Olympic Track and Field 2016: Complete Guide to Women's Events in Rio
The women's American track and field athletes have a chance to have their most successful Olympics ever in the 2016 Rio Games. However, they also could have one of their most disappointing showings.
While a lot of U.S. women have a shot at gold medals in track and field, few are clear favorites in their events. That is true for all female track and field athletes this year, not just the Americans, leaving a lot of uncertainty as far as countries' medal counts.
The American relay teams have a shot at magnificent performances, perhaps world records, but they are not without their challengers.
American sprinters such as Tori Bowie and Allyson Felix are in the hunt for gold, but they will not have an easy time of it. Polish hammer-thrower Anita Wlodarczyk may be the star of the field events, but a couple of Americans have the wherewithal to surprise the world.
In 2012, the U.S. women won six track and field gold medals, tying the most they have won at any Olympic Games, according to the USATF.org statistics.
These Olympic Games promise to be a wild scramble for medals among the women, leaving a lot of room for upsets and spectacular performances.
Overview and History
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Babe Didrikson Zaharias, Wilma Rudolph, Florence Griffith Joyner and Jackie Joyner-Kersee headline a group of American track and field athletes who became Olympic stars.
Sprinter Fanny Blankers-Koen of the Netherlands, who won four gold medals in 1948 as a 30-year-old mother of two and in 1999 was named the IAAF female track athlete of the century, and sprinter Irena Szewinska of Poland, who captured gold medals at three different Olympics (1964, 1968 and 1976), were among those from other countries who became famous through their Olympic accomplishments.
Track and field, or athletics—as it is called elsewhere in the world—was a major part of the Ancient Olympic Games, with foot races being held as early as 776 B.C., according to Olympic.org.
Track and field was part of the first Modern Olympic Games in 1896, with medals awarded in 12 male events, all of which are part of the current Olympics. Women became participants in Olympic track and field in 1928, when five women's events were run, per Sports-Reference.com.
Today, track and field is a staple of the Olympics. It is the second-most popular sport in the world, according to a 2012 Pittsburgh Post-Gazette article, behind only soccer, although its popularity in the United States surges only during the Olympics.
American women have had considerable success in track and field, with the six gold medals they won in 2012 matching the 1984 and 1988 Games as their highest gold-medal counts in history, according to USATF.org.
That is in stark contrast to the 1972 and 1976 Olympics, when American women did not win a single track and field gold medal and won just five medals of any color in track and field in those two Olympics combined. The improvement since then may have had something to do with the passing of Title IX in 1972, according to Greg Myre in an NPR report.
The Schedule
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The women's portion of the Olympic track and field schedule begins its nine-day run on August 12, with heptathlon events. It concludes August 20, with one of the most exciting events—the 4x400-meter relay.
The other women's events of note include the 100-meter final on August 13; the 400-meter final on August 15; the 200-meter final on August 17; the long jump final on August 17; and the 4x100-meter relay on August 19.
See the schedule for all Olympic women's track and field events here.
Top Storylines
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Will world records fall?
The U.S. 4x100-meter relay team is front and center in this storyline.
Four track and field world records were broken in 2012, and the events most likely to produce records this year are on the women's side.
Hammer-thrower Anita Wlodarczyk of Poland and 800-meter runner Caster Semenya of South Africa have a shot at establishing world records, according to a panel of experts polled by NBCOlympics.com.
For the Americans, the focus will be on the U.S. women’s 4x100-meter relay team, which also has a shot at a world record, according to the aforementioned panel. The U.S. women set a world record in the 4x100 relay at 40.82 seconds in 2012, the first time since 1968 that Americans held the world mark in that event.
That mark still stands, but this year's American foursome may be better with the addition of Bowie and English Gardner. The only problem for the Americans is that the Jamaican team may be even better, and with those two relay teams pushing each other, a world record seems possible.
The Allyson Felix watch
Felix won three gold medals in 2012, but her dream of capturing gold in both the 200 and 400 meters in Rio was ruined by an ankle injury that prevented her from qualifying in the 200, according to a USA Today report.
Now she will depend on the 400 for her chance at individual gold. Felix must hope the lingering ankle injury she suffered in April, according to NBC Sports, does not recur while in Rio. Despite the pain generated from the two torn ligaments in her ankle, she was healthy enough to win the 400 meters at the Olympic trials. But competition will be stiffer at the Olympics, and she will be asked to run additional races for the American relay teams.
Two American youngsters think big
Sydney McLaughlin, who turned 17 on August 7, and 18-year-old Vashti Cunningham both have an outside chance to medal in Rio, and the two teenagers will draw plenty of attention to gauge their potential for future Olympic success.
McLaughlin, who has a year of high school left, is the youngest American track and field athlete in the Olympics since 1976, according to Paul Myerberg of USA Today. She finished third in the 400-meter hurdles at the trials, but trials winner Dalilah Muhammad is a gold-medal threat in Rio, perhaps leaving room for McLaughlin to medal if she produces a career-best performance.
Cunningham, the daughter of former NFL quarterback Randall Cunningham, finished second in the high jump at the Olympic trials. But she won the world indoor title this year and could sneak onto the podium in Rio.
The 100 meters
Both the 100-meter dash and 100-meter hurdles will be highlight events, partly because of the tense nature of those quick and speedy events, and partly because Americans figure prominently in both.
Bowie could win the 100 meters, a race in which a half-dozen runners are in contention for the gold medal.
The U.S. has an outside shot at a sweep in the 100-meter hurdles. Brianna Rollins was impressive in winning the event at the Olympic trials, making her a gold-medal threat, but Americans Kristi Castlin and Nia Ali are medal contenders, too.
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Can't-Miss Events
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100 meters
The race to determine the world's fastest female is always an appealing event, but this time it is particularly intriguing because of the caliber of sprinters competing.
Bowie is certainly in contention for a gold medal, but she finished only third at the Olympics trials, behind Gardner and Tianna Bartoletta, who also have to be considered medal contenders.
All three will be challenged by 2012 Olympic champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce of Jamaica and Dafne Schippers of the Netherlands, who finished first and second, respectively, in the event at last year's World Championships.
Elaine Thompson joined that group as a serious contender when she won the 100 meters in convincing fashion at the Jamaica Olympic trials. Veronica Campbell-Brown, who finished fourth at last year's World Championships, could not even qualify for the Jamaican team in the 100 meters.
Some speedy women are not even going to make the final, which should be a wild race with a number of women capable of taking home the gold.
4x100-meter relay
Jamaica and the United States will continue their riveting sprint duel in the 4x100-meter relay, and a world record is possible considering the strengths of both teams and the competition between them.
Felix returns from the American foursome that set the world record in a gold-medal performance in the 2012 Olympics, but she is likely to be the weakest link in this American relay team if she runs in this event. Bowie, Gardner and Bartoletta lead an impressive U.S. group, but it is no more imposing than the Jamaican squad of Thompson, Fraser-Pryce, Campbell-Brown and Christania Williams.
A check on the fastest times this year indicates how competitive and fast this race will be.
400 meters
Felix's bid to double in the 200 meters and 400 meters was squashed when she failed to qualify in the 200, an event in which she won the gold medal in 2012. Felix has never run the 400 in the Olympics but finished first in that event at the 2015 World Championships.
Her path to the gold medal was made a bit easier when Semenya opted to skip the 400 to concentrate on the 800, according to BBC.com. However, the ankle injury that seemed to ruin her chances of qualifying in the 200 at the Olympic trials continues to be a concern. A bigger concern may be Shaunae Miller of the Bahamas, who finished second to Felix at the 2015 World Championships and has run the fastest time in the world this year.
Felix has already won four Olympic gold medals, but this is her only chance for an individual gold in Rio.
400-meter hurdles
Muhammad, the U.S. Olympic trials champion, and Ashley Spencer give the United States a chance for a one-two finish in this event. However, the focus may be on the third American, McLaughlin, who turned 17 on August 7.
She is the youngest American track and field Olympian since 1976, but she could make the final. If McLaughlin gets that far, she will be the one to watch.
Locks for Gold
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Anita Wlodarczyk, hammer throw
No women's track and field athlete is a safer bet to capture gold in Rio than Poland's Wlodarczyk in the hammer throw.
She holds the world record and has the 10 longest throws this year. She won the gold medal at the 2015 World Championships with a toss that was more than four meters longer than the best throw of the runner-up.
Additional motivation will come from the fact that Wlodarczyk captured only a silver medal in the 2012 Olympics.
Sandra Perkovic, discus
Sandra Perkovic, a 26-year-old from Croatia, has the four best discus throws of the year, and her best toss of 2016 is more than two meters better than the woman with the fifth-best throw, Yaime Perez of Cuba.
Perkovic won the gold medal at the 2012 Olympics, but she only placed second behind Cuba's Denia Caballero at the 2015 World Championships. The two Cubans, Perez and Caballero, will pose the biggest challenges for Perkovic in Rio.
Barbora Spotakova, javelin
Barbora Spotakova's poor showing at the 2015 World Championships, where she failed even to make the final, puts a little doubt in her ability to capture a third straight Olympic gold metal.
However, she has the longest throw of the year, accomplished in June, and is still the world-record holder in the event. That world record was achieved eight years ago, and, at age 35, the Czech star may be past her prime. But the gold medals she won at the 2008 and 2012 Olympics indicate she can perform when it counts.
Brianna Rollins, 100-meter hurdles
Rollins in the 100-meter hurdles is the closest thing the United States has in terms of a sure thing in women's track and field. She achieved that distinction primarily because her chief competition for the Olympic gold metal, Kendra Harrison, failed to qualify for Rio.
Harrison has the top two times of the year in the event and six of the best seven. However, she finished a disappointing sixth in a talent-packed field at the U.S. Olympic trials. As an indication of how loaded the U.S. is in this event, Dawn Harper-Nelson, the Olympic gold medalist in 2008 and silver medalist in 2012, did not even reach the finals at the Olympic trials.
Rollins finished first at the trials with the third-best time of 2016. Her competition in Rio may come from fellow Americans Castlin and Ali. Any of them could win the event.
Dark Horses to Watch
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Emma Coburn, 3,000-meter steeplechase
An American woman has never won a medal in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, but Emma Coburn has a chance to be the first.
Hyvin Jepkemoi of Kenya, who won the 2015 World Championships in this event, and Ruth Jebet of Bahrain probably rate as the favorites in Rio, because they have combined to own the five best times in the event this year. However, Coburn has run the sixth- and 10th-best times of 2016, and she finished fifth at last year's World Championships.
Michelle Carter, shot put
Michelle Carter does not have one of the 10 best throws this year. That is why she is an afterthought to Lijiao Gong, Valerie Adams and Christina Schwanitz, who collectively own all of the top nine throws of 2016 and figure to battle for the medals in Rio.
However, Carter finished fifth in the 2012 Olympics and captured a bronze medal at the 2015 World Championships. She finished first at the recent Olympic trials with an impressive toss of 19.59 meters (64 feet, 3 ¼ inches), and she seems to be at her best in big events.
"I've matured—just growing up and learning more about my sport and more about myself," the 30-year-old Carter told Jim Caple of ESPN.com. "Understanding how to compete better has really made a difference. And those years of experience. I've kind of overcome the 'Wow!' factor a little bit."
Sandi Morris, pole vault
Sandi Morris was not given much thought as a medal contender until recently.
Yelena Isinbayeva, the 2004 and 2008 Olympic champion, and the rest of the Russian track team were banned in the doping scandal, per Matt Slater of Press Association (via MailOnline). That opens the possibilities for Morris and others.
Morris finished second to 2012 Olympic champion Jenn Suhr in the 2016 Olympic trials, but two weeks later in Houston, Morris produced the best vault in the world this year. She cleared 4.93 meters in that July 23 meet, suddenly making her someone to consider for an Olympic medal. She is just 24 years old and has three of the top seven clearances in the world in 2016.
Suhr has experience on her side. Fabiana Murer of Brazil will have the Brazilian crowd on her side. Yarisley Silva of Cuba has the knowledge that she won the 2015 World Championships on her side. But Morris seems to have momentum on her side.
Potential Breakout Stars
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Tori Bowie
Sprinters typically get the most attention at the Olympics, partly because they have an opportunity to medal in several events.
Bowie has a good chance to medal in the 100 meters, 200 meters and 4x100-meter relay. Winning gold medals in all three will be a challenge considering the talent level of sprinters at the Rio Olympics. However, if Bowie should get the gold in two of those events, that would launch her name into the American consciousness.
SI.com projected Bowie will finish second in both the 100 and 200 meters and will be a member of a gold-medal-winning relay team. Track and Field News also predicted silver medals for her in both sprints, as well as a second-place finish in the relay.
Bowie finished third in the 100 at last year's World Championships, and she is tied for the third-fastest time in the 100 this year.
Tianna Bartoletta
Bartoletta won the long jump at the 2015 World Championships and finished second in that event at the U.S. Olympic trials, per TeamUSA.org. She also placed second in the 100 meters at the trials, finishing ahead of Bowie.
She is tied for the third-best time in the 100 meters this year, and she has a wind-aided leap of 7.02 meters to her credit in 2016, which would be the fifth-longest jump in the world this year if it qualified. She is also scheduled to run on the U.S. 4x100-meter relay team, which will battle Jamaica for gold.
If Bartoletta grabs medals in all three events and a gold in at least one, she may emerge as America's female track star of the Games.
The spoiler for both Bartoletta and Bowie could be Gardner.
Elaine Thompson
The Jamaican Thompson could be following the same path to glory that made countryman Usain Bolt a track star eight years ago.
Thompson was not mentioned among the star Jamaican female sprinters until the Jamaican Olympic trials. That is when she destroyed a strong field in the 100 meters, running it in 10.70 seconds, the best time in the world this year.
She was a silver medalist in the 200 meters at the 2015 World Championships but did not run in the 200-meter final at the Jamaican Olympic trials, claiming an injury, per a Reuters report. The Jamaica Observer reported she was given a medical exemption to run the 200 at the Olympics.
Thompson is also a member of the Jamaican 4x100-meter relay team that is expected to battle the Americans for a gold medal. Thompson just turned 24 in June and seems to be improving rapidly.
Team USA Outlook
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The United States women have a good chance to capture the most gold medals they have ever won in Olympic track and field, surpassing the six they won in 1984, 1988 and 2012. However, few of the American contenders appear to be locks for gold.
The absence of the Russians may help the Americans' medal haul, although the events in which the Russians excel do not coincide with the Americans' best events for the most part.
The United States and Jamaica are expected to rule the sprints, and Kenya and Ethiopia should dominate the distance runs. Those four countries should accumulate the most female track and field gold medals and the most medals overall in these Olympics.
Americans don't look like contenders in the weight events (shot put, hammer, javelin and discus) but have a good chance to capture gold in the hurdle events and the jumping events. A sweep in one of the hurdle events is not out of the question.
The best bets for gold among the American women include Felix (400 meters), Rollins (100-meter hurdles), Muhammad (400-meter hurdles), Brittney Reese (long jump) and the 4x400-meter relay team.
Americans in contention for gold medals include Bowie (100 meters, 200 meters), Gardner (100 meters), Castlin (100-meter hurdles), Spencer (400-meter hurdles), Suhr (pole vault), Morris (pole vault), Chaunte Lowe (high jump), Bartoletta (long jump, 100 meters) and the 4x100-meter relay team.
Even if the American women don't surpass the six gold medals won in 2012, they should win more than the three gold medals they captured in 2008 or the two they won in 2004, as noted by USATF.org.
Predictions for the Biggest Women's Track and Field Stars
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Allyson Felix, United States
400 meters: gold medal
4x400-meter relay: gold medal
Assuming Felix's ankle holds out, she should eke out a victory in the 400-meter final, barely edging Miller of the Bahamas.
Her victory as the anchor on the 4x400-meter relay team should be more decisive. The Americans have won that event in each of the past five Olympics, and they should make it six in a row.
Felix is also likely to capture a medal if she is chosen to run on the U.S. 4x100-meter relay team.
Tori Bowie, United States
100 meters: bronze medal
200 meters: silver medal
4x100-meter relay: silver medal
Bowie's third-place finish in the 100 meters at the U.S.. Olympic trials and the blistering 100 run by Jamaica's Thompson in the Jamaican trials suggest Bowie will have trouble winning that event. Her better chance is in the 200, although Schippers of the Netherlands is better in the 200 than the 100.
As talented as the American 4x100-meter relay team is, the Jamaicans look a little better.
Jenn Suhr, United States
Pole vault: silver medal
Suhr is the defending Olympic champion in the pole vault, and she captured the silver medal in that event in 2008. However, she only tied for fourth at the 2015 World Championships and will have trouble beating Silva of Cuba, the 2015 world champion. Morris of the U.S. might even knock Suhr out of the medals altogether.
Brittney Reese, United States
Long jump: gold medal
Reese is the defending Olympic champion and is a three-time world champion, winning in 2009, 2011 and 2013.
She beat 2015 world champion Bartoletta by nearly a foot in the recent Olympic trials, and Reese's winning jump of 7.31 meters (23 feet, 11 ¾ inches) was not only the longest jump of the year but was the longest since 2004, according to IAAF.org.
Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Jamaica
100 meters: no medal
4x100-meter relay: gold medal
Fraser-Pryce is trying to become the first person to win the 100-meter dash in three consecutive Olympics, according to CNN.com.
She also won the 100 at the World Championships for the third time in 2015, and she was the flag-bearer for Jamaica in the opening ceremony at the 2016 Olympics, per the Huffington Post.
However, she finished second by a wide margin to Thompson in the Jamaican trials, and at age 29, her best days may be behind her. She is still capable of winning gold, but she could also finish out of the medals altogether considering the strength of the Jamaican and American sprinters.
Fraser-Pryce is almost certain to win a medal in the 4x100-meter relay, and it could definitely be gold.
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