The Trials had an exceptional curtain-raiser on Sunday late afternoon in Eugene (Oregon), with the 400m hurdles world record raised to 50”65 by Olympic champion Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, who broke it for the fifth time, including five on this Hayward Field track.
SML opened up a staggering gap over her pursuers, Anna Cockrell (52”64) and Jasmine Jones (52”77). With her time, she would have been 6th in the 400m final of these Trials!
MPM for Masai Russell and Rai Benjamin
The other great performance of the evening came from Masai Russell (24), who won the 100m hurdles in 12”25 (0.7 m/s). This is the best world performance of the year, and makes her the 4th fastest runner in history over the distance. His previous personal best was 12”36. This Sunday, Russell beat Alaysha Johnson and Grace Stark, both 12”31. The MPM belonged before this final to Cyréna Samba-Mayela in 12”31.
A sign of crazy density, six finalists ran in less than 12”40, which is unprecedented. Nia Ali, 4th in 12”37, Olympic vice-champion in Rio in 2016 and world champion in 2019, as well as Kendra Harrison, 5th in 12”39 Olympic vice-champion in Tokyo in 2021, are thus deprived of a ticket for the Paris Olympics.
Still in the 400m hurdles, easy success for Olympic vice-champion Rai Benjamin in 46”46, a new world best performance of the year, far ahead of CJ Allen (47”81) and Trevor Bassitt (47”82). The best time had until now belonged to the 2022 world champion, the Brazilian Alison dos Santos, in 46”63, achieved in Oslo on May 30. Benjamin set the 5th fastest time in the history of the discipline. His record is 46”17, set in the Olympic final in Tokyo behind Karsten Warholm’s world record (45”94).
Hobbs Kessler and Grant Fischer see double
The 800m was won by Bryce Hoppel in the excellent time of 1’42”77, a personal best and the 4th best world performance of the year. He beat Hobbs Kessler (1’43”64, personal best), already qualified for Paris in the 1,500m (3rd), and Brandon Miller (1’43”97).
In the 5,000 m, in an exceptional atmosphere during the last lap, Grant Fisher won in 13’08”85 ahead of Abdihamid Nur (13’09”01) and Parker Wolfe (13’10”75). Fischer had also won the 10,000 m.
Nikki Hiltz shaved nearly four seconds off her personal best to win the 1,500m in 3:55.33, ahead of Emily McKay (3:55.90) and Elle St.Pierre (3:55.99).
No Olympics for Christian Taylor or Sandi Morris
In the triple jump, success for Salif Mane with 17.28 m (-0.2 m/s) ahead of Russell Robinson (17.01 m) and Donald Scott (16.87 m). Christian Taylor, only 10th with 16.32 m, will not have one last Olympics. At 34, the double Olympic champion and quadruple world champion, victim of a ruptured Achilles tendon in 2021, has never really regained his pre-injury level.
Big surprise in the pole vault with the 4th place of the Olympic vice-champion Sandi Morris (4.68 m). She will therefore not see Paris, unlike in the order of the ranking Bridget Williams, the Olympic champion and double world champion Katie Moon and finally Brynn King (4.73 m all three).
In the high jump, Shelby McEwen (2.30 m) won ahead of Caleb Snowden (2.27 m) and Tyus Wilson (2.24 m). With 2.27 m also, JuVaughn Harrison had to settle for 4th place in the number of attempts but had achieved the Olympic minimum (2.33 m), unlike Snowden and Wilson.
In the hammer, success for Daniel Haugh (79.51 m) ahead of Rudy Winkler (78.89 m) and Justin Stafford (77.07 m).
In the javelin, success for Maggie Malone Hardin with 64.58 m ahead of Kara Winger (62.94 m) and Madison Wiltrout (61.17 m).
