men's javelin winner with a best of 83.16m/272-10, and China's Xiaomei Sun took the women's event at 55.67m/182-7. Five field events were held on Friday evening in less favorable weather conditions. Breaking her own Canadian national record in round five gave Camryn Rogers the gold in the women's hammer as she improved to 78.62m/257-11, more than eight feet better than world champions Brooke Andersen and DeAnna Price. Rogers, last year's world silver medalist and a three-time NCAA champion for Cal, went out to 75.15m/246-6 on her first throw to lead, but didn't improve for the next three rounds as Price, and then Andersen, grabbed the top spot. Price had a solid series with a best of 75.89m/248-11 in the third round, while Andersen ended up second after a best of 76.06m/249-6 in the fourth. Olympic champion Wojciech Nowicki of Poland and American record holder Rudy Winkler traded the lead in the men's competition until the final round, when Nowicki eked out a one centimeter advantage with his 77.18m/253-2 closer. After Winkler opened with a 73.67m/241-8, Nowicki topped that on his first attempt, and then Winkler retook the lead with a 77.17m/253-2. The see-saw battle continued in the next round as Nowicki matched that distance and took the lead based on a better second mark. Round four saw Winkler edge his way back atop the podium temporarily with a 76.84m/252-1 that gave him the better backup mark (lost yet?). Neither man improved in the penultimate stanza, but Nowicki came through in the modified final round for the win. It's become almost a tradition for Valarie Allman to put away the competition on her first throw in the women's discus, and tonight was no different as she nailed a 68.39m/224-4 that would stand for the win. The Olympic champion and American record holder got close to that on her second try with a 67.09m/220-1, then fouled thrice and finished off with a 67.45m/221-3 in round six. 2019 world champion Yaime Perez of Cuba was a clear second with a best of 63.93m/209-9 and all six of her throws at 62m or better, and Lagi Tausaga took third at 60.34m/197-11 on her only legal throw. Jamaica's Traves Smikle won the men's discus in the final round, stretching out to 67.07m/220-0. Brian Williams was the top U.S. finisher in fourth at 62.66m/205-7. Uncooperative weather conditions put paid to any thoughts of a world-leading performance in the women's pole vault, but Olympic and World Championships silver medalist Sandi Morris made the best of it and cleared 4.61m/15-1.5 on her first try to sew up the victory. Canada's Alysha Newman was the only other woman to clear that height, but it took her three attempts and she ended up second. Reigning Olympic and world champion Katie Moon vaulted in full sweats but couldn't negotiate her opening height of 4.41m/14-5.5. A full list of results can be found here. Join the conversation with USATF on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook using the hashtag #USATF.