2024 U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials Night 1: Sha'Carri Richardson shines after trip, 16-year-old sets record

Night 1 of the 2024 U.S. Olympic Track and Field Team Trials featured a host of top U.S. track and field stars vying to seal up their spots at the Paris Olympics, including Sha'Carri Richardson, Ryan Crouser and Athing Mu.

Richardson tripped on her shoelace out of the blocks but still rallied for a dominant win in her 100m heat, while Mu finished third in her first race of the 2024 season. Elsewhere on the track, Yared Nuguse, Shamier Little, and Michael Norman all advanced to their respective semifinals.

In the lone final of the night, Grant Fisher reigned supreme in the men's 10,000m to clinch a spot in Paris along with second-place finisher Woody Kincaid and Nico Young, who finished third. Fisher and Kincaid are both headed to their second Olympic Games, while 21-year-old Young is bound for his first.

Meanwhile in the field events, KC Lightfoot, who finished fourth at the Tokyo Olympics, failed to clear 5.60m and thus could not escape the first round. As a result, Lightfoot is out of Trials and will not compete at the Paris Olympics. Chris Nilsen, who earned silver at the Tokyo Games, and Sam Kendricks, the Rio Olympic bronze medalist, both advanced to the pole vault final.

In the men's shot put, Ryan Crouser, who will aim to win his third consecutive Olympic gold medal this year, advanced to the final alongside Joe Kovacs, who led the way with a 22.13m throw. Crouser had admitted to reporters earlier that he needed surgery for an ulnar nerve issue in his right elbow, and that he also tore a pectoral muscle. But the two-time Olympic champion is one solid night away from his third consecutive Olympic Games.

After one day, Heath Baldwin and Zach Ziemek are leading the men's decathlon, while Brooke Andersen and DeAnna Price set the pace in the women's hammer opening round.

See below for event-by-event results, live updates and highlights.

Men's 10,000m final

In the men's 10,000m, Grant Fisher dominated the final three laps to secure his spot in Paris alongside Woody Kincaid and Nico Young. Fisher finished fifth in the 10,000m at the Tokyo Olympics and will aim to medal next month.

FINAL RESULTS

Men's 400m Round 1

In the men's 400m heats, 16-year-old Quincy Wilson clocked in at 44.66 seconds to set an under-18 world record, winning his heat in the process. Wilson is a sophomore at the Bullis School in Potomac, Maryland.

Michael Norman, who won Olympic gold in Tokyo in the men's 4x400m relay, also won his heat, finishing in 45.31 seconds. Other winners in the 400m included fellow 4x400m Tokyo gold medalist Vernon Norwood, 2023 world champion Quincy Hall and USC's Johnnie Blockburger.

Women's 400m Round 1

Alexis Holmes, who won 2023 world gold in the women's 4x400m relay, logged the fastest time in the women's 400m heats, clocking in at 51.05 seconds to win her heat. She was followed closely by two-time world silver medalist Shamier Little, who won her heat in 50.13 seconds. Little, 29, earned silver medals at both the 2015 and 2023 World Championships and is vying to earn a spot on her first Olympic team.

Women's 800m Round 1

Defending Olympic champion Athing Mu headlined the women's 800m. Mu, who won Olympic gold in Tokyo in the 800m, hadn't made her season debut yet due to hamstring soreness, so entered Trials with question marks. But she ran smoothly and quickly reasserted herself, finishing third in her heat with a time of 2:01.73 to advance to the semifinal. Allie Wilson prevailed in Mu's heat, edging the defending gold medalist in 2:01.57.

Other women's 800m heat victors included Michaela Rose, Nia Akins and Juliette Whittaker.

Women's 100m Round 1

Among the main events on Night 1 of Trials was the women's 100m, which featured Sha'Carri Richardson beginning her quest to earn a spot on her first U.S. Olympic team. In her heat, the defending world champion stumbled on her untied shoelace out of the gate but incredibly steadied herself in time to power to the finish and win the heat in 10.88 seconds. Richardson thus earned a spot in the semifinal.

The second-quickest time in the women's 100m heats belonged to Melissa Jefferson, who cruised to win her heat in 10.91 seconds. Jefferson owns two world gold medals in the 4x100m relay but has never competed at an Olympic Games.

ADVANCED TO SEMIFINALS (HEAT 1)
1) McKenzie Long | 10.94
2) Aleia Hobbs | 10.97
3) Morolake Akinosun | 11.04
4) Celera Barnes | 11.06
5) Abby Steiner | 11.13
6) English Gardner | 11.17

Men's 1500m Round 1

In the men's 1500m, reigning world indoor silver medalist Yared Nuguse finished second in his heat to clinch a spot in the semifinal, trailing just Hobbs Kessler, the 21-year-old phenom. Cooper Teare, a two-time national champion, finished fifth in his heat but did secure a semifinal position.

Women's 5000m Round 1

On the heels of a sensational start to her year, Elle St. Pierre prevailed in her 5000m heat in 15 minutes, 13.82 seconds. St. Pierre is fresh off a 3000m gold medal at the 2024 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Glasgow, Scotland.