Olympic Trials Day 9: World records put on watch in nearly triple-digit heat
Grant Holloway, Rai Benjamin, Gabby Thomas and DeAnna Price move up to No. 2 on the all-time world list in their respective events.
Much was made of the scorching, 99-degree temperatures in Eugene, Oregon on Saturday, but the performances at Hayward Field were even hotter (sportswriter cliché, sorry!!!) as a total of four athletes became the second-best performer in world history in their respective events: DeAnna Price in the hammer throw (80.31m/263-6), Grant Holloway in the 110-meter hurdles (12.81), Rai Benjamin in the 400-meter hurdles (46.83), and finally, Gabby Thomas in the 200 meters (21.61).
Read my recap in Women’s Running: Gabby Thomas Makes Olympic Team, Becoming Second-Fastest Woman Ever at 200 Meters
Women’s 200m: Gabby Thomas shocks the world in 21.61
My fellow Austinite (!!) Gabby Thomas produced what was, so far, the highlight of the Olympic Trials in my book. Before this weekend, she had never broken 22 seconds in the 200m. She set a world-leading 21.98 in the first round and improved to 21.94 in the semi-finals before blasting 21.64 (+1.3 m/s) in last night’s final to become the fastest woman since Florence Griffith Joyner set the world record of 21.34 in 1988.
You can read my full race report from this event in Women’s Running.
U.S. Olympic Trials champion: Gabby Thomas, 21.61 (No. 2 performer of all-time, No. 3 performance of all-time)
Olympic team: 1. Gabby Thomas, 21.61; 2. Jenna Prandini, 21.89; 3. Anavia Battle, 21.95
World record: Florence Griffith Joyner, 21.34, 1988
Key Quote: “I remember telling God, ‘If I’m healthy, I will go out and win Trials. If this is not cancer, I am going to make this team,’ and that’s exactly what I did and I’m really grateful.”
Men’s 110-meter hurdles: Grant Holloway ready for a “fat ass glass of wine”
Reigning world champion Grant Holloway made a statement in the semi-final round of the 110-meter hurdles by clocking an absurd 12.81 to finish one-hundredth of a second off the world record. Track fans hoped to see a world record in the final about two hours later, but Holloway settled for the win in “just” 12.96. For the 23-year-old, world records were never a goal this weekend. It was all about qualifying for his first Olympic team in Tokyo.
“All these other track meets are obsolete until I get there,” he said.
U.S. Olympic Trials champion: Grant Holloway, 12.81 in the semi-finals (12.96 to win final); No. 2 in world history
Olympic team: 1. Grant Holloway, 12.96; 2. Devon Allen, 13.10; 3. Daniel Roberts, 13.11
World record: Aries Merritt, 12.80, 2012
Key Quote: “No emotions at all. That’s what happens when you execute at a very high level. Simple as that… I didn’t come to this party to sit on the wall, I came to this party to dance.”
We know how he likes to party, too:
Men’s 400-meter hurdles: Rai Benjamin nearly solos the world record
There’s a lot of parallels between Holloway and Benjamin, by far the best American hurdlers of their generation and now, closing in on that title in the all-time ranks. Benjamin has steep competition at the world level from a fellow all-timer in Norway’s Karsen Warholm, who beat him out for gold at the 2019 World Championships, but the former USC Trojan one-upped the viking on Saturday night with a 46.83 personal best — moving past Warholm’s 46.87 on the all-time list to take the No. 2 slot behind only Kevin Young’s 1992 world record of 46.78. The 23-year-old (who will turn 24 next month before the Olympics) said he took a lot of inspiration from his training partner, Michael Norman, who won last weekend’s 400m final, and Holloway himself, as the two hurdlers vied for their first Olympic team spots.
“He hyped me up. I think that’s what got me,” Benjamin said of watching Holloway’s near-WR run right before his own final. “This kid’s a beast.”
U.S. Olympic Trials champion: Rai Benjamin, 46.83, No. 2 all-time
Olympic team: 1. Rai Benjamin, 46.83; 2. Kenny Selmon, 48.08; 3. David Kendziera, 48.38
World record: Kevin Young, 46.78, 1992
Key Quote: “When I see my friends locked in and running fast out there, it just gets me going. Seeing Mike [Norman] win [the 400m] last week, I was like, ‘man, I’m ready to be out there.’ We’re a week apart and you have to bottle those emotions and those feelings and seeing Grant do that made me want to go out there and do something kind of crazy but I had to check myself, man.”
Women’s hammer throw: DeAnna Price makes a statement
28-year-old DeAnna Price smashed her own American record in the hammer throw twice and recorded the farthest throw since 2017 with a mark of 80.31m/236-6. This is her second Olympic team and her first as a major gold medal threat. In 2016, she placed third at the Trials and eighth in the Olympic final.
U.S. Olympic Trials champion: DeAnna Price, 80.31m/263-6, No. 2 performer in world history and No. 6 mark in world history
Olympic team: 1. DeAnna Price, 80.31m; 2. Brooke Anderson, 77.72m; 3. Gwendolyn Berry, 73.50m
World record: Anita Wlodarczyk, 82.98m/272-3, 2016
Key Quote: “My family has lost so many, passed away due to COVID. My grandpa was right here to watch me throw. I have such a fantastic family. I can smile in the ring and know it's not just me, it's us.”
It’s called heat training
Emily Sisson used her Phoenix heat training to her full advantage in the women’s 10K final by completely draining the life force out of every woman on the track, negative splitting 15:49/15:14 with a final 1600m of 4:44 to set a new Olympic Trials meet record of 31:03.82.
Fellow Olympic team qualifiers Karissa Schweizer (31:16) and Alicia Monson (31:18) were so far out of the frame that NBC producers totally missed Schweizer’s insane 68-second last lap kick to move ahead of Monson into second place.
The race was moved up to 10 a.m. PT to avoid the evening’s projected triple digits, but temperatures still reached 86 degrees during the race. Four women dropped out and Monson had to spend the night in the hospital to recover from heat stroke.
Sisson’s run was a fan favorite, given that it gave her some much-needed redemption after dropping out of last year’s U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials, plus she ran for her teammate, multiple-time U.S. champion Molly Huddle, who was unable to defend her title due to injury. The BTC girls ran for Shelby, but Emily did that for Molly!!!
This was definitely a race where the extra pandemic year affected the results, as it allowed Sisson the room to adjust her marathon training to the track. The women’s 10k is an absolutely insane event at the world stage right now — the world record was broken twice in one week by Sifan Hassan (29:06) and Letsenet Gidey (29:01), another two women have broken 30 minutes, and a total of 13 athletes (including Schweizer) have run faster than Sisson’s PB of 30:49 this year alone. However, all of those women will not actually compete in Tokyo and Sisson is clearly in the shape of her life. It will definitely be exciting to see what she can do in her first Olympics. One standard to aim for might be Huddle’s American record of 30:13, which she set en route to a sixth-place finish in Rio.
Whatever happens next, everyone’s performances in the brutal heat have me feeling a *little* bit better about marathon training through these 90+ temperatures in Texas for the next three months.
More takeaways from Day 9
High schooler Erriyon Knighton continues to prove he is the real deal by clocking the fastest time of the day in the men’s 200m semi-finals in 19.88, soundly beating Noah Lyles and Terrance Laird — two of the pre-meet favorites. Tonight is going to be hot.
After two unexpected near-world records last night, it seems like a foregone conclusion that the women’s 400m hurdles will produce some fire tonight. Sydney McLaughlin has looked too smooth through the rounds and clocked an easy 53.03 for the fastest semi-final yesterday. Reigning Olympic champion and world record holder Dalilah Muhammad may not be back to her 100% self after getting over a minor hamstring injury recently, and took second to Shamier Little in their semi, 53.71 to 53.86. This may not be a Sydney vs. Dalilah showdown as much as the Sydney show, but anything can happen in the final. The world record time to watch is 52.16.
In the women’s long jump, 34-year-old Brittney Reese continued her dominating hold on the event by winning her 13th national title and clinching her fourth Olympic berth with a top mark of 7.13m/23-4.75. Joining her in Tokyo will be Longhorns favorite Tara Davis, who most definitely wore her cowboy hat to the bars last night, and Alabama alum Quanesha Burks.
In the women’s pole vault, Katie Nageotte set an Olympic Trials meet record and world lead of 4.95m/16-2.75, which makes her the third-highest outdoor vaulter of all time. Win secured, she took three very respectable attempts at the world record of 5.07m/16-7.5. This is her first Olympic team after finishing fifth at the Trials in 2016. Runner-up Morgann LeLeux (4.70m) also made her first Olympic team after placing fourth in 2016, while Rio Olympic silver medalist Sandi Morris settled for third. 39-year-old Jenn Suhr, the defending champion and 2012 Olympic champion, finished fifth.
This instagram post from @NikeRunning probably would have been a lot better if it was posted before every rival shoe company had their own super spikes. Anyone else notice that the “shoe wars” conversation has completely died this week? Nike athletes are still winning, but we’re not seeing the same level of dominance from the brand as usual. The finish line photo of the women’s 1500m and the women’s 200m immediately come to mind. New Balance has definitely made a statement, with its athletes winning everything from the 100m (Trayvon Bromell) to the 10K (Emily Sisson).
More from the U.S. Olympic Trials
Day 3 recap: Redemption for Trayvon Bromell in one of the fastest 100-meter races of all time
Days 5-6 are rest days, no track, sorry!
Gabby Thomas Makes Olympic Team, Becoming Second-Fastest Woman Ever at 200 Meters, Women’s Running
Former Texas star Ryan Crouser shatters outdoor world record in shot put win at Trials, Austin American-Statesman
At 19, NCAA Star Athing Mu Says She’s “Made for This,” Women’s Running
Born to run? Olympic hopeful Sarah Lancaster made her mark at Texas in tennis, basketball, Austin American-Statesman
Everything Is Clicking at the Right Time for Josette Norris, Runner’s World