Sha’Carri Richardson, Woody Kincaid post big results at U.S. Olympic Trials

The U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials kicked off in Eugene, Ore., on Friday, and they will run until June 27. The event has only been on for a few days, but a number of athletes have already booked their tickets to the Tokyo Olympics with impressive performances across a variety of events. Among the many results already posted, Sha’Carri Richardson won the women’s 100m and Woody Kincaid took the men’s 10,000m race, and there are still plenty of runs to come. Since so much has happened already, here’s an update on the current state of the U.S. Trials. 

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Richardson’s big win 

In April, Richardson ran a 100m PB of 10.72 seconds, which is the fourth-fastest result ever recorded by an American. The time is also the second-best of 2021, behind only Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce‘s 10.63 from June 5. Richardson entered the U.S. Trials as the favourite to take the win, and she cruised through the opening rounds, taking the top spot in the heats (10.84 seconds) and semi-finals (10.64) before dropping a 10.86 in the finals. While her semi-final time of 10.64 seconds was well under her PB, it was wind-aided, meaning it doesn’t count as her official personal best.

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The Tokyo Olympics will be Richardson’s first appearance at the Summer Games. She is also entered in the 200m at the Trials, which will get started with heats on Thursday. 

Men’s 10,000m 

Unlike the shorter events, the 10,000m has one round, making it a do-or-die race for everyone involved. With three tickets to Tokyo on the line (each country can send three athletes per event in athletics), the men’s 10,000m was an exciting race to watch on Friday. Kincaid took the win in 27:53.62, followed closely by his Bowerman Track Club teammate Grant Fisher in 27:54.29 and Joe Klecker in 27:54.90. None of these three men have competed at the Olympics before, but they all booked their spots on the American team with their runs in Eugene. 

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Fourth place went to Ben True, who just barely missed qualifying for the Olympics once again. In 2012, he finished in sixth in the 5,000m at the U.S. Trials. Four years later, he was fifth. This year, he came closer than ever, but his 27:58.88 run wasn’t enough to earn him a spot on the start line in Tokyo. 

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Other results 

In the men’s 100m, Trayvon Bromell had the fastest run of the preliminary heats, running 9.84 seconds. Bromell’s 9.77-second PB that he ran earlier this year is the world-leading time for 2021, and he will line up in the 100m semi-finals on Sunday. (The 100m finals will be held on Sunday night.) Justin Gatlin also raced the 100m heats, and he ran to a 9.93 result. He’s looking to qualify for the Olympics for the fourth time.

Nine-time Olympic medallist Allyson Felix is also in the hunt for a fifth appearance at the Summer Games. She made it to the 400m final, which will take place on Sunday night, with a 51.01 run. In the women’s 1,500m, Nikki Hiltz had the fastest run of the semis, posting a time of 4:05.87. She will be joined in the final, which is set for Monday night, by Elle Purrier and Jenny Simpson. 

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Finally, the men’s 800m was quite predictable in its opening rounds. American record holder Donavan Brazier ran 1:45.00 to take the win in the first heat, and he followed that up with a 1:46.57 in the semis. Bryce Hoppel qualified for the final with a 1:46.00 run in the semis. The men’s 800m final is scheduled for Monday. 

For full results and the rest of the U.S. Olympic Trials schedule, click here. 

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