The 2024 U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials will be held June 21-30 in Eugene, Oregon. The meet serves as the selection event for the 2024 Olympics in Paris, where track and field competition will begin on August 1.
Below, you’ll find TV and streaming info, the race schedule, and the three most enticing races of the day. We’ll update these categories every day of the meet so that you’re set to enjoy that day’s action. Of course, you’ll also want to follow our coverage, which will include results, analysis, and break-out stories on the most interesting athletes and developments of the meet.
Here’s what you need to know.
How to Watch the Olympic Track and Field Trials (Day 8/June 30)
U.S. broadcast coverage will be split among NBC, USA Network, and Peacock. (You can purchase a Peacock subscription for $5.99 a month.) Most races will be streamed live on Peacock. Eugene is on Pacific Time, which is three hours behind Eastern Time.
Day 8 action will be shown on Peacock from 2:50 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. PT, and on NBC from 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. PT.
Sunday Race Schedule (Pacific Time)
4:30 p.m.—Men’s 5,000 meters final
4:51 p.m.—Men’s 800 meters final
5:00 p.m.—Women’s 100-meter hurdles final
5:09 p.m.—Women’s 1500 meters final
5:20 p.m.—Men’s 400-meter hurdles final
6:29 p.m.—Women’s 400-meter hurdles final
What’s at Stake?
In many events, the first three finishers will earn the right to compete in that distance at the Olympics in August. Sprinters’ finishing places will also contribute to whether they get named to the 4x100-meter and 4x400-meter relay teams for Paris.
In some distance events, a runner might finish in the top three and not be eligible to run in the Olympics, because they lack either the Olympic qualifying time or a high enough world ranking. In those situations, someone outside the top three who has an Olympic qualifier could be named to the team. Throughout the meet, we’ll highlight these more complicated situations and explain the likely team-selection outcomes.
Three Key Races Sunday
Men’s 1500 meters final (4:30 p.m. PDT/7:30 EDT)
The 1,500-meter champion, Cole Hocker, meets the 10,000-meter winner, Grant Fisher. On paper, Fisher should have the edge—his American record of 12:46 is 12 seconds faster than Hocker’s PR, and Hocker has little experience in high-level 5,000s. But in a championship race, ace kicker Hocker might have the edge. Fisher is likely to try a long drive for home, maybe even significantly dropping the pace with two kilometers to go, and force Hocker to commit to unfamiliar territory. The winner is likely to run his final mile in under 4:00.
It’s hard to know how others will handle the Fisher-Hocker showdown. Abdihamid Nur hasn’t looked as sharp as when he won the national title last year. Woody Kincaid, second in the 10,000, needs to break 13:05 or have a fast enough time and high enough placing to improve his world ranking enough to have an Olympic qualifier. But he’s not a front runner who will force the pace. Hocker’s training partner Cooper Teare was frustrated by his 10th-place finish in the 1500 and has something to prove here.
Women’s 1500 meters final (5:09 PDT/8:09 EDT)
The top two finishers from Monday’s fantastic 5,000, Elle St. Pierre and Elise Cranny, go at it again in what both say is their favorite event. This time, they’ll probably have lots of company over the final lap.
World silver medalist and last year’s national champ, Nikki Hiltz, is probably the best final-straightaway finisher in the field. Hiltz’s main goal before then is to keep the leaders close. St. Pierre likes to lead and knows her odds of making the team increase the faster the pace. Her teammates Emily Mackay and Heather Johnson will no doubt know her race plan and can react to it accordingly. Mackay, this year’s world bronze medalist, is a bold racer who just might move around St. Pierre if that feels right in the moment. Johnson has traditionally sat farther back and then run a great last 200 meters. But, perhaps because of new confidence from sticking with St. Pierre in training, she was more of a front runner in the first two rounds.
It might take breaking St. Pierre’s Trails record of 3:58.03 just to finish in the top three.
Women’s 400-meter hurdles final (5:29 p.m. PDT/8:29 p.m. EDT)
Barring disaster, this will be a Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone romp. The question is more by how much, not whether she’ll win.
McLaughlin-Levrone often produces jaw-dropping performances at big meets. Will she target her world record of 50.68, set on this track in the 2022 world championships? What a treat that would be in the final race of what has been an excellent Olympic Trials.
Scott is a veteran running, fitness, and health journalist who has held senior editorial positions at Runner’s World and Running Times. Much of his writing translates sport science research and elite best practices into practical guidance for everyday athletes. He is the author or coauthor of several running books, including Running Is My Therapy, Advanced Marathoning, and Meb for Mortals. Scott has also written about running for Slate, The Atlantic, the Washington Post, and other members of the sedentary media. His lifetime running odometer is past 110,000 miles, but he’s as much in love as ever.
