The record books were rewritten on the final day of the US Olympic Trials at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon on Sunday (30). Championship records fell in every track event final, culminating in Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone breaking her own world record* in the women&rsquo;s 400m hurdles.
McLaughlin-Levrone stunned with her time of 50.65, improving on the previous record by 0.03. Crowds have now witnessed her break the world record at Hayward Field four times throughout her career.
&ldquo;I think there&rsquo;s something really exciting about trying to figure out how to improve upon history in whatever capacity that looks like,&rdquo; McLaughlin-Levrone said. &ldquo;That always is something that I&rsquo;m looking at, and I&rsquo;m just grateful that thus far we&rsquo;ve been able to continue to do it.
&ldquo;I would love to dip under 50 at some point,&rdquo; she said when asked how fast she thought she could go. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know if that&rsquo;s this year, I don&rsquo;t know if that&rsquo;s next year, but always chipping away, seeing what&rsquo;s possible, and continuing to just improve.&rdquo;
With her win, McLaughlin-Levrone confirmed her place on her third Olympic team.
&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think it ever gets old, I think it&rsquo;s like reliving that childhood dream over and over again,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a really hard team to make so I don&rsquo;t take it for granted and I don&rsquo;t take it lightly. I just want to do the best that I can and represent Team USA.&rdquo;
Behind her, Anna Cockrell and NCAA champion Jasmine Jones ran PBs of 52.64 and 52.77 respectively to punch their tickets to Paris. Shamier Little was fourth in 52.98, marking the first time four women have finished inside 53 seconds in any 400m hurdles race in history.
Olympic silver medallist Rai Benjamin ran a world-leading 46.46 to win the men&rsquo;s 400m hurdles.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s going to be phenomenal in Paris,&rdquo; said Benjamin, who holds the North American record of 46.17. &ldquo;One meet at a time, one round at a time, and if the conditions are right, and the circumstance is right, there&rsquo;s gonna be fireworks.&rdquo;
CJ Allen finished second in 47.81 and world bronze medalist Trevor Bassitt was third in 47.82, both season&rsquo;s bests.
World indoor fourth-place finisher Masai Russell had the race of her life in the women&rsquo;s 100m hurdles, running a world-leading 12.25 to set a championship record and move to fifth on the world all-time list.
&ldquo;It was just confirmation that I&rsquo;m exactly where I need to be,&rdquo; Russell said. &ldquo;I told myself that I deserve to win, I deserve to be here, I deserve to be an Olympian&hellip; I&rsquo;m an Olympic Trials champion and I&rsquo;m ready to be an Olympic champion next.&rdquo;
Joining Russell in Paris will be 2023 US indoor champion Alaysha Johnson, who was second in a PB of 12.31, and NCAA champion Grace Stark, who clocked the same time in third. 2019 world champion Nia Ali (12.37) and former world record-holder Keni Harrison (12.39) were fourth and sixth. It was the first time in history that six women have finished inside 12.40 in a 100m hurdles race.
An electric men&rsquo;s 800m saw all three of the podium-finishers run under 1:44. World indoor champion Bryce Hoppel ran a nearly half-second PB of 1:42.77 to break Johnny Gray&rsquo;s long-standing championship record of 1:42.80.
Hoppel&rsquo;s time is the fourth-fastest in the world this year and elevates him to third on the US all-time list. World road mile champion Hobbs Kessler, Hoppel&rsquo;s training partner who earlier in the week qualified for the Olympic team in the 1500m, ran a PB of 1:43.64 to place second. Brandon Miller finished third in 1:43.97.
The women&rsquo;s 1500m final was historically deep, with the top eight athletes all running personal bests and finishing inside four minutes. World indoor silver medallist Nikki Hiltz crossed the line as champion in 3:55.33, a PB by more than four seconds that moves Hiltz to second on the US all-time list.
World indoor bronze medallist Emily Mackay was second in 3:55.90 and world indoor 3000m champion Elle St Pierre was third in 3:55.99. St Pierre also qualified in the 5000m, but told reporters she would likely only be competing in the 1500m in Paris.
Bridget Williams, Katie Moon, and Brynn King all cleared 4.73m to form the podium in the women&rsquo;s pole vault, with their placings determined on countback. Pan-American Games champion Williams was first, with defending Olympic champion Moon second and King earning a PB (and the Olympic qualifying standard) in third. Olympic silver medallist and two-time world indoor champion Sandi Morris was fourth with 4.68m.
Grant Fisher, the winner of the men&rsquo;s 10,000m, added the 5000m title to his name on Sunday, winning in a championship record of 13:08.85.
NCAA champion Salif Mane launched into the lead with his very first attempt in the men&rsquo;s triple jump final and never looked back. He secured the win and the Olympic qualifying standard with a PB of 17.52m.
Elsewhere, world indoor silver medallist Shelby McEwen cleared 2.30m to win the men&rsquo;s high jump, while world finalist Daniel Haugh claimed victory in the hammer with a season&rsquo;s best of 79.51m.
Maggie Malone Hardin won the women&rsquo;s javelin on her first attempt with a championship record of 64.58m. 2022 world silver medallist Kara Winger, who recently came out of retirement, was second with 62.94m.
Jessi Gabriel for World Athletics
 *Subject to the usual ratification procedure

The XXXIII Olympic Games

Olympic champion clocks 50.65

McLaughlin-Levrone breaks world 400m hurdles record at US Trials

World leads in the sprints highlighted action during the second half of the US Olympic Trials at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon.
Six-time world champion Noah Lyles added another Olympic Trials title to his collection with his victory in the men&rsquo;s 200m on Saturday in a world-leading 19.53. Michael Johnson&rsquo;s meeting record of 19.66 had stood since 1996 before Lyles broke it in his semi-final (19.60), then broke it again in the final. The feat strengthened Lyles&rsquo; case for four gold medals at the Olympic Games in Paris.
&ldquo;You claim you&rsquo;re gonna go out there and win four medals, so the goal had to be win the 100m and 200m &ndash; job is accomplished,&rdquo; Lyles said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m right where I need to be.&rdquo;
Lyles led five athletes under 20 seconds, showcasing the depth of the US men. He was pushed to the line by Olympic silver medallist Kenny Bednarek, who took 0.08 off his personal best with his second-place performance of 19.59. World silver medallist Erriyon Knighton was third in a season&rsquo;s best of 19.77.
Saturday also saw Olympic bronze medallist Gabby Thomas take the crown in the women&rsquo;s 200m in 21.81, having clocked a world-leading 21.78 in her semifinal.
&ldquo;I feel like everything&rsquo;s coming together right where it needs to and I&rsquo;ve done my job,&rdquo; Thomas said. &ldquo;Now we&rsquo;re looking at the gold medal.&rdquo;
Brittany Brown, the 2019 world silver medallist, placed second in a PB of 21.90, with NCAA champion McKenzie Long taking third in 21.91. Both earned their first Olympic berths. World 100m champion Sha&rsquo;Carri Richardson was fourth, running 22.16 after equalling her PB of 21.92 in the semifinals.
There were fireworks in the men&rsquo;s 110m hurdles final on Friday evening as Grant Holloway led a trio of men under 13 seconds. Holloway, who has won the past three world titles, took the victory in 12.86, the second-fastest time of his career and just 0.06 shy of the world record. He will be looking to improve upon his silver medal performance from the Tokyo Olympics.
&ldquo;You&rsquo;re training for that moment, and that moment only comes every four years,&rdquo; Holloway said. &ldquo;If you&rsquo;re not training to be Olympic gold medallist, then what the hell are you doing? That&rsquo;s my mentality.&rdquo;
Freddie Crittenden, the fourth-place finisher from last year&rsquo;s World Championships, placed second in a PB of 12.93, with world bronze medallist Daniel Roberts rounding out the podium in a PB of 12.96.
Olympic champion Valarie Allman was dominant in winning the women&rsquo;s discus on Thursday with 70.73m. With the exception of one foul, all her throws in the finals were beyond 67 metres. Jayden Ulrich (62.63m) and Veronica Fraley (62.54m) placed second and third respectively.
World silver medallist Tara Davis-Woodhall survived a scare in the women&rsquo;s long jump final after fouling her first two attempts. She recorded a mark in the third round which granted her three more jumps, and she moved into the lead with her wind-assisted fifth-round leap of 7.00m (2.6m/s). That would prove good enough for the win, with Jasmine Moore right behind her at 6.98m.
Monae&rsquo; Nichols moved into third on her final jump. Her mark of 6.86m is also the exact distance of the Olympic qualifying standard, guaranteeing her spot in Paris.
Two-time world champion Chase Jackson led a solid contingent of US women&rsquo;s shot putters to earn a spot on her first Olympic team. Jackson&rsquo;s best mark of 20.10m was a season&rsquo;s best. Olympic silver medallist Raven Saunders threw 19.90m (also a season&rsquo;s best) to get second, with NCAA champion and collegiate record-holder Jaida Ross finishing third (19.60m).
The women&rsquo;s 3000m steeplechase final was a barn burner with the top nine finishers setting PBs. Valerie Constien triumphed in a championship record of 9:03.22, 15 seconds quicker than her pre-2024 PB. Constien&rsquo;s swift time is made all the more remarkable considering she underwent knee surgery just a year ago.
Courtney Wayment was second in 9:06.50 and Marisa Howard was third in 9:07.14. The podium finishers moved to third, fourth and fifth respectively on the US all-time list.
Weini Kelati, the only woman in the field with the Olympic qualifying standard, came out on top of the women&rsquo;s 10,000m in 31:41.07. Parker Valby and Karissa Schweizer battled down the home stretch, both recording a time of 31:41.56 with Valby taking silver by four-thousandths of a second.
Sunday (30) will see the conclusion of the US Olympic Trials, with 11 event finals on deck. World record-holder Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone will highlight the day&rsquo;s competition after her world-leading 52.48 in the 400m hurdles semifinals on Saturday.
Jessi Gabriel for World Athletics

World leads in the sprints highlighted action during the second half of the US Olympic Trials

Lyles, Thomas and Holloway dash to world leads at US Olympic Trials

The first half of the US Olympic Team Trials at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, saw an abundance of sunshine, electric crowds, and incredible performances.
The favourites took home the crowns in the women&rsquo;s and men&rsquo;s 100m. World champion Sha&rsquo;Carri Richardson won her primary event in dominant fashion on Saturday, crossing the line in a world-leading 10.71.
She will be joined in Paris by her training partners Melissa Jefferson (10.80 PB) and TeeTee Terry (10.89). &ldquo;I feel like it definitely confirms the year that we&rsquo;ve been training for,&rdquo; Richardson said. &ldquo;We knew this moment could be possible if we put our mind, body, and spirit into it.&rdquo;
On Sunday, Noah Lyles took the first step in his bid to earn four gold medals at the Paris Olympics by winning the men&rsquo;s 100m in an equal PB of 9.83, putting the world 100m and 200m champion in line to achieve repeat glory this year.
&ldquo;Coming off of 2023, I had a great year,&rdquo; Lyles said. &ldquo;That built upon this year with the confidence to be able to keep going &ndash; to say the blueprint was 2023 and now we&rsquo;re making it happen.&rdquo;
The depth in the US men&rsquo;s sprints culminated in a thrilling final on Sunday. 200m specialist Kenny Bednarek earned the second spot on the 100m team with a PB of 9.87. Olympic silver medallist and 2022 world champion Fred Kerley completed the podium in a season&rsquo;s best of 9.88.
Such is the depth in the US men&rsquo;s sprints that the final saw Christian Coleman, the world indoor 60m champion, miss the podium and an individual spot on the Olympic team. His placing, however, earned him a spot on the 4x100m relay squad.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/667a8413ad15664560239a82.jpg" alt="Noah Lyles wins the 100m at the US Olympic Trials" />
Noah Lyles wins the 100m at the US Olympic Trials (&copy; Getty Images)
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The was no shortage of drama in the endurance events. In perhaps the most shocking moment of the competition so far, Athing Mu got tangled up and fell 200 metres into the women&rsquo;s 800m final. The Olympic champion got back up, but had lost significant ground to the field and finished last.
The race that unfolded ahead of her was won by Nia Akins in a PB of 1:57.36. US indoor champion Allie Wilson was second in 1:58.32, and NCAA champion Juliette Whittaker was third in a PB of 1:58.45. All three women will be making their Olympic debut in Paris.
&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think it has really settled in yet,&rdquo; said Akins. &ldquo;Trials is so difficult here in the US. The Olympics is a whole different ball game.&rdquo;
The men&rsquo;s 1500m lived up to the hype on Monday. Cole Hocker successfully defended his 2021 Olympic Trials title, running a PB of 3:30.59 and smashing the meeting record in the process.
The crowd was deafening as the world indoor silver medallist crossed the line in first just ahead of national record-holder Yared Nuguse, who clocked a season&rsquo;s best of 3:30.86 while world road mile champion Hobbs Kessler took third in a PB of 3:31.53.
The competition was fierce in the women&rsquo;s 5000m, with Elle St Pierre and Elise Cranny fighting for victory down the home stretch. Just two hundredths of a second separated the two, with St Pierre coming out on top in a championship record of 14:40.34. Karissa Schweizer was third in 14:45.12, with NCAA champion Parker Valby just missing out on the podium.
Two-time Olympic champion Ryan Crouser won the men&rsquo;s shot put with 22.84m, with Diamond League champion Joe Kovacs and Payton Otterdahl rounding out the podium. After a spring plagued with injuries and setbacks, it was Crouser&rsquo;s season-opener. But ultimately, four of his marks in the final would have been enough to secure him the title.
&ldquo;I felt like my old self, especially in the later rounds,&rdquo; Crouser said. &ldquo;I was really happy with how I competed&hellip; It felt like riding a bike. It came back fast.&rdquo;
Anna Hall also made a triumphant return from injury to win the women&rsquo;s heptathlon with 6614. Chari Hawkins (6456) and Taliyah Brooks (6408) rounded out the podium with PBs.
&ldquo;My Olympic journey has been really, really hard,&rdquo; said Hall. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s been a lot of adversity and a lot of doubt, and so [there&rsquo;s] just relief that I am meant to do this and we finally made it, and I&rsquo;m just so thankful.&rdquo;
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/667a84c1ef2a8407f8074269.jpg" alt="Anna Hall takes the heptathlon title at the US Olympic Trials" />
Anna Hall takes the heptathlon title at the US Olympic Trials (&copy; Getty Images)
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World bronze medallist Quincy Hall ran a big 44.17 PB to win the men&rsquo;s 400m ahead of 2022 world champion Michael Norman (44.41) and Chris Bailey (44.42). 16-year-old Quincy Wilson was sixth in the final in 44.94, having twice broken the world U18 best in the rounds with 44.66 and 44.59.
While she only came in with a season&rsquo;s best of 51.05, Kendall Ellis ran a PB of 49.46 to take the crown in the women&rsquo;s 400m. Aaliyah Butler (49.71) and Alexis Holmes (49.78) also set PBs to join Ellis on the podium and punch their tickets to Paris.
Annette Echikunwoke won the women&rsquo;s hammer on Sunday with 74.68m, securing the title as well as the Olympic standard with her first throw of the day. 2019 world champion DeAnna Price earned her third Olympic berth by placing second with 74.52m, but world leader and 2022 world champion Brooke Anderson recorded fouls with her first three throws and didn&rsquo;t progress any further.
The qualifying round of the women&rsquo;s discus was similarly dramatic. World champion Laulauga Tausaga-Collins recorded three fouls and will take no further part in the competition, but Olympic champion Valarie Allman set a meeting record of 70.89m with her first throw to advance to Thursday&rsquo;s final.
Two-time world champion Sam Kendricks set a meeting record of 5.92m to win the pole vault. Chris Nilsen and Jacob Wooten both cleared 5.87m, with Nilsen taking the silver on countback. American record-holder KC Lightfoot did not qualify for the final.
Earlier in the competition, Grant Fisher, Woody Kincaid, and Nico Young earned their place on the Olympic team in the men&rsquo;s 10,000m as Fisher won in 27:49.47. The three athletes were the only men in the field who had previously achieved the Olympic qualifying standard of 27:00.00.
Kenneth Rooks successfully defended his national steeplechase title, running 8:21.92 as Matt Wilkinson (8:23.00) and James Corrigan (8:26.78) completed the podium.
Olympic Trials action will resume on Thursday (27) and will continue until Sunday (30).
Jessi Gabriel for World Athletics

The first half of the US Olympic Team Trials saw an abundance of sunshine, electric crowds, and incredible performances

Richardson, Lyles, Crouser and Hall earn Olympic berths at US Trials

<a href="https://worldathletics.org/athletes/australia/matthew-denny-14436890" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Matt Denny</a> comes from the small (population 1000) town of Allora, 150km south-west of Brisbane and 60km away from the nearest major city, the regional hub of Toowoomba.
They speak plainly out there, and usually with an economy of words, so when Denny tells you he&rsquo;s &ldquo;no b--- s---&rdquo; about winning an Olympic medal in Paris this year, you take him seriously.
Speaking of economy, Denny maximised his outputs in winning the discus at the <a href="https://worldathletics.org/competition/calendar-results/results/7202429" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Australian Championships in Adelaide</a> (11-14 April) with a national record throw of 69.35m. That performance guaranteed him selection for Paris and he was one of 14 athletes making up the first of three tranches of nominations to the Australian Olympic Committee (AOC).
Denny&rsquo;s efforts were laser focused from his &ldquo;one and done&rdquo; performance in the qualifying round on the first day of the senior titles. He threw 66.68m &ndash; a championship record &ndash; packed up his gear and left.
The 2023 Diamond League winner&rsquo;s final was executed with similar precision. His national and championship record throw came in the fifth round, but there was nothing &lsquo;last ditch&rsquo; about it. Three of his efforts surpassed his qualifying championship record. His first, second, third, fifth and sixth-ditch efforts would all have won the gold medal as would his fourth-round &lsquo;walk out&rsquo; foul.
Denny finished fourth at the Tokyo Olympics and has finished sixth, sixth and fourth at the past three World Championships. His big wins have been in the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games and last year&rsquo;s Diamond League final in Eugene.
To say he is hungry for a medal would be an understatement. As Bruce Springsteen put it in Dancing in the Dark, he&rsquo;s just about starving to death. No kidding.
&ldquo;Everyone knows I&rsquo;m no BS when it comes to majors,&rdquo; said Denny about his ambitions for Paris &ndash; and beyond. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m there to compete and to win medals and to try to win championships.&rdquo;
A 69.35m gives him a few more weapons.
<h2>First tranche of Paris 2024 team</h2>
Joining Denny as nominations to the Paris team after the championships were high jump pair Nicola Olyslagers and Eleanor Patterson, middle-distance runners Peter Bol, Claudia Hollingsworth, Abbey Caldwell (all 800m) and Jessica Hull (1500m), Lauren Ryan (10,000m), Michelle Jenneke (100m hurdles) and Chris Mitrevski (long jump).
In addition, race walkers Jemima Montag, Rebecca Henderson, Rhydian Cowley and Kyle Swan were nominated to the AOC. The 10,000m championships were held at last December&rsquo;s Zatopek meeting and a subsequent national record and selection standard also saw Lauren Ryan included in the tranche.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/661bbfbbf763e09fb651caa8.jpg" alt="Jemima Montag on her way to victory in Adelaide" />
Jemima Montag on her way to victory in Adelaide (&copy; Getty Images)
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Under the nomination criteria, those in the first tranche had to have achieved the automatic qualifying standard and competed at least twice in the Australian domestic season. This clause tripped the winner of the highly competitive men&rsquo;s 1500m &ndash; US college-based Adam Spencer &ndash; who had achieved the standard but competed only at the nationals.
Rising star Hollingsworth turned 19 on the day between the heats and final of the 800m. You would have thought she had been racing for years, however, judged by the manner of her win in the deepest event on the women&rsquo;s roster at the championships. Four women had the standard coming into the championship and the four finished in the top four places. But Hollingsworth never looked anything but the winner as she tracked national record-holder Catriona Bisset through a quick first lap. Hollingsworth took control in the final 200 metres on the way to her first senior title in 1:58.40.
Caldwell was second in 1:59.01, just ahead of the former 400m star who is moving up, Bendere Oboya, whose 1:59.33 saw her catch the tiring Bisset in the final 50 metres. Bisset&rsquo;s 1:59.87 made it four Australian women under two minutes in the same race.
If the 800m was the deepest event on the women&rsquo;s programme, the high jump was the sharpest with 2022 world champion and 2023 world silver medallist Patterson meeting world indoor champion, Olympic silver medallist and world bronze medallist Olyslagers. Olyslagers won the battle this day, clearing 2.01m before failing three times at 2.06m.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/661bbd224411eb60c6a78e1f.jpg" alt="Nicola Olyslagers at the Australian Championships" />
Nicola Olyslagers at the Australian Championships (&copy; Getty Images)
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Patterson, who has had an injury-interrupted domestic season, cleared a season&rsquo;s best 1.95m and had a couple of decent attempts at 1.99m.
The men&rsquo;s 800m followed a similar trajectory to the women&rsquo;s with relative newcomer Luke Boyes being passed and re-passed by Bol in the final straight on the way to winning in a personal best 1:44.73. Bol, who had to work his way out of a box in the back-straight, looked the winner but Boyes fought back impressively to win by a couple of metres.
Emphasising the exclusiveness of membership in this first tranche, however, Boyes could not be a confirmed nomination because he has not got the standard, while Bol was confirmed because he has achieved it. Ultimately, both appear certain to be in the French capital later in the year.
Mitrevski produced an 8.32m last-round jump to take the men&rsquo;s long jump title and wrap up a place in the Olympic team. Mitrevski had been leading with 8.07m before his monster final effort.
In the women&rsquo;s 100m hurdles, Jenneke clinched a place in her second Olympic team with a victory in 12.88 from Liz Clay.
<h2>Spencer triumphs over super-strong 1500m field but must wait</h2>
The 1500m was the strongest men&rsquo;s event of the championships. Three qualifiers &ndash; Adam Spencer, Stewart McSweyn and teenage star Cameron Myers &ndash; plus several others poised to achieve that mark.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/661bbd824411eb60c6a78e22.jpg" alt="Adam Spencer wins the 1500m at the Australian Championships" />
Adam Spencer wins the 1500m at the Australian Championships (&copy; Getty Images)
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Living up to the build-up, seven men were in a position to win the race at the bell. All of them could still do so as they entered the final straight.
Spencer had the best kick, but his win in 3:37.68 was not enough to get him into the first group of nominations. Ollie Hoare, second in 3:37.83, likewise could not be named because injury last year means he does not have a qualifier. Third placed Jess Hunt has run 3:33.60 this year against the 3:35.50. Close, but again, no cigar. McSweyn and Myers, fourth and fifth likewise, could not be selected as it would block some of those ahead of them from making the final team.
So, the best race lived up to expectations, but no selection as yet. Three will get to Paris, but which three remains in doubt until the final deadline.
There was no such problem for Hull, who just races everything and, domestically at least, wins everything. She ran a 60-second final lap to win the women&rsquo;s 1500m in 4:01.39 ahead of Georgia Griffith and Linden Hall who, like many others, will have to wait another day.
World champion Nina Kennedy won the women&rsquo;s pole vault, while world bronze medallists Mackenzie Little and Kurtis Marschall claimed respective javelin and pole vault titles, but they must also wait on final nomination for the Paris team.
Len Johnson for World Athletics
<a href="https://worldathletics.org/competition/calendar-results/results/7202429" target="_blank" rel="noopener">- Australian Championships results</a>

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