Four finals took place on Saturday with more athletes claiming their spot on Team USA. Here’s everything that happened — from the conclusion of the men’s decathlon to the highly anticipated women’s 100-meter final.
Decathlon | Saturday
Decathlon 110m Hurdles
Heath Baldwin extended his lead with a first-place finish to give him his third-event win over the first six events. He ran a 13.77 time, finishing just 0.01 seconds ahead of Kyle Garland and Denim Rogers who recorded times of 13.78 seconds.
Decathlon Discus Throw
Zach Ziemek took first place in the event with a throw of 49.87 meters to inch closer to retaking the lead. Baldwin maintained his lead in the decathlon despite a 10th-place finish in the discus.
Decathlon Pole Vault
Ziemek took first place in the event by clearing the bar at a height of 5.35 meters. The second-place finisher, Harrison Williams, was 0.3 meters lower than Ziemek with a score of 5.05. The dominant performance vaulted him back into first place in the event, bumping Baldwin down to second place.
Decathlon Javelin Throw
Baldwin returned to the top position in the overall decathlon leaderboard with one event to go. His second throw at 66.69 meters brought his point total up to 839 and a first-place finish in the javelin. Ziemek’s throw at 56.24 meters was only good enough for eighth in the javelin as he dropped to second overall.
Decathlon 1500m
Baldwin secured a personal best in the decathlon with 8,625 points through all 10 events. He finished in first place, with Ziemek in second and Williams joining them in the top three to head to Paris.
Men’s Long Jump Qualifiers | 4:45 p.m.
The top 12 performances advanced to the final with three attempts each. Damarcus Simpson, Oregon class of 2018, was third in the long jump leaderboard through three jumps. His third attempt at eight meters was his best measurement of the afternoon and a season-best.
The 2023 USA Indoor champion Will Williams and USC Trojan Johnny Brackins both recorded the furthest jump of the afternoon, besting Simpson by 0.03 meters.
What to watch next:
The men’s long jump final is set for Monday at 5:25 p.m.
Women’s High Jump Qualifiers | 5:00 p.m.
The final field was decided after only three heights. Five athletes didn’t record a single failed clearance.
Current Oregon athlete Cheyla Scott participated in the event but failed to clear at 1.78 meters. Every athlete cleared at the first heights but Scott and four others’ evenings were done after two heights.
What to watch next:
The women’s high jump final is scheduled for Monday at 5:15 p.m.
Women’s 100m Semifinal | 5:58 p.m.
Fan favorite Sha’Carri Richardson ran in the first of three semi final heats on Saturday. She clocked in at 10.86 seconds and was met with a loud ovation as she finished first.
Two-time 4×400-meter World Champion, Melissa Jefferson, recorded a close second-best time in the semifinals at 10.87 seconds. Oregon’s Jadyn Mays and English Gardner, Oregon class of 2013, didn’t advance. Jenna Prandini, class of 2016, was the only current or former Duck to make the final.
Women’s Triple Jump Final | 6:20 p.m.
The triple jump finished right around the same time as the men’s shot put final. Jasmine Moore’s sixth and final jump at 14.26 meters was the top measurement and secured her a spot on Team USA. Keturah Orji finished second with her last attempt also being her best. Tori Franklin rounded out the top three.
Men’s 100m Round 1 | 6:20 p.m.
The top five performances in each of the five heats, plus the next two best times, advanced to the men’s semifinals. The three highest-ranked U.S. men by World Athletics — Noah Lyles, Christian Coleman and Fred Kerley — were among those to finish first in their heats and continue their Olympic dream.
Two former Ducks participated in the 100-meter dash. Kyree King, who spent his 2017 senior season with Oregon, qualified for the semifinals. Oregon 2019 graduate Cravon Gillespie competed in the first heat but was disqualified.
What to watch next:
Both the men’s 100-meter semifinals and final will take place on Sunday. The semi finals are scheduled for 5:48 p.m.
Men’s Shot Put Final | 6:40 p.m.
For the second straight Summer Olympics, Ryan Crouser, Joe Kovacs and Payton Otterdahl will be the three set to represent the USA in the men’s shot put. Crouser received one of the biggest cheers from the crowd through two days of track and field at Hayward on his fourth attempt. His 22.84-meter measurement was the best of the evening and will send him to Paris.
Men’s 1500m Semifinal | 6:56 p.m.
Five of the six current and former Ducks that participated in 1500-meter heats ran in the semifinals. Cole Hocker showed once again with his first-place finish that it’ll be difficult to prevent him from being one of the three to represent the U.S. in Paris. Hocker pulled ahead of the field down the final stretch to secure a time of 3:37.89. NCAA Champion at Oregon, Cooper Teare, also advanced as well as current Duck and Pac-12 Champion Elliot Cook.
Yared Nuguse continued his dominance as he set the Olympic Trials meet record with his 3:34.09 finish in the second semifinal.
What to watch next:
Hocker, Teare and Cook are all set to run in the final at 5:47 p.m. on Monday.
Women’s 400m Semifinal | 7:15 p.m.
The top two performances in each semifinal advanced to the final along with the next three fastest times. Arkansas Razorback Kaylyn Brown was first across all competitions with a 49.71 finish.
What to watch next:
The 400-meter final is scheduled for 6:58 p.m. on Sunday.
Women’s 100m Final | 7:50 p.m.
The reigning World Champion Sha’Carri Richardson appeared more emotional than usual when she crossed the finish line ahead of the rest of the field. Richardson would qualify for the 2024 Olympics after being deemed ineligible to compete in the Tokyo Olympics.
Melissa Jefferson followed Richardson’s 10.71 time with a 10.80 finish. Twanisha Terry rounded out the top three of first time 100-meter Olympians. The three athletes — who already train together — met each other with hugs at the finish line as they were set to be the team going to Paris.
Top quotes from Richardson, Jefferson and Terry’s press conference:
Jefferson on why Hayward has her running at her best:
“Hayward is always good to me the second time around. Prefontaine, I had a pretty good race, it wasn’t one of my best races. I was able to go back home trained with these lovely ladies and fix the things that I needed to work on, and as you can see, it’s paid off. Every time I come to Hayward it’s always in the championship setting so I know it’s time to show up and show out and that’s what I did today.”
Richardson on if she feels they’ve put the world on notice:
“I definitely feel like we already have done that. This trials have just shown what we have already known, what we’ve been preparing for…We knew this moment could be possible as long as we put our mind, our body as well does our spirit into it. Today, with every single one of us, as well as the team and the support system that we all have building up each other, we knew that this was possible and we got the job done today. So we didn’t put the world on notice. The world already knows who we are.”
Richardson on what it would mean to be an Olympic champion after everything she’s been through:
“Everything I’ve been through is everything I have been through to be in this moment right now. So there’s nothing I’ve been through that has denied me to sit right here in front of you to answer this question.”
What to watch next:
Six finals take place on Sunday. The rest of Team USA will be determined over the course of the last eight competition days. Sunday’s competitions begin with the women’s heptathlon at 10 a.m.
Continue following The Daily Emerald’s coverage of the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials for Track and Field on X, @ODESports.
