EUGENE -- Athletes and fans returned to Hayward Field after a two-day break, and the excitement picked up where it left off with unprecedented performances at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Track & Field. Full event replays can be found on PeacockTV / NBCSN streaming services. Click here for more information. Competition results can be found at results.usatf.org. Jessica Ramsey (Boynton Beach, Florida / USATF Florida) fired the first salvo of a women’s shot put final that featured some of the best throwing in the world in 2021, opening with a 19.45m/63-9.75 that bettered her outdoor PR. She had two more 19m+ throws before Rio Olympian Raven Saunders (Tuscaloosa, Alabama / USATF South Carolina) smashed her own lifetime best in round three with a Trials record 19.96m/65-6, tacking eight inches onto her lifetime best. Ramsey responded with a bomb of her own in the next round, becoming the fourth U.S. woman ever to throw more than 20m with a 20.12m/66-0.25, taking down the meet record that Saunders held for a couple minutes. NCAA indoor and outdoor champion Adelaide Aquilla (Westlake, Ohio / USATF Lake Erie) earned the third Tokyo berth with a best of 18.95m/62-2.25 on her first throw. Alexina Wilson (Cedar Rapids, Iowa / USATF Iowa) and Courtney Frerichs (Beaverton, Oregon / USATF Oregon) went to the front of a pack in the women’s 3,000m steeplechase that was bunched too close for comfort with five laps to go. American record holder Frerichs had Emma Coburn (Boulder, Colorado / USATF Colorado) on her shoulder with three laps remaining as the pace quickened, and Leah Falland (Croswell, Michigan / USATF Colorado) was third. That trio moved steadily away from their challengers into the next-to-last circuit, but Falland fell and had to scramble back into the race. Coburn was a stride ahead of Frerichs before she began to pull away and the real battle was for the third Tokyo spot. With a 20m lead into the stretch, Coburn won in 9:09.81 to shatter her own meet record by almost eight seconds. Frerichs was second in 9:11.79, also well under the previous meet record, while Val Constien (Boulder, Colorado / USATF Colorado) recorded a huge personal best of 9:18.34 in third.
Garrett Heath (Seattle, Washington / USATF Pacific Northwest) and Lawi Lalang (Colorado Springs, Colorado / USATF Colorado) shared early pacing duties in heat one, with 10,000m 1-2- finishers Woody Kincaid (Portland, Oregon / USATF Oregon) and Grant Fisher (Portland, Oregon / USATF Oregon) tucked in behind them as the pace ebbed and flowed. The pace slowed as Lalang went through 3,000m in 8:23.81, and Eric Jenkins (Portland, Oregon / USATF Oregon) moved up into second, with Cooper Teare (Alameda, California / USATF Pacific) fourth. With three laps to go everyone was still in play, but coming into the penultimate lap the tempo picked up and Heath retook the lead. Fisher moved up on Heath’s shoulder at the bell ahead of Jenkins and Eduardo Herrera (Madera, California / USATF Central California). Teare turned on the jets and the foursome of he, Jenkins, Fisher and Kincaid separated themselves from the field, Jenkins winning in 13:43.18. Heath was the final automatic qualifier for the final. Rio silver medalist Paul Chelimo (Colorado Springs, Colorado / USATF Colorado) stayed at or near the front of the pack in heat two through 3,000m at a pace that was almost 10 seconds quicker than the first section. With three to go Casey Clinger (Pleasant Grove, Utah / USATF Utah) of BYU and Chelimo led, but Emmanuel Bor (Colorado Springs, Colorado / USATF Colorado) had moved up into striking distance, as had Hassan Mead (Eugene, Oregon / USATF Oregon). Chelimo and Bor were side by side at the bell and that duo sprinted off the final bend before Chelimo eased through the line in 13:36.66 to win over a quick-closing Nico Young (Flagstaff, Arizona / USATF Arizona), who was second in 13:36.74.
The sixth-place finisher at the 2016 Trials, Quincy Downing (Baton Rouge, Louisiana / USATF Southern) held the lead until hurdle eight, where he clipped the barrier and went down. That opened the way for Kenny Selmon (Mableton, Georgia / USATF Georgia) and NCAA runner-up Isaiah Levingston (Midwest City, Oklahoma / USATF Oklahoma) to finish 1-2 in 49.03-49.06. World leader Rai Benjamin (Mount Vernon, New York / USATF New York), the second-fastest man in U.S. history, had a bit of trouble with his step pattern in heat two but recovered well and retook the lead with one hurdle to go, winning in 49.12 with David Kendziera (Chapel Hill, North Carolina / USATF North Carolina) second in 49.19. Twice fifth at the World Championships, TJ Holmes (Gainesville, Florida / USATF Florida) took it out quickly in the third section and was in the lead for about 398m of the race before Amere Lattin (Houston, Texas / USATF Gulf) strided past him to win in 49.81. Newly-minted world U20 record holder Sean Burrell (Slaughter, Louisiana / USATF Southern) was on his way back into contention on the final turn but fell at the eighth barrier. Quincy Hall (Columbia, South Carolina / USATF South Carolina), the 2019 NCAA champion, pulled up early in the race. USC’s NCAA bronze medalist Cameron Samuel (Moreno Valley, California / USATF Southern California) was the fastest of four men who finished within a tenth of a second in the final section, grabbing the win in 49.89.
Only the top two finishers in each heat were guaranteed to advance to the semifinal, and veteran pacemaker Chanelle Price (Eugene, Oregon / USATF Oregon) showed she is in top shape with a gun-to-tape 1:59.86 to take heat one. Sage Hurta (Hamilton, New York / USATF Colorado), second in the 1,500m at the NCAA Championships, was second in a personal best 2:00.08, and high schooler Juliette Whittaker (Laurel, Maryland / USATF Potomac Valley) placed third in 2:01.21. NCAA 400m champion Athing Mu (Trenton, New Jersey / USATF New Jersey) hadn’t run an 800m since setting an American U20 record on April 17, but she was anything but rusty here, patiently staying out of trouble on the shoulder of early leader Nikki Hiltz (San Diego, California / USATF San Diego-Imperial). Taking the lead at 600m in 1:30.19, Mu made sure to stay in the lead through the line to win in 2:00.69, a tenth ahead of Hanna Green (Greensburg, Pennsylvania / USATF Oregon). Allie Wilson (Atlanta, Georgia / USATF Georgia) sped to the front in heat three, establishing a lead at the 400m mark in 59.36, a few steps up on Ajee’ Wilson (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania / USATF Mid-Atlantic), the three-time defending U.S. champion. Ajee’ Wilson goosed the gas in the final 20m to ensure her win in 2:00.55, with Allie Wilson second in 2:00.71. Virginia’s Michaela Meyer (Southbury, Connecticut / USATF Connecticut) was third in 2:00.75. The second-fastest American this year, Sabrina Southerland (Floral Park, New York / USATF Oregon) followed the lead of Lauren Barnes (Provo, Utah / USATF Utah) and Rebecca Mehra (Bend, Oregon / USATF Oregon) until the home stretch, where she pulled away to win in 2:00.85 over Mehra’s 2:01.42. On her second time past the tower that bears her likeness, Raevyn Rogers (Houston, Texas / USATF Gulf) took control of the final heat and ran on to win in 2:00.75. Defending Trials champion Kate Grace (Portland, Oregon / USATF Oregon) was second in 2:00.81, outleaning Nia Akins (Seattle, Washington / USATF Pacific Northwest) by .01.
NCAA champion Cambrea Sturgis (Kannapolis, North Carolina / USATF North Carolina) had to make up ground on Teahna Daniels (Austin, Texas / USATF Texas Southern), who ran a superb curve, and Sturgis moved ahead with 50m to go to win in 22.37. Daniels, who made the Tokyo team in the 100m earlier this week, clocked a season best 22.54. Ohio State’s Anavia Battle (Inkster, Michigan / USATF Michigan) swept past a rocket-starting Dezerea Bryant (Ocoee, Florida / USATF Florida) down the stretch in heat two, rolling on to win in 22.37. After a fourth-place finish in the final of the 100m, Jenna Prandini (Pflugerville, Texas / USATF Central California) looked smooth and speedy as she ran away with the third heat, stopping the clock at a personal best 22.14, moving her to ninth on the all-time Trials performer list. 2019 World Championships silver medalist Brittany Brown (Coralville, Iowa / USATF Iowa) was second in 22.49 and 400m winner Quanera Hayes (Hope Mills, North Carolina / USATF North Carolina) lowered her season best to 22.58 in third. Moving to No. 10 on the all-time U.S. performer list, Gabby Thomas (Austin, Texas / USATF TexasSouthern) dominated the fourth heat with a 21.98 that is the fastest time in the world this year and makes her the fifth-fastest in Trials history. Kynnedy Flannel (Alvin, Texas / USATF Gulf) of Texas also notched a personal best at 22.31 in second, with Kyra Jefferson (Gainesville, Florida / USATF Florida) third at 22.57. Alabama’s Tamara Clark (Tuscaloosa, Alabama / USATF Alabama) took top honors in the final section with a 22.44, .04 ahead of Morolake Akinosun’s (Austin, Texas / USATF Texas Southern) personal best in second. Allyson Felix (Los Angeles, California / USATF Southern California), already on the Tokyo roster after her second-place finish in the 400m, was third in 22.56 to easily qualify for the semifinal.
As expected the first heat went out at a conservative pace through the first 800m with Paul Ryan (Moscow, Washington / USATF Inland Northwest) and Vincent Ciattei (Eugene, Oregon / USATF Oregon) perched at the front of a tightly bunched pack. The next 400m was an exercise in upping the tempo, and with 300m to go David Ribich (Seattle, Washington / USATF Pacific Northwest) held a slight edge. As the nine men still in contention came off the final turn, high schooler Hobbs Kessler (Ann Arbor, Michigan / USATF Michigan) went wide and edged out Josh Thompson (Beaverton, Oregon / USATF Oregon) by .04 for the win in 3:45.63. Cole Hocker (Indianapolis, Indiana / USATF Indiana) and Waleed Suliman (University, Mississippi / USATF Pacific Northwest), the winner and bronze medalist at the NCAA Championships, pushed the pace in heat two, pulling the pack through 800m in just over two minutes. That pair kept the tempo up through the 1,200m mark in 2:59.40 and then cruised to the finish with Hocker taking the win in 3:39.72 and Suliman second .2 behind. Craig Engels (Beaverton, Oregon / USATF Oregon) and reigning Olympic champion Matthew Centrowitz (Arlington, Virginia / USATF Oregon) were comfortable in going 3-4 to move on to the semifinal. Izaic Yorks (Redmond, Washington / USATF Inland Northwest) pulled the final heat through 800m in 1:57.61, the fastest early pace of any of the heats. Eric Avila (Bonita, California / USATF San Diego-Imperial) took over the lead from there, going past 1,200m in 2:56.56, but a big group surged forward over the final half-lap and Sam Prakel (Seattle, Washington / USATF Inland Northwest) had the quickest kick to grab the win in 3:39.02, with NCAA runner-up Yared Nuguse (Louisville, Kentucky / USATF Kentucky) second just .07 behind him. Ben Blankenship (Eugene, Oregon / USATF Oregon) nabbed the final time qualifier slot for the semifinal.
Reigning world champion and American record holder DeAnna Price (Carbondale, Illinois / USATF New York) demolished the Trials meet record on her only throw in the women’s hammer qualifying, going 77.10m/252-11 to add more than 10 feet to the previous record set in 2016 by Amber Campbell. Among Americans, only Price and two other women have ever bettered that distance. UCLA’s Alyssa Wilson (Toms River, New Jersey / USATF New Jersey) had a big lifetime best in round two of the second flight, moving to No. 4 on the all-time collegiate list with a 73.75m/241-11 that was more than 10 feet better than her previous PR. Meeting the Olympic standard for the first time along with Wilson was Erin Reese (Terre Haute, Indiana / USATF Indiana), who had a lifetime best 72.53m/237-11.
Five women had clean cards through 4.50m/14-9 in the pole vault, advancing to the final along with five others who cleared that height and three who had a best of 4.40m/14-5.25. 2012 Olympic champion Jenn Suhr (Churchville, New York / USATF Niagara) and Rio silver medalist Sandi Morris (Fayetteville, Arkansas / USATF Arkansas) were two of the top five, as was this year’s world leader, Katie Nageotte (Powder Springs, Georgia / USATF New York).
One and done was the phrase of the day for reigning Trials champion Brittney Reese (Chula Vista, California / USATF San Diego-Imperial), who sailed out to 6.86m/22-6.25 on her first attempt, a season best and the top mark overall. Olympic champion Tianna Bartoletta (Berkeley, California / USATF Pacific) also comfortably advanced to the final with a season best 6.54m/21-5.5. Two other women besides Reese surpassed 22-feet, Quanesha Burks (Baton Rouge, Louisiana / USATF Southern) at 6.81m/22-4.25 and Tiffany Flynn (Ellenwood, Georgia / USATF Georgia) at 6.72m/22-0.75. NCAA champion and collegiate record holder Tara Davis (Agoura Hills, California / USATF Southern California) fouled her first attempt and then advanced with a 6.68m/21-11 in round two.
A relative unknown came out atop the list of qualifiers for the final. Legend Boyesen Hayes (Kempton, Pennsylvania / USATF Mid-Atlantic), a former NCAA Division III star at Christopher Newport University, hit 62.59m/205-4 in the second round, two inches better than 2018 U.S. champion and this year’s national list leader, Reggie Jagers (Chula Vista, California / USATF Inland Northwest). Mason Finley (Overland Park, Kansas / USATF Missouri Valley), the silver medalist at the 2017 World Championships, had two fouls before a 59.64m/195-8 got him through to the final in 10th overall. Click here for full results and schedule. Competition continues Friday with women’s discus throw and men’s long jump qualifying rounds.
One non-athlete participant returned a positive COVID-19 result on Thursday, June 24 at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Track & Field in Eugene. Contact tracing did not identify any additional participants who are required to quarantine. Fans can follow #TrackFieldTrials21 and #JourneyToGold on social media via USATF’s accounts on Twitter, Instagram, TikTok and Facebook.
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