Olympic track trials close spectacularly

EUGENE, Oregon – Three hurdles races and the USC connection helped close the 2024 U.S. Track and Field Olympic Trials that ended spectacularly. In the next to the last event of Day 10, former Trojan hurdle great Rai Benjamin dug deep to produce a world-leading time of  46.46 to win the 400-meter hurdles race at Hayward Field. 

Anna Cockrell and Jasmine Jones, both USC alums, earned spots on Team USA as hurdlers. That was the hang-up  In the process of his Superman effort to come up with the best time in the world this year, Benjamin also broke his meet record of 46.83 which he set in 2021. 

If this was any other track meet, what Benjamin achieved would be a monumental affair. As it was, the last race of the day stole Benjamin’s thunder. 

Not to be outdone, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone capped off the Olympic track trials with a world record. McLaughlin-Levrone came out strong and powered her way past the rest of the field and hit the tape in 50.65, smashing the world record she set in 2022. 

That mark of 50.68 was also the national record she previously held. On her reaction when she hit the tape, McLaughlin-Levrone gave thanks to a much Higher Power. 

“Thank you, God, honestly,” McLaughlin-Levrone said. “For delivering me through the race, being healthy, qualifying me for a spot on this team.”

Well, the meet record, the national record, and the world record all fell in one grand swoop by McLaughlin-Levrone, who finished the race two seconds ahead of runner-up Anna Cockrell. Cockrell (52.64) and another former Trojan, Jasmine Jones (52.77) ran well enough to secure the second and third spots on the U.S. track team. 

After she crossed the finish line, McLaughlin-Levrone sensed she did something special. Almost immediately after crossing the finish line, she put both hands over her mouth gasping in disbelief. That would be the best way McLaughlin-Levrone could describe what was going through her mind in that instance.   

“Just shock. Honestly, shock,” McLaughlin-Levrone said. “I know at first it came up, it said 50.67, I was like there’s just no way…0.01. But honestly, I wasn’t expecting that time. So I think that’s what that was.”  

Speaking of shock, Masai Russell surprised everyone with her stunning win in the women’s 100m hurdles. Russell didn’t just win, she produced a world-leading time of 12.25 seconds. Russell’s mark also establishes a new meet record, an achievement that even she could not believe. 

“When I saw 12.25, I was like dang, like I really did what I did,” Russell said afterward.

Russell is now a national champion with her sights on being an Olympic medalist. But her journey to where is today has been rocky, she said. 

“It’s been a rollercoaster, I’ll tell ya,” Russell said. “Like I said, I just ran a 12.8 a couple of weeks ago, and now I’m talking about breaking the Olympic Trials meet record. It just shows that I’m capable of…I feel like breaking the world record.”