Which US athletes compete today, July 24, at the Oregon22 World Athletics Championships?
Fans may be treated to a final lap from Allyson Felix in the 4x400m while Kendra Harrison goes in the 100m hurdles and a sweep is on the cards in the 800m.
The US women’s 4x100m relay team scored an unexpected gold in the finals on Saturday night, pipping heavy pre-race favourites Jamaica to the line with a fine anchor run from Twanisha Terry securing gold. The men’s team did not fare so well, a costly blunder on a handover handing the advantage to Canada, but in the 4x400m semi-finals the US women suggested they will be hard to beat as they ran a season-best 3:23.38 with Allyson Felix taking the second leg. The US track great had been expected to retire after the mixed 4x400m event but was drafted into the women’s team and could yet run in the final in search of another world gold in a fitting swansong. The US men, reigning Olympic champions, also ran a season-best to make the finals.
The 4x400m will bring the World Championships in Eugene to a close on Sunday evening, but there is plenty of action to whet the appetite before the showpiece track event. In the morning session Nick Christie will go for the US in the men’s 35km race walk while the decathlon reaches its conclusion with events spread across the morning and evening session, culminating in the 1,500m.
The track action in the evening session gets underway with the women’s 100m hurdles semi-finals. Kendra Harrison takes the fastest PB and SB into heat one, where the US runner will be up against world number two-ranked Tobi Amusan. Alia Armstrong, who has improved her PB to 12:47 this season, goes in heat two.
The men’s pole vault and women’s long jump will draw the spotlight to the field in the evening session. Christopher Nilsen is likely to be among the challengers for a medal in the vault, where Renaud Lavillenie and Armand Duplantis will do battle for gold, while Tiffany Flynn and Quanesha Burks will carry US hopes into an extremely strong list of contenders for glory in the long jump final.
US hopes lie with Mu in possible 800m sweep
Attention will switch back to the track for the men’s 5,000m final, where Abdihamid Nur of the US will take on the might of Joshua Cheptegei, Nicholas Kipkorir and Selemon Barega, the top three in the world over the distance. The women’s 800m final will follow where all eyes will be on Olympic champion Athing Mu, who will lead a US trio also including Ajeé Wilson (whose national record Mu beat in Tokyo) and number four-ranked Raevyn Rogers. With such a strong line-up, a US clean sweep in the event cannot be ruled out.
A fond farewell for Felix?
The 100m hurdles final is up next and that will be followed by the 4x400m relay finals in an explosive finish to the competition that fans will hope features a final lap from Felix and more medal success to add to the 10 golds, eight silver and 10 bronzes Team USA have already landed.