Running News Daily

Wilson, at 16, becomes youngest male USA track Olympian

Quincy Wilson, at age 16, could become the youngest American male athletics competitor to appear at an Olympics as a member of the 4x400m relay pool at Paris.

Wilson finished sixth in the 400m final in 44.94secs, missing out on an individual spot, but USA Track and Field's relay selectors delivered the news Sunday he was in the relay group.

"WE GOING TO THE OLYMPICS," Wilson posted on Instagram.

The previous youngest US athletics competitor at an Olympics was Jim Ryun, who was 17 years and 137 days when he ran at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics.

Wilson, about to start his junior year at Bullis School in Potomac, Maryland, twice broke the under-18 world record for 400m during last week's US trials in Eugene, Oregon.

He broke the age group world record with a run of 44.66secs in the preliminary heats, then lowered that two-day-old mark with a 44.59-second effort in the semi-finals.

(07/02/2024) Views: 380 ⚡AMP
by AFP

Noah Lyles breaks U.S. Olympic Trials 200m record

The second (and final) weekend of the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials, held at Hayward Field in Oregon, continued to be electrifying, with heart-stopping finishes and records broken.

On Saturday night, six-time world champion Noah Lyles kept his Olympic sprint double dreams alive by blazing through the 200m in 19.53 seconds—the fastest time in the world this year, adding to his 100m win from last weekend. Lyles wasn’t the only runner in contention for first place, only overtaking Kenny Bednarek in the final meters to secure the win. Erriyon Knighton finished third to make his second Olympic team; he received a no-fault violation from USADA in early June, after testing positive for a metabolite of trenbolone during an out-of-competition drug test in March, allowing him to compete at the U.S. Olympic Trials this week.

Lyles’s performance broke Michael Johnson’s long-standing U.S. Olympic Trials record of 19.66, set in 1996. Lyles will be hoping for redemption in Paris after a third-place finish at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, his only loss in the 200m at a major meet. “You claim you’re gonna go out there and win four medals, so the goal had to be win the 100m and 200m,” Lyles told media post-race.“Job is accomplished. I’m right where I need to be.

Kelati conquers the 10,000m

Weini Kelati secured her spot for the Paris Olympics by winning the women’s 10,000m in a thrilling, extremely close race on Saturday. Kelati, who was born in Eritrea but defected to the U.S. a decade ago to pursue a running career, showcased her strength and determination in a tight race that saw multiple lead changes in the final laps.

Kelati crossed the finish line first in 31:41.07, narrowly beating Parker Valby and Karissa Schweizer, who finished in 31:41.553 and 31:41.557 respectively. While Kelati has already run the Olympic standard of 31:40:00 and has clinched her place on the team, Valby and Schweizer will have to hope their performances were enough to get them to the Olympics through World Athletics rankings, a decision that won’t be finalized until June 7th.

Richardson doesn’t make the 200m cut

Sha’Carri Richardson’s bid for a sprint double in Paris ended with a fourth-place finish in the women’s 200m. Despite a strong start, Richardson was unable to maintain her speed in the final stretch, finishing behind Gabby Thomas, Brittany Brown and McKenzie Long.

Thomas, a bronze medalist in Tokyo and silver medalist at last year’s world championships in Budapest, crossed the line in 21.81 seconds. Richardson, secured her place in the 100m for the Olympics last weekend, when she won the women’s final in a new world-leading time of 10.71 seconds. In 2021, Richardson also won the 100m at the U.S. Olympic Trials, but tested positive for marijuana shortly after and was not allowed to compete; she’ll now make her much anticipated Olympic debut exclusively in the 100m, where she remains a favorite for gold.

(07/01/2024) Views: 469 ⚡AMP
by Keeley Milne

Two B.A.A. Athletes Qualify For U.S. Olympic Team Trials

The Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.) today announced that B.A.A. High Performance Team members Annie Rodenfels and Bethany Hasz have earned spots on the starting line for the U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Track & Field, to be held later this month in Eugene, Oregon from June 21-30.

Rodenfels will compete in the women’s 3000m steeplechase (preliminary round June 24/final on June 27), while Hasz will toe the line in the women’s 5000m (preliminary round on June 21/final on June 24).

The Trials will be held at historic Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, with top three finishers in each event slated to qualify for the Paris Olympic Games (so long as athletes have met the Olympic standard or earned enough qualifying points).

Rodenfels’ personal best in the steeplechase is 9:25.48, set last year. She won the steeplechase at the Drake Relays this year (9:31.03), was fourth at the Boston 5K in April, and clocked 15:03.97 indoors for 5000m in December 2023. Last fall she won the USATF 5K National Championship on the roads in New York City.

Hasz is coming off a 5000m lifetime best of 15:05.80 set May 17 in winning the Drake Relays 5000m. This year she’s also recorded personal bests in the road 5K (15:30), road 10K (32:03), and mile indoors (4:39.24). She earned a bronze medal at the 2023 USATF 5K National Championships, finishing third just behind Rodenfels and Olympian Rachel Smith.

The B.A.A.’s High Performance team supports runners on their way towards making international teams, with the goal of competing at the highest level: the Olympic Games, World Athletics Championships, and Abbott World Marathon Majors. The B.A.A. is sponsored by adidas, which provides comprehensive support for the organization’s High Performance team, running club, and mass-participatory events.

B.A.A HIGH PERFORMANCE TEAM ROSTER:

Eric Hamer

Bethany Hasz

Megan Hasz

Josh Kalapos

Barry Keane

Matt McDonald

Annie Rodenfels

Abbey Wheeler

ABOUT THE BOSTON ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION (B.A.A.) 

Established in 1887, the Boston Athletic Association is a non-profit organization with a mission of promoting a healthy lifestyle through sports, especially running. The B.A.A. manages the Boston Marathon, and supports comprehensive charity, youth, and year-round programming. The 129th Boston Marathon presented by Bank of America is scheduled to take place on Monday, April 21, 2025. The Boston Marathon is part of the Abbott World Marathon Majors, along with international marathons in Tokyo, London, Berlin, Chicago, and New York City. For more information on the B.A.A., please visit www.baa.org.

(06/14/2024) Views: 395 ⚡AMP
by B.A.A.

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone on her U.S. Olympic Trials prep ahead of Paris 2024

With the U.S. Olympic Team Trials for track and field just few days away, the building blocks seem to be coming together for Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone.

"I'm feeling good," McLaughlin-Levrone told a small cluster of reporters at the USATF NYC Grand Prix on Sunday (9 June) after she soared to victory in the open 400m.

"Good" could be an understatement: She was just 0.05 seconds off of Sanya Richards Ross' 48.70 from 2006, the American record, in what was McLaughlin-Levrone's first outing in the event in the 2024 season.

"OMG. That was unbelievable!" a more expressive - and perhaps somehwat relieved - Richards Ross said in the NBC commentary booth after Sydney's 48.75. "Wow. Wow. Wow! Great run by Sydney!"

The time was a world lead in the event.

It came a little more than a week after her best-of-the-season 52.70 in the 400m hurdles - the event in which she is the world record holder and reigning Olympic champion.

"I'll take that," McLaughlin-Levrone said of the time and the victory, even if it wasn't exactly what she was going for. "[I wanted] the American record," she added when asked about the hope for the day.

The 24-year-old appears to have a one-track mind with the Olympic Games Paris 2024 drawing ever closer. The last five weeks have entailed five wins across four different events: The 400m flat, 200m, 100m hurdles and - her signature - 400m hurdles.

"I'm sure Bobby will have some notes for me," she said, cracking a smile when bringing up legendary coach Bobby Kersee after her New York win.

SYDNEY MCLAUGHLIN-LEVRONE: EYES ON PARIS 2024

McLaughlin-Levrone let her speed do the talking in New York with the 21 June start at Trials in Eugene, Oregon: "I'm just getting ready for the Trials... getting ready for the Games," she said.

She sat on the track for a good 10 minutes at Icahn Stadium in NYC after her win, catching her breath and doing a light amount of stretching. She's still cautious of the knee injury that interrupted her 2023 season, forcing her out of the World Championships.

The team is attacking from a technical perspective. Facing a headwind on Sunday, she was forced to dig deep in her training to finish strong.

"I wanted to get out there and get a race under me," she said on NBC of the 400m. "It's working on the back-end work. Working on coming home. I'm going to need it for those hurdles."

After her 52.70 world lead in the 400m hurldes on 31 May, Femke Bol, the Olympic bronze medallist from Tokyo 2020 in 2021, went 53.07 two days later at the Diamond League stop in Stockholm.

"I'm going to go back home and continue to plan some stuff," McLaughlin-Levrone said in New York.

A mere 0.05 off a national record, McLaughlin-Levrone shrugged it off in a way.

"I don't think I would count that as 'crazy,'" she said in response to one reporter.

A minute later, Sydney was thanking reporters and walking away... clearly determined to get to the next step in her path towards another Olympic podium.

(06/12/2024) Views: 325 ⚡AMP
by Nick McCarvel

Timothy Cheruiyot reveals struggles with injuries and overcoming challenges as he chases Olympic glory

Former world 1500m champion Timothy Cheruiyot has opened up on his struggles with injuries and his comeback plan to the top of the men's 1500m.

Olympic silver medallist Timothy Cheruiyot has opened up about his injury bout that saw him struggle to produce great results since the 2022 World Championships in Eugene, Oregon.

Cheruiyot, a former world champion, explained that he had been through a tough time with his injury and explained that he had a torn knee which cost him a lot in terms of training and performing well.

He was a favourite at the 2022 World Championships but failed to live up to the billing, finishing sixth in the final of the 1500m before proceeding to a second-place finish at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.

Last season, Cheruiyot had a bitter exit from the World Championships in Budapest, Hungary, where he was eliminated in the semifinal of the race. He explained that the injury has been a nightmare to him but appreciated his management and coach Bernard Ouma for walking with him during the difficult period.

“It was a bit hard because sometimes when an athlete has an injury, it’s a bit of a problem but for me, I thank my management and my coach for coming together and finding a good physiotherapist and a great rehab.

“At the moment I’m very happy to be back…it was hard because I had a torn knee and I’m happy to have come back and I’m training well now,” Cheruiyot said.

This season, the 28-year-old has been in great shape, and has competed in Diamond League Meetings and local races as he eyes the Olympic trials.

He was in action at the Diamond League Meeting in Doha, finishing second behind Brian Komen before almost upsetting Jakob Ingebrigtsen on home soil, at the Diamond League Meeting in Oslo.

Cheruiyot was also in action at the trials for the Africa Senior Athletics Championships, where he doubled in the 800m and 1500m and finished third and fifth respectively.

He has assured his fans of being fully back and will be keen to go back and take his rightful position as one of the greatest 1500m runners the world has ever known.

(06/06/2024) Views: 466 ⚡AMP
by Abigael Wuafula