Highlights and heartbreak during the U.S. Olympics track trials

EUGENE, Ore. — Olympic athletes were born and a world record was broken. The U.S. Olympic track and field team was finalized after a 10-day meet at Hayward Field. She offered a glimpse of the feats to come when the Paris Games begin in less than a month.

Here are some of the highlights from the Olympic trials that concluded on Sunday.

The stars to follow in Paris

Sydney McLaughlin-LevroneThe biggest competitor of , is herself. She On Sunday, she broke her own world record in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 50.65 seconds. That’s just below her time of 50.68 set two years ago on the same track.

After crossing the finish line, his face was surprised.

“I was a little shocked that I didn’t have the best stride possible,” she told reporters after her feat. “But I’m still grateful to know that my fitness is there and we can still work on it. »

She will aim to raise the bar even higher at the Paris Games.

“I would love to get under 50 seconds at some point,” she said. “There’s something really exciting about trying to figure out how to improve the story, you know, in whatever area.”

The 24-year-old began her Olympic journey in Rio eight years ago and won a gold medal in the 400 metres hurdles and another in the 4×400 metres team in Tokyo.

Representing the United States as an Olympian never gets old, she said.

“It’s like reliving that childhood dream over and over again. I don’t take it for granted.”

Sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson came to Hayward with a lot to prove. She was banned from competing at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics after testing positive for THC. She attributed her marijuana use to her mother’s recent death and the pressures she was under to perform: “I’m human,” she said on social media at the time.

And she proved it. In Eugene, her 100-meter run secured her a spot on the U.S. team. Her attempt to make the 200 meters her second event, however, fell short after she placed fourth.

It was Gabby Thomas, Brittany Brown And McKenzie Long in that order who dominated the 200 meters to earn their place at the Paris Games.

Thomas won bronze in Tokyo in the 200-meter event and took silver with the 4×100-meter relay team. The new thing for her this time is that she will have an audience to encourage her.

“I’m a bit of an introvert, so I get easily distracted and overwhelmed by a lot of people, but hey, I think it’ll be fun,” she said after Saturday’s final.

But she also says she has always thrived under pressure, a skill she has honed since Tokyo.

“I’m comforted to know that when I showed up today, I said to myself, you know what, I proved to myself that I can do this,” she said.

Brown and Long, meanwhile, are heading to the Olympics for the first time. Long draws strength from her late mother, who died unexpectedly in February.

“Knowing that I’m an Olympian now is surreal,” she told reporters after the race. “And I know my mom is smiling with all her teeth.”

Noah Lyles, Kenny Bednarek And Fred Kerley all qualified for the U.S. in the 100 meters. Lyles leads the field so far in speed and personality; the 26-year-old has seized the spotlight to share his love of anime by pulling out a growing string of Yu-Gi-Oh! cards, swapping cards of his color after each round.

Lyles will do a double in Paris: he also won the 200-meter final at the trials. But he’s not celebrating until he gets gold.

“It’s like everything’s great, great, I did the job, I’m excited, let’s keep going, let’s keep pushing,” he told reporters.

In the 110 hurdles, Grant Holloway, Daniel Roberts And Freddie Crittenden This is the first time that three men have crossed the finish line in the 110 meter hurdles in less than 13 seconds.

There is already talk within the trio of a 100% Olympic podium.

“I mean, we’ve said it before,” Holloway told reporters after posting his second-best time ever in Saturday’s final. “I, for one, think we are exactly where we need to be.”

The shot put specialist in style Raven Saunders donned what they described as a Day of the Dead mask while appearing at the trial.

“It’s a way to show people that I’m back, that I never left,” Saunders, who identifies by their pronouns, said after finishing second.

A fan favorite in Tokyo, the Olympic silver medalist was suspended last year after failing to appear for a few drug tests.

Saunders took advantage of the forced break to focus on himself.

“I definitely took more time to get to work, more time to just focus on making this Olympic team, more time to focus on my mental health,” they said.

Chase Jackson, a shot putter known for wearing elaborate eye makeup on the field and sharing her love of anime with Lyles, placed first ahead of Saunders. This is the first time she has been part of an Olympic team.

A big break

Saturday evening, Gelati Wine She sprinted down the track in the final stretch of the women’s 10,000-meter race, taking the lead, losing it and then regaining the lead one final time to win.

“I had to stay patient, because I knew I had that speed, I had that kick, because I had worked on it,” Kelati said, speaking to reporters after her victory.

It’s the latest chapter in the 27-year-old’s remarkable journey. In 2014, Kelati was on this same track competing for his native Eritrea, an East African country. During the international competition, Kelati requested asylum, fleeing political unrest in her country. As a teenager, she moved to the United States as a refugee, leaving family and friends behind. Ten years later, Kelati’s victory confirmed his place on the U.S. team for the Summer Olympics.

“It’s crazy, I’ll take care of it soon,” she said. “Right now I can’t believe it. I’m speechless.”

Kelati says she is proud to compete for her adopted country, but her family in Eritrea will also be cheering her on.

“They watch me. Every time I run, everywhere I go, they follow me, they watch my run,” she said.

A heartache

A fall in a single race costs Athing Mu her bid for the Olympics. A quarter of the way through the 800 meters, the reigning gold medalist tripped and fell, ending her chances of making the U.S. team. Nia Akins won with a personal best time of 1:57.36.

“It’s hard to see, especially for someone like Athing, who as you know could win a gold medal,” 400 meter hurdles athlete Ray Benjamin told NBC on the sidelines Monday. “You feel for her, because she’s supposed to be there, you know? But it’s just USA athletics. They’re the hardest team to field and anything can happen here .”

NPR’s Brian Mann contributed to this story.