Qualifying Standards

Events in bold will be contested at the Championships. Events listed directly below those being contested may be used as alternates for qualifying. See Qualifying Guidelines below for full details.

USATF may accept a non-qualified mark to fill the field only if there is an insufficient number of athletes entered who have met the qualifying standard for that event. In this case, the sport committee may accept entered and declared athletes (who have not met the qualifying standard), up to a maximum of the maximum field sizes indicated.                    

*F.A.T. is the only method of timing acceptable for qualifying marks for events listed with an asterisk. Times submitted in hundredths of a second, must be fully automatic times.
**A manual time may be used for qualifying in events with a double asterisk only if no fully automatic qualifying time exists for the individual in that event during the qualifying period. A manual time may not supersede any fully automatic qualifying time for an event. Qualifying manual times, for eligible events, not already listed, are always the FAT qualifying time without the last zero. Manual times will be converted for seeding purposes using USATF Rule 166.7.
 
The Sport Committee Chair will adjust the standards, where necessary, forty-five days prior to the competition, based on received entries at that time.  Therefore, early submission of an entry close to the standard is advised.
 
Additional competitors, from those who have submitted entries, may be allowed to declare through petition to the Sport Committee Chair. 

2023 QUALIFYING GUIDELINES

1. All qualifying performances for the Championships must be attained on a standard outdoor track in the period Wednesday, June 8, 2022 to Sunday, June 25, 2023 at 11:59 p.m. PDT for all events except the 10,000 meter Race Walk. The qualifying window for the 10,000 meter Race Walk is Saturday, January 1, 2022 to Sunday, June 25, 2023, at 11:59 p.m. PDT. Qualifying performances may also be achieved on an indoor track, in the same event, in the period Thursday, December 1, 2022 through Sunday, June 25, 2023.
2. Qualifying marks must be made in accordance with USATF Rule 149 and verifiable in one of the following:
   1. USATF or World Athletics sanctioned meets/events which prescribe to or exceed USATF competition rules, or
   2. College meets/events which prescribe to or exceed USATF competition rules, or
   3. High school meets but not dual or triangular meets.
   4. Meets or events which meet a minimum for competitiveness as set by the Chair of the Sport Committee and determined to be valid by the USATF staff member responsible for the verification and validity of marks.
   5. Please refer to the following link for Criteria for a Legal Meet.
3. Hand times are acceptable only for those events in which the distance is equal to or greater than 800 meters. No timing allowance factor for qualifying shall be made for hand times. Hand times will be adjusted using USATF Rule 166-7 for the purposes of seeding.
4. Wind-assisted performances will not be accepted for 2023 USATF U20 Outdoor Championships qualifying (maximum allowable wind is 2.0 meters per second).
5. There will be no adjustment for marks made at altitude.
6. An athlete must be U.S. citizen and eligible to represent the United States in international competition, as well as being a U.S. citizen on the date of Declaration for the 2023 USATF U20 Outdoor Championships in that event.