Continued Dominance, Drama and Above all Speed

The legendary Hayward Field was the site for another year of the USATF Outdoor National Championships. This is the second event held here within the last month and the most anticipated, as it decides who will compete at the world championships, representing the country. Olympians, professionals, and collegiate athletes gathered in hopes of being crowned the fastest in their respective events.

Rai Benjamin, the reigning 400m hurdles national champ and Olympic gold medalist, is one of those athletes for whom it was pretty much a guarantee for his spot. The 28-year-old hasn’t lost to an American in this event since his sophomore year in college, 8 years ago. His consistency did not falter this weekend as he left the field behind with a 46.89-second performance and first-place finish. Finishing with a decent gap that was a second and a half faster than Caleb Dean, who won the NCAA outdoor championships in 2024. Behind him was Christopher Robinson, who, along with Dean, earned their first bid to the national team.

Continuing along with another dominant hurdler, the world record holder, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, who opted out of her regular event for the open 400. However, the results were the same as they had been throughout the year. A strong and confident run that ends with her crossing the finish line first. The scariest sight to me was how unfazed she was at the finish of the race; she was the only one who wasn’t bent over or lying out. She might’ve been winded, but didn’t look like it. As a competitor, it’s intimidating; as a fan, it’s exciting. She finished with a time of 48.9, 0.23 seconds away from breaking the American record, so there’s no doubt in my mind that in Tokyo, the record falls. On top of the potential of the record falling, the possibility of seeing her against Olympic champion Marileidy Paulino from the Dominican Republic is a treat. To finish off the qualifying three is Isabella Whittaker, the 400m indoor American record holder, and Aaliyah Butler, a 23-year-old representing the University of Georgia and Nike. Both are first timers when it comes to competing at worlds.

Masai Russell, the Olympic champ, has been on a tear since her win last year in Paris. The confidence exudes as she lines up and as she finishes the race. Her time this weekend is on par with what she has done throughout the season, as she set the American record for the 100-meter hurdles three months ago. A split second away from breaking that record, she finished with a time of 12.22, followed by Grace Stark and Alaysha Johnson.

The most impressive performance of the day has to go to the woman who swept in the short-distance sprints, Melissa Jefferson-Wooden. She looked like Roadrunner from Looney Tunes with how fast she moved. Two personal bests and a world lead are the best performances a sprinter could ask for. With a time of 21.84, she bested a field of Olympians, including Anavia Battle, Gabby Thomas, Brittany Brown, and McKenzie Long. Battle took second and Thomas third by .001 seconds, a photo finish race.

Jefferson-Wooden ran 10.65 in the 100-meter, which set a new world lead. If you watched the race, you could see her take off right around the 50-meter mark, pulling away from the rest of the pack. A smile from ear to ear graced her face as she blew through the finish line, knowing that she just ran a special time. With the way she ran this weekend, the rest of the world should be nervous. It was almost a complete Nike athlete sweep with Kayla White taking second and Twanisha Terry taking fourth. However, Aleia Hobbs, the Olympian who represents Adidas, took third and secured another chance to compete at the world championships.

Newcomers Make a Splash

With the inaugural year of Grand Slam Track, this track season seemed to bring a lot of new athletes into the light, really making a name for themselves. One of the runners was Jacory Patterson, who started his season working for UPS, trying to make time for training. Now he’s a signed Nike athlete and beating Olympians to make his way onto the national team.

Patterson drew arguably the best lane right in the middle of the track, being able to chase Vernon Norwood and Chris Bailey, who were in lanes seven and nine. Boy, did he chase them. By the time he came through the curve, he was clearly at an advantage. Forcing everyone behind to kick according to how he was running. Patterson finished first with a time of 44.16, Bailey in second running 44.43, and Khaleb McRae to round it off at 44.45.

On to the 110-meter hurdles, which crowned a first-time national champion in Ja’kobe Tharp, a star sprinter at the University of Auburn. He ran 13.01 for a new personal best and a very slight advantage over the favorite going into the race, Cordell Tinch. Tinch was also looking to win his first national championship. Still, he will happily represent the country for the second time. In third with a time of 13.04 was Dylan Beard, another first-time representative of Team USA.

My favorite event is the 800 meters, and yes, I’m biased since I ran it. It is also entertaining because it’s the only fast-paced event where everyone is running out of a specific lane. It adds some chaos, a little bit of bumping and shoving as they fight through the pack for first place—Donovan Brazier, who is making a comeback after an injury a couple of years back. With a new personal best of 1:42.16, it probably would have been the best story of the day if someone else in the race hadn’t decided to break a world record.

16-year-old Cooper Lutkenhaus produced one of the craziest performances I have seen this year. He came through the first lap in 7th place and stayed there up until the last 150 meters of the race. That’s when he started his insane kick, a burst of speed that allowed him to walk down almost everyone in his path. As he passed Bryce Hoppel a couple of steps before the line to secure second place, he then crossed the line with the clock reading 1:42.27. Lutkenhaus not only earned his spot on the national team, but he also shattered a 14-year-old record. The under-18 record is his alone, making him the only American in the top 40 for fastest times in the under-18, 800-meter dash.

Drama

Earlier, I mentioned that pushing and shoving happen in the 800-meter, well, we saw it in the 200. After the race, Kenny Bednarek gave Noah Lyles a slight shove after Lyles stared him down, crossing the finish line. It was one of the most anticipated races of the weekend. It was fast, dramatic, and most importantly, entertaining. In my days of running, my coach told me not to look back at an opponent: one, you slow down, and two, it’s pretty disrespectful. But let’s be real, showboating is a part of every sport, and the competitive atmosphere almost brings it out of us.

I think the entire interaction is good for the sport; it shows they want to compete and creates a rivalry. It’s also happening between the perfect two athletes, in my opinion. You get a brand rivalry with an Adidas athlete vs a Nike athlete. On top of the vastly different personalities between the two, Lyles is louder and outspoken with his confidence on the track, and Bednarek is a more relaxed and laid-back character when out there. If anything, the ‘drama’ will bring in more fans; the two of them shook hands after, even if they didn’t want to. A promising sign that sportsmanship is still a priority, no matter how chippy things get.

After an eventful weekend, the national team is set and ready to travel to Tokyo for the world championships in September. A chance for the first timers to become not just the best in the country, but the best in the world.