Eugene, Ore. – The US Olympic Track and Field Trials has reached its halfway point. After four days of intense competition, there will be a two-day break in the action on the track and field. The trials will resume on Thursday.
But the first four days were filled with athletes fighting their way to Team USA for the Paris Olympics.
Sha’Carri Richardson won the women’s 100 meter race title. Noah Lyles confirmed he is America’s fastest man and Ryan Crouser added to his resume as the best shot putter of all-time.
USA TODAY Sports highlights the winners and losers from the first four days of the U.S. Olympic track and field trials:
Winners
sha’cary richardson
Richardson ran a season’s best of 10.71 to win the 100. Richardson remained undefeated throughout the round. In the final, his speed and finish put him ahead of the other runners as he crossed the finish line almost a meter ahead of everyone else.
Richardson’s coach Dennis Mitchell also deserves congratulations. Michelle Richardson trains Melissa Jefferson and Twinisha Terry. Three women crossed the 100 mark, placing first, second and third to earn a trip to Paris.
Richardson is heading to Paris as an early favorite to be crowned the world’s fastest woman. It has been nearly 30 years since an American woman won an Olympic gold medal in the 100. Gail Devers is the last American woman to top the Olympic podium in the 100. He did this in 1996.
noah lyles
There’s no runner having more fun than Lyles right now. Lyles and his family got a chance to hang out with Snoop Dogg before the 100 final, and then the sprinter ran a blazing 9.83 to win the 100. His time was equal to a personal best.
Not even 100 Lyles’ strongest event. 200 is the best event of Lyles. He will be the top 200 favorite when the competition begins on Thursday.
No American has won an Olympic gold medal in the 100 since Justin Gatlin in 2004. Lyles has a good chance to end this sequence.
quincy wilson
Wilson was a winner at these trials long before he finished sixth in the men’s 400 final, racing against guys who were twice his size (and age). The 16-year-old high school sophomore wowed the crowd at Hayward Field, and they will definitely be keeping an eye on this budding phenomenon for years to come.
Wilson’s performance in Eugene was nothing short of spectacular. He broke the 42-year-old U-18 record in the opening round of his event, then maintained it with an even better time in the semi-finals. In the final he was almost half a second behind his semifinal time, but could still be placed in the 4×400 relay pool.
The only positive side to not making the 2024 Olympic team is this: He should now have time to get his driver’s license.
Ryan Crouser
Crouser suffered from injuries this season, but was still able to dominate the shot put. Crouser’s toss of 74 feet, 11 ¼ inches was good enough to win the shot put by more than a foot. Crouser won gold medals in two consecutive Olympics. He has a chance to become the first shot put thrower in history to win three Olympic gold medals in this event. What’s even more impressive is that he has a chance to achieve this feat in consecutive Olympics.
Crouser is already the world-record holder in the event.
lost
Christian Coleman
Coleman came into the trials as one of the favorites in the 100 and was certainly a strong candidate to make the team at the event. But after the final he lay down on the track in despair after finishing fourth in the sprint.
Coleman started well and took the early lead, but Noah Lyles, Kenny Bednarek and Fred Kerley all passed him at the finish line.
The 60m world-record holder will likely be in the 4×100 relay pool in Paris.
Laulauga Tausaga-Collins
It was a (very) difficult Monday for reigning world champion in women’s discus, Laulauga Tausaga-Collins. Tausaga-Collins fouled on all three attempts in the first round, meaning she recorded no points and will not compete in the discus final on Thursday.
Tausaga-Collins looked completely out of sorts during the NBC broadcast of the qualifying round. His throws were all over the place – literally. One attempt was blown up over the track (no one was killed or injured). To add insult to injury, Tausaga-Collins was one of only three of the 24 women competing who have the Olympic qualifying standard, meaning the US cannot send three competitors.
mackenzie long
Long, who won NCAA titles in the 100, 200 and 4×100-relay, did not get past the semifinals in the 100. Long was on USA TODAY Sports’ list of top college athletes. However, she has a chance to make the team in the 200, which might be her strongest event.
Eugene, Oregon
Where’s the love for Tracktown, USA? Despite being a city known for loving track and field and understanding all its intricacies, this city, located 100 miles south of Portland, is hating it again. This is the eighth time Eugene has hosted the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials, and despite the famous “Hayward Magic” that athletes have talked about for decades, many remain concerned about the arrangements for reaching Eugene (then From) are complaining.
There’s already whining about whether the 2028 trials will again be held in Eugene (organizers of the 2028 Los Angeles Games said Sunday that L.A. likely wouldn’t be ready to host the trials). We know it can be tough to get to Eugene – and hotel rooms aren’t exactly plentiful – but where in the country do more than 12,000 fans come to cheer on the world’s best players at running, jumping and throwing?
Bonus: There is no sales tax in the state.
great sorrow
athing mu
The reigning Olympic champion in 800 meters will not get a chance to defend his crown in Paris. Mu got into trouble with other runners during the first lap and fell on the track. By the time Mu managed to regain her footing, she was in last place by a wide margin.
Mu kept running but was out of the fight. As Mu ran home, the other contestants had already finished. She crossed the finish line in 2:19.69 and finished last. She was quite emotional as she walked out onto the Hayward Field track in what has been a tough season for middle-distance runners.
Mu battled a hamstring injury for most of the 2024 season and began the season at the Olympic Trials.
Follow USA TODAY Sports’ Tyler Dragone on X @thetylerdragon,
Email Lindsay Schnell at lschnell@usatoday.com and follow her on social media @lindsay_schnell,
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