The USA Outdoors Championships were held in Eugene, Oregon from June 25-June 28. A celebration of all things track and field, the US Champs are at the same time a fantastic track meet but also the prime example of how tough our sport truly is.
To make the US team, one must finish in the top three. That means, every two years for a World Champs and every four years for the Olympics, one must finish in the top three (and make standards in WC and Olympics). In World Champs, there are byes for Diamond League champs and defending champions, so, in some events (like 110m hurdles), US will send four athletes.
The conditions were terribly hot, around 40 degrees Celsius (95-100F) with high humidity, was part of the story for Thursday through Saturday. The crowds were a bit less than expected, but that was probably due to four major events in a month.
In this audio, I was sitting in the stands at the 50 meter mark of the 100 meters, watching the 5000 meters, 110 hurdles and 200 meter races while enjoying a meet with some wonderful moments.
