The U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials concluded with two of Team USA’s biggest stars, Rye Benjamin and Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone.
The penultimate event was the men’s 400m hurdles, in which Benjamin competed. The 26-year-old hurdler led from start to finish, setting a meet record and world best time of 46.46 seconds.
But USA Track and Field saved perhaps its best athlete for last, and McLaughlin-Levrone did just that.
McLaughlin-Levrone, the defending Olympic champion and world record holder in the women’s 400-meter hurdles, essentially ran the track alone and delivered a spectacular run. When McLaughlin-Levrone crossed the finish line, she immediately realized she had broken her previous world record of 50.65 seconds.
McLaughlin-Levrone is the only woman in the history of the sport to run under 51 seconds in the 400m hurdles.
McLoughlin-Levrone and Benjamin both emphasized how exciting the final day of the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials was.
Nikki Hiltz wins 1500m, advances to first Olympic Games
Nikki Hiltz, a 29-year-old middle-distance specialist who identifies as transgender and non-binary and uses “they/them” pronouns, won the women’s 1,500 meters at Hayward Field on Sunday, narrowly beating the second and third place finishers to claim the gold medal at the USA Track and Field Trials.
Hiltz finished in 3:55.33, narrowly ahead of Emily McKay (2nd, 3:55.90) and Elle St. Pierre (3rd, 3:55.99), both of whom recorded personal best times in the final.
Paris will be Hiltz’s first Olympic Games. They won silver in the 1,500 meters at the world indoor championships in Glasgow, Scotland, earlier this year, the first time an American had medaled in the event in 21 years.Lindsay Schnell
Aleisha Johnson in a post-race interview: “This is a race for the slum kids”
Emotions were overflowing on the track after the women’s 100m hurdles final.
Masai Russell shocked Hayward Field and the athletics world by winning in an incredible time of 12.25 seconds, while Aleisha Johnson came in second in a personal best time of 12.31 seconds (12.302).
Johnson gave perhaps the most moving post-race interview of the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials.
“I owe it all to God. People always told me I wasn’t good enough, I wasn’t worthy, so I did it my way, my team’s way, the way it should be done,” Aleisha Johnson told Louis Johnson. “This is for all the people who are poor, who come from nothing, who have ever been doubted like me. And I did it with a black designer on my chest. This is what I believe in, and I’m paving the way for all the people who are in my shoes.”Tyler Dragon
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone breaks her own world record in the 400m hurdles
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone continued her dominating performance in the women’s 400-meter hurdles, setting a new world record (again) in the final race of the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials on Sunday at Hayward Field. McLaughlin-Levrone crossed the line in 50.65 seconds and covered her mouth in shock at her time.
McLaughlin-Levrone’s previous world record was 50.68 seconds, also set at Hayward Field, and will take place at the 2022 world championships.
Anna Cockrell (52.64) came second and Jasmine Jones (52.77) came third and will join McLaughlin-Levrone in Paris.Lindsay Schnell
Bryce Hoppel sets meet record in the 800m
Hoppel booked his ticket to Paris with a bang: He led both laps in the 800 meters and crossed the line in a course record and personal best of 1 minute 42.77 seconds.
Hoppel’s training partner, Hobbs Kessler, took second place with a personal best time of 1:43.64.
Brandon Miller was the third and final qualifier with a time of 1:43.97.Tyler Dragon
Grant Fisher vs Abdihamid Noor fight ends at 5,000
Fischer and Noor were neck and neck going into the final lap of the 5,000m, but Fischer made a final push to win in a course record time of 13 minutes 8.85 seconds.
Noor was close behind in second place, finishing in 13 minutes 9.01 seconds.
Parker Wolfe took third place with a personal best time of 13 minutes 10.75 seconds.
Fischer also won the 10,000 meters, qualifying for the Olympics on June 21.Tyler Dragon
Daniel Howe wins Hammer
Howe won the men’s hammer throw with a season-best throw of 260 feet, 10 inches. Rudy Winkler took second place with a throw of 258 feet, 10 inches.
Howe and Winkler were the only two competitors in the competition who met the Olympic standard.
Shelby McEwen wins the men’s high jump
Shelby McEuen won the event with a jump of 7 feet, 6.5 inches. McEuen was the only jumper with an Olympic standard.
Will Quincy Wilson make it to the Olympics?
Quincy Wilson, the 16-year-old sprint sensation who wowed the Hayward Field crowd by reaching the men’s 400-meter final, has a slim chance of earning a spot in the men’s 4×400-meter relay pool in Paris.
Hall finished sixth in the 400m final in a time of 44.94. He had the 24th best time in the world in the 400m this year, having run 44.59 in the preliminary semi-final on June 23. He said after the final that he wouldn’t stop training until he was sure the season was over, adding that he didn’t know if he would qualify for the relay because it was a “highly political” decision.
The pools for the relays will be determined by relay coaches Mike Marsh and Mechelle Freeman. Teams will be announced no later than July 8, but athletes and their coaches will be notified earlier, likely late Sunday night, so that athletes can begin practicing together.Lindsay Schnell
Can Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone set a new record?
McLoughlin-Levrone recorded the fastest time of 52.48 in the 400m hurdles semifinals on Saturday, easily qualifying for Sunday’s final.
McLaughlin-Levrone has the potential to set world records every time she steps on the track, and some expect that to happen Sunday. She won gold last year and is favored to defend her title in Paris. McLaughlin-Levrone also won gold in the 4x400m at the Tokyo Olympics and is expected to be on the relay team again.
Olympic Trials Results for All Events
If you missed this week’s or last week’s competitions, we have a list of the top three performers in each event who will earn automatic berths to the Paris Olympics.
Women’s 100m Hurdles: Tie-breaking
Christina Clemons and Keni Harrison both qualified automatically for the first heat of the women’s 100-meter hurdles semifinals on Saturday. Both Clemons and Harrison finished in 12.52 seconds, but after judging, Clemons was determined to have won by a narrow margin.
Ironically, Aleisha Johnson and Tonea Marshall crossed the line in the exact same time of 12.36 seconds to take the lead in the second semi-final, and after judging, Johnson was declared the winner.
Masai Russell also won the third semi-final heat in 12.36.
Johnson, Marshall and Russell recorded the top qualifying times heading into Sunday’s 8 p.m. ET final.
What time does the USA Track and Field Finals start on Sunday?
The first final, the men’s hammer throw, will begin at 5:50 PM ET. The final event will be the women’s 400m hurdles, scheduled to begin at 8:29 PM ET.
How to watch the USA Track and Field Olympic Trials
All events will be streamed live on Peacock, NBCOlympics.com, NBC.com and the NBC and NBC Sports apps. NBC will broadcast Sunday’s finals from 7:30-8:30 p.m.
clock: 2024 U.S. Track and Field Olympic Trials to stream for free on Fubo
Today’s Olympic Qualifying Schedule
5:50pm – Men’s Hammer Final
6:15pm – Women’s Pole Vault Final
6:30pm – Men’s High Jump Final
6:55pm – Men’s Triple Jump Final
7:10pm – Double Javelin Final
7:30pm – Men’s 5,000m Final
7:51pm – Men’s 800m Final
8pm – W 100m Hurdles Final
8:09pm – W 1,500m Final
8:20pm – Men’s 400m Hurdles Final
8:29pm – W 400m Hurdles Final
