LOS ANGELES — Scintillating performances from an array of the world's top track and field athletes cemented the elite status of the USATF LA Grand Prix Saturday at Drake Stadium on the UCLA campus, highlighted by a pair of stunning wins by Team USATF stars. No one knew quite what to expect as the Olympic and world champion and world record holder in the women's 400 hurdles, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, stepped down to the 200 against a star-studded field, but a sizzling PB 22.07 didn't just make her an easy winner but also emphasized just how fit she is heading into the Olympic Trials. Coming into the meet with a 22.39 PB from 2018, McLaughlin-Levrone slingshotted off the bend with a noteworthy lead and she didn't lose much ground, if any, to 2022 USATF champion and collegiate record holder Abby Steiner, who took second in 22.32. 2019 World Championships silver medalist Brittany Brown was third in 22.35, while Olympic bronze medalist and World Championships silver medalist Gabby Thomas was sixth in 22.68. Laying down a time that makes him the man to beat heading into Paris, American record holder Rai Benjamin made the men's 400 hurdles his plaything, rolling to a world-leading 46.64 for the fourth-fastest time ever by an American and the No. 9 all-time world performance. Only Kyron McMaster of the British Virgin Islands, the World Championships silver medalist last summer, provided any kind of early challenge for Benjamin, but he faded down the stretch and yielded second to Jamaica's world U20 record holder Roshawn Clarke, who finished in 48.11. Twice a world champion and the second-best thrower in world history, Joe Kovacs had a superb series with five throws of 22.00 or better that included a 22.93/75-2.75 in round three to win the men's shot put. Kovacs, throwing in the same ring that saw Ryan Crouser set the world record at this meet last year, opened with a 22.29/73-1.75 to take the lead, and he added a couple big tosses either side of his winning effort. Roger Steen claimed the runner-up spot with a season best 21.78/71-5.5. World indoor champion Bryce Hoppel sprinted past frontrunning Brandon Miller to win the men's 800 in a season best 1:43.68, leading five other men under 1:45 in the process. Miller had the lead just after the bell and was running in tandem with Kenya's Noah Kibet coming off the final bend, but as the pack hit the straight it was Hoppel who sped past that duo and won by almost a half-second. Isaiah Jewett, an Olympian at Tokyo, also had great finishing speed to take second in a season best 1:44.02, with Britain's 2022 world 1500 champion Jake Wightman third in 1:44.10. Miller held on for fourth in a season best 1:44.24, and Isaiah Harris was fifth in 1:44.58, also a season best. Anna Cockrell held off Jamaica's Andrenette Knight in the women's 400 hurdles, winning in a season best 53.75, The two were even through the first eight barriers but Cockrell started to pull away off the final hurdle and Knight fell back to second in 54.69. Cassandra Tate was third in season best 55.02, and former world record holder Dalilah Muhammad placed fourth in 55.78. After a false start by Olympic champion Jasmine Camacho-Quinn of Puerto Rico in the women's 100 hurdles, Tonea Marshall blasted out of the blocks on the second time of asking and raced to a 12.55 to hold off a fast-closing Alaysha Johnson, who was second in 12.57, a season best. Taking it relatively easy through the first half of the men's 400, 2022 world champion Michael Norman turned on the jets in the final half-lap to win in 44.53. Grenada's Kirani James was second in 44.85, and Vernon Norwood was third in 44.86. Reigning USATF champion Bryce Deadmon also went sub-45 with a 44.92 in fourth. Running into a stiff 2.4 m/s wind, 2022 USATF champion Melissa Jefferson overcame a mediocre start and won the women's 100 in 11.27, just ahead of Morolake Akinosun, who powered through to an 11.28 in second. World champion Marileidy Paulino of the Dominican Republic was an easy winner in the women's 400 with a comfortable 50.27 ahead of Kenya's Mary Moraa, the world champion at 800, who took second in 50.56. USATF indoor champion Alexis Holmes was third in 50.73, and Shamier Little garnered a season best of 51.27 in fourth. 2019 world champion Halimah Nakaayi of Uganda set a national record of 1:57.56 to edge World Indoor Championships gold medalist Tsige Duguma of Ethiopia in the women's 800 by .006 seconds. Duguma had the lead most of the final circuit, but Nakaayi found some daylight on the rail and had just a tad more get-up-and-go as both women were awarded the same time, which is a world-leading mark in 2024. Sage Hurta-Klecker was the top American, placing third in a season best 1:58.98. With one lap to go in the men's 1500, Kenya's Reynold Kipkorir Cheruiyot had the lead at 2:39.71, but there wasn't much space between him and the rest of the field. Coming off the final turn there were still a dozen men in contention and down the last 100 it was Australia's Commonwealth Games champion Olli Hoare who was victorious, winning by a tenth of a second over Cheruiyot in 3:34.73. Matthew Centrowitz, who won the Rio 2016 Olympic gold and is in his final season, showed some of his traditional finishing speed as he came through for third in a season best 3:35.16. The fastest final 400 was turned in by Henry Wynne, who used a 54.67 to claim fourth in a season best 3:35.24. An Ethiopian duel between World Championships silver medalist Diribe Welteji and World Indoor champion Freweyni Hailu in the women's 1500 came down to a sprint in the final 50 meters, with Welteji winning that battle to claim victory in 3:55.25. Hailu was second in 3:55.48, with a pair of Kenyan women – Susan Ejore (3:58.63) and steeplechase world record holder Beatrice Chepkoech (3:59.73) – setting PBs in third and fourth. A season best 4:00.08 made Emily Mackay the top American in fifth, and Sinclaire Johnson also notched a season best of 4:00.67 in seventh. Other field event wins went to EJ Obiena of the Philippines in the men's pole vault, where he cleared 5.80/19-0.25, and Thea LaFond of Dominica, who took the women's triple jump with a best of 14.37/47-1.75. 2022 World Championships bronze medalist Tori Franklin was third in that event with a 13.87/45-6.25 in round four. The top American in the men's vault was national record holder KC Lightfoot, who tied for second at 5.70/18-8.25. Olympic champion and American record holder Valarie Allman dominated the women's discus and 2022 world champion Brooke Andersen outthrew American record holder and 2019 world champion DeAnna Price in the women's hammer as the throws took center stage on Friday evening. Allman had five throws good enough to win, topped by a 67.93/222-10 in round three, and she beat world-leading Yaime Perez of Cuba by more than nine feet. Andersen hit 77.32/253-8 in the second stanza, with Price not far behind at 77.16/253-2, and Andersen added a 77.14/253-1 in the next round to seal the deal. Daniel Haugh was the top American in the men's hammer, placing third with a best of 76.86/252-2 as the top two spots were taken by Ukraine's Mykhaylo Kokhan at 80.33/263-6, and Denzel Comenentia, who set a Netherlands national record of 79.09/259-5 in second. In the men's discus, Brian Williams was third at 63.36/207-10 and Reggie Jagers fourth at 63.17/207-3 as Jamaica's Roje Stona won at 66.93/219-7. Two-time World Indoor champion Sandi Morris won the women's pole vault with a clearance at 4.70/15-5 before three tries at 4.80/15-9. Emily Grove and Gabriela Leon each cleared 4.48/14-8.25 to place second and third. Friday night's Distance Classic produced some truly classic finishes, especially in the men's 5000 as 11 men cracked the 13:00 barrier, including three Americans. Tokyo Olympic Games 10,000 gold medalist Selemon Barega of Ethiopia had the fastest final kilometer, covering it in 2:25.54 to win in 12:51.60, with world record holder Joshua Cheptegei of Uganda relegated to third in 12:52.38. American record holder Grant Fisher closed well to clock 12:53.30 in fifth, the No. 4 all-time U.S. performance, and Cooper Teare was ninth in a PB 12:54.72 to move to No. 4 on the all-time U.S. performer list. Olympic Trials 1500 champion Cole Hocker notched a PB in 11th with a 12:58.82. The B section was won by defending USATF champion Abdihamid Nur in 13:04.40 and there was a slew of PBs behind him. Drew Hunter was the runner-up in 13:08.57, and Ahmed Muhumed took third in 13:08.73. Bob Liking, a Wisconsin redshirt, crossed the line in 13:09.31. World Indoor 3000 champion Elle St. Pierre was unstoppable in the women's 5000, taking the No. 5 slot on the all-time U.S. performer list with a 14:34.12 PB. St. Pierre led most of the way, going through 3000 in 8:54.50, but Venezuela's Joselyn Brea was tenaciously stalking her and it was only in the final straight that St. Pierre pulled away. Brea set a national record of 14:36.59 in second, with Ella Donaghu also dipping under 15:00 with a PB 14:58.39 in fourth. World Road Mile champion Hobbs Kessler dropped down in distance to sneak through the lead pack and win the men's 800 in a PB 1:45.07, squeezing by Mexico's Jesus Lopez on the inside rail in the final meters. Sammy Watson took top honors in the women's 800, running down Canada's Jazz Shukla over the final 200 to finish in 2:00.73. A pair of Canadians swept the men's and women's 3000 steeplechase, with Ceili McCabe setting a national record of 9:20.58 in the women's race to turn back Madie Boreman, who grabbed second in a PB 9:21.98. Jean-Simon Desgagnes kicked past Matthew Wilkinson to win the men's event by a tenth of a second in 8:16.49. Wilkinson's 8:16.59 was a PB, and Alec Basten was third in 8:19.96, also a PB. Heather MacLean and Morgan Beadlescomb won the women's and men's 1500 titles. MacLean went clear of the pack from the start and was never seriously challenged as she recorded a season best of 4:02.49, while Beadlescomb had a tougher road to victory, covering the final 300 in 41.09 to move up from third and win in a PB 3:35.84. Matt Wisner also scored a PB in second with a 3:36.45.