2016 US Olympic Track and Field Trials: The Top Storylines to Follow
Teenage phenoms, world records, new kidneys and aging icons—track fandom is about to awaken from its hibernation.
If you’re like the vast majority of American sports fans, you do not follow track and field year-round. Instead, you check in every four years and await the iconic, heart-stopping moments that seem to show up at every Olympics. If this is the case, you’re going to need a refresher course heading into this week’s USA Track and Field Olympic Trials at the University of Oregon's historic Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon. It’s where we’ll find out who will be representing the U.S. in Rio.
There are some must-see events and competitors on tap.
Team USA hopefuls include the trials debut of 18-year-old high-jumper Vashti Cunningham, who could be a household name in no time. In the always glamorous men's 100-meter race, an aging 34-year-old Justin Gatlin is trying one last time to catch Usain Bolt and leave behind a career filled with controversy. Meanwhile, an NFL receiver could leap to the top of the podium, and Allyson Felix has had the schedule altered so that she can try for a historic double-up in the sprints.
Here are your top storylines for the USATF Olympic Trials, which begin July 1 and will be aired on various networks and platforms by NBC.
Aries Merritt's Road to Recovery
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On September 1, 2015, Aries Merritt was in a hospital bed next to his sister, LaToya Hubbard, as both waited to go under the knife. Despite having earned a bronze medal at the world championships in Beijing just days earlier, 30-year-old Merritt’s kidneys were quickly failing due to a rare congenital disease. The defending Olympic champion in the 110-meter hurdles needed a donation from his big sis, and she came through.
A rough recovery followed, including a second surgery, and Merritt only began training again about eight months ago. His times are not what they were, but he is steadily improving and has the third-fastest time of any American this year.
Should he shine at the trials and secure his spot in Rio, Merritt will be the most inspirational story on Team USA.
Vashti Cunningham Starts Her Rise
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We have ourselves a teenage phenom in the high jump.
Eighteen-year-old Vashti Cunningham, daughter of former NFL quarterback Randall Cunningham, won the IAAF World Indoor Championships in March, and she has the world’s best jump of 2016 (1.99 meters). Many are calling her the next true superstar in USA track and field, and she has the total package to set that up.
With her dad serving as her coach, the 6'1" high-jumper has foregone a college career in order to turn professional. She has a chance to find the top of the podium just a few months after her high school graduation. Her father sure isn’t keeping expectations low, as he told Tim Layden of Sports Illustrated, “Just so you know, we’re going for the gold.”
Chaunte Lowe will be the main competition for Cunningham at the trials. The 32-year-old has a 1.96-meter jump to her name this year. Internationally, Croatian Blanka Vlasic (2.01 meters) and Spaniard Ruth Beitia (2.00 meters) are the only two jumpers headed to Rio with better marks.
Goodwin Goes from NFL to Sand Pit
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With the start of fantasy football fast approaching, it’s safe to say Buffalo Bills wide receiver Marquise Goodwin, a three-year veteran out of the University of Texas, is not on anyone’s draft board. Over three seasons, Goodwin has 20 receptions for 349 yards and just three touchdowns. He's also coming off of a two-game season during which he spent most of his time on injured reserve.
However, Goodwin will be in the spotlight for the rest of the summer as he hunts for gold in the long jump in Rio de Janeiro. He sports the second-best mark in the world of the past year, with only compatriot Jeff Henderson having out-leapt him.
According to the Democrat and Chronicle, Bills coach Rex Ryan is excited for Goodwin, even though the Olympics will keep him out for a chunk of training camp. Sportswriter Joe Buscaglia of WKBW in Buffalo has his doubts about whether the Bills will retain Goodwin if he makes Team USA.
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Is Gatlin Still the Top American in the 100?
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As always, it'll be 10 hold-your-breath seconds when the gun goes off for the men's 100-meter race at the Olympics.
There is a reason why Usain Bolt is the most recognizable track athlete on the planet. The Jamaican will be going for his third consecutive gold medal in the 100 and 200 in Rio, and he’s going to get it unless an American can beat him.
The American with the best chance to stop Bolt is 34-year-old Justin Gatlin, who incurred a second doping suspension in 2006 after winning gold in Athens back in 2004. He lost to Bolt in the 100 by a hundredth of a second at the 2015 World Championships in Beijing, but Gatlin told Rio 2016's official website he is trying not to buy into the hype this time around.
In Eugene, Gatlin will be challenged by doping-marred veteran Tyson Gay, who has dealt with his own doping suspension. They will be joined by 20-year-old Trayvon Bromell, is the reigning world champion in the indoor 60-meter dash and finished tied for third behind Bolt and Gatlin in the aforementioned Beijing event.
Felix Makes Room for Both 200 and 400
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You know you’re a big deal when the Olympic schedule is changed just for you.
That’s what happened with Allyson Felix, who will be busy should she qualify in both the 200 and 400. The original schedule in Rio had the 200 prelims and 400 final just 75 minutes apart on August 15, but with the help of USATF, Felix lobbied to have the schedule changed to make it more feasible for her to compete in both events. The first round of the 200 will now be held during the morning session, allowing more recovery time for Felix.
In London, the 30-year-old won gold in the 200, 4x100-meter relay and 4x400-meter relay, but she took fifth in the 100. As one of the most decorated female athletes in U.S. track and field history, she’s going to go for the 200 and 400 in Rio.
She has to qualify, however, as she recently pulled out of a meet due to an ankle injury. Should she fail to reach the top three in both events in Eugene, the international track officials who altered the Olympic schedule for her will likely hear about it.
Eaton Continues to Fly Above the Field
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Some track events determine who is the fastest, while others test brute strength or leaping ability. What makes the decathlon so fun to watch is that it combines all skills to determine who is, arguably, the world's greatest all-around athlete.
Since winning gold in London in 2012, Ashton Eaton has been dominating.
Eaton reset his own world record in the decathlon in the grueling Beijing heat at the 2015 World Championships, and the two-time defending world champion is hoping to earn another gold medal. He’s a lock to make Rio, barring an injury, and at this point, he is a must-watch whenever he is competing.
At age 28, this could be his best summer yet, allowing him to set a mark that will last for a very long time.
Boris Berian Runs Right Past Nike
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A couple of years ago, Boris Berian was flipping burgers and sleeping on couches. Now, after successfully taking on Nike in court, the 23-year-old world indoor champion is officially cleared to compete in Eugene—not wearing Nike gear—and is the favorite to win the 800 meters at the trials.
The conflict arose when Berian chose to accept a sponsorship offer from New Balance worth a guaranteed $125,000. Nike, his former sponsor, had a right to match that offer, which it did while adding possible payment reductions based on injury or performance. Berian decided that wasn't fair and stood up for himself.
Berian’s willingness to take on Nike in the dispute could change the course of the track and field business moving forward, but he will need to devote all of his energy to completing his rise from relative obscurity to Olympic-gold hopeful. His time of 1:43:34 is the fourth-fastest qualifying time in the world, and fellow American Donavan Brazier will be at his heels in Eugene.
If Berian makes the team, of course, he’ll have to wear a Team USA uniform made by none other than Nike.
Jenn's Not Necessarily a Suhr Thing
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Perhaps the greatest female pole vaulter of all time, Jenn Suhr will be a lock to qualify for Rio—if she’s healthy, that is. Ranked toward the top in the world for the past two years and in the U.S. for a decade, Suhr told the Democrat and Chronicle last month that she was “80 percent” recovered from Achilles tendon issues, but at age 34, it’s still something to keep an eye on.
Should she make Rio, she’ll be unmatched if the International Association of Athletic Federation upholds its ban of the entire Russian track team, as Suhr won’t get to square off with rival and current world-record holder Yelena Isinbayeva.
Suhr wants the Russian to be in Rio, telling the Associated Press (via NBC Sports), “If you don’t have your best people in the event, then it’s not really the true event.”
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