Sha’carri Richardson, of the United States, crosses the finish line to win the gold medal in the women’s 4 x 100 meters relay final at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug. 9, 2024, in Saint-Denis, France. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)AP
Former University of Oregon runner and reigning Olympic gold medalist Cole Hocker is set for a starring role at the USA Track & Field Outdoor Championships, which begin a four-day run Thursday at Hayward Field in Eugene.
Hocker won Olympic gold in the 1,500 meters last year in Paris. He will be part of a monster field that includes U.S. mile record-holder Yared Nuguse, 2025 NCAA champ Nathan Green who competed collegiately for Washington and Craig Engels, who formerly trained in Portland with the Union Athletic Club.
It figures to be one of several marquee events in the meet, which this year will be contested alongside the U.S. Para Athletic Championships.
Action begins Thursday at 10:30 a.m. with the first event of the decathlon. Thursday’s first field event will be the preliminaries and finals of the men’s javelin at 1:20 p.m.
Other Thursday finals include the women’s hammer, women’s javelin, men’s hammer, women’s long jump, and the women’s and men’s 10,000 meters. The first preliminary round of the men’s 1,500 also takes place Thursday.
Thursday’s action is being streamed on USATF.TV, a pay site. Some Saturday and Sunday events will be shown in a three-hour television window on NBC and streamed on Peacock beginning at 1 p.m.
The meet serves as a qualifier for the U.S. team that will compete in the World Athletics Outdoor Championships, Sept. 13-21 in Tokyo.
Athletes who won their events in the 2023 World Outdoor Championships get wildcard entries into this year’s world meet without having to qualify in Eugene. This list includes three-time Olympic gold medalist Ryan Crouser, world record-holder in the shot.
Crouser, who grew up in Gresham and is a Hayward crowd favorite, has been nursing an elbow injury and is not entered in this year’s USA championships.
Storylines to watch:
The men’s 10,000 features Grant Fisher, two-time Olympic bronze medalist in Paris and U.S. record holder in the 10,000. He once trained in Portland as a member of the Bowerman Track Club
The race also includes Nico Young, U.S. record-holder in the 5,000, and Woody Kincaid, the former University of Portland star and two-team Olympian. Kincaid won the 2023 U.S. title in the event.
Among the contenders in the women’s 10,000 are Elise Cranny, Karissa Schweizer and Emily Infeld. All formerly trained in Portland with the Bowerman Track Club. Cranny is a two-time Olympian and was the U.S. champ in 2023. Schweizer, also a two-time Olympian, won the 2022 U.S. title.
Bryce Hoppel is the U.S. record-holder in the men’s 800, a two-time national champ and a two-time Olympian. But he figures to have his hands full with Josh Hoey, the 2025 world indoor champ who has beaten Hoppel four times this season. Donavan Brazier, the 2019 world champion who formerly trained in Portland with the Union Athletics Club, is making a strong comeback from a foot injury that cost him three years.
Nikki Hiltz is the defending U.S. champion and reigning Olympic Trials winner in the women’s 1,500. Hiltz figures to be challenged by Sinclaire Johnson. She bettered Hiltz’s U.S. record in the mile earlier this month in London. Johnson trains in Portland. Johnson’s record time is 4 minutes, 16.32 seconds.
Athing Mu-Nikolayev took the track and field world by storm in 2022, when she won the U.S. title in the 800. She set the U.S. record in 2023 and won Olympic gold at Tokyo in 2021. She didn’t look right earlier this month at the Prefontaine Classic, and was a last-second entry here.
If Mu-Nikolayev isn’t 100 percent, it could open the way for Addy Wiley, who has a personal record of 1:56.83 seconds, or veterans Raevyn Rogers and Ajee’ Wilson. Rogers, the former UO star, won Olympic bronze in Tokyo in 2021. Wilson is a two-time Olympian and four-time U.S. champ. Nia Akins is the defending U.S. champion and reigning Olympic trials champ.
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, world record-holder and two-time reigning Olympic gold medalist in the women’s 400 hurdles opted to run the open 400 this weekend. She could challenge the U.S. record of 48.70 held since 2006 by Sanya Richards-Ross.
Crowd favorite Sha’Carri Richardson, 2024 Olympic silver medalist in the 100, is entered in both the 100 and 200. She has been slowed by injuries this year, but has a wildcard entry to Tokyo after winning the world title in the 100 in 2023.
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