U.S. Olympic Track & Field Trials: Top events, matchups

The U.S. Olympic Team Trials in track and field, June 18-27, will decide the qualifiers in all individual events other than the marathons and 50km walk, for which trials were held in 2020. Competition is split into two, four-day clusters: Days 1-4 take place Friday through Monday, followed by a two-day rest period, then Days 7-10 Thursday through Sunday. Each day has at least two finals scheduled, some with as many as 10. The top three finishers in each event secure a spot on the U.S. Olympic team, given they've met the standard. You can watch all the action here on NBCOlympics.com, the NBC Sports app, Peacock and the networks of NBC and NBCSN. A TV/stream schedule is below.

Hayward Magic

Hayward Field on the University of Oregon campus underwent a lighting sound test Thursday night. The new state-of-the-art track and field venue was slated to host the 2020 Olympic Trials in June but those have been pushed back until 2021.

© Andy Nelson/The Register-Guard via Imagn Content Services, LLC

It's fitting, really, that the once-but-still historic Hayward Field in "Track Town USA" Eugene, Oregon, will again play host to the U.S. Olympic Team Trials. Like U.S. track and field itself, a powerhouse contingent that has topped the sport's medal count at the last seven Olympics, Hayward, too, has long held a dominating presence in the Games' process, serving off-and-on as Trials host for decades, dating back to 1972.

Since 2016, Hayward has dramatically stepped things up, undergoing a lengthy renovation to transform its iconic grounds into a state-of-the-art complex fit to hold nearly 30,000. And so, too, in some ways, has U.S. track and field — sure, the team has topped or equaled its total medal count at every Olympics since the 2000 Sydney Games, but not until Rio did it exceed or match its 13 golds from the 1996 Atlanta Games. It then amassed 14 world titles at the 2019 World Championships in Doha, Qatar.

Five years after Rio, the team has a plethora of big-time stars, healthy internal position battles, an evident overflow of comradery and new-blood phenoms that seem to miraculously fill existing gaps or add depth to an already robust roster. This cycle's team stands to be among the best the U.S. has ever sent to the Games; on paper, it's podium-competitive in at least 23 of the total 48 events, with multiple athletes in most.

But we all know that "on paper" doesn't mean a thing. What happens on the track, over the pit and in the circle in Eugene, and later on in Tokyo, will ultimately decide if that turns out to be true. Fortunately for spectators, when a team this formidable begins to come together, sparks fly and the show is spectacular. We're in for quite the treat, folks.

Must-See Events

This year's competition is fierce, therefore many races will be extremely close and several jumps and throws hotly contested. Frankly there are too many to list here, so included below are only the best of the best. Please do yourself a favor and try and watch as much as you can, because there's bound to be a surprise in nearly every event. That's the beauty of the U.S. trials.

Men's 100m

R1: Day 2, Sat, 6/19, 8:34 p.m. ET (NBCSN/Peacock)
SFs: Day 3, Sun, 6/20, 9:19 p.m. ET (NBC/Peacock)
Final: Day 3, Sun, 6/20, 10:52 p.m. ET (NBC/Peacock)

EUGENE, OREGON - APRIL 24: Trayvon Bromell (R) beats Noah Lyles in the 100 meter final during the USATF Grand Prix at Hayward Field on April 24, 2021 in Eugene, Oregon.

Steph Chambers/Getty Images

Eight-time Olympic gold medalist Usain Bolt may not be American, but his absence from the world stage is felt perhaps in no place greater – besides homeland Jamaica – than the United States. Prior to the 2008 Beijing Games, the U.S. had won 64% of the men's 100m titles in Olympic history. Bolt then went back-to-back-back in 2008, 2012 and 2016. Only once did an American – 2004 Olympic champion Justin Gatlin – place second in those three finals, at the 2016 Rio Games, so it's hard to say whether Bolt's nonexistence would've opened up an opportunity. But the thing is, Bolt's mere presence and supernatural ability to execute often made him victorious even before the gun went off. Without Bolt, possibility and variability reenter the fray.

More locally, 2019 world champion Christian Coleman is serving a suspension due to missed drug tests. Up until Trayvon Bromell and Marvin Bracy respectively clocked 9.77 and 9.85 earlier this June, only 9.86-sprints from Noah Lyles and Michael Norman in 2019 and 2020 came within a full tenth of a second of Coleman's 9.76 from 2019, tied for 15th-fastest ever run, in the current Olympic cycle. It's safe to say that if Coleman were present he'd likely get a spot, leaving only two up for grabs.

It's possible these openings helped prompt the triumphant return of Bromell, a 2016 Olympian and bronze medalist at the 2015 World Championships in Beijing, who enters the trials as the slight favorite. But it's anyone's guess how this ends. Bromell (9.77) is one of 10 entrants with marks under 10 seconds. The others: Bracy (9.85), Lyles (9.86), Gatlin (9.89), Isiah Young (9.89), Fred Kerley (9.91), Cravon Gillespie (9.93), Ronnie Baker (9.94), Kyree King (9.97) and Mike Rodgers (9.97). That's an entire final of sub-10 sprinters with two to spare. First-round races are easy to skip over, unless you happen to personally know someone competing, because the real contenders rarely fail to advance. This might be the year to tune-in, just to make sure.

The men's 200m and 400m will also include phenomenal competition.

Women's 200m

R1: Day 7, Thu, 6/24, 9:31 p.m. ET (NBCSN/Peacock)
SFs: Day 8, Fri, 6/25, 7:25 p.m. ET (NBCN/Peacock)
Final: Day 9, Sat, 6/26, 10:24 p.m. ET (NBC/Peacock)

USA's Sha'Carri Richardson celebrates winning the women's 200m race at the IAAF Golden Spike 2021 Athletics meeting in Ostrava, Czech Republic, on May 19, 2021. - USA's Sha'Carri Richardson won the race ahead Nigeria's Blessing Okagbare and Switzerland's Mujinga Kambundji (3rd).

MICHAL CIZEK/AFP via Getty Images

This is truly anybody's race. All one has to do is check the women's 200m season-bests list and you'll find an astounding 19 of the top 25 athletes are from the United States, and 14 of them have sub-22.50 times. Sha'Carri Richardson enters as the slight favorite with a 22.11 season-best from April and a 22-flat personal-best from last August. She was the 200m runner-up at the 2019 NCAA Championships. The 21-year-old has found more success in the 100m, leaping to No. 6 on the all-time list in 2021, but plans to double in the sprints, and so she's entered to race both at trials. The 100m comes before the 200m on the schedule, which could end up helping Richardson out in two ways: one, she first competes in the more comfortable of the two, and second, if she is able to make the team in the 100m it would alleviate at least some pressure for a situation in which the 200m becomes make-it-or-break-it. 

Other contenders include: Cambrea Sturgis (22.12), Tamara Clark (22.13), Anglerne Annelus (22.16), Gabby Thomas (22.17), Brittany Brown (22.22), Anavia Battle (22.28), Jenna Prandini (22.43) and, last but not least, Allyson Felix (22.59), the most decorated American woman in track and field history with nine Olympic medals, and also meet's record-holder in the 200m from the 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials. Felix, 35, is entered in the 400m as well, which takes place first on the schedule. If she isn't able to land on a spot first on the 400m team, the 200m would then become her final chance at racing in an individual event in Tokyo — she could also be named to the relay pool, regardless of her results in the open events, although those would still likely be taken into account when determining which athletes are worthy of being chosen. Overall, it'll be fascinating just to see who makes it to the final. All three phases should be exhilarating to watch. Buckle up.

Men's 800m

R1: Day 1, Fri, 6/18, 8:26 p.m. ET (NBCSN/Peacock)
SFs: Day 2, Sat, 6/19, 10:04 p.m. ET (NBC/Peacock)
Final: Day 4, Mon, 6/21, 8:28 p.m. ET (NBC/Peacock)

(From L) US Bryce Hoppel, US Donavan Brazier and Canada's Marco Arop compete in the men's 800metre event during the Diamond League Athletics Meeting at The Louis II Stadium in Monaco on August 14, 2020.

ERIC GAILLARD/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

Like the aforementioned Bolt effect, two-time reigning Olympic champion and world record-holder David Rudisha's absence has surely ignited a fire in at least a few 800m runners worldwide knowing now their Olympic dreams won't inevitably end staring at the two-time world champion's back as he crosses the finish line in first. Coincidently, as Rudisha's reign over the event has subsided, another's has sprouted, at least domestically in the United States. Reigning world champion Donavan Brazier has been a record-breaking machine ever since high school. As a junior at Kenowa Hills High School, he broke the Michigan state record in 1:48.61. In his debut collegiate race in 2016, he broke the American junior indoor record in 1:45.92. The following outdoor season he broke the collegiate record in 1:43.55, then turned pro, leaving college three years early to sign a deal with Nike. Things were going great until the 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials arrived, and Brazier finished 19th overall. Three years later, Brazier gathered his bearings and returned to top form, winning the 2019 world title in a championship- and American-record 1:42.34, taking down Johnny Gray's 34-year-old mark, one of U.S. track and field's longstanding records. That winter he took down the U.S. indoor mark in 1:44.22.

Brazier has yet to run sub-1:45 outdoors this year with only a single race under his belt from May. He also ran a 1500m in late April at Hayward Field. But there's no doubt he's the favorite and will win this race, given he's healthy. It's seeing Brazier do his thing and then watching what transpires for second and third place that will be absolutely thrilling to witness. Bryce Hoppel (1:43.23), fourth at the 2019 World Championships, is the most likely to get runner-up, but it's not guaranteed. Possible contenders to take his spot, third place or even Brazier's: 2021 NCAA champion Isaiah Jewett (1:44.68), 2016 Olympic bronze medalist Clayton Murphy (1:43.94), Isaiah Harris (1:45.50), Brandon Miller (1:44.97), Erik Sowinski (1:45.69), Michael Rhoads (1:45.22), Kameron Jones (1:45.47) or any of the other dozen or so runners with a chance in this historically unpredictable event. The 800m is always great to watch, and it will be just as fantastic on the women's side, which is also stacked with talent.

Two additional events that might not bring the equivalent star-power but should be extremely tight are the women's 10,000m and men's steeplechase. Both, especially with the notable scratches, will be barn-burners.

Battles From Within

Dalilah Muhammad vs. Sydney McLaughlin, Women's 400m Hurdles

Women's 400m Hurdles
R1: Day 8, Fri, 6/25, 6:35 p.m. ET (NBCSN/Peacock)
SFs: Day 9, Sat, 6/26, 9:19 p.m. ET (NBC/Peacock)
Final: Day 10, Sun, 6/27, 7:20 p.m. ET (NBC/Peacock)

Oct 4, 2019; Doha; Qatar; Dalilah Muhammad (USA), right, and Sydney McLaughlin (USA) react after placing first and second in the women's 400m hurdles in world record 52.16 and 52.23 during the IAAF World Athletics Championships at Khalifa International Stadium.

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Dalilah Muhammad and Sydney McLaughlin have been pit against each other ever since they both made their Olympic debuts in 2016, and it's because they're two of the United States' best overall female athletes that just happen to compete in the same event. If all goes smoothly at U.S. trials the duo needs only to worry about who gets bragging rights for taking first and not second. Up until the final day of May neither had run a 400m hurdles race since going 1-2 at the 2019 World Championships in Doha. But Muhammad has since recorded two times and McLaughlin one, enough to put them top-three in the U.S. headed into trials. Muhammad, the reigning Olympic champion and world champion, has dealt with an injury in 2021 and competed sparingly, so her health will be a major question heading into Eugene. She's the world record-holder. Her 52.16 in Doha was her second world-record result – earlier in the year she broke it at the 2019 U.S. Championships. McLaughlin was just behind in second in both races, and along with Muhammad dipped below the world record at her first first world championship appearance in Doha to become the second-fastest woman in the history of the event. Muhammad’s 2016 Olympic title was the first gold medal for the U.S. in the event.

Ryan Crouser vs. Joe Kovacs, Men's Shot Put

Men's Shot Put
Qual: Day 1, Fri, 6/18, 3:00 p.m. ET
Final: Day 1, Fri, 6/18, 9:30 p.m. ET (NBCSN/Peacock)

USA's Joe Kovacs (L) celebrates winning with second placed USA's Ryan Crouser after the Men's Shot Put final at the 2019 IAAF Athletics World Championships at the Khalifa International stadium in Doha on October 5, 2019.

ANDREJ ISAKOVIC/AFP via Getty Images

Ryan Crouser and Joe Kovacs are not only the United States' best shot putters, they're two of the very best in sport history, and over the last seven years or so have dominated the event. At the 2016 Rio Games, Crouser won gold and Kovacs took silver. Three years later at the 2019 World Championships in Doha, Qatar, widely considered to be one of the best shot put competitions in history, they swapped that order. In Doha, Kovacs, Courser and New Zealand's Tom Walsh, the defending world champion, went 1-2-3, but it's how far they all threw that turned heads. All three heaved championship-record marks, the farthest throws since 1990, and 2015 world champion Kovacs eventually won by a centimeter. The U.S. has won about 64% of the 28 men's Olympic shot put titles, and nearly 60% of all 84 medals ever awarded, including at least one at each of the last nine Olympics. It has swept the event seven times but not since 1960. Crouser in May broke 23 meters for the first time, becoming only the third shot putter to ever accomplish the milestone mark. Earlier in the year during the indoor season, he took down Randy Barnes' indoor world record from 1989, recording 22.82m. Barnes' outdoor record of 23.12m still stands.

Sandi Morris vs. Katie Nageotte, Women's Pole Vault

Women's Pole Vault
Qual: Day 7, Thu, 6/24, 8:00 p.m. ET
Final: Day 9, Sat, 6/26, 8:40 p.m. ET

Track & Field: IAAF World Athletics Championships: USA Sandi Morris (L) victorious kissing her teammate Katie Nageotte after winning Women's Pole Vault Final at Khalifa International Stadium. Morris wins silver.

Simon Bruty /Sports Illustrated/Getty Images

The Sandi Morris and Katie Nageotte rivalry, if one cares to call it that, hasn't really been a thing until recently. Morris, 28, has enjoyed incredible success during the current Olympic cycle. About a month after winning silver at the 2016 Rio Olympics, she cleared 5 meters to become the third-best vaulter of all-time behind world record-holder Yelena Isinbayeva of Russia and compatriot Jenn Suhr, then earned two more silver medals at the world championships in 2017 and 2019. Nageotte, meanwhile, didn't make the Olympic team in 2016, placing fifth at trials. Two years later, she won her first major title at the 2018 U.S. Indoor Championships, but then at the next two U.S. Outdoor Championship installments in 2018 and 2019 she took second behind Morris. Fast-forward to the 2021 season and her top two marks from this year – 4.94m (indoors), 4.93m – are better than Morris' seasons-best 4.88m (indoors). In fact, Morris hasn't had a mark greater than 4.94m since July 2018. Nageotte enters trials with confidence.

NBC Olympics Research contributed to this section

Something's Missing

Christian Taylor, Men's Triple Jump

Ruptured his Achilles in May

Christian Taylor of United States competes in the men's Triple Jump during the IAAF Golden Spike 2021 Athletics meeting in Ostrava, Czech Republic, on May 19, 2021.

MICHAL CIZEK/AFP via Getty Images

Taylor, one of the most dominant track and field athletes of the last decade, ruptured his Achilles in May. The 30-year-old won gold at each of the last two Olympics and is a four-time world champion, including the last three straight world titles. Had his path led him to Tokyo he could've become the second man in history to win three Olympic triple jump titles after Viktor Saneyev of the Soviet Union. Instead, at the 2021 Golden Spike meet in Ostrava, Taylor could be seen pulling up during an attempt and would later undergo surgery in Germany shortly thereafter. “I am disappointed to not be able to go for my third consecutive Olympic gold in Tokyo, but I will be back,” Taylor said in a statement. “I have 426 days until triple jump at Eugene 2022 [World Championships] and I am already setting my target on that podium.” In Taylor’s absence, the Olympic favorite is likely fellow American and former Florida Gator Will Claye, who the week before U.S. trials revealed he, too, had suffered a recent Achilles rupture in 2020, and that had it not been for the postponement he likely wouldn't have healed in time. Claye finished second to Taylor at each of the last two Olympics in 2012 and 2016, and world championships in 2017 and 2019. He also won a bronze medal in the long jump in 2012.

Nia Ali, Women's 100m Hurdles

Gave birth to her third child in May

USA TODAY Sports

The reigning world champion gave birth to her third child at some point in early May. Although she has yet to publicly share details regarding the pregnancy, her partner and fellow track and field star Andre De Grasse, a three-time Olympic medalist for Canada, confirmed the news when he pulled out of the World Athletics Relays. 'With the obvious focus being the Tokyo Olympics we have made the decision to pass on the World Relays this year. I have a baby due in early May and wouldn't want to risk being overseas when the baby arrives," De Grasse said in a statement obtained by the CBC. Ali also alluded to her newborn through Instagram comments made in late May. The 2016 Olympic silver medalist already had son Titus, 6, born 15 months before Rio; and daughter Yuri, 3, who was scooped up by Ali for her 100m hurdles victory celebration in at the 2019 World Championships in Doha, Qatar. Thanks in part to Ali the U.S. swept the 100m hurdles in Rio, becoming the first country to do so in the event. And that feat's unlikely to be repeated in Tokyo — Ali isn't competing; gold medalist Brianna McNeal, while still entered at trials, was provisionally suspended by the Athletics Integrity Unit in January after being charged with tampering with part of a doping control process; and bronze medalist Kristi Castlin scratched from trials. Perhaps the silver lining in all of this is that Keni Harrison, who finished sixth at the 2016 U.S. Trials and less than two weeks later took down the event's world record, which she still holds, has a leg up in finally making her Olympic debut. The 28-year-old of Clayton, North Carolina, won a silver medal at the 2019 World Championships in Doha behind Ali.

*Shelby Houlihan, Women's 1500m and 5000m

Handed four-year ban after testing positive for a steroid

Feb 15, 2020; Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA; Shelby Houlihan wins the women's 1,500m in 4:06.41 during the USATF Indoor Championships at Albuquerque Convention Center.

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The American record-holder at 1500m and 5000m received a four-year ban a week before the start of trials, which she'll presumably miss, despite being actively seeded in both events. The 28-year-old tested positive for steroid nandrolone in an out-of-competition urine test administered by the World Anti-Doping Agency in December 2020. She has maintained her innocence, saying the most likely source was a burrito, and that she even passed a polygraph test and got her hair sampled by a top toxicologist.  “I feel completely devastated … betrayed by the very sport that I’ve loved and poured myself into," Houlihan said in a statement. "I have never taken any performance enhancing substances." Houlihan is a four-time U.S. 1500m champion – twice outdoors, twice indoors – and won the 1500m-5000m double at both 2018 and 2019 U.S. Championships. The Sioux City, Iowa, native finished 11th in the 5000m in Rio. Her absence in the 1500m ever so slightly opens up the event, enough so that perhaps 2016 Olympic bronze medalist Jenny Simpson, 34, has a better shot at a third straight Games, and Elle Purrier becomes the favorite. And the same goes for in the 5000m. The yielding of, in essence, locked-in spots, also sparks renewed hope, which in turn could present some surprising outcomes.

Several others won't be making it to this year's trials, including steeplechaser Evan Jager and distance runners Molly Huddle and Shannon Rowbury, who all scratched.

*Editor's note: Houlihan appears to have the go-ahead from USATF to compete at the U.S. Track & Field Trials:

View social media post: https://twitter.com/usatf/status/1405555635140272135

NBC Olympics Research contributed to this section.

Collegians Ready to Shine

Active collegians or recent graduates are nothing new to U.S. trials, or even the Games. To name a few recent ones who competed at the 2016 Rio Olympics as current student-athletes: hammer thrower Rudy Winkler (Cornell), triple jumper Keturah Orji (Georgia), shot putter Raven Saunders (Mississippi), hurdler Devon Allen (Oregon), sprinter Christian Coleman (Tennessee) and shot putter Ryan Crouser (Texas). Orji, Saunders, Allen and Crouser all placed fifth or better. Not every athlete, though, is talented enough in that early stage of their careers to seriously contend. Few enter among the highest ranked athletes in the world. This year's a bit different. The 2021 NCAA Track and Field Championships wrapped up in mid-June with some incredible performances. Some of this year's premier class of collegians not only have great chances to seize coveted U.S. Olympic spots but, if successful in making the team, almost certainly will be competing for medals later this summer in Tokyo.

Randolph Ross (N.C. A&T State), Men's 400m

Men's 400m
R1: Day 1, Fri, 6/18, 7:58 p.m. ET (NBCSN/Peacock)
SFs: Day 2, Sat, 6/19, 10:35 p.m. ET (NBC/Peacock)
Final: Day 3, Sun, 6/20, 10:15 p.m. ET (NBC/Peacock)

Jun 11, 2021; Eugene, Oregon, USA; Randolph Ross of North Carolina A&T wins the 400m in 43.85 during the NCAA Track and Field Championships at Hayward Field.

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The sophomore put his name on the map at the NCAA Championships running a 43.85 world-lead, taking three-quarters of a second off his previous personal best. He then helped his 4x400m relay team win a title. Ross' open 400m time made him the ninth-fastest American at 400m in history, besting the late Lee Evans' personal best by a hundredth of a second. Ross, 20, suddenly finds himself on the heels of Michael Norman, 23, who's two years out of USC, as both hope to lock up debut Olympic spots.

Terrance Laird (LSU), Men's 200m

Men's 200m
R1: Day 8, Fri, 6/25, 5:04 p.m. ET (NBCSN/Peacock)
SFs: Day 9, Sat, 6/26, 10:33 p.m. ET (NBC/Peacock)
Final: Day 10, Sun, 6/27, 8:22 p.m. ET (NBC/Peacock)

Mar 13, 2021; Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA; Terrance Laird of LSU competes in the 200m during the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships at the Randal Tyson Center. From left: Matthew Boling (Georgia), Laird, Javonte Harding (North Caroina A&T) and Lance Lang (Kentucky).

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Back in March, the senior ran 19.81 at Texas Relays, cracking the top-50 list of fastest 200m sprints ever run by an American. Prior to U.S. trials the mark was still No. 1 in the world. About two months later Laird won SEC titles in both the 100m and 200m, running the second-fastest 200m in the world in 19.82. The 22-year-old started college at Penn State before transferring to Hinds Community College in Mississippi and finally transferring to LSU ahead of the 2020 season. He was initially entered to double at trials but scratched from the 100m. Stiff competition awaits in the 200m, with reigning world champion Noah Lyles amongst it.

Tara Davis (Texas), Women's Long Jump

Women's Long Jump
Qual: Day 7, Thu, 6/24, 8:45 p.m. ET
Final: Day 9, Sat, 6/26, 9:30 p.m. ET (NBC/Peacock)

Mar 26, 2021; Austin, Texas; Tara Davis of Texas wins the women's long jump in a collegiate record 23-5 1/4 (7.14m) during the 93rd Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays at Mike A. Myers Stadium.

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Davis, a junior, had the world’s best long jump mark of the year for about two months before 2019 world bronze medalist Ese Brume of Nigeria topped it in late May. Going into trials the 7.14m jump remained No. 2 in the world, as well as the best American result of 2021. The mark also broke the 36-year-old NCAA record that had been held by three-time Olympic gold medalist Jackie Joyner-Kersee.

JuVaughn Harrison (LSU), Men's Long Jump/High Jump

Men's Long Jump
Qual: Day 8, Fri, 6/25, 4:30 p.m. ET
Final: Day 10, Sun, 6/27, 7:00 p.m. ET (NBC/Peacock)

Men's High Jump
Qual: Day 8, Fri, 6/25, 6:00 p.m. ET (NBCSN/Peacock)
Final: Day 10, Sun, 6/27, 4:30 p.m. ET

Jun 11, 2021; Eugene, Oregon, USA; JuVaughn Harrison of LSU celebrates after winning the high jump at 7-7 3/4 (2.33m) during the NCAA Track and Field Championships at Hayward Field.

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Competing in the unorthodox long and high jump double, Harrison isn't afforded the luxury of day-long breaks between phases and events. Both the long jump and high jump at U.S. trials have finals on Day 10 of events, the last day of competition. Fortunately they don't run simultaneously, but a 2.5-hour break between events might get tricky — he'll presumably have just enough time to transition. In a press conference the Monday before trials, Harrison said he was OK with how the schedule was structured and ready for any possible challenge. The 22-year-old won NCAA indoor titles in both events in 2021 – both events were on the same day – and counts his mom Georgia as his biggest fan and inspiration. Georgia, a Jamaica native, ran the 400m hurdles at Alabama A&M. Headed into trials both Harrison's long jump and high jump marks ranked No.1 among American athletes, and No. 2 in the world behind long jumper Miltiadis Tentoglou of Greece and high jumper Ilya Ivanyuk, representing the Russian Olympic Committee.

Athing Mu (Texas A&M), Women's 800m

Women's 800m
R1: Day 7, Thu, 6/24, 10:00 p.m. ET (NBCSN/Peacock)
SFs: Day 8, Fri, 6/25, 6:02 p.m. ET (NBCSN/Peacock)
Final: Day 10, Sun, 6/27, 7:52 p.m. ET (NBC/Peacock)

EUGENE, OR - JUNE 12: Athing Mu of the Texas A&M Aggies reacts during the Division I Men's and Women's Outdoor Track & Field Championships held at Hayward Field on June 12, 2021 in Eugene, Oregon.

Jamie Schwaberow/NCAA Photos via Getty Images

Athing Mu broke Raevyn Rogers’ NCAA 800m record in the spring as a freshman, running 1:57.73. Prior to U.S. trials the mark was still the top American time this year. It had been No. 1 in the world for about two months until Werkwuha Getachew in early June took nearly four seconds off her personal record at the Ethiopian Olympic Trials. Mu broke onto the scene in 2019, running an American record in the indoor 600m at U.S. Championships while still in high school. In 2021, she’s broken under-20 American records in the 400m and 800m in an impressive season at Texas A&M, or "Athing&Mu." She just recently  turned 19 years old on June 8. 

Isaiah Jewett (USC), Men's 800m

Men's 800m
R1: Day 1, Fri, 6/18, 8:26 p.m. ET (NBCSN/Peacock)
SFs: Day 2, Sat, 6/19, 10:04 p.m. ET (NBC/Peacock)
Final: Day 4, Mon, 6/21, 8:28 p.m. ET (NBC/Peacock)

Jun 11, 2021; Eugene, Oregon, USA; Isaiah Jewett of Southern California celebrates after defeating Brandon Miller of Texas A&M to win the 800m, 1:44.68 to 1:44.97, during the NCAA Track and Field Championships at Hayward Field.

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The 24-year-old fifth-year senior gave it his all at the 2021 NCAA Championships and slashed nearly a second off his personal best, running 1:44.68 to win the title. Prior to the start of trials, his time was 13th in the world and No. 1 among Americans. While it's fair to say reigning world champion Donavan Brazier and Bryce Hoppel have yet to run their best this season, anything can happen in the 800m which is why Jewett has a good shot.

Yared Nuguse (Notre Dame) & Cole Hocker (Oregon), Men's 1500m

Men's 1500m
R1: Day 7, Thu, 6/24, 9:04 p.m. ET (NBCSN/Peacock)
SFs: Day 8, Fri, 6/25, 7:05 p.m. ET (NBCSN/Peacock)
Final: Day 10, Sun, 6/27, 8:10 p.m. ET (NBC/Peacock)

EUGENE, OR - JUNE 11: Cole Hocker of the Oregon Ducks competes in the men's 1500 meter race during the Division I Men's and Women's Outdoor Track & Field Championships held at Hayward Field on June 11, 2021 in Eugene, Oregon.

Andy Nelson/NCAA Photos via Getty Images

Nuguse broke the NCAA 1500m record in May, running 3:34.68 in a largely solo run in the prelims of the ACC Championships. Going into U.S. trials the mark ranked him No. 5 among Americans this year. Nuguse’s parents are from the Tigray region of Ethiopia, which is in the middle of a civil war and humanitarian crisis. The runner has attended rallies in support of Tigray’s citizens and shared resources on his social media accounts.

Hocker beat Nuguse in the 1500m at the 2021 NCAA Championships with a stellar kick, closing in 52-low, earning a new personal best and the title in.3:35.35, the No. 7-ranked U.S. time this year. He followed up that NCAAs performance less than two hours later with another personal best in the 5000m, placing fourth in 13:18.95. The sophomore is running superbly, and the type of tactics he employs tend to fare well in championship-style distance racing.

NBC Olympics Research contributed to this section.

How to Watch It All

The television schedule for Track & Field Trials is below. All events can be streamed on NBCOlympics.com and the NBC Sports App. Any coverage of Track & Field Trials on NBCSN can also be streamed on Peacock.

The rest of the live streaming schedule, featuring exclusive digital coverage of several individual events, is below.