Last weekend was a very busy weekend full of track and field action across the country. Meets took place from coast-to-coast, as athletes squeezed in one last meet ahead of the U.S. Olympic Trials, which kicks off on June 21.
Let’s relive some of the action that took place this past weekend across the country.
The Summer Wind doesn’t hamper the New York Grand Prix
Despite the nagging headwind that bristled around Icahn Stadium in New York Sunday afternoon, the athletes who competed put on a show for the fans who were in attendance, as well as for those who watched from afar.
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone showed once again that she’s on another level that few, if any, can compete with on any stage in the sport. She ditched the hurdles and focused on the open 400m, and almost made history in the event. She won the women’s 400m with her time of 48.75, which was just shy of Sanya Richards-Ross’s American record time of 48.70. She will compete in the women’s 400m hurdles at the U.S. Olympic Trials.
Noah Lyles is instant entertainment on and off the track. Last Sunday, he proved why he’s one of, if not the best sprinter in the men’s 200m with his season’s best winning time of 19.77, notably run into a 1.6 m/s headwind, which athletes dealt with throughout the meet.
If you tuned in to the field events, you might have noticed a pretty familiar face tossing around the javelin in front of a sold-out crowd in New York. The legendary Kara Winger came out of retirement and graced the stage, competing in the women’s javelin. She took home the win in the event with a mark of 63.22m, just missing the Olympic Qualifying Standard.
Winger will take center stage in the women’s javelin competition at the upcoming U.S. Olympic Trials. She’s excited for the opportunity to compete to make her fifth Olympic Team.
“To have an opportunity to satisfy my curiosity: could I do it again? I’m not attached to either outcome,” she said on The Athlete’s Zone Podcast. ”If I can, amazing, if it doesn’t work, also amazing. And I know that I’ve revisited something that was a huge part of my life and I get to prove to myself if I left early or not.”
Gabby Thomas had herself a day at the NYGP as well. She won the women’s 200m with in 22.42 despite dealing with a 3.1 m/s headwind. Tamara Clark and Jenna Prandini finished in second and third place, respectively.
Prior to the women’s 200m, Thomas ran a new season’s best in the women’s 100m, finishing in fourth place with her time of 11.34 while running into a 2.1 m/s headwind. She will compete in the 400m and the 200m at the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials.
For a full list of results and performances, be sure to visit the official website, which can be located here: https://results.usatf.org/nycGrandPrix24/
The Portland Track Festival Lives Up To The Hype Once Again
If you stayed up late on Sunday evening, you were rewarded with an incredible meet at the Portland Track Festival. Some of the world’s best athletes gathered at Lincoln High School to earn Olympic Standards, get one more race under their belts before the Olympic Trials and to compete against the best in the world as the season progresses.
Sifan Hassan showed why she’s a force to be reckoned with in any race that she decides to run. She ran a new season’s best time of 14:43.85 to break the meet record and take home the win in the 5000m. Elise Cranny finished in second place, running a new personal best time of 14:46.49 and securing the Olympic Standard in the event. Cranny will compete in the 5000m and the 1500m at the U.S. Olympic Trials.
Karrisa Schweizer finished in third place in the race with her time of 14:48.60, giving her the Olympic Standard in the 5000m. She will compete in the same event at the upcoming Olympic Trials.
Nia Atkins separated herself from the field in the last 400m of the women’s 800m at the Portland Track Festival and won the event with a fast time of 1:58.04. She will compete in the women’s 800m at the Trials.
Union Track Club teammates McKenna Keegan and Sinclaire Johnson finished second and third respectively in the event, with Keegan running a new personal best time of 1:59.93, and Johnson running 1:59.95 for third place. Keegan will compete in the 800m at the U.S. Olympic Trials, while Johnson will take on the 1500m at the Trials.
Cole Hocker stepped down in distance, but used his 1500m strength to outkick the field to earn the win in the men’s 800m with his new personal best time of 1:45.63. Hocker will be competing in the 1500m in Eugene for the Olympic Trials. Handal Roban, who competes for Penn State, finished in second place with a time of 1:46.10.
For a full list of results and performances, be sure to visit the official website, which can be located here: https://live.athletictiming.net/meets/38472/events
