As the Diamond League final gets underway in Zurich, the results could have major implications for the makeup of Team USA at the World Championships. We broke down all the events to explain how the outcome impacts who is on Team USA.
The U.S already holds the World Champion Wild Card in the following events. They will retain the fourth possible U.S. spot in Tokyo regardless of how the Diamond League final unfolds:
Men’s 100m –Noah Lyles Men’s 200m – Noah Lyles Women’s 100m –Sha’Carri Richardson Men’s 110mH – Grant Holloway Men’s Shot Put – Ryan Crouser Women’s Shot Put – Chase Jackson Women’s Pole Vault – Katie Moon Women’s Discus – Laulaga Tausaga
There are no American women competing in the 400m Hurdles. The other events are more complicated. Here are how they would effect the roster for World Championships.
Women’s 100mH - Grace Stark, Tonea Marshall and Keni Harrison are all in the field in Zurich. Harrison can get into Tokyo with two outcomes. If Stark wins, she would get the Diamond League wild card and free up her spot from the U.S. championships which would go to Harrison who finished fourth there. If either Harrison or Marshall wins, they will get the wild cards.
Women’s 200m – 4 Americans are competing in the DL final and only one, Anavia Battle made Team USA in Eugene. If Battle wins, Brittany Brown, the fourth-place finisher at U.S. Outdoor Championships, will go. Brown, McKenzie Long or Jenna Prandini would go if they win the race.
Men’s 400m – Chris Bailey, Jacory Patterson and Vernon Norwood are all in this race. Since Bailey and Patterson are already selected to Team USA, Norwood, who finished fourth in Eugene, makes the 400m team if any of the Americans win.
Women’s 400m – Isabella Whitaker is the only American in the field in Zurich. She was already selected for the team at the U.S. Championship but if she were to win the DL final, it would open a spot for the 4th place finisher Lynna Irby-Jackson.
Men’s 400mH – CJ Allen, 4th at USAs and Trevor Bassitt, 16th at USAs both can run themselves onto the team with a win in the DL final. Defending World Champion Rai Benjamin is not racing, but he won the U.S. title, leaving the fourth spot open.
Men’s 800m – Josh Hoey has two chances to be selected. If either Hoey or Hoppel wins the Diamond League final, a fourth spot would open for Hoey to be selected. He beat almost this exact field in Lausanne to take the win there.
Women’s 800m – Addy Wiley, who was 9th at USAs can run herself onto the team with a win in the Diamond League final. No other Americans are in the field in Zurich.
Men’s 1500m – Yared Nuguse needs to win the Diamond League final to make it onto the team. He’s the only American in the race.
Women’s 1500m – Sinclaire Johnson and Heather MacLean are both in the final. Sinclaire finished 2nd at USAs and is already qualified for Tokyo but would open a spot for MacLean with a win. Heather can also run herself onto the team with a win in Zurich.
Men’s 3000mSC – This one is complicated. Despite finishing third at the U.S. Championship, Bernard Keter did not achieve the standard. Matthew Wilkinson, who placed fourth, does have the standard. Neither of them is racing in Zurich. Isaac Updike already also has the standard and was fifth at USAs. If he were to win the DL Final in Zurich, he would get onto the Tokyo team.
Women’s 3000mSC – Olivia Markezich, Courtney Wayment, and Gabrielle Jennings can all earn a spot in Tokyo with a win in the DL final.
Men’s 5000m – Grant Fisher and Graham Blanks are in the DL final in Zurich. Blanks has already been selected for the team in the 10,000m but not for the 5000m. This event is contested as a 3000m in Zurich and a win by Fisher would open a spot for Cooper Teare. Teare finished 5th at USAs behind Drew Hunter but if a spot opened, Teare would get preference over Hunter since Hunter has not achieved the standard and is not ranked high enough in the World Rankings. If Blanks wins, he will earn the Wild Card for Team USA.
Women’s 5000m – Josette Andrews is the only athlete in the DL final. She already qualified for Tokyo 25 at USAs by placing 3rd but a win in Zurich would allow Weini Kelati to be selected.
Men’s High Jump – JuVaughn Harrison and Shelby McEwen already qualified for Tokyo 25 but if either of them were to win, it would allow Arvesta Troupe to be selected.
Women’s Long Jump – Claire Bryant and Monae’ Nichols are competing in Zurich. If Claire Bryant wins, it would allow Alyssa Jones to be selected. If Nichols wins, she would earn the spot for Team USA.
Men’s Pole Vault – Sam Kendricks has already earned a spot for Tokyo 25 but could unlock a 4th spot for Team USA with a win. Cole Walsh would have the first opportunity to be selected.