EUGENE, Oregon – An early morning American record prefaced a thrilling afternoon of speed, power, and endurance in front of a vocal and appreciative crowd on the third day of the Toyota USATF Outdoor Championships at Hayward Field.
Setting the tone for the day, Lauren Harris bettered her own pending American record in the women's 20,000 race walk on the track, clocking 1:31:23.7 to win her first U.S. national title by more than eight minutes. Harris set the pending record when she walked 1:31:50.4 at Chula Vista on June 22. Nine-time national champion Maria Michta-Coffey earned silver in 1:39:56.8, with Katie Burnett taking bronze in 1:40:35.2.
Despite a very quick early tempo in the men's 1500 final, with 300 to go it was still anyone's race. Paris bronze medalist Yared Nuguse was at the front of a single-file field through 400 in 56.23 and went by 800 in 1:54.59. Hitting 1200 in 2:50.53 with Hobbs Kessler right on his shoulder and Olympic champion Cole Hocker within a stride, Nuguse was still leading, but coming off the final turn Ethan Strand and Jonah Koech were ready to move past him.
Down the final 100, Strand and Koech fought it out and Koech was just a bit speedier and grabbed gold in a lifetime best 3:30.17, making him the No. 7 all-time U.S. performer. Strand's PB of 3:30.25 for silver put him at No. 8 on that list, with Hocker securing the third Tokyo berth in 3:30.37. Koech ran 52.91 for the final 400 and 12.49 for the last 100. The first seven men across the line broke 3:33 in one of the deepest quality U.S. finishes ever.
“I didn't beat everybody in America," Koech said. "These guys, it wasn't their day today. It was my day. Don't think that those guys are not in shape. They're really in good shape. But it was just an opportunity for me to come up.”
Olympic champion and pending American record holder Masai Russell won her second straight U.S. title in the 100 hurdles in 12.22, the seventh-fastest time in world history and No. 5 on the all-time U.S. performance list. Russell shot out of the blocks and established a lead on Grace Stark to her left, and over the last two barriers she pulled even farther ahead to claim a convincing win.
Russell said, “This is the goal. The goal is to get here. It doesn't matter what times I've run prior to getting here. I feel like I always understand the assignment coming here, and I just continue to show the world who I am and who I believe I am.”
Stark took silver in 12.31, and Alaysha Johnson earned bronze by .01 over American record holder Keni Harrison in 12.36. Russell, Stark and Johnson were all finalists at the Olympic Games last summer.
Reigning women's shot put champion and American record holder Chase Jackson defended her U.S. crown with the third-farthest throw in U.S. history, a 20.84/68-4.5 in the first round. Jackson's four legal throws were all beyond 20 meters as she picked up her fourth career outdoor gold, and her second attempt of 20.56/67-5.5 was the ninth-farthest throw ever by an American. Maggie Ewen hit a season best of 19.94/65-5 on her second attempt to earn silver, and 2021 Olympic Trials winner Jessica Ramsey also notched a season best of 19.56/64-2.25 for bronze.
“I kind of fought to focus on the distance, rather than just winning," Jackson said. "I went out today trying to throw really far. I just wanted to go out and not let the bye kind of hamper my ability to win.”
Taking charge of the women's 400 at the halfway point, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone pulled away from the field on the way to the sixth-fastest time ever by an American, a 48.90 that gave her her second U.S. title in the event. McLaughlin-Levrone, the world record holder in the 400 hurdles, hit 200 in 23.33, and by the 300 mark in 35.48 she was almost a second ahead of the nearest challenger. Eyeing the clock and chasing the American record of 48.70, McLaughlin-Levrone covered the final 100 in 13.43 to win by .69 over Isabella Whittaker, who earned silver in 49.59. Aaliyah Butler took bronze in 49.91.
“I want to challenge myself," said McLaughlin-Levrone. "I felt like this is a year I wanted to step out of the box and really push myself in a different way. And so obviously it's uncomfortable, but I wanted to commit to it, and I'm committed to it, and just excited to see where I can push myself to.”
She added, “I think this year and this event has taught me patience. I think I've learned a lot about myself. I've learned a lot about the 400 but ultimately, every day, it's stepping on the track, being the best I can be, figuring out a race that is very foreign to me and taking on new challenges and being comfortable.”
Jacory Patterson led from start to finish in the men's 400 and came away with his first national gold in 44.16. Making a hard charge over the final 200, world indoor champion Chris Bailey earned silver in 44.43, .02 in front of Khaleb McRae.
Bailey said of Patterson, “That's my guy. You know, for him to run sub-44 this year, that's amazing. And now he's a new US outdoor champion. So you know, we kind of share our glory, indoor champion, outdoor champion. So just trying to keep it rolling. You know, he and I are with Nike now. So you know, just like one big family."
It's been seven years since Reggie Jagers won a U.S. men's discus gold, and today the left-hander ended that drought with a big 66.85/219-4 in round three. Jagers backed that up with a 66.55/218-4 on his final attempt to beat two-time champion and 2025 U.S. leader Sam Mattis, who took silver at 65.56/215-1. Marcus Gustaveson nabbed the third Tokyo berth with bronze at 64.51/211-7.
A tactical affair over the first three laps inevitably turned into a mad dash for the finish in the women's 1500, and two-time defending champion Nikki Hiltz had the fast closing speed to come away with a third U.S. gold in 4:03.15. Hiltz covered the final 400 in 58.67 to outrun newly-minted American mile record holder Sinclaire Johnson, who took second in 4:03.77, and Emily Mackay earned bronze in 4:04.38. Laurie Barton and Johnson brought the field through 400 in 68 seconds and 800 in 2:16. At the bell, there was contact in the back of the pack and Riley Chamberlain and Helen Schlachtenhaufen went down, but the lead group wasn't affected.
“I've never had a muscle injury before," Hiltz said. "I'm just trying to baby that and get back to it, especially with my speed being my biggest asset, it's scary when you can't access all your gears. So I'm just really proud of how I showed up today and ran a race I'm really proud of.”
Olympic bronze medalist and defending champion Jasmine Moore retained her women's triple jump title, capping off her series with a season best and U.S.-leading 14.68/48-2. Moore had five jumps better than 14 meters and sealed her victory with her initial effort of 14.29/46-10.75. Silver went to Agur Dwol at 13.76/45-1.75, and Euphenie Andre claimed the bronze with a lifetime best of 13.64/44-9.
Nick Christie won his seventh straight men's title by more than three minutes with a time of 1:24:56.2. The last man besides Christie to win this event, 2017 champion Emmanuel Corvera, was the runner-up in 1:27:59.2 and bronze went to Jordan Crawford in 1:28:02.6.
Doing just enough to ensure victory, Olympic silver medalist Kenneth Rooks picked up his third consecutive U.S. men's 3000 steeplechase gold in 8:26.58. A half-step behind him was Daniel Michalski, who earned silver in 8:26.77, while 2021 Olympian Benard Keter garnered bronze in 8:29.00. Rooks was 12th after four laps and then moved up through the field to take the lead over the next circuit alongside former BYU teammate James Corrigan. From there he controlled the pace and Michalski ran just off his heels. Keter and Isaac Updike were battling for the third spot until the final water jump, where Updike faltered and Keter took sole possession of third.
“I'm curious to see where my fitness and my preparation can take me," Rooks said. "I'm hopeful that I could be in a position to be shooting for another medal again. But I'm as curious as all of you are to see how the World Championships goes.”
Michalski, who was fourth at the 2021 Olympic Trials, said, “This is for the 2021 Olympic Trials that were also for global championships in Tokyo. I came up close then and it's just ironic that I'll get a chance to make good on a Tokyo trip now, four years later. It was a really exciting feeling with a couple laps left in the race.”
Swirling winds bedeviled competitors in the men's pole vault, and Austin Miller handled the conditions best on the way to his first national title. Miller cleared his first three heights without a miss, but then required two attempts at 5.82/19-1. The only man left in the competition, Miller took three tries at a lifetime best of 5.92/19-5 and snaked over it on his final effort. Sam Kendricks and Matt Ludwig tied for second at 5.72/18-9.25.
“This is my 15th national championship over the past eight years," Miller said. I've come real close before, but I've come up way short before. To finally get it done… there's a lot of emotions today to get a PB on a third attempt with a stadium clapping for you, you can't write it better. You know, to become national champion for the first time, like that, and make your first world team like that. That's something that's gonna be a core memory for the rest of my life.”
Qualifying for her first global championship team, Lexy Halladay-Lowry won the women's 3000 steeplechase in 9:09.14 after taking the lead for good with 800 to go. NCAA bronze medalist Angelina Napoleon, who was 10th at the World U20 Championships last summer, was always near the front of the field and came near to her personal best with a 9:10.96 for silver, and Kaylee Mitchell held off a quick-closing Krissy Gear, the 2023 champion, to take bronze in 9:11.36, her second fastest time ever.
“That's just what we've been practicing in practice," Halladay-Lowry said. "When it's time to go, take off and don't look back.”
Napoleon added, “I think it was anybody's game, and I think that the people who made it truly showed that it's a young field going to Tokyo. I think that's awesome, but also, we can't forget about the women who truly paved the way for us in steeple.”
Semifinals in the 400 hurdles had Olympic champion and American record holder Rai Benjamin clocking the fastest men's time, a 47.45 in the third semi, and 2016 Olympic champion and former world record holder Dalilah Muhammad running the fastest women's time at 53.80. Caleb Dean and Chris Robinson also dipped under 48 seconds in the men's event with matching times of 47.76, a season best for Dean and a lifetime best for Robinson. Last year's Paris silver medalist, Anna Cockrell, and fourth-placer Jasmine Jones had no trouble winning their semis and advancing to the final.
In men's 110 hurdles qualifying, Trey Cunningham led three men under 13.20 with a 13.10 in heat four. Dylan Beard won heat two in 13.13, and reigning world champion Grant Holloway took the third heat in 13.15.
The final day of competition will be held tomorrow, August 3, starting at 12 p.m. PT.
Full results are here.