Mackenzie Long says it was her mother’s spirit that carried her through the race for the Olympic team
Mackenzie Long’s mother, Tara Jones, died unexpectedly of a heart attack at the age of just 45 before the season began. Long said she heard her mother’s voice on the track.
The U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials concluded with two of Team USA’s biggest stars in Ray Benjamin and Sidney McLaughlin Levrone.
The penultimate event was the men’s 400m hurdles which Benjamin competed in. The 26-year-old led from start to finish as he set a meet record and world leading time of 46.46 seconds.
But USA Track and Field saved perhaps its best athletes for last — and McLaughlin-Levrone did just that.
The Olympic champion, human rights defender and world record holder in the women’s 400m hurdles put on a dazzling display around the track, running alone. When McLaughlin-Levrone crossed the finish line, she quickly discovered that she had smashed her own world record by a time of 50.65 seconds.
McLaughlin-Levrone is the only woman in the history of the event to run the 400m hurdles in under 51 seconds.
McLaughlin-Lefron and Benjamin highlight the exciting final day at the USA Track & Field Olympic Trials:
Nikki Hiltz, a 29-year-old middle-distance specialist who identifies as transgender and non-binary and uses they/them pronouns, won the women’s 1,500 meters on Sunday at Hayward Field, narrowly holding off second- and third-place finishers to win gold at the track and field trials American.
Hiltz crossed the line in 3:55.33, ahead of Emily McKay (second, 3:55.90) and Ellie St. Pierre (third, 3:55.99). They each achieved personal bests in the final.
Paris will be Helts’ first Olympics. They won silver at the world indoor championships earlier this year in the 1,500 meters in Glasgow, Scotland, the first time an American has won a medal in the event in 21 years.Lindsay Schnell
Emotions ran high on the track after the women’s 100m hurdles final.
Masai Russell stunned the Hayward Field crowd and the track and field world with her victory in a stunning time of 12.25 seconds. Alisha Johnson recorded a personal best time of 12.31 seconds (12.302 seconds) to take second place.
Johnson gave perhaps the most emotional post-race interview at the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials.
“It was all from God. Everyone was saying all the time that I wasn’t good enough (and) saying that I didn’t deserve it. So, I did it my way, my team’s way, and the way things were supposed to be,” Alisha said. Johnson by Lewis Johnson. “This is for the children of the slums, for the people who came from nothing, and this is for everyone who looks like me and who doubted me. And I did it wearing a black uniform across my chest. This is what I stand for and I open the way for everyone in my position.”Tyler Dragon
Sydney McLaughlin Levrone breaks her own world record in the 400 hurdles
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone continued her dominance in the women’s 400 hurdles, setting (another) world record Sunday at Hayward Field in the U.S. Olympic track and field finals. McLaughlin-Levrone crossed the finish line in 50.65 seconds, then covered her mouth in shock when she saw her time.
McLaughlin-Levroni’s previous world record, also set at Hayward, was 50.68 seconds, which she set at the 2022 World Championships.
Anna Cockerill (52.64) was second and Jasmine Jones (52.77) third and will join McLaughlin-Levron in Paris.Lindsey Schnell
Hubel achieved great success in Paris, topping both races in the 800 meters and crossing the finish line in a race record and personal best of 1:42.77.
Hobbs Kessler, Hobble’s training partner, came in second with a personal best of 1:43.64.
Brandon Miller took the third and final spot in the heats with a time of 1:43.97. –Tyler Dragon
Fischer and Noor were running step by step on the final lap of the men’s 5,000m, but Fischer had one last kick that gave him the win as he set a meet record of 13:08.85.
Nour came directly in second place, finishing the race in a time of 13:09.01.
Parker Wolfe came in third with a personal best of 13:10.75.
Fischer also won the 10,000 meters to qualify for the Olympic Games on June 21.Tyler Dragon
Huff won the men’s hammer with a season-best throw of 260 feet, 10 inches. Rudy Winkler was second with a throw of 258 feet, 10 inches.
Huff and Winkler were the only two throwers competing at Olympic standards.
Shelby McEwen won the event, jumping 7 feet, 6 inches. McEwen was the only Olympic-standard jumper in the competition.
Quincy Wilson, the 16-year-old runner who wowed the Hayward Field crowd by reaching the final in the men’s 400 meters, has a big chance of going to Paris to reach the men’s 4 x 400 meters relay.
Hall finished sixth in the 400 final with a time of 44.94. He has the 24th fastest 400 time in the world this year, having clocked 44.59 on June 23 in the semi-finals of the trials. He said after the final that he would not stop training until he was sure his season was over, adding that he was not sure whether he should expect to be in the relay because those decisions were “very political.”
The relay team is determined by relay coaches Mike Marsh and Michelle Freeman. They will announce the team no later than July 8, but the athletes and their coaches will be notified individually sooner — possibly late Sunday night — so the athletes can begin training together.Lindsay Schnell
McLaughlin-Levrone had the fastest time in the 400-meter hurdles semifinals on Saturday, clocking 52.48 seconds to easily advance to Sunday’s finals.
Every time McLaughlin-Levrone steps on the track, there’s a chance to set a world record, and some expect that to happen on Sunday. She is the defending gold medalist and the favorite to repeat the win in Paris. McLaughlin-Levron also won gold in the 4×400 meters in Tokyo, and is expected to be on the relay team again.
If you missed any of the events this week or last, we’ve covered the results list for the top 3 finishers in each event who will earn an automatic bid to the Paris Olympics.
Christina Clemons and Kenny Harrison earned the automatic qualifying spots in the first round of the women’s 100-meter hurdles semifinals on Saturday. Clemons and Harrison ran 12.52 seconds. But after review, Clemons was deemed the winner by a narrow margin.
Ironically, Alisha Johnson and Tonya Marshall crossed the finish line in exactly the same time of 12.36 seconds to lead the second round of the semifinals. Johnson was chosen as the winner after review.
Masai Russell also clocked 12.36 seconds to win the third and final round of the semifinals.
Johnson, Marshall and Russell all have the top qualifying times entering Sunday’s final at 8 p.m. ET.
What time do the USA Track and Field Finals start on Sunday?
Sunday’s first final, the men’s hammer throw, begins at 5:50 p.m. The final event is the women’s 400-meter hurdles scheduled for 8:29 p.m. ET.
How to watch the US Olympic Track and Field Trials
All events are streamed live on Peacock, NBCOlympics.comNBC.com and the NBC and NBC Sports apps. NBC will air Sunday’s finals from 7:30-8:30 p.m.
He watches: The 2024 USA Track & Field trials are free on Fubo
Today’s Olympic Trials Schedule
5:50pm – Hammer M Final
6:15pm – Pole Vault Final
6:30pm – High Jump M final
6:55pm – Triple Jump Final M
7:10pm – Javelin final
7:30pm – 5000m Final
7:51pm – 800m Final
8pm – 100m hurdles final
8:09pm – 1500m Final
8:20pm – 400m Hurdles Final
8:29 PM – 400 meter hurdles final
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