The second half of the trials begins with two more finals
The U.S. Track and Field Olympic Trials returned to Hayward on Thursday after a two-day hiatus. The second half of the trials began with the women’s discus throw final and 3000-meter steeplechase final. The world record holder for the women’s 400-meter hurdles, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, also made her 2024 trials debut.
Men’s 800m Round 1 | 4:30 p.m.
The first round of the 800 meters began all events on Thursday. The top six finishers in each heat — plus the next three fastest times overall — advanced to the semifinals.
The top-ranked American man by World Athletics latest rankings, Bryce Hoppel, was among those who advanced. Matt Wisner, Oregon class of 2021, also qualified.
What to watch next:
The semi finals are scheduled for Friday at 6:39 p.m. with the final taking place on Sunday.
Women’s Discus Throw Final | 4:50 p.m.
Olympic champion Valarie Allman dominated the women’s discus final. Allman recorded each of the top five throws in the final. She was the only athlete to go over 63 meters — and she did it all five times. Allman recorded a measurement of 70.73 meters on her final attempt.
University of Louisville thrower Jayden Ulrich finished in second. Vanderbilt University’s Veronica Fraley rounded out the squad set for Paris.
What Allman had to say:
“It’s been a bit of a journey. In 2021, it was so fun to be the underdog and climbing. It was such a fun feeling. I think the last two years I just felt pressure. I lost that excitement to go for it and I feel like it’s back. Whatever the result is, I’m really grateful for how my life has changed to have balance and consistency outside of track. I feel like it’s showing itself now when I walk into the ring. It’s helping me get to that next level.”
Men’s High Jump Qualifiers | 5:00 p.m.
The top 12 performers advanced to the high jump final. The final field was already set following the second height at 2.19 meters. Four athletes tied for first in the qualifiers, including the current top-ranked Americans JuVaughn Harrison and Shelby McEwen.
What to watch next:
The men’s high jump final is set to begin at 3:30 p.m. on Sunday.
Men’s 110m Hurdles Semifinals | 5:01 p.m.
The reigning, back-to-back World Champion Grant Holloway already had several meters on the rest of the field just 50 meters into the first heat. He recorded a time of 12.96 seconds — 0.23 seconds faster than second place.
Holloway’s race was 0.04 seconds off the world-leading time he set on Monday. Freddie Crittenden set the best time by an American man not named Holloway this year with a 13.05 second finish.
What to watch next:
The 110-meter hurdles is the only final scheduled for Friday. It will conclude the day with a 7:50 p.m. start time.
Women’s 1500m Round 1 | 5:23 p.m.
Elise Cranny and Elle St. Pierre, who’ve both qualified for Team USA in the women’s 5000 meters, advanced to the 1500-meter semifinals. St. Pierre had the fastest time in the first round, as the top seven from each of the three heats moved on, along with the next three fastest times.
What to watch next:
The 1500-meter will resume with a semi final on Friday at 5:53 p.m. The final is set for Sunday.
Women’s 200m Round 1 | 5:51 p.m.
Sha’Carri Richardson won the 100-meter dash on Saturday and is looking to go two-for-two. She clocked in at 21.99 seconds — the fastest time of the first round. Reigning NCAA champion McKenzie Long and top-ranked American Gabby Thomas also got ahead of the rest of the field in their heats to advance.
Former Duck Jenna Prandini and Oregon’s 2024 Pac-12 Champion Jadyn Mays also moved on to the semifinals.
What to watch next:
The semi final is scheduled for Friday at 7:06 p.m. It will determine which athletes will compete in Saturday’s final.
Women’s Long Jump Qualifiers | 6:18 p.m.
The top 12 performers advanced to the final for the women’s long jump. Tokyo 2020 Olympian Tara Davis-Woodhall had the top measurement at 6.93 meters. Davis-Woodhall, Jasmine Moore and Quanesha Burks had good enough measurements on their first attempts to forgo their second and third attempts while advancing.
What to watch next:
The long jump final will begin at 5:20 p.m. on Saturday.
Men’s 400m Hurdles Round 1 | 6:20 p.m.
The semifinals will feature 27 athletes from Thursday’s first round of 400-meter hurdles. Tokyo 2020 silver medalist, Raj Benjamin finished first in his heat to advance. Texas Tech’s Caleb Dean had the best time in the qualifiers at 49.45 seconds.
What to watch next:
The men’s 400-meter hurdles semi finals are scheduled to begin at 4:16 p.m. on Friday.
Men’s Discus Throw Qualifiers | 6:45 p.m.
Each athlete competing in the qualifiers had three attempts, with the top 12 across the two flights advancing. Reggie Jager’s 65.52-meter throw was the best on Thursday. Andrew Evans and Turner Washington finished second and third, respectively, in the qualifiers.
What to watch next:
The discus throw final will start all competitions on Saturday with a 4:30 p.m. start time.
Women’s 400m Hurdles Round 1 | 6:49 p.m.
McLaughlin-Levrone’s first appearance at the 2024 trials was nothing short of what fans have come to expect from her. It only took her 100 meters into the race to begin to pull ahead of the rest of the field. Halfway through, she already eliminated all doubt as to who would win the first heat.
McLaughlin-Levrone finished over three seconds over the next best time in her heat. The top five in each heat, plus the next two fastest advanced to the semifinals. Still, if Thursday’s performance was any indication of what’s to come, McLaughlin-Levrone isn’t just going for gold in Paris — she’s likely looking to break her own world record (again).
What to watch next:
McLaughlin-Levrone and the rest of the field are set to compete in the semi finals on Saturday at 5:41 p.m.
Women’s 3000m Steeplechase Final | 7:18 p.m.
The second of Thursday’s two finals ended with a meet record. Valerie Constien recorded a personal best of 9:03.22 to finish in first place. Courtney Wayment and Marisa Howard rounded out the top three. Everyone in the top nine finished with personal bests and the top eight were all under 9:25.00.
Men’s 200m Round 1 | 7:33 p.m.
Noah Lyles won the men’s 100 meters on Sunday, but the 200 meters is known to be his main event. Lyles had the best time across all four heats, running 20.10 seconds. Kenny Bednarek — who joins Lyles as one of the three on the 100-meter team — also came in first in his heat. Former Duck Kyree King was another one of the 27 to advance.
What to watch next:
The 200-meter semi finals are set to begin at 7:28 p.m. on Friday.
Men’s 5000m Round 1 | 8:03 p.m.
Cole Hocker shocked fans when he set the meet record for the men’s 1500 meters on Monday, beating the favored Yared Nuguse in the process. He was once again met with a roar from the crowd when he jumped from the bottom quarter of the standings to first place in the final 600 meters.
Cooper Teare — a former Duck, like Hocker — came in third in the first heat. The American record holder, Grant Fisher, also advanced to the final.
What to watch next:
The men’s 5000-meter final is set for Sunday at 4:30 p.m.
More events will resume at Hayward on Friday for the sixth day of competition. Qualifiers for the women’s javelin throw will begin the day at 4:00 p.m.
Continue following The Daily Emerald’s coverage of the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials for track and field on X, @lilycrane23 and @JoeMoore_21.
