US Olympic track and field trials highlights: Athing Mu falls, Anna Hall wins heptathlon
EUGENE, Ore. — Heartbreak for Athing Mu was the story of Monday’s Olympic Track & Field Trials.
The defending Olympic gold medalist in the 800, Mu is a charismatic 22-year-old with a loping stride and history of building huge leads in her race. But Monday in her final she tripped as the runner pack narrowed and fell to the ground. She recovered as quickly as possible, but couldn’t make up lost time, finishing in last place. Sobbing as soon as she crossed the finish line, she declined to speak with media.
Elsewhere on the track, America’s new favorite sprinter, 16-year-old Quincy Wilson, finished sixth in the men’s 400. He will not go to Paris in his individual event but there is a chance he could be put in the 4x400 relay pool. Wilson said he and his coach are awaiting word on if his season is over or not.
Other winners Monday included Anna Hall (heptathlon), Elle St. Pierre (women’s 5,000), Cole Hocker (men's 1,500) and Jeremiah Davis (long jump), among others.
The Trials now break for two days, with no competition scheduled for Tuesday or Wednesday. Events start up again Thursday, with finals in the women’s discus and women’s steeplechase.
Athing Mu falls in 800, won't make Olympic team in individual event
Athing Mu will not defend her gold medal in the 800 meters in Paris after falling in her final Monday evening and finishing last at 2:19.69.
Mu, who often builds huge leads midway through her signature event, tripped and fell in the first 200 meters of the race. She recovered quickly but had lost too much ground. She crossed the line with tears in her eyes.
It’s likely that Mu will be named to the 4x400 relay team. −Lindsay Schnell
16-year-old Quincy Wilson comes in sixth in 400 final
High school sensation Quincy Wilson's opportunity for an automatic bid for Paris came up just short.
The Bullis High School sophomore placed sixth in the 400 final, running a 44.94. He does have a chance to be in the 4x400 relay pool for Team USA.
The 16-year-old ran out of lane two. He had the fourth fastest time entering Monday’s final at 44.59.
Quincy Hall won gold, running a personal-best of 44.17. Michael Norman’s 44.41 was good enough for second and Chris Bailey ran a 44.42 to place third. −Tyler Dragon
Anna Hall wins heptathlon, pulls away with strong 800
Anna Hall is exhausted — and headed to Paris.
Hall, who had a slim, six-point lead going into the 800, the final event of the heptathlon, won her heat in in 2:04.39, easily beating Cheri Hawkins, who finished seventh at 2:14.76, giving Hall the victory and a ticket to the 2024 Olympic Games.
Hall collapsed at the finish line, instantly emotional about winning gold. She was crying throughout her NBC interview. She finished the competition with 6,614 points. Hawkins was second at 6,456. Taliyah Brooks finished third at 6,408.
Of the three, Hall is the only one with the Olympic standard, which means she could be the only American heptathlete in Paris. −Lindsay Schnell
Vashti Cunningham places third in women’s high jump
Vashti Cunningham won’t be a U.S. high jump champion for the first time since 2016, but she is on her way to Paris.
Cunningham, whose father Randall played quarterback in the NFL, placed third in the women’s high jump with a jump of 6 feet, 3¼ inches. Kentucky’s Charity Hufnagel won the event with a personal-best jump of 6 feet, 4¼ inches. Rachel Glenn placed second, leaping over a height of 6 feet, 4¼ inches. Hufnagel won the tiebreaker. −Lindsay Schnell
Cole Hocker breaks Olympic trials record, wins 1,500
Running in his home stadium, Cole Hocker used a tremendous kick the last 200 meters to win the men’s 1,500, finishing in a personal-best 3:30.59. A former standout at the University of Oregon who raced to the finish behind a roar from the Hayward Field crowd, Hocker will compete in his second Olympics in Paris. He finished sixth in Tokyo.
Hocker’s time in the final was also an Olympic trials record.
“I’ve never been able to excel at that pace before,” Hocker said. “I’ve run that race 1,000 times in my head. For it to finally happen like that was incredible. I heard the crowd getting louder and louder and I thought, somebody must be gaining on me. But they helped me go through the line as hard as I could.”
Yared Nuguse (second, 3:30.86) and Hobbs Kessler (third, 3:31.53) are also headed to the 2024 Games. −Lindsay Schnell
Laulauga Tausaga-Collins scratches all three attempts in discus
Reigning world discus champion Laulauga Tausaga-Collins fouled all three attempts in the first round of the women’s discus and was unable to advance to the next round. The 26-year-old won the 2023 world championships with a personal-best throw of 228 feet.
Tausaga-Collins entered the competition as one of the three discus throwers with the Olympic standard. −Tyler Dragon
Anna Hall has slim lead in heptathlon heading into 800
Heading into the final event of the heptathlon (the 800), former Florida standout Anna Hall is in the lead — but just barely.
Hall has 5,566 points, while Chari Hawkins is right on her heels at 5,560. Taliyah Brooks is currently in third at 5,492. The final event, which will be run in two heats, is scheduled for, 8:37 p.m. and 8:48 p.m.
Hall has a World Championship silver medal and a bronze. The 23-year-old is looking to make her first Olympic team. −Lindsay Schnell
16-year-old Quincy Wilson to run men's 400m final tonight
A Hayward Field fan favorite has blossomed in the form of 16-year-old sensation Quincy Wilson.
Running against competitors nearly twice his age, Wilson has a chance to race his way onto the U.S. Olympic team in the men's 400 meters.
Wilson broke the under-18 world record when he ran a 44.66 in the first round of the 400 meters on Friday. Then he broke the record again Sunday by running a 44.59 to advance to Monday’s final, which is scheduled for 9:59 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock.
Wilson, who will be running out of Lane 2 Monday night, is entering the 400 final with the fourth fastest qualifying time. He is behind Quincy Hall (44.42), Bryce Deadmon (44.44) and Vernon Norwood (44.50).
Who is 16-year-old track phenom Quincy Wilson?
One of the breakout stars of this year's Olympic track and field trials is 16-year-old Quincy Wilson, who will race in the men's 400 meter final Monday night.
Wilson, who was born was born on Jan. 8, 2008 and hails from Gaithersburg, Maryland, became one of the youngest American athletes to sign an NIL contract with a major sports brand last September when he reached an agreement with New Balance.
Read more about about the young track sensation here.
Tokyo Olympic gold and bronze medalists will race in women's 800 meter final
Defending Olympic gold medalist Athing Mu won her 800 meter semifinal heat Sunday evening at Hayward Field, using a tremendous kick to overtake LSU’s Michaela Rose, who won an NCAA title earlier this month. Veteran Kate Grace also passed Rose at the line to finish second, but all three qualified for Monday's final.
Raevyn Rogers, who won the bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics behind Mu, also advanced to the 800 meter final, scheduled for 10:32 p.m. ET on Monday.
What you missed Sunday night: Fastest man in America
Noah Lyles is headed back to the Olympics.
The American sprinter, maybe the most charismatic track athlete in the world, won the men’s 100 meter final Sunday evening. The defending world champion, Lyles is looking to earn his first Olympic gold medal. Kenny Bednarek (9.87) and Fred Kerley (9.88) finished second and third, respectively, and will join Lyles in Paris next month.
Lyles is also entered in the 200, and expected to be a key piece of the 4x100 team. The 200 final is scheduled for Saturday, June 29.
How to watch the U.S. Olympic track and field trials on TV
Here is the TV broadcast schedule, according to NBC:
Monday: 8-11 p.m. ET on Peacock, NBC
How to live stream the Olympic trials
All events will be streamed on Peacock, NBCOlympics.com, NBC.com and the NBC and NBC Sports apps.
Monday's schedule for U.S. Olympic track and field trials
Here's the schedule for Monday night and for the rest of the meet:
(All times Eastern)
8 p.m.: Women's discus throw (qualifying)
8:05 p.m.: Men's 110m hurdles (Round 1)
8:15 p.m.: Women's high jump (final)
8:25 p.m.: Men's long jump (final)
8:47 p.m.: Men's 1500m (final)
8:59 p.m.: Women's 3000m steeplechase (Round 1)
9:37 p.m.: Women's heptathlon 800m heats
9:59 p.m.: Men's 400m (final)
10:09 p.m.: Women's 5000m (final)
10:32 p.m.: Women's 800m (final)
Who has qualified for U.S. Olympic track and field team for Paris
With six more finals held Sunday, the roster for Team USA continued to grow. Here's a look at the athletes who have qualified for Paris through Day 3 (the top three in each event make the team if they have the Olympic qualifying standard or a high enough world ranking):
Women's triple jump
- Jasmine Moore (currently has world ranking), 2. Keturah Orji (currently has world ranking), 3. Tori Franklin (currently has world ranking)
Men's pole vault
- Sam Kendricks, 2. (tie) Chris Nilsen, 2. (tie) Jacob Woote
Men's shot put
- Ryan Crouser, 2. Joe Kovacs, 3. Payton Otterdahl
Men's javelin
- Curtis Thompson (currently has world ranking), 2. Capers Williamson (currently doesn’t have world ranking), 3. Donavon Banks (currently doesn’t have world ranking)
Women's hammer throw
- Annette Echikunwoke, 2. DeAnna Price, 3. Erin Reese (currently has world ranking)
Women's 100 meters
- Sha'Carri Richardson, 2. Melissa Jefferson, 3. Twanisha Terry
Men's 100 meters
- Noah Lyles, 2. Kenny Bednarek, 3. Fred Kerley
Women's 400 meters
- Kendall Ellis, 2. Aaliyah Butler, 3. Alexis Holmes
Men's 3,000-meter steeplechase
- Kenneth Rooks (currently has world ranking), 2. Matthew Wilkinson (currently has world ranking), 3. James Corrigan (currently doesn’t have world ranking), 4. Evan Jager (currently has world ranking)
Men's 10,000 meters
- Grant Fisher, 2. Woody Kincaid, 3. Nicolas Young
Men's decathlon
- Heath Baldwin, 2. Zach Ziemek, 3. Harrison Williams