US Trials witness amazing performances in the 110m hurdles, 400m hurdles, women’s 200m and hammer, while sprint star produces a stunning junior record

The incredible standard of the US Olympic Team Trials continued, with one of the hottest days in track history unfolding as temperatures reached 38℃.

On the penultimate day of competition on Saturday, Grant Holloway and Rai Benjamin threatened hurdles world records and joining them in producing the second-best performances of all time in their events were hammer thrower DeAnna Price and Gabby Thomas in the women’s 200m final.

Just as stunning was Erriyon Knighton, who not only destroyed his own world under-18 200m record but also took down Usain Bolt’s world junior (under-20) record, actually easing off during his run of 19.88.

Holloway just missed the world record in the 110m hurdles semi-finals.
The world champion’s 12.81, with a near-perfect 1.8mps tailwind fell just one hundredth of a second short of Aries Merritt’s 2012 record.

In the final, the wind was not quite as favourable (+0.4) and Holloway won in 12.96, with Devon Allen (13.10) and Daniel Roberts (13.11) joining him in Tokyo.

Benjamin also came incredibly close to a record-breaking run. The Doha World Championships runner-up went into the race with a 47.13 world lead and 46.98 PB but finished it just 0.05 short of Kevin Young’s celebrated 1992 mark and overtook his conqueror in Qatar, Karsten Warholm, as the world all-time No.2.

Kenny Selmon, with 48.08, and Dave Kendziera (48.38) also sealed their Tokyo spots.

Thomas had previously won an NCAA Indoor title in 2018 but has never run a major international event and failed to finish her previous US Championship final appearance in 2019. However, her 2021 form has been on a different level.

Her opening race of the season was a PB and early world lead of 22.17 at March’s Texas Relays, but a wind-assisted 22.12 in May did not hint at what would happen in Eugene, where she was fifth in the 100m in 11.15 after a wind-assisted 10.95 semi-final and a legal 11.00 heat.

Over 200m, she regained the world lead in the heats with a 21.98 which was then improved to 21.94 in the semi-final. The final, however, was a further step up.

With a 1.2mps tailwind, she powered to a stunning 21.61 which passes Marion Jones’ 21.62 as the top time behind Florence Griffith-Joyner’s 33-year-old world record of 21.34, which many regard with suspicion, and makes the 24-year-old American the new favourite for Tokyo.

Jenna Prandini, a Rio semi-finalist, was nearly three metres back but still ran 21.89 and she will be joined in Rio by NCAA bronze medallist Anavia Battle, who improved her PB from 22.28 to 21.95 to make her first major event.

Tamara Clark ran 21.98, quicker than the previous world lead, to go fourth in the 2021 world rankings and won’t even be in Tokyo. The 2012 Olympic champion Allyson Felix failed to add the shorter event to the 400m in which she already qualified but she ran her fastest time since 2016 with 22.11 in fifth.

The men’s 200m was at the semi-final stage and, just like the previous day, it was 17 year-old Knighton who took all the plaudits, up against the world’s top sprinters.

In the heats, Knighton, who is not 18 until January, won his race in a world under-18 record of 20.04 but in the semi-final he improved to an incredible 19.88 to not only improve his under-18 record but remove Bolt’s world under-20 record of 19.93 set in 2004.

Knighton was again up against world 200m champion Noah Lyles, who ran a blazing bend to lead into the straight. However Knighton caught and passed the Tokyo favourite who was unable to respond and the teenager even eased back before the line, pointed towards the time and then sprinted down the tunnel off the track quicker than some runners were approaching the finish! The run moves Knighton to equal second on the world 2021 lists.

A bemused Lyles ran 19.91 ,while the other semi-final was won in 19.90 by Kenny Bednarek. Fred Kerley, already qualified for the 100m in Tokyo, ran 20.08. He ran a slow bend due to an ankle problem but then produced a sharp acceleration in the straight to qualify as a fastest loser in heat one.

Doha tenth-placer Emily Sisson won the 10,000m with a fast second half to win in 31:03.82, with Karissa Schweizer (31:16.52) and Alicia Monson (31:18.55) also qualifying for Japan.

In the field, world champion DeAnna Price underlined her position as a big favourite for the Tokyo hammer event as she twice broke her American record, first with a world-leading 79.98m and then a throw of 80.31m, a distance that only Rio winner Anita Wlodaarczyk has ever beaten, but the Pole is returning from injury and unlikely to mount a challenge in Japan.

Katie Nageotte went equal third all-time in the women’s pole vault with a world-leading 4.95m to placed herself as the Tokyo favourite. With a perfect record up to 4.80m, she cleared her PB height at the second attempt before three attempts at a world record 5.07m. Morgan LeLeux was a surprise second with a PB 4.70m.

Multi global medallist Sandi Morris was not her usual dependable self and found 4.70m beyond her but a clear record up to 4.60m got her the vital third Olympic spot on countback from Olivia Gruver and London 2012 champion Jenn Suhr, who paid for a second-time clearance at 4.60m.

One 2012 gold medallist who will be in Japan, though, is the eight-time global outdoor and indoor long jump champion Brittney Reese, who sailed out to her best legal jump for four years with a 7.13/1.3 leap and she averaged 6.98m in her six jumps to underline her great consistency.

NCAA champion Tara Davis, 12 years her junior, was second with 7.04m while Quanesha Burks was third with 6.96m.

Emily Sisson won the 10,000m in a trials record 31:03.82 courtesy of a blazing 15:14 second half and she will be joined in Tokyo by Karissa Schweizer (31:16.52) and Alicia Monson (31:18.55).

Doha runner-up Sydney McLaughlin won her 400m hurdles semi-final in a fast 53.03 while Shamier Little won the second semi in 53.71 from world record-holder and Rio and Doha champion Dalilah Muhammad’s 53.86.

Some big scores look on the cards in the women’s heptathlon, with Annie Kunz leading overnight with 4042 points from Taliyah Brooks on 3946 and Kendell Williams on 3924.

Kunz’s marks include 12.95 for the hurdles, 1.81m for the high jump, 15.73m for the shot and 23.71 for the 200m.
Brooks was actually better than Kunz in three events with a 12.85 hurdles, 1.84m high jump and 23.10 200m but lost 200 points in the shot with 12.60m.