Special Edition: Heading to TrackTown USA

Athletes toe the start line in iconic TrackTown USA — aka Eugene, Oregon — beginning tonight and (literally) running through June 30th, with rest days slated for June 25th and 26th. Around 900 Olympic hopefuls will compete across 20 total events — 10 running, four throwing, four jumping, the race walk, and the heptathlon for women and decathlon for men.

• The goal? Finish in the top three. Save some exceptions, athletes who make the podium and meet the Olympic qualifying standard for their event will book a ticket to Paris.

• It’s also worth noting that the Olympic marathon team is already set. Marathoners raced back in February to claim their spots, giving them enough time to recover to run the 26.2 mile distance again in Paris this August.

Part of the allure (and heartbreak) of the Team USA Trials is that, while some countries hand select their representatives, it’s anyone’s race to win once they lace ’em up in Oregon. That said, let’s meet the top contenders.

Sha’Carri Richardson (100m and 200m): She’s not back, she’s better. After controversially missing out on the 2020 Olympic team, the reigning 100m world champion looks primed to make her long-awaited Olympic debut.

• All eyes will be on her in Eugene, but she’s been running with her signature swagger in the leadup, winning the 100m at the Prefontaine Classic in May.

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone (400m hurdles): 2020 Olympics champ McLaughlin-Levrone is chasing history, looking to become the first woman to win back-to-back gold in the event. The last time she took the line at Hayward Field, she broke her own world record with a time of 50.68 seconds. Can’t wait to see what she has in store.

Anna Hall (heptathlon): The 2023 World Championships silver medalist will be out for redemption after breaking her foot during the 2020 Trials and undergoing knee surgery earlier this year. And if she makes the team (as expected), she’ll have a real chance to become just the second American woman to medal at the Games in the event.

Parker Valby (5000m and 10,000M): The Florida phenom just set all kinds of records in her final collegiate season and is on a hot streak heading into Eugene. Question is, can she translate that NCAA dominance to the incredibly stacked national stage?

Look good, feel good, play run good — more than a dozen athletes will be repping Nike as they race toward their Olympic dreams at the USATF Trials. Here are a few of the swoosh-wearing stars:

• Sha’Carri Richardson: The sprinting phenom will be competing in both the 100m and 200m in Oregon in hopes of making her Olympic debut next month.

• Christian Coleman: Another speed machine, Coleman’s personal best in the men’s 100m is a lightning quick 9.76 seconds, the sixth fastest time in the history of the event.

• Athing Mu: Coming off a gold medal win in Tokyo, Mu is the woman to beat in the 800m.

• Michael Norman: The two-time world champion is looking to qualify for his second Olympics and, later, his first individual Olympic medal.

Want to run like the best in the world? Mark your cal for the July 3rd release of Nike’s Blueprint Pack, featuring the latest versions of the Alphafly 3, Maxfly 2, Pegasus 41, and more. Just doin’ it.

Noah Lyles (100m and 200m): Fresh off last year’s World Championships sweep of the 100m and 200m, Lyles is the man to watch in Eugene. He’s already in rarified air after joining a little someone named Usain Bolt by completing the sprint treble (100m, 200m and 4x100m) at the 2023 World Championships, now he’s out for more history in Paris.

Ryan Crouser (shot put): The two-time defending Olympic gold medalist, Crouser will be throwing for a chance at a three-peat in Paris. And it wouldn’t be wise to bet against him, considering the two-time defending World Champion boasts both the indoor and outdoor world records in the event. There’s nothing he can’t toss.

Grant Holloway (110m hurdles): After winning a silver medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, the three-time World Champion is out to nab that elusive first-ever Games gold. He raced to the second-fastest time in the history of the event at the last Olympic Trials and just might outdo himself this time around.

Chris Nilsen (pole vault): The 2020 silver medalist, Nilsen headlines a stacked field that also includes Rio bronze medalist Sam Kendricks and KC Lightfoot, a trio that reached the podium at the 2021 Olympic Trials and are favored to do it again this time around. They all come in soarin’, flyin’, but Nilsen’s 19-8¼ (6 meters) vault is the best by an American this year.

NBC, USA Network, and Peacock have you covered for all of the action on the road to Paris. And while every event is must-see TV, here are a few highlights from this weekend’s action that you absolutely must circle on your cal:

• Men’s shot put final — Tomorrow at 9:40 p.m. ET

• Women’s 100m final — Tomorrow at 10:50 p.m. ET

• Women’s 400m final — Sunday at 9:58 p.m. ET

• Men’s 100m final — Sunday at 10:49 p.m. ET

Let the (tryout for the) games begin!

While athletes get faster and faster on the track, Nike’s working hard to keep pace. Their latest cycle of Air innovation launches across North America on July 3rd and includes new releases of their Alphafly 3, Maxfly 2, and Pegasus 41 shoes.

• The innovative kicks help athletes like sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson and long-distance runner William ‘Woody’ Kincaid perform at their best by absorbing impact and shifting that energy back into performance.

• Feel what it’s like to Win On Air and shop the latest Air technologies at Nike.com.