EUGENE, Ore. — Olympians were born and a world record was broken. The U.S. Olympics Track and Field team is mostly finalized after a 10-day meet at Hayward Field. It offered a preview of the prowess to come when the Paris Games start up in less than month.
Here are some of the highlights from the Olympics trials that wrapped on Sunday.
Stars to watch in Paris
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone’s biggest competition is herself. She broke her own world record on Sunday in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 50.65 seconds. That’s just shy of her 50.68 time set two years ago on the same track.
After crossing the finish line, her face read surprise.
“I was a little shocked that it came together with not the best stride pattern,” she told reporters after her feat. “But definitely still grateful to know that the fitness is there and that there’s more we can work on.”
She’ll be aiming to raise the bar for herself again at the Paris Games.
“I would love to dip under 50 [seconds] at some point,” she said. “There’s something really exciting about trying to figure out how to improve upon history, you know, in whatever capacity that looks like.”
The 24-year-old began her Olympics journey in Rio eight years ago and in Tokyo earned a gold medal in 400-meter hurdles and another in the 4×400 meters squad.
Representing the U.S. as an Olympian doesn’t get old, she said.
“It’s like reliving that childhood dream over and over again. I don’t take it for granted.”
Sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson came to Hayward with a lot to prove. She was banned from competing in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics after testing positive for THC. She attributed her marijuana use to the recent death of her mother and the pressures she was under to perform: “I am human,” she said on social media at the time.
And prove it she did. In Eugene, her 100-meters race secured her spot on Team USA. Her bid to make the 200 meters her second event, however, failed after she placed fourth.
It was Gabby Thomas, Brittany Brown and McKenzie Long in that order who dominated the 200 meters to earn their spot at the Paris Games.
Thomas earned bronze in Tokyo in the 200-meter event and won silver with the 4×100-meter relay team. What’s new for her this time is that a crowd will be there to cheer her on.
“I’m a bit of an introvert so I do get distracted and overwhelmed easily with lots of people, but hey, I think it’ll be fun,” she after the final on Saturday.
But she also says she’s always thrived under pressure — a skill she’s honed since Tokyo.
“I have comfort in knowing that when I stepped to the line today, I was thinking, you know what, I’ve proven to myself that I can do this,’ ” she said.
Brown and Long, meanwhile, are headed to the Olympics for the first time. Long is drawing strength from her late mother, who died unexpectedly in February.
“Knowing that I’m an Olympian now is so surreal,” she told reporters after the race. “And I know my mom is smiling from cheek to cheek.”
Noah Lyles, Kenny Bednarek and Fred Kerley all qualified for the U.S. in the 100 meters. Lyles leads the pack so far in both speed and personality; the 26-year-old has seized the spotlight to share his love for anime by pulling out a growing suite of Yu-Gi-Oh! trading cards from his suit after each round.
Lyles will be doubling in Paris: He also won the 200-meter final at trials. But he’s not all-out celebrating until he gets gold.
You could certainly see your expertise in the article you write.
The sector hopes for more passionate writers
such as you who aren’t afraid to say how they
believe. All the time follow your heart.