by The Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone and Noah Lyles Olympic stars and Noah Lyles are at the head of a starry program as the American athletic championships start on Thursday with places at the Tokyo World Championships to be won.
Four days of high caliber competition begin in Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, with a range of Olympic gold medalists and reigning world champions.
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Many of the biggest names in the field – such as the 100m Lyles Olympic champion – have already obtained their tickets for the world championships in September because of their status as defending world champion.
However, there are still many unanswered questions as competition at the spiritual home of American athletics begins.
We can say that the most intrigued surrounds the double champion of the Olympic hedges of 400m McLaughlin-Levrone, who has not lost in his event signature since 2019.
The 25 -year -old woman cemented her status as a biggest female hedges in the 400m in history a year ago in Paris when she was filled with her second Olympic gold in the event in a 50.37 seconds world record.
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But McLaughlin-Levrone raised the eyebrows before this week’s meeting by choosing to jump the hedges of the 400m and rather focus on the 400m apartment.
This means that McLaughlin-Levrone, who missed the Budapest 2023 world championships with a knee injury, may fail to participate in the obstacles to Tokyo, although she can always qualify for the event with the victory in the Diamond League final in August.
– All eyes on Richardson –
In the short female sprints, all eyes will be on the 100m world champion in title Sha’Carri Richardson.
Richardson’s upset victory in Budapest two years ago means that it is assured of a place on the field in Tokyo.
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But this week’s event offers observers a good barometer of the form and physical form of Richardson while he is preparing to defend his title in Japan.
The 25 -year -old man has struggled to find his best form in two outings at 100m so far this season, his best time a modest 11.19 seconds – classifying his 96th in the world – at the Prefontaine Classic, also held at Hayward Field, earlier this month.
The 100m opening rounds take place on Thursday, with the final due on Friday.
Richardson may well end up in the Slipstream of Rising Star and training partner Melissa Jefferson-Wooden, which has the best time of the 100m this year at 10.73 seconds.
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Richardson and Jefferson-Wooden are also registered in the 200m, where they will face the Olympic champion Gabby Thomas, silver medalist at Worlds 2023 in Budapest.
In male sprints, the pressure is extinguished to reign the Lyles of the world of 100 m and 200m.
But the charismatic Olympic champion will look for signs of return after losing his first 100 m of the season at the Diamond League in London on July 19 when he returned from a problem of ankle tendon.
Lyles can expect a strong opposition from a Kenny Bednarek resurgent per 100m, with a veteran trayvon Bromelll also in the mixture.
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Elsewhere, the male 400m was opened by the withdrawal of the Olympic champion Quincy Hall, while the 800m female sees a return for the gold medalist of the Tokyo Olympic Games, Athing Mu-Nikolayev, a late entry.
In the 110m male hedges, the triple world champion and the title Olympic champion Grant Holloway is in action.
Masai Russell, Olympic champion of female obstacles, also aims to secure her place in Tokyo.
RCW / BB
