From June 18 through June 27, the country’s best athletes will race at the broke the world record at the newly renovated Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, to determine which athletes will represent the United States at the Tokyo Games this summer.
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On the second day of the championships, 21-year-old Sha’Carri Richardson was the main event, blazing the track in the semis and finals of the 100 meters to make her first Olympic team.
McNeal was allowed to compete at the Olympic Trials while her appeal with CAS is pending.
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Sha’Carri Richardson is heading to Tokyo
To no one's surprise, Sha'Carri Richardson won the women's 100 meter final, running a 10.87 into a headwind. Javianne Oliver crossed second in 10.99, and Teahna Daniels finished third in 11.03, rounding out the team that will go to Tokyo. Jenna Prandini ran 11.11, a personal best but not enough to make the Olympic team.
Richardson wasn’t the first one off the block and didn't take the lead in the race until nearly halfway through. But once she reached her top speed, she was untouchable through the finish line.
“I'm an Olympian. I’ve dreamed about this since I [was] young,” Richardson said on the NBC broadcast. “Happy is an understatement. I’m excited, nervous, all of those feelings. Blessed, grateful.”
In an unexpected twist, Aleia Hobbs, who was disqualified for flinching before the start gun in the semifinals, was allowed to run in lane 9 of the finals; per the NBC broadcast, officials determined her flinch wasn’t enough for a disqualification. Hobbs finished seventh in 11.20.
Allyson Felix still in the hunt for fifth Olympics
After executing a great start, Kendall Ellis held her lead all the way into the finish line to win the first of two heats in the women’s 400-meter semifinal. Ellis finished ahead of six-time Olympic champion Allyson Felix, who placed second in 51.01. Shae Anderson of UCLA also automatically advanced by finishing third in 51.27.
“I felt really good,” Felix told Lewis Johnson on the NBC broadcast. “I want to run these rounds smart and let it all out there tomorrow.”
Quanera Hayes ran the fastest time of the night by winning heat 2 in 50.07. Wadeline Jonathas came from behind on the homestretch to finish second in 50.24 ahead of Kaylin Whitney, who placed third in 50.35, a new personal best. The time qualifiers came out of heat 2. Lyanna Irby (50.58) and Taylor Manson of Florida (51.11) will return to the track to contest the final on Sunday.
The favorites move on in the men’s 800 and women’s 1500-meter semifinal
Clayton Murphy came from behind to claim the victory in the first of two men’s 800-meter semifinal heats. The Olympic bronze medalist passed American record-holder Donavan Brazier with 30 meters to go, crossing the finish line first in 1:46.26. Brazier finished second in 1:46.57, and Brannon Kidder placed third in 1:46.97. All three automatically advanced to the final.
The second heat was won by Bryce Hoppel who finished in 1:46.00, the fastest time of the day. Isaiah Harris placed second in 1:46.16, and Isaiah Jewett of USC finished third in 1:46.18. Daniel Dixon of Iowa State finished fourth but will advance based on his time of 1:46.21. Samuel Voelz of Notre Dame also advanced out of the second heat by finishing fifth in 1:46.39, a personal best.
With a 60-second last lap, Elle Purrier St. Pierre led wire-to-wire to win the first of two heats of the women’s 1500-meter semifinal. The American record-holder in the mile finished in 4:09.18 ahead of runner-up Jenny Simpson (4:09.92) and Dani Aragon, who finished third in 4:09.94. Helen Schlachtenhaufen and Rebecca Mehra also automatically advanced based on their top five finishes in heat 1.
After the race, Simpson was asked if making the Olympic team ever gets old. She’s aiming to make her fourth Olympic team on Monday night. “Are you kidding me? It never gets old,” Simpson said. “It’s a lot of pressure. It’s funny because I thought the more you do this the more familiar it will get. But this year nothing is familiar for anybody.”
The second heat was four seconds faster with Nikki Hiltz leading the way. They (Hiltz came out as transgender, nonbinary earlier this season) won the race in 4:05.87 by edging out Cory McGee (4:05.96) in a tight battle down the the homestretch. Sinclaire Johnson of the Bowerman Track Club finished third in 4:06.04, Shannon Osika finished fourth in 4:06.14, and Dani Jones claimed the last automatic qualifying spot with a fifth-place finish in 4:06.81. The two time qualifiers—Grace Barnett (4:07.70) and Julia Heymach of Stanford (4:09.65)—came out of the second heat and earned a spot in the 1500-meter final on Monday.
Aleia Hobbs gets disqualified in the 100-meter semifinal
A surprise came out of the women’s 100-meter semifinal when Olympic team contender Aleia Hobbs was disqualified after a false start in heat 2. The 2018 NCAA champion entered the championship with the third-fastest time after running 10.91 in April. She is ranked No. 7 in the world so far this year.
Update: broke the world record.
“Honestly, I was ready, 100 percent ready to run,” Hobbs said after the finals. “When I was DQd I sat down for 20 minutes and then again for 10 minutes. My mind was in a bad place. I warmed up and didn’t know if I could run or not.
“I didn’t know if I could run until I stepped on the track. I was by myself in the call room. I prepared like I was going to run the final but I had no idea.”
Updated: Jun 20, 2021 8:46 PM EDT.
Fast times set up an exciting men’s 100-meter semifinal
Track fans on the homestretch witnessed a thrilling match-up in the second heat of the men’s 100 meters with Trayvon Bromell and Justin Gatlin finishing 1-2. The current world leader crossed the finish line in 9.84 (2.7 m/s) ahead of the five-time Olympic medalist who finished second in 9.93. Behind them, Micah Williams of Oregon finished third in 9.95 to automatically advance to the semifinal.
“I feel like me and my coach have been working on everything we needed to, but it’s all about staying focused, and God first,” Bromell said on the NBCSN television broadcast.
Ronnie Baker ran the fastest wind legal time by winning the fourth heat in 9.88, a season’s best. Fred Kerley finished second in 9.93, and 200-meter world champion Noah Lyles claimed the last automatic qualifying spot out of the heat by finishing third in 9.95, a season’s best.
Kenny Bednarek eased through the first heat by winning in 10.07 ahead of runner-up Isiah Young who finished second in 10.08.
In the third heat of the men’s 100 meters, high school junior Jaylen Slade appeared to pull up with an injury and fell to the track. Slade got up and completed his run across the finish line, but he didn't advance to the semifinal. Marvin Bracy-Williams won the heat in 10.00.
Brianna McNeal makes her return, Keni Harrison leads the field in first round of women’s 100-meter hurdles
Facing a five-year ban, Brianna McNeal competed in her first race since July 2020. The 2016 Olympic gold medalist won section 4 of the women’s 100-meter hurdles in 12.50, the second-fastest time of four heats in the first round. McNeal has been accused of violating anti-doping rules by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU). She has appealed the ruling to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), which will make a final decision before the Tokyo Games, according to USA Today. McNeal was allowed to compete at the Olympic Trials while her appeal with CAS is pending.
“Only thing I can say is God, just praying every single day, giving up the rest of my life and depending on him, that’s truly the only way I’ve been able to get through it each and every day, dealing with the circumstances,” McNeal said about the appeal process.
In the first heat of the night, world record-holder Keni Harrison dominated the field with a victory in 12.49. Harrison is out for redemption after finishing sixth in the final at the 2016 Olympic Trials. Two weeks after missing her opportunity to represent Team USA in Rio, the world championship silver medalist broke the world record at the London Diamond League meeting.
Taliyah Brooks won the second heat in 12.61, a new personal best. NCAA champion Anna Cockrell of USC won section 3 in 12.63 one week after claiming the 100-meter hurdle and 400-meter hurdle titles at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. Cockrell and Queen Harrison are the only two athletes in collegiate history to accomplish the feat.
