Track & Field (NCAA, Nationals, Olympics)

[triaddukefan]

Not sure how many of yall are fans of track and field, but in an Olympic year, nothing else touches it for me. Anyway.... this past weekend was the Division I Track and Field Championships held at the University of Oregon. Making history were the (my)Aggies of NC A&T .... placing 3rd place in the men's and 4th place in the women's. Both were the highest ever finish by a HBCU. For the women, Cam Sturgis swept both the 100, and 200 meters, and led the 4X100 relay to a 3rd place finish. Sturgis ran a 10.74 in the 100, which was the fastest all weather time in NCAA history, and the 11th fastest woman time ever. Her time of 22.12 in the 200 was the 4th fastest in NCAA History. The men's squad won the 4X400 relay, and the Coach's kid won the 400m. They also finished 4th in the 4X100 relay. I heard earlier that the 4X400 team had the fastest time in the world this season.

 

[triaddukefan]

The US Olympic Trials begins on Friday and runs through the 27th also at Heyward Field in Eugene. I just checked the list and Allyson Felix will participating in both the 200 and 400 events. Sturgis for A&T will be in the 100 and 200.... and in the 400 a couple of Aggies are entered.

 

[eebmg]

Not just Track and Field. The swimming trials are ongoing now.

 

[JDuro]

 

[Iluvacc2]

Triad, I love track & field too! The issue with the college stars during an Olympic year is that it’s such a long season that by time trials roll around that’s their peak and they tend to underperform at the Olympics, however with this year being condensed it might not make much difference. All that being said Go Aggies!!!

Hopefully we get a 100 m Olympic final with Shelly-Ann vs Sha’Carri Richardson.

 

[Iluvacc2]

Not just Track and Field. The swimming trials are ongoing now.

Yep, I’ve been watching that as well. I’m a big fan of Simone Manuel, Katie Ledecky, Torri Huske, and Reagan Smith.

 

[Plebe]

The US Olympic Trials begins on Friday and runs through the 27th also at Heyward Field in Eugene. I just checked the list and Allyson Felix will participating in both the 200 and 400 events. Sturgis for A&T will be in the 100 and 200.... and in the 400 a couple of Aggies are entered.

So how do you feel about Allyson's results at trials? Qualified in the 400 as #2, missed the cut in the 200 at #5. Clearly well down from her prime, but still great for a mom and at her age

Speaking of moms in their mid-30s, I don't believe anyone will beat Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce in the 100 in Tokyo. Sha'Carri has well-deserved buzz but I don't believe her start is strong enough to beat SAFP.

Truly phenomenal 400m hurdle race tonight, with Sydney McLaughlin shattering the world record, and beating out the previous record holder in Dalilah Muhammad.

Also very excited about the 800-meter prodigy Athing Mu -- just turned 19 this month and she just ran the second-fastest US time ever in the event. As a freshman at A&M (Texas that is) she broke collegiate records in both the 400 and 800 this year -- and she also holds the fastest 400 time among US runners this season, though she ran only the 800 at trials.

 

[triaddukefan]

So how do you feel about Allyson's results at trials? Qualified in the 400 as #2, missed the cut in the 200 at #5. Clearly well down from her prime, but still great for a mom and at her age

Speaking of moms in their mid-30s, I don't believe anyone will beat Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce in the 100 in Tokyo. Sha'Carri has well-deserved buzz but I don't believe her start is strong enough to beat SAFP.

Truly phenomenal 400m hurdle race tonight, with Sydney McLaughlin shattering the world record, and beating out the previous record holder in Dalilah Muhammad.

Also very excited about the 800-meter prodigy Athing Mu -- just turned 19 this month and she just ran the second-fastest US time ever in the event. As a freshman at A&M (Texas that is) she broke collegiate records in both the 400 and 800 this year -- and she also holds the fastest 400 time among US runners this season, though she ran only the 800 at trials.

The only silver lining is that now she can focus on the 400 in Tokyo. They mentioned earlier that she would have to decide on one or the other if she made both squads.. as the Tokyo schedule won't allow one to participate in both. Nothing would be better for her to get the 400 gold as she was robbed in Rio.

I saw the replay of the 400 hurdles... and that was a amazing performance.

Imma have to watch that 800m on replay. I never really paid attention to the 800m before 2016 or so... but its a must watch now.

 

[nwhoopfan]

My family swung by the UO campus several summers ago (wasn't my choice, my nephew from Ohio wanted to see it and we were nearby... ). The track was all ripped up at the time, they were in the middle of refurbishing the facilities. Supposed to be really incredible now.

 

[nwhoopfan]

Not Nationals, but some family friends have a daughter who is a Freshman at Seattle Pacific (I know you are a fan of the GNAC @triaddukefan ). At the conference championship meet in May she won the 800, was 2nd in the 1500 and ran a leg of the winning 4X400 team.

 

[ed4ourgirls]

My family swung by the UO campus several summers ago (wasn't my choice, my nephew from Ohio wanted to see it and we were nearby... ). The track was all ripped up at the time, they were in the middle of refurbishing the facilities. Supposed to be really incredible now.

Nice looking facility. The record breaking heat couldn't have arrived at a worse time.

I think it will be the site of the next world championships.

 

[enigmatic]

The women's 400m Hurdles will be my race on the track to watch in Tokyo. Muhammed and McLaughlin is in my opinion the best rivalry out of all the track events. They always tend to bring the best out of each other and break the WR along with it. It would be a complete shock if not one of them win gold.

 

[KnightBridgeAZ]

Well, looking forward to how the US does in the Olympics, of course. But oddly enough, it is the swimming, gymnastics and team sports that my wife and I watch, not track. Likewise oddly enough, I suppose, but we really don't follow at all or watch any pre-Olympic or other World events in between. But we do root hard and enjoy the Olympic competition.

 

[triaddukefan]

 

[Plebe]

Well that was anticlimactic.

Assuming the one-month suspension holds, the Jamaican trio of Fraser-Pryce, Thompson and Jackson will be heavily favored to sweep the 100m medals in Tokyo.

 

[Plebe]

I just watched a replay of the NCAA championships where Athing Mu anchored the TAMU 4x400 team to a collegiate record — by 3 seconds! -- in 3:22.34. Mu's anchor leg was clocked at an insane 48.55. She also won the individual 400m title in 49.57, also a collegiate record. And this isn't even her specialty, which is the 800m.

Hopefully she'll at least be on the 4x400 team in Tokyo. She's very close to the same age that Allyson Felix was when she burst onto the scene in 2004 and took silver in Athens.

 

[triaddukefan]

I just watched a replay of the NCAA championships where Athing Mu anchored the TAMU 4x400 team to a collegiate record — by 3 seconds! -- in 3:22.34. Mu's anchor leg was clocked at an insane 48.55. She also won the individual 400m title in 49.57, also a collegiate record. And this isn't even her specialty, which is the 800m.

Hopefully she'll at least be on the 4x400 team in Tokyo. She's very close to the same age that Allyson Felix was when she burst onto the scene in 2004 and took silver in Athens.

I think the two races that are pretty much guaranteed gold medals for the US are the men's and women's 4x400 relays. Not sure when the last time each lost in the Olympics.. I know that Jamacia won the gold in the 2015 World's Championship... when Felix ran that ridiculous 47.7 split on the third leg....

 

[Plebe]

I think the two races that are pretty much guaranteed gold medals for the US are the men's and women's 4x400 relays. Not sure when the last time each lost in the Olympics.. I know that Jamacia won the gold in the 2015 World's Championship... when Felix ran that ridiculous 47.7 split on the third leg....

If neither McLaughlin nor Muhammad wins the 400m hurdles, it will be a massive upset.

Felix is legendary for her 4x4 splits. Fantastic race by Jamaica in 2015 to negate Felix's stellar leg. I'm still hurt by Felix's loss to Miller in the 2016 400m.

US women have won 6 consecutive 4x400 Olympic golds; their last loss was in 1992 to the "Unified Team". I remember when the East Germans and Soviets dominated the event. The world record is still owned by the 1988 Soviet team, in an electrifying race where Bryzhina held off Flo-Jo on the anchor leg. (Even more amazingly, that silver medal team still holds the US 4x400 record.)

 

[triaddukefan]

If neither McLaughlin nor Muhammad wins the 400m hurdles, it will be a massive upset.

Felix is legendary for her 4x4 splits. Fantastic race by Jamaica in 2015 to negate Felix's stellar leg. I'm still hurt by Felix's loss to Miller in the 2016 400m.

US women have won 6 consecutive 4x400 Olympic golds; their last loss was in 1992 to the "Unified Team". I remember when the East Germans and Soviets dominated the event. The world record is still owned by the 1988 Soviet team, in an electrifying race where Bryzhina held off Flo-Jo on the anchor leg. (Even more amazingly, that silver medal team still holds the US 4x400 record.)

Its gonna be a sad day when Felix exits the track for the last time. Yes... I'm also still upset about Miller's victory, not so much that she won... but how she did it. Have rooted against her ever since.... and it must be working as she lost both in 2017 and 2019

This year's 400m is wide open as Miller is going to run the 200.... and Naser (2019 champ) is suspended.

 

[Plebe]

Its gonna be a sad day when Felix exits the track for the last time. Yes... I'm also still upset about Miller's victory, not so much that she won... but how she did it. Have rooted against her ever since.... and it must be working as she lost both in 2017 and 2019

This year's 400m is wide open as Miller is going to run the 200.... and Naser (2019 champ) is suspended.

The schedule for the women's sprint events in Tokyo effectively precludes the 200/400 double. Weird that it shook out that way.

The holders of the #1 and #3 fastest 400m times in the world this year are a pair of Namibian 18-year-olds (Mboma and Masilingi) who have now both been ruled ineligible due to "natural high testosterone levels": Testosterone levels keep Namibia duo from 400M

The 2nd and 4th fastest times are held by Miller-Uibo and Athing Mu, who will instead be running the 200 and 800 respectively.

So yeah that opens up the field quite a bit. Stephanie Ann McPherson from Jamaica might be considered the slight favorite, but all 3 qualifiers from both the US and Jamaica have to be considered strong medal contenders. There's also a strong Dominican runner (Marileidy Paulino) who I believe has decided to run the 400 in Tokyo (she qualified in both the 200 and 400).

 

[Iluvacc2]

The schedule for the women's sprint events in Tokyo effectively precludes the 200/400 double. Weird that it shook out that way.

The holders of the #1 and #3 fastest 400m times in the world this year are a pair of Namibian 18-year-olds (Mboma and Masilingi) who have now both been ruled ineligible due to "natural high testosterone levels": Testosterone levels keep Namibia duo from 400M

The 2nd and 4th fastest times are held by Miller-Uibo and Athing Mu, who will instead be running the 200 and 800 respectively.

So yeah that opens up the field quite a bit. Stephanie Ann McPherson from Jamaica might be considered the slight favorite, but all 3 qualifiers from both the US and Jamaica have to be considered strong medal contenders. There's also a strong Dominican runner (Marileidy Paulino) who I believe has decided to run the 400 in Tokyo (she qualified in both the 200 and 400).

I'm holding out hope Felix can pull an upset. With Richardson out, I think the 100 is all but Fraser-Pryce's to lose. Now the 200 is going to be an absolute dog fight with Miller-Uibo, Asher-Smith, Gabby Thomas.

The U.S. coaches have some interesting decisions to make in regards to the relay. First of up is obviously Richardson in the 4X100. It's possible that the U.S. could put switch the entire 4x400 lineup from the prelims to finals and still win gold. Athing Mu and Sydney McLaughlin may run faster splits than all the 400m finalists from the Olympic trials.