There&rsquo;s no place like Hayward Field for US athletes, who completed their national championships on Sunday (26) in what was essentially a trial run for the World Athletics Championships Oregon22 next month.
Abby Steiner had the race of her life in the women&rsquo;s 200m, while 400m hurdler Rai Benjamin and shot putter Chase Ealey moved atop the world lists on another hot day at the US Championships in Eugene.
For Steiner, Hayward Field is definitely in her comfort zone. She lowered her PB to 21.77 while earning her first national crown just 15 days after shattering the collegiate record and taking the world lead with a 21.80 amid cooler temperatures at the NCAA Championships. The University of Kentucky sprinter equalled that time in the semifinals at the US Championships.
&ldquo;The main focus was just to come away with a win, make the team,&rdquo; said Steiner, whose performance was another world lead until Shericka Jackson ran 21.55 at the Jamaican Championships. &ldquo;It was nice having had NCAAs at this track; it was kind of a familiar environment so I knew if I replicated my race that I had at NCAAs with nicer weather, we were going to walk away with a PB.&rdquo;
Steiner will return to Eugene along with the other US athletes who qualified for the World Athletics Championships Oregon22 in less than three weeks, no doubt to enjoy their home field advantage. The World Championships are taking place on US soil for the first time.&nbsp;&nbsp;
While Steiner wasn&rsquo;t as dominant in the first 50 metres, she grabbed the lead with 40 meters to go, defeating Tamara Clark, who ran a PB of 21.92. Olympian Jenna Prandini, who came off the curve in first place, ran a season's best of 22.01 on her college alma mater&rsquo;s track.
Olympic bronze medalist Gabby Thomas placed eighth in 22.47 after battling a hamstring injury the past two weeks, while Sha&rsquo;Carri Richardson did not advance to the final.&nbsp;
Steiner was smiling with her arms outstretched as she crossed the finish line into a slight headwind.
Steiner said the win means &ldquo;Everything.&rdquo;
&ldquo;Coming off the collegiate season, a lot of people want to put limitations on you and say you&rsquo;re going to be burnt out,&rdquo; she said.&nbsp;
Steiner definitely proved she still has momentum.
<h2>Benjamin uses final burst to take world lead</h2>
Benjamin chopped his steps going into the second hurdle of the men&rsquo;s 400m hurdles and actually trailed Khallifah Rosser at the ninth barrier.
Then Benjamin hit another gear to pull ahead and run a world-leading time of 47.04, 0.45 better than his previous best this season, and leap over Alison Dos Santos&rsquo; 47.23 on the world list.&nbsp;
Trey Bassitt surged past Rosser to take second with a personal best of 47.47, while Rosser ran a PB of 47.65 for third. 
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/62b8ed50bf22c9871b1f4813.jpg" alt="Rai Benjamin in the 400m hurdles at the 2022 US Championships" />
Rai Benjamin in the 400m hurdles at the 2022 US Championships (&copy; Getty Images)
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Benjamin has recovered from a tough bout with Covid-19 and had not been able to train as much as he would have liked. He said he felt &ldquo;kind of banged up&rdquo; after the weekend.
Winning his third straight US title, Benjamin said: &ldquo;It feels like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders.&rdquo;
Making the US team, he added, &ldquo;is the hardest part, in all honesty. Worlds &mdash; that&rsquo;s the easiest part. I still have a lot of work to do. I know what I have in store. It&rsquo;s a matter of getting healthy and putting my best foot forward.&rdquo;
Benjamin also hopes to run on the US 4x400m relay as he did in Tokyo, where he won an Olympic gold medal.
<h2>Ealey ready to make first world outdoor podium</h2>
Ealey, the world indoor silver medallist, took the world lead on her second toss, a throw of 20.51m to move ahead of China&rsquo;s Song Jiayuan with 20.38m and Canadian Sarah Mitton&rsquo;s 20.33m. Ealey's mark was also a meeting and stadium record and a PB by 38cm.&nbsp;
Ealey &ndash; who now sits second on the US all-time list &ndash; had a stellar series. After three throws over 19 metres (19.30m, 19.46m and 19.80m), she finished with another monster throw of 20.19m.
&ldquo;I was really nervous leading into this meet,&rdquo; Ealey said. &ldquo;I hadn&rsquo;t been nervous all year, but I used the nerves really well and was able to push past the nerves and really go for it.&rdquo;
Ealey said she is primed for the World Championships and doesn&rsquo;t want to leave Eugene next month without a medal, &ldquo;and I&rsquo;m really hoping it&rsquo;s a gold one.&rdquo;
She added: &ldquo;Since my breakout year it&rsquo;s been a while since I&rsquo;ve finally been on my feet again and I feel like I have it now."
Adelaide Aquilla was second at 19.45m, followed by Jessica Woodard at 19.40m. Olympic silver medallist Raven Saunders had a season's best of 18.95m, but missed the US team, while 2016 gold medallist Michelle Carter closed out her final national championships in eighth place (17.72m).
<h2>Thrilling finish to women&rsquo;s 800m</h2>
Olympic 800m gold medalist Athing Mu, who turned 20 on 8 June, has not lost a race outdoors at any distance since age 17.&nbsp;
Ajee&rsquo; Wilson almost ended Mu&rsquo;s winning streak, pulling abreast with her in the final push for the line, but coming up just short.
Mu&rsquo;s time was 1:57.16, while Wilson, who admitted she might have started her kick a little too early, had a season best of 1:57.23. Raevyn Rogers, who went to college at Oregon and whose likeness is on the Hayward Field Tower, was in sixth place with 100 metres to go and wound up third in 1:57.96. 
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/62b8edadbf22c9871b1f4816.jpg" alt="Athing Mu wins the 800m ahead of Ajee Wilson at the 2022 US Championships" />
Athing Mu wins the 800m ahead of Ajee Wilson at the 2022 US Championships (&copy; Getty Images)
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&ldquo;I&rsquo;m glad that I fought,&rdquo; said Mu, who ran 1:57.55 in the semifinals, &ldquo;and I&rsquo;m glad that I still had it in my legs to come back and run. I&rsquo;m glad I was able to replicate what I did two days ago even though it wasn&rsquo;t a super fast time.&rdquo;
She was also happy for her boyfriend Brandon Miller, who threw himself across the line in the men&rsquo;s 800m to deny 2016 Olympic bronze medallist Clayton Murphy another national team. Miller&rsquo;s time was 1:45.19 while Murphy finished fourth with a season's best of 1:45.23.
Bryce Hoppel won the race, fighting off Jonah Koech on the final stretch, 1:44.60 to 1:44.74, with Koech posting a PB to attain the World Championships standard.
<h2>Proving a point in the men&rsquo;s 200m</h2>
Noah Lyles did not follow the example of fellow world champions Christian Coleman, Nia Ali and Grant Holloway of skipping their final because they had a wildcard entry into the World Championships.
Lyles had something to prove.
He won the 200m with a time of 19.67, blowing past teenager Erriyon Knighton, who clocked 19.69. Fred Kerley doubled by placing third in 19.83 after winning the men&rsquo;s 100m. Kenny Bednarek, the Olympic silver medallist, also made the US team in fourth place with a season's best of 19.87, just ahead of Lyles&rsquo; brother Josephus with a PB of 19.93.
Knighton has the world lead of 19.49, and the attention on the young sprinter had Lyles feeling left out.
Lyles pointed his finger at Knighton as he crossed the finish line, but he explained that the gesture was meant for the people who had doubted him.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m pointing at all those people who kept doubting me, all year and all last year,&rdquo; Lyles said, &ldquo;everybody who keeps saying, &lsquo;He&rsquo;s out of the picture.&rsquo;&rdquo;
Lyles admitted that Knighton got the best of him on the turn, but he refused to panic.&nbsp;
&ldquo;I saw he reached his top speed and I said, &lsquo;Mine&rsquo;s faster,&rsquo;&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m going to catch him.&rdquo;
Knighton was visibly upset by the loss. During the post-race television interview, he vowed to &ldquo;Just come back and win. The job&rsquo;s not finished, it&rsquo;s never finished.&rdquo; And then he stalked out of camera range.
Lyles shouted after him, &ldquo;It ain&rsquo;t finished!&rdquo;
Lyles said the pointing was &ldquo;just about having fun,&rdquo; but he allowed that the move could have cost him some time with Knighton on his shoulder.
&ldquo;To be honest,&rdquo; Lyles said, &ldquo;I risked it for the biscuit.&rdquo; 
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/62b8f9ff774be729e2fb1a54.jpg" alt="Noah Lyles wins the US 200m title ahead of Erriyon Knighton" />
Noah Lyles wins the US 200m title ahead of Erriyon Knighton (&copy; Getty Images)
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Grant Fisher withstood the morning heat to win the men&rsquo;s 5000m and set a meeting record with a time of 13:03.86. Woody Kincaid ran a 54-second final lap to move from fourth to second in 13:06.70. Abdihamid Nur was third in 13:08.63.
Fisher was thrilled to win his first national title after three near misses.
&ldquo;I knew if I put in some pace with a few laps to go that I would break a lot of people,&rdquo; he said, &ldquo;and I wanted this to be a true 5km. I didn&rsquo;t want it to be a 400m. I wanted to make them hurt and it worked.&rdquo;
World gold and silver medallist Emma Coburn won the women&rsquo;s 3000m steeplechase in 9:10.63 as Courtney Wayment moved into second with a time of 9:12.10 by overtaking Olympic silver medallist Courtney Frerichs, who finished third in 9:16.18.&nbsp;
Shelby McEwen jumped a PB of 2.33m to win the men&rsquo;s high jump, moving into a tie for second on the world list and attaining the World Championships standard. JuVaughn Harrison made the US team with a season's best of 2.30m and Dontavious Hill was third in 2.22m. Harrison, who made the Olympic team in both the high jump and long jump, was unsuccessful in his quest to double at the World Championships in Oregon.
Daniel Roberts won his second national title in the 110m hurdles, clocking a season's best of 13.03. It was a blanket finish for the next three places, with Trey Cunningham, the NCAA champion, taking second with a time of 13.08.&nbsp;
Two-time Olympian Devon Allen, who ran the world-leading time this season of 12.84 two weeks ago, was third by three-thousandths of a second. He edged Jamal Britt, 13.087 to 13.090, to claim the final spot on the US team.
Karen Rosen for World Athletics

Abby Steiner improved her PB, while 400m hurdler Rai Benjamin and shot putter Chase Ealey moved atop the world lists

Steiner storms to 200m win at US Championships

One month from today, the World Athletics Championships Oregon22 &ndash; the first to be held in the United States &ndash; will get under way at the all-new Hayward Field in Eugene.
One week from tomorrow, that same venue will stage the fearsome, first-three-home drama of the USATF Championships, where home athletes will seek to earn the right to return to the re-built arena once the global event starts on 15 July.
The perennial jeopardy of that event means that some of the most likely home medallists cannot yet be inked in for the World Championships. But wild card entries for defending champions mean that US athletes such as 200m gold medallist Noah Lyles, who has demonstrated convincing form in recent weeks and days, will count on toeing the line.
Prospective challengers for medals in Eugene, notably from Europe and Africa, have been laying down their markers in earnest over the last fortnight, however, as the meetings have come thick and fast. The level of excitement and anticipation is rising rapidly on the Road to Oregon. Cast your eyes over seven of the most notable hot spots&hellip;
&nbsp;
<h2>Javelin rivalry rising to the heights</h2>
Is any final at the World Athletics Championships Oregon22 likely to be more competitive than the men&rsquo;s javelin? The answer right now would appear to be no.
A stupendous season of thrust and counter-thrust started at the opening Wanda Diamond League meeting of the season in Doha last month, when, taking advantage of a big following wind, Grenada&rsquo;s world champion Anderson Peters and Olympic silver medallist Jakub Vadlejch made best of the conditions to spear &ndash; sorry, spur &ndash; each other to new levels of performances.
Peters took a first-round lead with a national record of 88.96m but was pushed into second place in the fourth round when Vadlejch also threw a personal best of 89.87m.
The fifth round saw Peters re-take the lead with 90.19m, only for the Czech thrower to respond with 90.88m.
There was one more step up to be taken, however, and it was Peters who won with a final effort of 93.07m, moving himself to fifth on the world all-time list as he did so. 
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 Skip forward to the Fanny Blankers-Koen Games in Hengelo last Monday week &ndash; Peters maintained his winning run with an effort of 90.75m, with Germany&rsquo;s Julian Weber second on 89.54m and 2012 Olympic champion Keshorn Walcott of Trinidad and Tobago third on 89.07m.
Anyone else to join the mix? Ah yes. The Olympic champion. India&rsquo;s Neeraj Chopra made his 2022 debut in Turku last night and improved his national record to 89.30m. Ominous. But it was still not enough for victory on the night in a country that idolises the javelin event.
Home thrower Oliver Helander &ndash; coached by Finland&rsquo;s 2007 world champion Tero Pitkamaki &ndash; produced what he described as a &ldquo;perfect throw&rdquo; to win with a massive personal best of 89.83m.
So there are currently six men this season who have thrown farther than 89 metres. And Germans Andreas Hoffman, the 2018 European silver medallist, and Johannes Vetter, who won world gold in 2017 and world bronze in 2019, and who stands second on the all-time list with his 2020 effort of 97.76m, have yet to hit proper form. Yikes! 
<h2>Jackson shocks Thompson-Herah over 200m</h2>
That said &ndash; the women&rsquo;s 200m in Oregon could also turn out to be the most competitive of the championships.
Jamaica&rsquo;s double Olympic 100m and 200m champion Elaine Thompson-Herah has made a strong start to the season, clocking 10.79 at the Eugene Diamond League meeting on 28 May to move to second in this season&rsquo;s world list, and producing a time of 22.25 in her first big 200m at last week&rsquo;s Rome Diamond League meeting.
But Thompson-Herah was surprisingly beaten to the line in the Olympic Stadium by her fellow Jamaican Shericka Jackson, the Olympic 100m bronze medallist and former 400m specialist, who won in 21.91. 
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 That is only enough to put Jackson third in this season&rsquo;s list, however, with Namibia&rsquo;s Olympic silver medallist Christine Mboma second on 21.87 and Abby Steiner of the United States top thanks to the 21.80 she clocked in winning the NCAA outdoor title in Eugene last Saturday.
And when you consider that Olympic bronze medallist Gabby Thomas of the United States has run 21.98, and Britain&rsquo;s world champion Dina Asher-Smith, back from the hamstring injury that undermined her Olympic ambitions, has clocked 22.27, well, you get the picture. &nbsp;
Just for good measure, double Olympic 400m champion Shaunae Miller-Uibo of The Bahamas recently cast doubt on whether she would contest the single lap event in Oregon. If that means she is concentrating on her second main event, at which she holds the Commonwealth title, then watch out.
Although she was only fourth in Rome in 22.48, she has a 2019 personal best of 21.74.
Meanwhile Allyson Felix, the multiple world and Olympic medallist at 200m and 400m who is in her farewell season at the age of 36, is hoping to make an emotional farewell at her home World Championships.
Last but definitively not least, Felix&rsquo;s compatriot Sha&rsquo;Carri Richardson will also be a serious contender if she can safely negotiate the trials, having won at last Saturday&rsquo;s New York Grand Prix in 22.38.
"I want to continue to thrive &ndash; I am the sun, I am the sunshine,&rdquo; said the social media sensation. 
<h2>Lyles &ndash; &ldquo;It&rsquo;s fast! Official! It&rsquo;s fast!&rdquo;</h2>
The men&rsquo;s 200m also has chances of being the most competitive event in Oregon, given the form of the three main home protagonists.
Erriyon Knighton, aged 18, sent convulsions through the event on 30 April as he won in Baton Rouge in 19.49 &ndash; putting him fourth on the world all-time list behind fellow US sprinter Michael Johnson, who clocked a then world record of 19.32 at the 1996 Atlanta Games; Yohan Blake of Jamaica, who ran 19.26 at the 2011 Brussels meeting; and his compatriot Usain Bolt, who set the world record of 19.19 at the 2009 World Championships in Berlin.
Less than a year after missing an Olympic 200m medal by one place in Tokyo, where he was the youngest man to represent the United States at the Games in athletics since Jim Ryun in 1964, this prodigiously talented youngster has set a dizzying pace.
Can anyone match him? Can Knighton even match himself?
Regarding the former question, the 24-year-old world champion from Florida, Noah Lyles, who was bitterly disappointed to earn only individual bronze in Tokyo, has maintained the late season flourish he produced last year in his 2022 races.
Lyles recovered his fortunes in 2021 by winning in Eugene shortly after the Games in 19.52, just shy of his personal best of 19.50. On that occasion he left in his wake the fellow US sprinter who had taken silver ahead of him in Tokyo, Kenny Bednarek.
Lyles made clear his direction of travel at last Saturday&rsquo;s New York Grand Prix, where he greeted victory in 19.61 with an excited exclamation to the cameras: &ldquo;It&rsquo;s fast! Official! It&rsquo;s fast!&rdquo;
While Bednarek has not been into the territory occupied by his US rivals so far this season, he has made a very sound start, winning on his debut at the Rabat Diamond League and then improving his time to 20.01 in earning a second victory at last week&rsquo;s Diamond League in Rome.
Also in the mix are two more hugely talented US athletes: Olympic 100m silver medallist Fred Kerley, who has run 19.80 this season, and Michael Norman, who finished just behind him in 19.83.
Meanwhile, Joseph Fahnbulleh of Liberia was massively impressive in bulldozering through the field after being metres behind to win the NCAA title in Eugene last Friday in 19.83. He is, in fact, the only non-US sprinter in this season&rsquo;s top 12.
And the Canadians &ndash; Aaron Brown, Jerome Blake and Olympic champion Andre De Grasse &ndash; are plotting their campaigns&hellip; 
<h2>Will Devon Allen quit athletics for NFL as a world champion?</h2>
Earlier this year Devon Allen announced that, at 27, he would be quitting athletics at the end of this season to take up a professional contract with National Football League side Philadelphia Eagles as a wide receiver.
Allen reached the 110m hurdles finals at the Rio and Tokyo Olympics, finishing fifth in Brazil and missing a medal by one place in Japan. But his chances of leaving the sport with a global title rocketed at last Saturday&rsquo;s New York Grand Prix as he earned a stunning victory over the man who has broadly dominated the event over the past three years, fellow US star Grant Holloway. 
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 The latter followed up his world title in 2019 by taking silver at the Tokyo Olympics and this year won world indoor gold in Belgrade with imperious ease after equalling his world record of 7.29 in the heats.
But the leggy and affable Holloway was a distant second in 13.06 as Allen romped clear on the Icahn Stadium track to win in 12.84, moving himself up to third on the world all-time list behind the 12.81 run by Holloway in Eugene last year, and the 2012 world record of 12.80 run by another US talent, Aries Merritt.
Meanwhile, Jamaica&rsquo;s Hansle Parchment has shown himself to be in top form having won at the Birmingham Diamond League meeting in 13.09. All extremely fascinating&hellip; 
<h2>Mu sees Hodgkinson and raises her</h2>
Britain&rsquo;s Keely Hodgkinson has her sights firmly set on world 800m gold in Oregon. As does her fellow 20-year-old Athing Mu of the US, who beat her to Olympic gold in Tokyo last year. Something has to give.
Hodgkinson eschewed an almost certain 800m medal at the World Indoor Championships in March as a precaution after feeling a muscle twinge in warm-up for the final &ndash; it had to be gold or nothing for her, and she didn&rsquo;t want to risk what promises to be a richly busy outdoor season.
After an impressive victory in Birmingham she travelled to the Eugene Diamond League keyed up for a pre-World Championships battle with her rival, only to find that Mu was a no-show following the after-effects of having Covid-19.
The Briton did all she could to lay down a big marker on the track where the world golds will be disputed, piling in to win in 1:57.72, the fastest time of the year.
The glove was down. And less than a fortnight later at the Rome Diamond League meeting it was firmly grasped by Mu as she answered the challenge by romping home to win in 1:57.01. 
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 This could be one of the great races not only of Oregon, but in World Championship history &ndash; immoveable object versus irresistible force. 
<h2>Big drama in the 400m hurdles</h2>
The men&rsquo;s 400m hurdles event is currently adjusting to the shock of Karsten Warholm, Olympic champion and world record-holder, stuttering to a halt after clearing the first hurdle in his season&rsquo;s debut at the Rabat Diamond League on 5 June and exiting with a problematic right hamstring.
In the aftermath, a sombre Warholm spoke of a &ldquo;cramp&rdquo;, but also of a &ldquo;tear.&rdquo; He and his lifelong coach Leif Olav Alnes, who have worked so hard this winter to prepare for the Norwegian&rsquo;s second world title defence, now have an unexpected challenge on their hands.
Meanwhile Brazil&rsquo;s 21-year-old Alison dos Santos, who followed home Warholm and Rai Benjamin of the United States in that coruscating Tokyo Olympic final, has made the best start to the season.
He beat Benjamin at the opening Diamond League meeting in Doha with a meeting record of 47.24, with the US athlete clocking 47.49 &ndash; those times being, unsurprisingly, the best of the early season. Two weeks later Dos Santos turned up on Benjamin&rsquo;s home ground, winning in his absence in 47.23.
Whether the Oregon final can match the soaring quality of the Tokyo Olympic final remains to be seen &ndash; but it could equal it for drama.
While the men&rsquo;s 400m hurdles has been tipped on its head so far this year, the women&rsquo;s version has been a little more predictable, although equally competitive.
The Dutch Olympic bronze medallist, 22-year-old Femke Bol, produced a startling opening flourish at the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meeting in Ostrava on May 31 as she smashed the world best for 300m hurdle, reducing it from 38.16 to 36.86. 
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 Excitement surrounded her 400m hurdles seasonal debut at the Fanny Blankers-Koen Games in Hengelo on 6 June, and she finished two metres clear in a meeting record of 53.94.
But the day before &ndash; as it happened &ndash; USA&rsquo;s Olympic champion and world record-holder Sydney McLaughlin had run 51.61, just shy of her world record of 51.46, at the Vanderbilt Stadium in Nashville.
Bol returned to the fray at the Rome Diamond League, finishing way ahead in 53.02.
Meanwhile McLaughlin&rsquo;s compatriot Dalilah Muhammad, the Olympic silver medallist who has a wild card to defend her world title in Oregon, has posted an early time of 53.88.
Another big race is in prospect. 
<h2>Out of Africa, another medal contender</h2>
The African Championships that concluded in Mauritius on Sunday offered clear evidence of the challenge that continent will provide in Oregon.
Olympic and world bronze medallist Hugues Fabrice Zango of Burkina Faso, a champion in 2018, won gold again with a best effort of 17.34m.
World indoor bronze medallist Abel Kipsang, fourth at the Tokyo Olympics, underlined his huge potential by winning the men&rsquo;s 1500m title.
Kenya's Ferdinand Omanyala, who heads this season&rsquo;s world list in the men&rsquo;s 100m after his 9.85 clocking in the thin air of Nairobi, added continental gold in 9.93, beating South Africa&rsquo;s Commonwealth champion Akani Simbine on a photo-finish.
Gina Bass of The Gambia won the women&rsquo;s 100m title in 11.06 from Aminatou Seyni of Niger, who went on to win the women&rsquo;s 200m in 23.04.
Meanwhile, other potential African winners in Eugene have been making convincing cases for themselves. 
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 Emmanuel Wanyonyi, the phenomenal 17-year-old who won the world U20 men&rsquo;s 800m title on his home track of Nairobi last year, has maintained impressive momentum this season, winning in 1:44.15 in Ostrava and coolly outrunning Botswana&rsquo;s 2012 Olympic silver medallist Nijel Amos at the Rabat Diamond League meeting to win in 1:45.47.
At that same meeting in the Moroccan capital, local hero Soufiane El Bakkali, whose Tokyo victory in the men&rsquo;s 3000m steeplechase provided his country with its only medal from the Games, once again defeated his great Ethiopian rival Lamecha Girma in a race that nearly blew the roof off the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium.
Hayward Field is due more excitement very soon&hellip;
Mike Rowbottom for World Athletics

World Athletics Championships, Oregon 2022

Getting up to speed as the world’s best athletes prepare to hit full flow

Road to Oregon22 – seven hot topics with one month to go

Devon Allen ran the third-fastest time in history in the 110m hurdles, while&nbsp;Noah Lyles claimed an impressive 200m victory and Sha&rsquo;Carri Richardson contested a 100m and 200m double at the USATF New York Grand Prix on Sunday (12).
While showers were in the forecast, the rain held off and the sun peeked through the clouds at Icahn Stadium on Randall&rsquo;s Island in New York.
On the same track where Usain Bolt set his first 100m world record in 2008, Allen nearly joined him in the record books.&nbsp;
The two-time Olympian kicked off the elite portion of the meeting, a new stop on the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold series, by clocking a world-leading 12.84. Allen, who is known for the way he closes races, overtook reigning world champion Grant Holloway at the ninth hurdle and continued to separate from the field in the final metres.
Holloway, the Olympic silver medallist running only his second hurdles race of the season, was second in 13.06 and Daniel Roberts, the third member of the USA Olympic team in Tokyo, was third in 13.17.&nbsp;
Only world record-holder Aries Merritt (12.80) and Holloway (12.81) have run faster than Allen, who was fourth at the Tokyo Olympics.&nbsp;
&ldquo;I thought I was going to break the world record today, so we&rsquo;ll have to wait for another race,&rdquo; he said.
Allen, who will play professional American football for the Philadelphia Eagles later this year, attributed his fast time to &ldquo;fresh legs.&rdquo; He had been training hard in both sports, then came down with Covid-19 two weeks ago.&nbsp;
&ldquo;It was good for me to get off my feet for seven to 10 days,&rdquo; Allen said. &ldquo;My legs are fresh, I feel good, and now I can start training and getting better for USAs and World Championships.&rdquo;
Holloway, who has a bye for the World Athletics Championships Oregon22 next month, said he will &ldquo;go back to the drawing board. You&rsquo;ve got to up your game. It&rsquo;s going to be a fast year.&rdquo; 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none">
Just a casual historic run for <a href="https://twitter.com/DevonAllen13?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DevonAllen13</a>. No biggie. <a href="https://t.co/gCZCcDb6y5">pic.twitter.com/gCZCcDb6y5</a>
&mdash; Continental Tour Gold (@ContiTourGold) <a href="https://twitter.com/ContiTourGold/status/1536123670904639488?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 12, 2022</a></blockquote>
 The New York Grand Prix was a tune-up for many US athletes before their national championships, which begin 23 June, also in Oregon.
Richardson was the only elite athlete to double up at the meeting and placed second in the 100m to Aleia Hobbs, who had to run a PB to beat her, 10.83 to 10.85. Those times put them fourth and fifth on this season's world list.&nbsp;
&ldquo;I feel phenomenal,&rdquo; said Richardson, whose long, blond hair flowed behind her and who wore a fuchsia outfit with fishnet on her arms and legs. &ldquo;This is only my third 100m of the season. One of the people I idolise the most got first, Aleia Hobbs &mdash; I love her. If anybody was to beat me, I would definitely want it to be Aleia.&rdquo; 
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/62a67d30363a4f987a5b99b0.jpeg" alt="Winner Aleia Hobbs, Sha'Carri Richardson and Cambrea Sturgis in the 100m at the New York Grand Prix" />
Winner Aleia Hobbs, Sha'Carri Richardson and Cambrea Sturgis in the 100m at the New York Grand Prix (&copy; Kevin Morris)
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Nobody beat Richardson in the 200m, where she posted a time of 22.38, well ahead of Tamara Clark in second in 22.62 and Tynia Gaither in 22.66.
Richardson had planned to run only the 100m, then claimed the spot vacated by Gabby Thomas in the 200m.
&ldquo;It was an amazing race,&rdquo; said Richardson, who threw up her arms with a huge smile on her face as she crossed the finish line. &ldquo;I actually last-minute got into this race because I want to double at nationals and I didn&rsquo;t have a time, so I was like, &lsquo;I need to put a time out there.&rsquo; I just wanted to complete the race, execute the best that I could and see what that got me.&rsquo;&rdquo;
She got the loudest cheers at the meeting and had the biggest fan club, young girls who screamed whenever they saw her and clamored for autographs and photos. Richardson obliged. Many of the girls competed in the public portion of the meeting.
&ldquo;They&rsquo;re the next generation,&rdquo; Richardson said. &ldquo;I just want them to know, do it in their way. Don&rsquo;t let limitations of the world stop you. Because the world has its own flaws. Don&rsquo;t let anybody stop you&hellip; from shining because you are sunshine, we are the light.&rdquo;
Her outfit, Richardson said, reflected &ldquo;me always standing out, no matter my performance.&rdquo;
Thomas, who had expected to double, announced Saturday that she had to pull out of the meeting. &ldquo;I did something funny to my leg during a sprint, met with my medical team,&rdquo; she said on social media, &ldquo;and they decided that it&rsquo;s not worth the risk with US nationals being just two weeks away.&rdquo;
Christian Coleman ran a season's best of 9.92 in the men&rsquo;s 100m, slipping under 10 seconds for the first time since 2019 when he was world champion. Last season Coleman could not compete because he was serving a suspension and he said he is re-learning &ldquo;the art of sprinting.&rdquo;
Coleman finished strong to hold off Ackeem Blake of Jamaica, who posted a PB of 9.95, and Marvin Bracy, who ran a season's best 10.03.
&ldquo;The whole goal today was to try to execute a much better race than my last one,&rdquo; said Coleman, who was third in late May at the Prefontaine Classic, a Diamond League meeting, in 10.04.
He did just that, especially in the second half of his race. Compared to 2019, Coleman said: &ldquo;I&rsquo;m the same guy. I feel like it&rsquo;s there. I just feel like when you have a long layoff, obviously it&rsquo;s going to affect you in some kind of way, so this whole season to me is a learning experience. I&rsquo;m just trying to get better and better. I feel like that same guy is still in me.&rdquo;
He just has to show it. &ldquo;I need all the races I can get,&rdquo; Coleman said.&nbsp;
Lyles has decided that he will concentrate on the 200m, the distance at which he is defending world champion, and will not double in the 100m at the US Championships. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s kind of come to a point now, &lsquo;Hey, I&rsquo;d rather grab a gold than two silvers at the World Championships,&rdquo; he said at the pre-meeting press conference.
With that focus, he clocked 19.61, 0.11 off his PB and a whopping 0.41 ahead of the rest of the field. Kyree King turned in a PB of 20.02 to place second, while Brandon Carnes had a PB of 20.07 for third. 
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/62a6750682424a6524b9ab07.jpeg" alt="Noah Lyles wins the 200m at the New York Grand Prix" />
Noah Lyles wins the 200m at the New York Grand Prix (&copy; Kevin Morris)
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"I&rsquo;m proud of it,&rdquo; Lyles said. &ldquo;I wanted it faster. I wanted to see 19.5, but I&rsquo;ll take 19.61. It&rsquo;s right next door.&rdquo;
He has worked on the first 30 metres of his race and said" &ldquo;It&rsquo;s working. I&rsquo;ve just got to start feeling more comfortable.&rdquo;
He&rsquo;s also uncomfortable being the No.2 USA runner in the 200m this year behind 18-year-old phenom Erriyon Knighton, who has the world-leading time of 19.49.
&ldquo;I haven&rsquo;t felt this since towards the beginning of high school,&rdquo; said Lyles, who has lost only twice in the 200m &mdash; at a Diamond League meeting in Rome in 2019 to Michael Norman and in the Tokyo Olympics, when Andre De Grasse and Kenny Bednarek beat him. &ldquo;When it&rsquo;s time to line up, I&rsquo;m going to have it. I know it automatically. I&rsquo;m always going to be ready.&rdquo;
Unfortunately, Sydney McLaughlin was a late withdrawal from the meeting. The Olympic gold medallist and world record-holder ran a sizzling 51.61 in the 400m hurdles a week ago (5) and was slated to run the 100m hurdles and flat 400m in New York. The schedule was even adjusted to accommodate her. But McLaughlin pulled out of the 100m hurdles before the meeting began and announced she had scratched from the 400m just minutes before the race was supposed to get underway.
She said her coach, Bob Kersee, &ldquo;decided to pull me this close to trials.&rdquo; McLaughlin was second at the 2019 World Championships, so she does not have a bye. She has raced only twice this season, winning the 100m hurdles at the Penn Relays and then the 400m hurdles last week in Nashville.&nbsp;
&ldquo;I think last week was a good testament of where we&rsquo;re at,&rdquo; McLaughlin said, &ldquo;and I think that&rsquo;s why he decided to shut it down. We want to focus on the things that matter most, which is trials and Worlds and practice has been going great so I think it&rsquo;s keeping us right on pace.&rdquo;
However, even McLaughlin wondered how fast she could have run the 400m. She ran one 400m last year, but allowed that &ldquo;I haven&rsquo;t really raced since college, so I was just as curious as you were. Hopefully I&rsquo;ll get another chance this season to do it.&rdquo;
In other races, Alaysha Johnson ran a PB of 12.40 in the 100m hurdles, breaking Michelle Perry&rsquo;s meeting record that had stood since 2005. 
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/62a6a216b21b08f9482af435.jpg" alt="Alaysha Johnson celebrates her 100m hurdles win in New York" />
Alaysha Johnson celebrates her 100m hurdles win in New York (&copy; Getty Images)
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"I was really nervous; I was shaking in the blocks,&rdquo; Johnson said.&nbsp;
She said she didn&rsquo;t have the best start, &ldquo;but it just came together. I had no idea I was running fast.&rdquo;
Johnson added that she hopes to do well at the US Championships and &ldquo;get a contract, and get some money, because that&rsquo;s what we&rsquo;re doing this for.&rdquo;
World indoor champion Ajee&rsquo; Wilson won the women&rsquo;s 800m in 2:00:62 in windy conditions. Wilson said she&rsquo;s getting back to the fitness she had in 2019 and 2017, when she won world outdoor bronze medals. &ldquo;I think confidence-wise I&rsquo;m there,&rdquo; she said.&nbsp;
Bryce Hoppel won the men&rsquo;s 800m, clocking a season's best 1:45.07 to sprint away from Jesus Tonatiu Lopez of Mexico in 1:45.16. Hoppel almost waited too late to make his move.
&ldquo;When Tonatiu went on my right on the outside on that last turn, I was like, &lsquo;I better go with him,&rsquo;&rdquo; Hoppel said. &ldquo;I think I have enough to do it.&rdquo;
Tyler Terry won the men&rsquo;s 400m in 45.70 and Lynna Irby took the women&rsquo;s race with a time of 51.38.
Gianna Woodruff of Panama ran a season's best of 54.35 in the women&rsquo;s 400m hurdles and Quincy Hall captured the men&rsquo;s 400m hurdles in 48.75, finishing well ahead of Amere Lattin in 49.67.
In the only field events, Jessica Ramsey claimed the women&rsquo;s shot put title with a throw of 18.90m and Donald Scott leaped 16.81m in the men&rsquo;s triple jump, closely followed by Will Claye in his season opener at 16.75m.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a win,&rdquo; Scott said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ll take it.&rdquo;
Karen Rosen for World Athletics

Devon Allen clocks 12.84 to move to third on the world 110m hurdles all-time list.

Allen pips Holloway and advances to No.3 all time in New York

Olympic champion Sydney McLaughlin is one of four individual Tokyo medallists competing in the USATF New York Grand Prix on Sunday (12) as many top US athletes gear up for their national championships &mdash; the World Athletics Championships Oregon22 qualifier &mdash; later this month.
McLaughlin, the gold medallist and world record-holder in the women&rsquo;s 400m hurdles, joins silver medallists Grant Holloway and Raven Saunders as well as bronze medallist Noah Lyles for the new stop on the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold series.
World champion Christian Coleman, three-time Olympic medallist Will Claye, 2016 Olympic bronze medallist Clayton Murphy and world indoor champion Ajee&rsquo; Wilson will also compete at Icahn Stadium on Randall&rsquo;s Island, which has a long history of hosting major competitions. On the same site in 1936, Jesse Owens starred at the US Olympic Trials.
McLaughlin, a native of nearby New Jersey, is entered in the 400m, fresh off her scintillating 51.61 in the 400m hurdles on 5 June &mdash; a time that was only 0.15 off her world record.
McLaughlin has run sparingly this season. Her only other appearance was a 100m hurdles race at the Penn Relays in late April, where she clocked 12.75 for the victory. McLaughlin was a bit sidetracked in May, when she walked down the aisle to get married.&nbsp;
The Olympic 4x400m gold medallist, whose PB is 50.07 from 2018, will face three of her USA relay teammates from Tokyo in the 400m: Lynna Irby, Kendall Ellis and Kaylin Whitney. Ellis ran 51.00 in April, while Irby clocked 51.03 in May and Whitney&rsquo;s best time this season is 51.89. Kyra Jefferson posted a time of 51.55 in early May, 0.06 faster than McLaughlin ran in Nashville with 10 hurdles in her way.
McLaughlin was originally set to double up and also race the 100m hurdles but has decided to focus on the 400m flat in New York. The 100m hurdles features Alaysha Johnson, who clocked the fifth-fastest time in the world this year of 12.50 in Puerto Rico in May. Tia Jones was third at the USATF Golden Games in April in 12.59, while Christina Clemons finished sixth in the same race in 12.68. Chanel Brissett ran 12.73 in Puerto Rico and Gabbi Cunningham, an Olympic finalist last summer, was sixth at the Prefontaine Classic in 12.75.
Sha&rsquo;Carri Richardson &ndash; the sixth-fastest woman in history over 100m &ndash; got a late start to the season, but she has come on strong. She ran 10.92 at the Prefontaine Classic when placing second behind Olympic champion Elaine Thompson-Herah. Thanks to a robust tailwind of 4.3m/s, Richardson posted a 10.73 last weekend in Florida.
But on Sunday she'll be up against Cambrea Sturgis, the top US sprinter this season with a wind-legal time of 10.87, and Olympic 4x100m silver medallist Aleia Hobbs, who ran 10.95 at the Golden Games.
<h2>Can Holloway shave some time?</h2>
A look at Holloway&rsquo;s head may be an indication of how he will do in the 110m hurdles. The world champion indoors and outdoor has run his best times when he shaves his hair. Holloway&rsquo;s PB is only 0.01 off the world record of 12.80. Because of inclement weather, he has raced his signature event only once this year and will be looking to improve his 13.34 from late April. 
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/60e4a10e166b5c3fc2f6aa23.jpg" alt="Grant Holloway celebrates his 110m hurdles win at the Gyulai Istvan Memorial" />
Grant Holloway celebrates his 110m hurdles win at the Gyulai Istvan Memorial (&copy; Gyulai Istvan Memorial)
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Devon Allen, who placed fourth at the Tokyo Olympics and is the 2021 Diamond League champion, has the third-fastest time this season, 13.11 from his Penn Relays win. Jamal Britt has run 13.30 and Olympian Daniel Roberts, who has a long rivalry with Holloway, has posted a 13.36.
In the men&rsquo;s 400m hurdles, Quincy Hall is tied for third on the world list thanks to his 48.10 at the Prefontaine Classic, where he placed third.&nbsp;
The women&rsquo;s 400m hurdles is the most international of the NY Grand Prix events, with six countries represented. Shiann Salmon of Jamaica has the top time of 54.43, followed by Gianna Woodruff of Panama at 54.60, Melissa Gonzalez of Colombia at 54.80 and Cassandra Tate of the USA at 54.81. Tia Adana Belle of Barbados and Mo Jiadie of China are also entered.
<h2>Coleman looking to dip under 10 seconds this season</h2>
In the men&rsquo;s 100m, Coleman, the world champion, has the fastest time in the field of 10.04 from his third-place finish at the Prefontaine Classic. He&rsquo;ll be seeking his first sub-10-second performance of 2022 in what will be his fourth 100m of the season. Kendal Williams clocked 10.05 last week in Nashville while Ackeem Blake of Jamaica recorded a PB of 10.08 in April and Marvin Bracy has run a wind-legal 10.11 and a wind-aided 9.80 (2.9m/s). Michael Rodgers and Isiah Young are scheduled to race in their second meet in four days after competing Thursday (9) in Rome
Lyles, the world champion and Olympic bronze medallist in the 200m, will race that distance for only the third time this year. He clocked 19.86 in early May for the No.4 time on the world list and then ran 19.72 with the wind only slightly above the limit (2.1m/s) to win the Diamond League meeting in Doha. Lyles also has run 10.05 twice in the 100m. Kyree King, who has a 20.18 in the 200m and 9.98 in the 100m this season, and world indoor 400m champion Jereem Richards of Trinidad and Tobago, who has clocked 20.06, are also running well this season.&nbsp; 
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/62840f89f43e81459e650693.jpg" alt="Erriyon Knighton and Noah Lyles race in Bermuda" />
Erriyon Knighton and Noah Lyles race in Bermuda (&copy; USATF)
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The men&rsquo;s 800m will feature three of the top half-milers in the USA &mdash; 2016 Olympic bronze medallist Clayton Murphy, who has run 1:45.54 this season, and 2020 Olympians Bryce Hoppel and Isaiah Jewett. Hoppel was third in the Birmingham Diamond League meeting with a 1:46.33 while Jewett has only raced a 400m this year, clocking 47.50.
Wilson, who finally secured the first world title of her career in March in Belgrade, posted a time of 1:58.06 to place second at the Pre Classic. She is No.3 on the world list, just ahead of the similarly named Allie Wilson, who has run 1:58.18.
In the men's 400m, Trinidad and Tobago's 2017 world 4x400m champion Machel Cedenio takes on a field featuring the likes of USA's Noah Williams.
<h2>A triple jumper&rsquo;s last meet at age 30</h2>
In the only men&rsquo;s field event, Claye, a three-time Olympian, will launch his 11th year on the pro circuit on the day before his 31st birthday. Claye won Olympic silver medals in the triple jump in 2012 and 2016 and finished fourth in Tokyo. He also claimed the bronze medal in the long jump in 2012. Claye was fourth at the World Indoor Championships in March with 17.19m. Jah-Nhai Perinchief of Bermuda has the top mark in the field this season of 16.95m, followed by Marcos Ruiz of Spain at 16.94m.
Saunders, the Olympic silver medallist in the women&rsquo;s shot put, will take on Chase Ealey, who made a big impression with the No.2 throw in the world this year of 19.98m last Monday (6) in Hengelo. Saunders&rsquo; Tokyo teammate Jessica Ramsey has thrown 19.38m this season to rank No.6, while Saunders&rsquo; best is a heave of 18.71m to place sixth at the Doha Diamond League meeting. Danniel Thomas-Dodd of Jamaica ranks fifth at 19.53m.&nbsp;
Karen Rosen for World Athletics

Four individual Tokyo Olympic medallists are competing in the USATF New York Grand Prix

McLaughlin and Holloway head for New York

Double world champion Noah Lyles headlines the men&rsquo;s 60m at the M&uuml;ller Indoor Grand Prix Birmingham &ndash; a World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold meeting &ndash; at the Utilita Arena in Birmingham on 19 February.&nbsp;
The 24-year-old, who was the fastest man in the world over 200m in 2021 (19.52), is ranked fourth on the global all-time list (19.50). He ran a 60m personal best of 6.56 for victory in the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix on 6 February and will line up in Birmingham alongside his fellow US sprinter Ronnie Baker, the bronze medallist in the 60m at the 2018 World Indoor Championships. Baker, who has a PB of 6.40 from 2018, opened his season with third place at the Millrose Games on 29 January.
"I&rsquo;ve run on the US indoor circuit this year, and this meet will be the final one for me," said Olympic 200m bronze medallist Lyles, who&nbsp;will compete at the M&uuml;ller Indoor Grand Prix for the first time. "I have seen a lot of fast times come from the Birmingham track, and I&rsquo;m looking forward to running there.&nbsp;
"My main focus this year is on defending my titles at the World Athletics Championships this summer and continuing to get better. Every training session and every race is working towards achieving that goal, and this race fits right into that."&nbsp;
The British contingent in Birmingham will be led by reigning national indoor champion Andy Robertson.
The M&uuml;ller Indoor Grand Prix is the fifth meeting of the 2022 World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold series. There are seven Gold level meetings across the series, which started with Karlsruhe on 28 January and concludes in Madrid on 2 March.&nbsp;
Other athletes set to compete in Birmingham include five-time Olympic gold medallist Elaine Thompson-Herah, Olympic pole vault champion Mondo Duplantis, world indoor 60m hurdles record-holder Grant Holloway, Olympic 1500m silver medallist Laura Muir and Olympic 800m silver medallist Keely Hodgkinson.
Organisers for World Athletics

Noah Lyles and Ronnie Baker have been announced for the men’s 60m.

World champion Lyles targets fast finish to season in Birmingham

Organisers of the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix have announced that world 200m champion Noah Lyles will face off against world indoor bronze medallist Ronnie Baker and world U20 record-holder Erriyon Knighton in the 60m at the World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold meeting on 6 February.
Making his second appearance at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix in as many years, Lyles will be looking to add the 60m title to the one he captured over 200m in 2021, a season that saw him earn Olympic bronze and record the fastest time in the world for 200m.
Baker, who finished fifth in the 100m at the Tokyo Olympics, and World Athletics Rising Star Knighton, who placed fourth over 200m in the Japanese capital, will line up against Lyles.
Another exciting clash is shaping up in the women&rsquo;s 3000m, as the previously announced Elle Purrier St Pierre will take on Gabriela DeBues-Stafford, the Canadian indoor and outdoor record-holder at 1500m and the mile, and fifth-place finisher over 1500m at the Olympic Games in Tokyo. 2017 world steeplechase champion Emma Coburn and European indoor 3000m champion Amy-Eloise Markovc are also in the field.
Two double Olympic medallists will clash in the women&rsquo;s 300m. Gabby Thomas, who earned 200m bronze and 4x100m silver in Tokyo, will once again take on Lynna Irby, who last year won Olympic gold in the women&rsquo;s 4x400m and bronze in the mixed 4x400m. The duo raced over this distance at last year&rsquo;s New Balance Indoor Grand Prix with Thomas getting the verdict, 35.73 to 35.99 &ndash; the first time two women had bettered 36 seconds for the distance indoors.
Other top athletes already confirmed for the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix include world indoor 60m hurdles record-holder and Olympic silver medallist Grant Holloway, and 2021 world 100m leader Trayvon Bromell, who will line up over 200m.
Organisers for World Athletics

World 200m champion takes on world indoor bronze medallist and world U20 record-holder

Lyles, Baker and Knighton to clash over 60m at Staten Island

In a culture saturated by so many other sports, those in the USA fret about who can be the face of athletics.
Who can be featured on television news? Who can be a crossover figure like gymnast Simone Biles? Who can be a Carl Lewis or a Jackie Joyner-Kersee?
As the 10-day US Olympic Trials closed on Sunday night (27) in Eugene, Oregon, there was a deep reservoir of young candidates &ndash; none more so than Sydney McLaughlin. The 21-year-old became the first woman to break the 52-second barrier in the 400m hurdles.
Record temperatures approaching 44C delayed the programme by five hours, but there was no delaying the inevitable: McLaughlin was going to break the world record, and she did so with her time of 51.90*.
&ldquo;I definitely saw it coming,&rdquo; said Dalilah Muhammad, the world and Olympic champion. &ldquo;She looked so good in the rounds.&rdquo;
McLaughlin&rsquo;s time broke the record of 52.16 set by Muhammad at the World Athletics Championships Doha 2019. McLaughlin, second in that race in 52.23, pulled away from Muhammad over the final two hurdles in Eugene.
Even with 2020 lost to the pandemic, the world record has been broken three times in 23 months &ndash; twice by Muhammad, once by McLaughlin.
That was the highlight of another historic day of young record-breakers. The trials ended with 11 world-leading marks, five by men and six by women.
Athing Mu, 19, set a trials record in the 800m; Cole Hocker, 20, became the youngest men&rsquo;s 1500m champion in 110 years; JuVaughn Harrison, 22, became the first to make the US team in the high jump and long jump since Jim Thorpe in 1912; Noah Lyles, 23, ran a world-leading 200m, and Erriyon Knighton, 17, again lowered the world U20 record in the 200m.
McLaughlin has been projected as the sport&rsquo;s face in the United States since she made an Olympic team at age 16. After one college season at Kentucky, she turned professional.
&ldquo;I was growing into my own person,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;My faith is the biggest change. Trusting God and knowing He will carry me through.&rdquo;
Her record-setting might not be over. Not only could McLaughlin lower her world record at the Tokyo Olympics, she should be named to the 4x400m relay team that could set one &ndash; though that mark (3:15.17) is arguably a much bigger ask.
McLaughlin trains in Los Angeles under Bobby Kersee, who also coached Joyner-Kersee.
&ldquo;Bobby knows how to put things together when the time comes,&rdquo; McLaughlin said.
Muhammad, who over the past 12 months has had to contend with injuries and a bout of Covid-19, finished second in 52.42, the third-fastest time of her career. NCAA champion Anna Cockrell took the third spot in 53.70, nearly a full second faster than her previous PB, in beating Shamier Little (53.85). Olympic bronze medallist Ashley Spencer stumbled over an early hurdle and finished seventh.
Likely to join McLaughlin in that 4x400m team is Mu, considering earlier this month she set a collegiate record of 49.57 &ndash; faster than the winning mark at the USA Trials.
Mu ran a world-leading 1:56.07 to win the 800m, breaking her own North American U20 record. World silver medallist Raevyn Rogers was second in a PB of 1:57.66 and US record-holder Ajee Wilson third in 1:58.39. Not until late did Wilson overtake Michaela Meyer, who was fourth in 1:58.55.
Mu sat in the pack for the first lap, passing through 200m in 27.54 and 400m in a swift 57.53. She then made her move on the second lap, positioning herself at the front with 200 metres to go. She kicked hard as she came off the final bend and, having covered the final lap in 58.54, crossed the line almost two seconds ahead of her nearest opponent.
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/60d9b8596153404114f35416.jpg" alt="" width="950" height="633" />
 In the men's 1500m, Hocker was in sixth place with about 150 metres left but used a closing rush to overtake Olympic champion Matthew Centrowitz, 3:35.28 to 3:35.34.
Yared Nuguse, 22, was third in 3:36.19, overtaking the most recent national champion, Craig Engels, who is also this year&rsquo;s fastest US man (3:33.64).
Hocker put a finger to his lips past the finish as if to shush critics. An &ldquo;in-the-moment thing&rdquo;, he said.
&ldquo;Last year I wasn&rsquo;t at this level. I was nowhere near this level,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;This whole year, I felt like I was proving myself to the world, but also proving my talent to myself. There&rsquo;s a lot of negative talk out there, and I wanted to silence everyone.&rdquo;
Hocker has not met the 3:35 Olympic standard but has a world ranking that looks sufficient to secure his spot on the US team.
He is the youngest US Olympian in the men&rsquo;s 1500m since Marty Liquori, then 19, in 1968. And he is the youngest national champion in the men&rsquo;s 1500 or mile since 1911, when Abel Kiviat won a few days after turning 19.
Hocker has run 23 races since 29 January. Thirteen were PBs. Of the 10 others, eight were prelims and one an NCAA indoor title.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m impressed that he&rsquo;s been able to do that since January and is showing no signs of letting up,&rdquo; said Centrowitz.
Harrison won the high jump at 2.33m, beating Darryl Sullivan on countback. Olympic medallist Erik Kynard was fourth.
The delay allowed Harrison more rest for the long jump, in which he jumped a PB of 8.47m, completing the best ever one-day jumps double.
&ldquo;It just gave my legs more time to recover and gave me a chance to eat something,&rdquo; Harrison said. &ldquo;I was ready to go earlier, even though they said it was too hot.&rdquo;
Marquis Dendy, the 2016 world indoor champion, was second at 8.38m and Steffin McCarter third with 8.26m. Olympic champion Jeff Henderson was sixth with 8.08m, meaning he won&rsquo;t defend his title in Tokyo.
In a competition that showcased newcomers, it was appropriate that the last athlete to secure an Olympic berth was Knighton. He is the youngest man on the US team since Jim Ryun in 1964.
World champion Lyles won the 200m in a world-leading 19.74, followed by Kenny Bednarek, 19.78, and Knighton, 19.84. Knighton broke his own world U20 record of 19.88 from Saturday&rsquo;s semifinals. He set a world U18 record of 20.04 in Friday&rsquo;s first round, then twice broke that.
Lyles was fourth in the 200m at the 2016 trials as an 18-year-old. 
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/60d9b8256153404114f35410.jpg" alt="" width="950" height="633" />
 &ldquo;Ever since then, the mind-set of being an Olympian has been on my mind,&rdquo; said Lyles. &ldquo;Having the pause on 2020 has probably been my hardest yet. I don&rsquo;t think anyone can prepare you for the lion you have to slay at the Olympic Trials.&rdquo;
In the heptathlon, the year&rsquo;s top three scores were posted by Annie Kunz (6703), Kendall Williams (6683) and Erica Bougard (6667). Kunz, whose previous best was 6153, did not have the Olympic standard until this week.
Kunz broke or was close to her PBs in all seven disciplines. She started with a marginally wind-assisted 12.95 in the 100m hurdles and followed it with 1.81m in the high jump, an outdoor PB. She then threw 15.73m in the shot put, which moved her into the lead overall &ndash; a position she maintained after clocking a PB of 23.71 in the 200m to end the first day at the top of the leader board.
She started the second day with a huge PB of 6.50m in the long jump, but briefly relinquished her lead after the javelin (45.06m). Kendell Williams, who ended the first day in third place, was having a strong second day with marks of 6.73m in the long jump and 47.41m in the javelin. It meant Williams went into the final event with a two-point lead over Kunz. 
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/60d9b8406153404114f35413.jpg" alt="" width="950" height="633" />
 But Kunz ensured she stayed ahead of Williams in the 800m, eventually clocking 2:15.24 to retake the lead with a score of 6703, moving to fifth on the US all-time list. Williams, who finished second with a PB of 6683, is now sixth on that list.
Taliyah Brooks, in fourth place through five events, had to withdraw because of the heat.
&ldquo;I have grown immensely since 2019,&rdquo; said Kunz, who finished 13th at the 2019 World Championships. &ldquo;It feels like the sky&rsquo;s the limit now.&rdquo;
The men&rsquo;s 5000m, held in the morning to escape the worst of the heat, was won by Olympic silver medallist Paul Chelimo. He gradually veered from the rail to inside of lane four to force out Bowerman Track Club&rsquo;s Grant Fisher and Woody Kincaid.
Chelimo was first in 13:26.82, followed by Fisher (13:27.01) and Kincaid (13:27.13). Their respective closing laps were 52.83, 52.99 and 52.74. Cooper Teare was fourth in 13:28.08 off a 53.97 last lap.
Fisher and Kincaid became the first pair to finish in the top three of 5000m and 10,000m at the same US Trials. Qualifying in both had been done previously, but never two at the same trials.
Roy Jordan for World Athletics
*Subject to the usual ratification procedure

As the 10-day US Olympic Trials closed in Eugene, 21-year-old Sydney McLaughlin became the first woman to break the 52-second barrier in the 400m hurdles.

McLaughlin smashes world 400m hurdles record in Eugene with 51.90

Street meets may be seen as the fun and care-free cousin of top-flight athletics, but dozens of the world&rsquo;s best athletes will be using Sunday&rsquo;s adidas Boost Boston Games &ndash; a World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meeting &ndash; as a key stepping stone leading up to the Olympic Games.
Wayde van Niekerk has had quite the journey since winning Olympic gold in Rio. The South African sprinter successfully defended his world title in 2017 but then sustained a serious injury in 2018 which put him out of action for the best part of two years.
He has now returned to full health and recently started training under Lance Brauman &ndash; a move that required relocating to Florida.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s been a very good last two weeks in the US, being welcomed by the Pure Athletics group,&rdquo; said the 400m world record-holder, who has won all of his races over 200m this year. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m very excited.
&ldquo;There have definitely been positive steps, especially the race in Gauteng (which he won in a marginally wind-assisted 20.10) because that had a great line-up. It gave me a massive boost. It&rsquo;s been a good start to the year and I&rsquo;m looking forward to seeing what I can do this weekend, taking it step by step until the Olympic Games.&rdquo;
He admitted that the road back to full health was a difficult one &ndash; mentally more than anything.
&ldquo;Physically, I never really questioned myself,&rdquo; said Van Niekerk, who will be racing the 200m straight on Sunday. &ldquo;I always backed myself and I knew I had to work ethic to help me get back to where I should be. It was really just about trying to get my mental outlook to the same level as the physical. When I finally achieved that, things started falling into place.&rdquo;
Van Niekerk is now a training partner of fellow Olympic 400m gold medallist Shaunae Miller-Uibo. After just two weeks of training together, Miller-Uibo has thoroughly enjoyed having Van Niekerk as part of the group.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a blessing having Wayde in the group,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;When I first heard he was coming, I was very excited. It&rsquo;s not every day you train with a world record-holder. He&rsquo;s so humble and he trains so well. We all look up to him and I&rsquo;m going to try to learn as much as I can from him.
Like Van Niekerk, Miller-Uibo will also be contesting the 200m straight this weekend &ndash; a discipline for which she holds the unofficial world best of 21.76.
The Bahamian hopes to get close to that time on Sunday, though she knows it will be a tough ask. Either way, she knows she&rsquo;ll have fun.
&ldquo;I like running 200m on a straight,&rdquo; said the three-time world medallist. &ldquo;I struggle a bit with running the bends on a regular track. A straight 200m looks longer, but once you get past that, it&rsquo;s fine.&rdquo;
Though she currently leads the 400m world list with 49.08 &ndash; and sits at sixth on the world all-time list with 48.37 &ndash; Miller-Uibo confirmed she intends to contest the 200m at the Tokyo Olympics.
&ldquo;The 200m and 400m go hand in hand,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;I want a new title &ndash; I&rsquo;ve already won Olympic gold at 400m, so now we&rsquo;re going after the 200m. I hope I&rsquo;ll be able to show the progress we&rsquo;ve made in the 200m.&rdquo; 
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 World 110m hurdles champion Grant Holloway will be fulfilling a long-held dream this weekend.
&ldquo;This is one of the meets I&rsquo;ve always dreamed of going to,&rdquo; he said.
Since breaking the world indoor 60m hurdles record earlier this year, Holloway hasn&rsquo;t dwelled too much on his record-breaking 7.29 run in Madrid.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve not spent too much time focusing on the world indoor record,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;We enjoyed it, we took notes from it, and we moved on. We needed to keep pushing and to get ready for the last five hurdles (for the 110m hurdles).
&ldquo;I think I&rsquo;m in great shape,&rdquo; added Holloway, who has won all three of his outdoor races so far and currently tops the world list with 13.07. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m satisfied with everything both on and off track. I&rsquo;m satisfied but not content; I know I can be better and faster. The main thing now is fine tuning and getting better. I know the Olympic Trials, the Diamond League and the Olympic Games aren&rsquo;t going to be easy. I just have to focus on my lane and my space.&rdquo;
And while he has been able to adapt to performing in empty stadiums, Holloway can&rsquo;t wait for crowds to return to athletics meetings.
&ldquo;When we&rsquo;re able to welcome fans back to competitions, I think it will make a huge difference to all athletes,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;You&rsquo;ll get those pre-competition nerves, which is what we all need to produce even faster times. We just need to take care of the small things first: vaccinations, social distancing, all that good stuff. Then hopefully next year we can do all of this in person.&rdquo;
Fellow sprint hurdles world record-holder Kendra Harrison will also be racing this weekend. The world indoor champion leads a high-quality women&rsquo;s 100m hurdles line-up and she can&rsquo;t wait to test herself against the world&rsquo;s best.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m really excited to run the hurdles here,&rdquo; said Harrison, who has competed previously at the adidas Boost Boston Games, but only in the 100m flat. &ldquo;From my hotel room I can see the track being built &ndash; it&rsquo;s very exciting.&rdquo;
Harrison competed just once during the 2020 outdoor season, running 16.92 in a 150m race. And in the first few months of this year, she produced some impressive times in flat sprints before turning her attention back to the hurdles.
&ldquo;The transition from 2020 to 2021 has been kind of smooth,&rdquo; said the world silver medallist. &ldquo;Luckily last year I was able to access a track and train as normal, so I was ready for when the opportunities to return to competition presented itself.
&ldquo;Over the past year I&rsquo;ve been working a lot more on my flat sprints, and trying to run flat races like a sprinter,&rdquo; she added. &ldquo;Training alongside Jenna Prandini and Teahna Daniels has definitely helped.&rdquo;
World 200m champion Noah Lyles is also working on sharpening his speed.
Originally slated to contest the 150m in Boston, he recently changed his plan and switched to the 100m instead.
&ldquo;This week I said to my coach that I feel like I need to do more 100s,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;My race at Mt SAC reassured me that I can jump right into a 200m and I&rsquo;m ready, but I want to have more 100m races under my belt before the trials. I need to be more race-sharp.
&ldquo;That race at Mt SAC (where he came through in the closing stages to win in 19.90) was probably my most raw 200m in a long time,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;There were a few doubts, but that&rsquo;s all part of being an athlete. Being able to show up and run to best of abilities &ndash; that&rsquo;s really what being a champion is all about.&rdquo;
At this early stage of the season, Lyles is yet to approach the kind of speed that carried him to PBs of 9.86 and 19.50 in 2019, but he&rsquo;s confident it will come when it matters.
&ldquo;This has been the hardest training year I&rsquo;ve ever had in my career, especially when it comes to conditioning and speed endurance,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m stronger and leaner than before. We haven&rsquo;t seen the fruits of my labour just yet, but I see them growing in front of me. It&rsquo;s exciting to see it coming to fruition. I&rsquo;m really going to be ready by the time of the Olympics.&rdquo;
Jon Mulkeen for World Athletics

Street meets may be seen as the fun and care-free cousin of top-flight athletics, but dozens of the world’s best athletes will be using Sunday’s adidas Boost Boston Games – a World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meeting – as a key stepping stone leading up to the Olympic Games.

Van Niekerk, Miller-Uibo and Lyles ready to use Boston as Tokyo tune-up

A lot has happened during the four years since Wayde van Niekerk last competed at the adidas Boost Boston Games. One world title and a few years of injury later, the Olympic 400m champion returns to the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold street meeting on Sunday (23) ready and raring to go.
The South African sprinter won over 200m at the 2017 edition of this meeting, clocking 19.84 on the straight track. Having recovered from a persistent injury sustained while playing rugby back in 2018, Van Niekerk has returned to winning ways this year and heads to Boston with a season&rsquo;s best of 20.38, set when winning the South African 200m title last month.
Victory won&rsquo;t come easy, though, as he&rsquo;ll be joined in Boston by European 100m champion Zharnel Hughes. The Briton has the fastest 200m season&rsquo;s best of the field, having clocked 20.14 and a wind-assisted 19.93 last month.
As with the men&rsquo;s race, the women&rsquo;s 200m in Boston also features the reigning Olympic 400m champion. Shaunae Miller-Uibo of The Bahamas will look to extend her unbeaten run at this meeting, having won over 150m in 2018 and 2019, and at 200m in 2017 &ndash; clocking 21.76, a world best for the 200m straight.
USA&rsquo;s Wadeline Jonathas, who finished fourth over 400m at the World Athletics Championships Doha 2019, could be Miller-Uibo&rsquo;s toughest opponent.
<h3>High-quality hurdles</h3>
World record-holder Kendra Harrison makes her Boston Games debut in the women&rsquo;s 100m hurdles. The world indoor champion has been in impressive form this year, clocking a wind-assisted 12.38 and two wind-legal 12.48 performances.
In what appears to be the highest-quality line-up of the meet, Harrison will take on Sharika Nelvis, winner in Boston in 2018 and 2019, world indoor silver medallist Christina Clemons, 2015 world champion Danielle Williams of Jamaica and African champion Tobi Amusan of Nigeria.
The men&rsquo;s 110m hurdles, meanwhile, brings together the world indoor record-holder and the outdoor world record-holder in the form of Grant Holloway and Aries Merritt.
Since breaking the world indoor record with 7.29 in February, Holloway has continued his unbeaten run outdoors, winning all three of his competitions so far, topped by his world-leading 13.07 in Gainesville. Merritt, whose last full season was back in 2018, will be looking to improve on his season&rsquo;s best of 13.90.
Shamier Little heads to Boston in the hope of achieving a third victory in the 200m hurdles. The 2015 world 400m hurdles silver medallist has been in sensational form this year, recording PBs for 400m indoors and out, 200m indoors and 800m outdoors, all of which suggests she&rsquo;ll improve on her 25.88 PB for the rarely run 200m hurdles.
But Ebony Morrison, who beat Little in Boston in 2018 with a meeting record of 25.80, also returns. Olympic bronze medallist Ashley Spencer, also proficient at a range of events, is also in the line-up.
The men&rsquo;s race is similarly tough to call. Brazil&rsquo;s Alison Dos Santos is fresh from a 400m hurdles best of 47.68, but his strength lies in the latter stages of the 400m distance. TJ Holmes, who finished ahead of Dos Santos at the 2019 World Championships, should certainly be in contention, as should Amere Lattin, who has the best form over the shorter hurdles events.
<h3>Lyles leads 100m line-up</h3>
World 200m champion Noah Lyles will step down in distance to the 100m where he&rsquo;ll take on younger brother Josephus Lyles and 2017 world 200m finalist Isiah Young, who has already broken 10 seconds for 100m this year.
World indoor champion Murielle Ahoure makes her 2021 outdoor debut in the women&rsquo;s 100m in Boston, and it won&rsquo;t be an easy one. The Ivorian sprinter takes on two-time world 200m champion Dafne Schippers and 2018 US champion Aleia Hobbs.
In the men&rsquo;s 150m, 2011 world 100m champion Yohan Blake lines up against 2017 world 200m bronze medallist Jereem Richards and USA&rsquo;s Kyree King, who last month set a 100m PB of 9.97.
World 200m silver medallist Brittany Brown takes on US compatriot Lynna Irby in the women&rsquo;s 150m.
Having set PBs at 400m, 1000m and 1500m so far this year, Bryce Hoppel has every right to feel confident ahead of the 600m in Boston. But Kenya&rsquo;s Michael Saruni, who formerly held the world indoor best for the 600m distance, is also in the field, as are Canada&rsquo;s Marco Arop and Britain&rsquo;s Jamie Webb.
US 800m record-holder Ajee Wilson contests the women&rsquo;s 600m, lining up alongside Jamaican record-holder Natoya Goule.
World 1500m bronze medallist Marcin Lewandowski will defend his title in the road mile, taking on a field that includes Olympic 800m bronze medallist Clayton Murphy and USA&rsquo;s Robby Andrews. Pan-American 1500m champion Nikki Hiltz leads the women&rsquo;s line-up.
Jon Mulkeen for World Athletics

A lot has happened during the four years since Wayde van Niekerk last competed at the adidas Boost Boston Games.

Global champions take to the streets in Boston

World champions Noah Lyles, Steven Gardiner and Grant Holloway lead the fields for the adidas Boost Boston Games on Sunday 23 May, organisers of the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meeting confirmed on Tuesday (19).
Wayde van Niekerk and Dafne Schippers, back-to-back world champions in 2015 and 2017 over 400m and 200m respectively, are also set to compete at North America&rsquo;s first and only &lsquo;street meet&rsquo;.
Due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, no spectators will be permitted at this year&rsquo;s adidas Boost Boston Games, but it will be shown live internationally via local broadcasters and the World Athletics YouTube channel.
Lyles, the world 200m and 4x100m champion, leads the men&rsquo;s 100m field. The 23-year-old has twice won the 150m in Boston, and most recently won the 200m at the USATF Golden Games in 19.90, the third-fastest time in the world this year.
The men&rsquo;s 200m is set to feature an exciting clash between Olympic 400m champion Wayde van Niekerk and world 400m champion Steven Gardiner. Van Niekerk, the 400m world record-holder, last competed in Boston in 2017, when he ran 19.84 to set the still-standing event record in the men&rsquo;s 200m. Gardiner&rsquo;s best for the straight 200m, meanwhile, is only a fraction slower at 19.88, set in Boston in 2018.
Schippers will be taking to the blocks on Sunday for her Boston debut. The seven-time global medallist will contest the 100m, where her she will face 2018 US champion Aleia Hobbs, who has clocked 10.91 so far this year.
Holloway, the world 110m hurdles champion and world indoor record-holder, will also be making his first appearance at the adidas Boost Boston Games.
The men&rsquo;s and women&rsquo;s 600m road races are set to take place earlier in the day. In the women&rsquo;s event, world 800m bronze medallist Ajee&rsquo; Wilson takes on Jamaican 800m record-holder Natoya Goule. USA&rsquo;s Bryce Hoppel, Canada&rsquo;s Pan-American champion Marco Arop and Kenyan indoor 800m record-holder Michael Saruni will clash in the men&rsquo;s race.
Organisers for World Athletics

World champions Noah Lyles, Steven Gardiner and Grant Holloway lead the fields for the adidas Boost Boston Games on Sunday 23 May, organisers of the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meeting confirmed on Tuesday (19).

Lyles, Van Niekerk and Holloway confirmed for Boston

Noah Lyles makes his 200m season opener, Rai Benjamin and Shamier Little return to 400m hurdles action and Sha&rsquo;Carri Richardson looks to continue her fine 100m form at the USATF Golden Games, part of the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold series, on Sunday (9).
The meeting features great depth across the board, with Allyson Felix, Michael Norman, Katerina Stefanidi, Keni Harrison, Bryce Hoppel and Laura Muir also among the entries. The inclusion of NFL star DK Metcalf in the 100m line-up adds another dimension to the competition at Mt SAC in Walnut, California.
After racing over 100m in Florida and Eugene last month with a best of 10.08, world 200m champion Lyles returns to his specialty event this weekend and he will be joined by Kenny Bednarek, who ranked second behind Lyles &ndash; 19.80 to 19.76 &ndash; last year, plus teenager Erriyon Knighton, who ran a wind-assisted 9.99 (2.7m/s) for 100m last weekend.
With the&nbsp;track set to be reversed for the sprints to take advantage of a tailwind, some fast times can be expected.
<img src="https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/Original/ad3cc1c7-7aca-437c-8a49-854b6a3e9c25.jpg" width="950" height="748" />
The women&rsquo;s event will see multiple global gold medallist Felix race the distance outdoors for the first time since 2017.
World U20 record-holder Richardson moved to sixth on the world 100m all-time list with her 10.72 in Florida on April 11 and after a 22.11 200m six days later she again contests the shorter sprint and lines up alongside English Gardner, Javianne Oliver, Morolake Akinosun,&nbsp;Briana Williams and Olympic and world gold medallist Veronica Campbell Brown.
World silver medallist Benjamin hasn&rsquo;t raced over the barriers since 2019, during a season which saw him clock 46.98 to become the equal third-fastest 400m hurdler in history, and he makes a comeback this weekend after opening with a 44.97 400m flat behind Norman&rsquo;s 44.67 in Eugene two weeks ago. In Walnut, Commonwealth champion Kyron McMaster and Brazil&rsquo;s Alison dos Santos &ndash; fresh from World Athletics Relays action &ndash; join Benjamin in the 400m hurdles, while Michael Cherry will race against Norman in the 400m.
After becoming only the second woman to ever break 53 seconds for the 400m hurdles and 50 seconds for 400m flat with a&nbsp;49.91 PB at the&nbsp;Miramar Invitational last month, 2015 world silver medallist Little also makes a highly-anticipated hurdles return. She will line up alongside Olympic bronze medallist&nbsp;Ashley Spencer and Panama&rsquo;s Gianna Woodruff, who won at the Drake Relays with a world-leading national record of 55.02.
Joining world record-holder Harrison in the 100m hurdles are world 400m hurdles silver medallist Sydney McLaughlin, who clocked a 12.86 PB in Eugene, and Tobi Amusan, who like Harrison has run 12.48 so far this season.
<h3>Metcalf tests his speed</h3>
Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Metcalf has turned heads with his speed on the American football field but will now put that to the test as he takes to the track to race against the likes of Mike Rodgers and Kyree King, who has run 9.97 this season.
The 800m sees Olympic bronze medallist Clayton Murphy, world fourth-placer Bryce Hoppel, 2016 world indoor medallist Erik Sowinski and former NCAA winners Josh Kerr and Michael Saruni in the men&rsquo;s event. Adelle Tracey won in Eugene last month ahead of her fellow Briton Jemma Reekie and world silver medallist Raevyn Rogers and they all race again at the Golden Games, this time joined by Reekie&rsquo;s training partner Laura Muir, the double world indoor medallist.
<img src="https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/Original/cf0a74af-3a7f-480c-8041-d7fabaa922ac.jpg" alt="" width="950" height="702" />
Canada&rsquo;s Gabriela DeBues-Stafford is a former training partner of Muir and Reekie and she races the 1500m along with Elle Purrier, Eilish McColgan, Nikki Hiltz and Aisha Praught-Leer, while the men&rsquo;s event includes Oceania indoor 1500m record-holder Oliver Hoare, Justyn Knight, Moh Ahmed and Johnny Gregorek.
Olympic runner-up Evan Jager competes in a 3000m steeplechase for the first time since 2018 and his fellow world medallist Courtney Frerichs goes in the women&rsquo;s event.
Multiple Olympic and world triple jump medallist Will Claye is another set to make his return to competition in Walnut, while the women&rsquo;s competition features world leader Keturah Orji, who jumped 14.92m last month, plus Thea LaFond, Tori Franklin, Keturah Orji and Kimberly Williams.
<h3>Stefanidi continues her comeback</h3>
After struggling with a foot injury last year, Olympic pole vault champion Stefanidi is working to rediscover her top form and will look to build on her 4.61m from last weekend in Chula Vista as she goes up against Katie Nageotte and Alysha Newman. KC Lightfoot continues his outdoor season in the men&rsquo;s event after clearing 6 metres indoors and opening with 5.80m in March.
World silver medallist Danniel Thomas-Dodd threw 19.17m in Florida last month and is joined in the shot put by Chase Ealey, Maggie Ewen and Raven Saunders, with&nbsp;Darrell Hill contesting the men's competition.
The women&rsquo;s 5000m, which like the steeplechase events forms part of the evening&rsquo;s Distance Open, includes Molly Huddle and Britain&rsquo;s European medallist Steph Twell.
Jess Whittington for World Athletics

Noah Lyles makes his 200m season opener, Rai Benjamin and Shamier Little return to 400m hurdles action and Sha’Carri Richardson looks to continue her fine 100m form at the USATF Golden Games, part of the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold series, on Sunday (9).

Strong fields head to Mt SAC for USATF Golden Games

Several top-quality clashes are set to highlight the USATF Grand Prix &ndash; the first World Athletics Continental Tour Gold standard meeting of 2021 &ndash; on Saturday (24).
Global gold medallists such as Allyson Felix, Noah Lyles, Shaunae Miller-Uibo, Donavan Brazier, Michelle Carter and Christian Taylor are among the athletes heading to Eugene&rsquo;s Hayward Field &ndash; stadium for the World Athletics Championships Oregon22 &ndash; as the iconic venue hosts its first professional competition since recent renovation.
Both women&rsquo;s and men&rsquo;s 100m events are on the programme, which is being held as part of the Oregon Relays, and the women&rsquo;s entry list includes the USA&rsquo;s multiple world and Olympic gold medallist Felix as one of 12 sub-11-second sprinters. Joining her are Olympic long jump champion Tianna Bartoletta of the USA, Ivory Coast's world indoor 60m champion Murielle Ahoure, Nigeria&rsquo;s world and Olympic medallist Blessing Okagbare, 2019 US champion Teahna Daniels, double world U20 champion Briana Williams and 2016 world U20 champion Candace Hill.
World 200m champion Lyles is back in action after opening his season over 100m last weekend and the American forms part of a men&rsquo;s field also featuring world leader Ronnie Baker, who ran 9.94 in Texas at the end of March, plus 2016 world indoor 60m champion Trayvon Bromell as he makes his 2021 100m debut.
Olympic 400m champion Miller-Uibo of The Bahamas races over one lap against 2017 world champion Phyllis Francis and world relay gold medallists Wadeline Jonathas and Jessica Beard, while the men&rsquo;s line-up includes Michael Norman, who ran 43.45 in 2019 to become the joint fourth fastest ever 400m sprinter, plus his training partner Rai Benjamin, who won world 400m hurdles silver in Doha.
<h3>Taylor in triple jump,&nbsp;Price and&nbsp;Andersen in hammer</h3>
Four-time world and two-time Olympic champion Taylor leads the men&rsquo;s triple jump field, while in-form Thea LaFond of Dominica, the USA&rsquo;s Tori Franklin and Jamaica&rsquo;s Commonwealth champion Kimberly Williams are entered in the women&rsquo;s event.
DeAnna Price contests the hammer, fresh from improving her own North American record to 78.60m, and she will face Brooke Andersen, who that same weekend became the second US woman in history to throw beyond 78 metres with 78.18m.
In the women&rsquo;s shot put, Carter faces Jamaica's world silver medallist Danniel Thomas-Dodd, US champion Chase Ealey, world fourth-placer Maggie Ewen and Olympic fifth-placer Raven Saunders.
The USA&rsquo;s Brazier, the world 800m champion, tests himself over 1500m and he will line up alongside Australia&rsquo;s Oceania indoor record-holder Oliver Hoare, the USA&rsquo;s Bryce Hoppel and Canada&rsquo;s Justyn Knight. The two-lap event, meanwhile, features 2016 world indoor bronze medallist Erik Sowinski, while 3000m steeplechase entries include the USA&rsquo;s Hillary Bor, Stanley Kebenei and Haron Lagat.
Puerto Rico&rsquo;s Jasmine Camacho-Quinn returns to the track after her impressive time of 12.32 to move to equal seventh on the world 100m hurdles all-time list in Florida on Saturday. She races against the USA&rsquo;s world 400m hurdles silver medallist Sydney McLaughlin, who&nbsp;improved her 100m hurdles PB to 12.92 recently to become the first woman to break 13.00 for the 100m hurdles, 23.00 for 200m and 53.00 for the 400m hurdles, and Nigeria&rsquo;s Commonwealth champion Tobi Amusan.
France&rsquo;s Jimmy Vicaut, who only raced once in 2020 and opens his season in Eugene, is among the men&rsquo;s 200m entries along with Josephus Lyles, Jereem Richards and Ameer Webb.
The women&rsquo;s 800m includes the USA&rsquo;s world silver medallist Raevyn Rogers, Canada&rsquo;s 2015 world silver medallist Melissa Bishop and Britain&rsquo;s Jemma Reekie, whose training partner Laura Muir &ndash; the double world indoor medallist &ndash; contests the 1500m where she will be joined by the USA&rsquo;s 2011 world champion Jenny Simpson.
<h3>Hall returns to track action</h3>
In the women&rsquo;s 5000m, the USA&rsquo;s London Marathon runner-up Sara Hall is entered for her first track race since 2016 and will line up alongside Britain&rsquo;s European indoor 3000m champion Amy-Eloise Markovc, Australian record-holder Jessica Hull and Britain&rsquo;s European 5000m silver medallist Eilish McColgan.
The USA&rsquo;s 2016 world indoor champion Vashti Cunningham and world and Olympic finalist Inika McPherson contest the women&rsquo;s high jump, while the men&rsquo;s long jump features Cunningham&rsquo;s fellow 2016 world indoor gold medallist Marquis Dendy.
Grenada&rsquo;s world champion Anderson Peters leads the javelin entries, while Rudy Winkler &ndash; third on the US all-time list with 80.70m &ndash; goes in the hammer.
Fans in the USA will be able to watch the action live via NBCSN while coverage will also be available on USATF.tv and a live stream of the meeting will be available in some territories via the World Athletics YouTube channel. Further broadcast information will be included in our pre-meeting &lsquo;how to follow&rsquo; guide.
Jess Whittington for World Athletics

Several top-quality clashes are set to highlight the USATF Grand Prix – the first World Athletics Continental Tour Gold standard meeting of 2021 – on Saturday (24).