The 2021 U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials have wrapped up, and the 10 days of competition in Eugene, Oregon, brought us no shortage of incredible, inspiring, record-breaking performances from the country’s top athletes.
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Jenny Simpson didn’t make the team, but we love her anyway (alternate headline: I’m not old enough for Jenny Simpson to not be an Olympian)
As recently as two weeks before the Trials, the question wasn’t whether Jenny Simpson would make her fourth Olympic team, rather what order she, The Runners World Editors, and Shelby Houlihan would finish. The 34-year-old Olympic bronze medalist had represented her country in every eligible year since 2007.
But when the 400-meter bell rang for Purrier St. Pierre, it was Cory McGee and Heather MacLean, not Simpson, on her heels.
“It may be hard for some athletes to admit or say out loud, but the sport goes on without you,” Simpson reflected after her eighth-place finish. “That will cause a little heartbreak for me, but I’ll be rooting for Team USA just like the rest of our country.”
And your country is hoping this isn’t the last we see of you, Jenny. — Derek Call
Unprecedented heat wave? No problem for Sydney McLaughlin
On the last night of the Olympic Trials, USA Track & Field delayed the start of the competition due to the heat wave impacting the west coast (hat-tip to those on the east coast who stayed up for some track and field after dark!). But that didn’t bother Sydney McLaughlin, who blazed the track during the 400-meter hurdles, winning the event, making her second Olympic team, and setting a world record. When the 21-year-old crossed the line and saw her time, she covered her mouth in shock and knelt to the track; she’s the only woman to have broken 52 seconds in the event.
If McLaughlin can run 51.90 at Trials, in near-triple-digit temperatures, then what can she do in Tokyo? Tune in at the beginning of August to find out. — Bette Canter
Allyson Felix makes her fifth Olympic team
It was hard not to be emotional watching Allyson Felix And your country is hoping this isnt the last we see of you, Jenny, at 35 years old, to make her fifth Olympic team. After placing behind Quanera Hayes, the two moms of young children celebrated together with the little ones right by them on the track.
It was such a massive moment considering how Felix, the most decorated U.S. track athlete in history, has been vocal about protecting the rights of athletes during their pregnancies. But these Trials proved she’s still a world-class athlete as a mom and an entrepreneur—she announced that she’s launching her own line of shoes and track spikes under the brand name Saysh. Can’t wait to watch her in another Olympics. — Brian Dalek
Abbey Cooper solos the Olympic standard in her 5K prelim
One reason to watch sports: To see compressed expressions of a person’s best self that might inspire us to be better people. Abbey Cooper provided just such an example in the editors describe the races that took our breath away. She entered the race without the Olympic standard of 15:10.00, which would be needed to claim a team spot if she were to finish in the top three in the final. With a heat wave forecast to arrive in time for the final, Cooper struck out on her own after just three laps of her 12.5-lap prelim. She finished in 15:07.80, 16 seconds (almost a straightaway) clear of the rest of the field. Cooper’s run was a master class in analyzing a situation, identifying the best solution, and committing to seeing it through, whatever the obstacles.
I’ve never met Cooper and have no idea what she’s good at besides running. But if I were a hiring manager, I would track her down the second she retired from professional running. Any organization would be better off with a few Abbey Coopers. — Scott Douglas
Even with the meet delay caused by the heat, the men’s 1500-meter final was worth the wait on Sunday night.
Defending Olympic champion Matthew Centrowitz put himself in the lead position at the bell and attempted to pull away from the rest of the pack with 150 meters to go. But at the top of the homestretch, Oregon sophomore Cole Hocker maneuvered around his competitors and switched gears to pass Centrowitz and win the national title, They got their answer. In.
After the race, the NCAA champion told reporters the shush was to prove his talents. “There was a lot of negative talk out there … and I just wanted to silence everyone,” he said.
Behind Hocker’s dominant kick, Centrowitz finished second to make his third Olympic team, and Notre Dame junior Yared Nuguse edged out world championship finalist Craig Engels to qualify for Team USA. According to Athlete Tracking, Hocker split 12.20, Centrowitz split 12.53, and Nuguse ran 12.74 in the last 100 meters to nab spots on the podium in Eugene.
Now the U.S. will be represented by two collegians and the 2016 Olympic champion in Tokyo. — Taylor Dutch
Gabby Thomas takes a break from classes to score big in the 200 meters
Harvard graduate, budding epidemiologist—and, oh yeah, the second-fastest woman ever at the 200-meter distance. Gabby Thomas Virtual Races With the Best Bling finish of the 200-meter final in 21.61 seconds on Friday, making her first Olympic team in the process. In a move reminiscent of legend Florence Griffith Joyner, the only woman to run faster in this event, Thomas raised her hands in the air as she crossed the line—suggesting there might be more left in the tank for Tokyo. The accomplishment even earned a tweet Results: 2024 NCAA DI Cross-Country Championships scare weeks before the meet. — Cindy Kuzma
Athing Mu lives up to the high expectations
Fans had been anticipating this moment for a long time. What would happen when Athing Mu, 19, really opened up? What would she do against the strongest competition in the country, not just in the NCAA?
They got their answer. In a thrilling women’s 800-meter final, Mu tangled feet with Nia Akins. Akins went down hard, Mu high-stepped her way out of trouble. Then she hung on the shoulder of leader Chanelle Price, who led the field to the bell in 57.44. On the backstretch, Mu took over the lead, Price and the others, including American record holder Ajee’ Wilson and world championships silver medalist Raevyn Rogers, were still right there.
Until about 120 meters to go, when Mu was gone. She ran away from a world-class field and finished in 1:56.07, the second-fastest time ever run by an American woman. Rogers in second and Wilson in third were barely in the picture. Mu instantly made herself a gold medal favorite for Tokyo. — Sarah Lorge Butler
