by Larry Eder
Today is the first day of the 2024 Olympic Trials Preview :Six Deep Thoughts on June 21, 2024.
1. The Men’s Decathlon will be spectacular. The first five events (100 meters, Long Jump, Shot put, High Jump, and 400 meters), will give us a good idea of who is going to follow in the footsteps of Jim Thorpe (1912), Bob Mathias (1948, 1952), Milt Campbell (1952, 1956), Rafer Johnson (1956, 1960), Bill Toomey (1968), Bruce Jenner (1976), Dave Johnson (1992), Dan O’Brien (1996), Chris Huffins (2000), Bryan Clay (2004), Bryan Clay (2008), Ashton Eaton (2012), Ashton Eaton (2016). As Coach Harry Marry noted, “the decathlon is ten chances to make ten mistakes”. One event at a time, one day at a time for the World’s Best Athlete title.
2. The Men’s and Women’s 400-meter heats begin today at 3:06 and 3:41, respectively. No easy heats here. There are strong contenders in both. The 400 meters is a tough race. The human body can run about 35 to 40 seconds all out. After that, it is guts. The smart ones manage their energy so that they have something left in the tank for that last brutal 100 meters. Watch these rounds with curiosity.
3. The Women’s 800 meters start at 4:17, and they will be highly competitive. The U.S. has a strong group of women who can run 2:00 or faster, and Sage Hurta-Klecker looks like the top one right now. Where will Ajee Wilson be in fitness? Watch this round to see who the surprises are, and there will be surprises, perhaps two from Stanford.
4. The Men’s 1,500m has some focused competitors, from Yared Nuguse, to Sam Parsons, to Eric Holt, to some big surprises! We will not see Matt Centrowitz, Jr. who withdrew earlier today due to an injry. Matt is the only American to win an Olympic gold medal at the 1,500m since 1908, when he did it in 2016. This team will be a battle for all three positions and some surprises will ensue.
5. The women’s 5,000 meters is a difficult race, over 12.5 laps. The one to watch is Elle St. Pierre, who will be racing the 5,000m and the 1,500m. The newly crowned World Indoor 3000m gold medalist is one tough athlete, having had baby Ivan just over a year and a half ago. What will Elle do tonight?
6. The only final of the night is the Men’s 10,000m. This will be tough, as only 3 men competing tonight have made the 10,000m Olympic Standard. The weather is expected to be in the mid-80s, so do not expect a fast race for the 25-lapper. Watch for the big kicks over the last 1000 meters as the crowd of distance-crazed fans just lose it for a big kick. This is Hayward field, home of the late Steve Prefontaine, his ghost will be here tonight, as he held the AR for 10,000m from 1974 to 1979, when Craig Virgin broke it with his 27:39.
Join the fans post-event at the track heaven, Wild Duck Cafe, just blocks away!
Enjoy Day 1
Here’s the link for the schedule: https://www.usatf.org/events/2024/2024-u-s-olympic-team-trials-%E2%80%94-track-field/schedule
Here’s the updated list of entries: https://www.usatf.org/events/2024/2024-u-s-olympic-team-trials-%E2%80%94-track-field/status-of-entries
Check out Bobby Hodge’s preview of the 2024 Olympic Trials: https://www.runblogrun.com/2024/06/eugene-oregon-hayward-field-still-got-that-new-car-smell-preview-2024-by-bob-hodge-for-runblogrun.html
