Richardson, Lyles, Crouser and Hall earn Olympic berths at US 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’s and men’s 100m. World champion Sha’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). “I feel like it definitely confirms the year that we’ve been training for,” Richardson said. “We knew this moment could be possible if we put our mind, body, and spirit into it.”

On Sunday, Noah Lyles took the first step in his bid to earn four gold medals at the Paris Olympics by winning the men’s 100m in an equal PB of 9.83, putting the world 100m and 200m champion in line to achieve repeat glory this year.

“Coming off of 2023, I had a great year,” Lyles said. “That built upon this year with the confidence to be able to keep going – to say the blueprint was 2023 and now we’re making it happen.”

The depth in the US men’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’s best of 9.88.

Such is the depth in the US men’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.

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’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.

“I don’t think it has really settled in yet,” said Akins. “Trials is so difficult here in the US. The Olympics is a whole different ball game.”

The men’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’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’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’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’s season-opener. But ultimately, four of his marks in the final would have been enough to secure him the title.

“I felt like my old self, especially in the later rounds,” Crouser said. “I was really happy with how I competed… It felt like riding a bike. It came back fast.”

Anna Hall also made a triumphant return from injury to win the women’s heptathlon with 6614. Chari Hawkins (6456) and Taliyah Brooks (6408) rounded out the podium with PBs.

“My Olympic journey has been really, really hard,” said Hall. “It’s been a lot of adversity and a lot of doubt, and so [there’s] just relief that I am meant to do this and we finally made it, and I’m just so thankful.”

World bronze medallist Quincy Hall ran a big 44.17 PB to win the men’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’s best of 51.05, Kendall Ellis ran a PB of 49.46 to take the crown in the women’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’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’t progress any further.

The qualifying round of the women’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’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’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