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≡ USATF NATIONALS REVIEW ≡
The drama was amazing across all four days of the USA Track & Field National Championships in Eugene, Oregon, with tremendous performances and astonishing upsets all over the place, including three world-leading marks:
● Men/200 m: 19.63, Noah Lyles
● Women/100 m: 10.65, Melissa Jefferson-Wooden
● Women/Long Jump: 7.12 m (23-4 1/2), Tara Davis-Woodhall
Beyond this, it’s worthwhile to ask how good the meet was in terms of athletics and aesthetics.
On the athletic side, the meet selected – for the most part – the U.S. team for the 13-21 September World Athletics Championships in Tokyo (JPN). And based just on the standings of the top three performers on the world list for 2025 right now, the American team would be formidable:
● Men: 17 entries in the 19 in-stadium individual events
● Men: 4 world leaders, in the 200 m, 110 m hurdles, 400 m hurdles, hammer
● Women: 19 entries in the 19 in-stadium individual events
● Women: 7 world leaders, in the 100 m, 100 m hurdles, long jump, shot, discus, hammer, heptathlon
Assuming the U.S. is not a medal favorite in any of the road events, but is a medal favorite in all five relays, that projects to an on-paper total of as many as 40 medals in Tokyo!
That’s a lot; consider the recent successes at the Worlds and Olympic Games:
● 2024 Games: 34 medals (14-11-9)
● 2023 Worlds: 29 medals (12-8-9)
● 2022 Worlds: 33 medals (13-9-11)
● 2021 Games: 26 medals (7-12-7)
● 2019 Worlds: 29 medals (14-11-4)
But, while it shows that the Americans will yet again have a powerful team at the World Championships, please keep in mind that two-thirds or more of the U.S. entries will perform worse at the Worlds or Olympic Games than at the U.S. trials. Expressed as a “batting average,” exclusive TSX research shows the U.S. trials performances vs. the last round reached at the last four Olympics or Worlds:
● 2024 Games: .306 (33 out of 108 entries were better)
● 2023 Worlds: .363 (41 out of 113)
● 2022 Worlds: .362 (42 out of 116)
● 2021 Games: .265 (20 out of 113)
A 30-medal performance is always a good target to shoot for and will be again in Tokyo.
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As for aesthetics, there has been lots of chatter about the half-full Hayward Field for the USATF meet, but this is the reality of the national championships in that facility since it re-opened for the 2021 season. Day-by-day ticket sales for the last three USATF Nationals (not including the 2024 Olympic Trials):
2025: 26,566 total
● 5,781
● 5,996
● 7,812
● 6,977
2023: 27,462 total
● 5,311
● 5,782
● 8,965
● 7,404
2022: 13,306 total
● 2,751
● 3,314
● 3,664
● 3,577
The 2022 figures were low due to the upcoming World Championships and people were saving their money for that.
Hayward has held the last five USATF Nationals, from 2021-25, including two Olympic Trials. It has also held the NCAA meet in 2010, 2013-18, 2021-22 and 2023-25 and is scheduled to host in 2026, 2027 and 2028.
Add in the annual, very popular, one-day Prefontaine Classic and it’s a heavy schedule for the no. 147 market in the U.S., so it should not be a wonder that the multi-day attendance is modest. Moreover, the cost of getting to Eugene and the high-demand prices for accommodations and the rest makes travel there less appealing for some fans.
What Eugene offers, most importantly, are safe hands. Thanks to all of its experience and strong community support, the TrackTown USA organization is able to handle these large meets – logistically and financially – over and over again. Unlike larger markets, track and field is important in Eugene and it shows, especially in having a permanent organization to continuously stage these multi-day events.
In this century, only six sites have hosted the USATF meet (including Olympic Trials):
● 12: Eugene, Oregon
● 4: Des Moines, Iowa
● 4: Sacramento, California
● 2: Palo Alto, California
● 2: Indianapolis, Indiana
● 1: Carson, California
The NCAA meet has had only seven hosts this century:
● 12: Eugene, Oregon
● 4: Sacramento, California
● 3: Austin, Texas
● 3: Des Moines, Iowa
● 1: Fayetteville, Arkansas
● 1: Baton Rouge, Louisiana
● 1: Durham, North Carolina
In the 2020s so far, Eugene has hosted nine NCAA and USATF meets and Austin, one NCAA meet. That’s it. And TrackTown USA is a key player, and safe hands.
For comparison, the 2019 USATF Nationals in Des Moines, also held late in July due to the late Worlds in Doha (QAT), drew a bit better, with 30,367 over four days. But Eugene keeps asking.
USATF has said it wants to hold the 2028 Olympic Trials in the Olympic venue, the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, on a condensed schedule. That may be the next time a nationals is held outside of Eugene’s safe hands, thanks to TrackTown USA.
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A couple of other world-leading performances at national championships else, with Italy’s Leonardo Fabbri taking the men’s shot lead at 22.82 m (74-10 1/2) in Caorle. At the British Championships in Birmingham, Molly Caudery grabbed the women’s vault lead with her win at 4.85 m (15-11).
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