Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone among winners and losers from U.S. track and field championships

USA Today

17 hours ago

EUGENE, OR — Four days of competition are complete at the 2025 U.S. track and field trials.
Melissa Jefferson-Wooden accomplished the sprint double, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone was golden in the 400 and Noah Lyles was braggadocious as he won another 200 national title.
On the field, Valarie Allman continued her reign over the discus and Tara Davis-Woodhall leaped to the top mark in the world in the long jump.
The U.S. track and field championships served as the qualifying stage for next month's world championships in Tokyo, Japan.
USA TODAY Sports was on the scene at Hayward Field for all the action. Here are the winners and losers from the track and field competition:
WINNERS
Melissa Jefferson-Wooden wins 100-200 double
Jefferson-Wooden dominated the 100, leading from start to finish. She crossed the line well ahead of the other competitors with an impressive personal-best and world-leading time of 10.65. It's tied for the fifth fastest time in the history of the event.
MORE: Sha'Carri Richardson fails to advance to final round of 200 just days after arrest
"Amazing," Jefferson-Wooden said following her win in the 100. "I've been dreaming of days like this, and it's finally starting to come true. Right now the sky is the limit. I just got to keep working toward bigger and better things."
Jefferson-Wooden wasn't done after the 100. On the final day of the championships, Jefferson-Wooden accomplished the sprint double by winning the women's 200, running a personal-best 21.84. She was the only sprinter to run sub-22 seconds in the race.
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone shines in 400
McLaughlin-Levrone is dominating her new event just like she did her old one.
McLaughlin-Levrone easily won the women's 400 with a gold-medal winning time of 48.90.
The four-time Olympic gold medalist came up just short of the American record (48.70) that's stood for almost 20 years.
MORE: Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone nearly breaks American record in 400 with stunning performance
'Everyone talks about the American record of course, that's gonna come when it's supposed to come,' McLaughlin-Levrone said after the win.
McLaughlin-Levrone already owns the American and world records in the women's 400-meter hurdles.
Kenny Bednarek wins first national title
Bednarek ran a personal-best 9.79 to win his first national championship in what was a fast men's 100 final. The top seven finishers all ran sub-10 seconds.
"It's about damn time," Bednarek said after winning his first national championship. "I always knew I had the capability of doing it but I just had to believe in myself. This year I feel like I started living up to my expectations."
Bednarek's 9.79 is the second fastest time in the world this year.
Noah Lyles boasts as he won men's 200
Lyles had to come from behind to beat Kenny Bednarek in the 200. Lyles passed Bednarek with less than 10 meters remaining in the race and stared him down as he crossed the finish line, running a world-leading time of 19.63.
An annoyed Bednarek pushed Lyles after his boastful gesture.
'It's unsportsmanlike (expletive),' Bednarek said after getting the silver medal. 'I don't deal with that.'
MORE: Noah Lyles taunted Kenny Bednarek as he won 200 at U.S. track and field championships
Lyles, who hasn't raced a lot this year, said the win proves that he's still on top.
'If they ain't gonna beat me now, they ain't gonna beat me ever,' Lyles said.
Masai Russell has 100 hurdles crown
Russell gestured as if to put a crown on herself after winning the women's 100-meter hurdles in convincing fashion, clocking in at 12.22.
Russell is on an impressive run. She's the reigning Olympic champion, a two-time national champion in the event and is ranked No. 1 in the world this season.
'Winning the Olympics put a little more pressure on myself. Like now I feel like I have a standard to uphold. People expect something from the reigning Olympic champion,' Russell said. 'I don't think I would've been blessed with that title if I wasn't able to carry the weight of that.'
Tara Davis-Woodhall jumps to top mark in world
On the first day of the U.S. championships, Tara Davis-Woodhall leaped 23 feet, 4 ½ inches to win the women's long jump. It's the top mark in the world this year. Davis-Woodhall is coming off a women's long jump gold medal at the Paris Olympics.
Valarie Allman's undefeated streak continues
Allman tossed 234 feet, 5 inches to win the women's discus by more than 20 feet. The two-time Olympic champion hasn't lost in the event since 2023. She is the No. 1-ranked discus thrower in the world as she heads to Tokyo.
LOSERS
Track and field fans located outside of Oregon
Eugene, Oregon, is affectionately known as Track Town, U.S.A. for its rich track and field history, and University of Oregon's Hayward Field is a state-of-the-art track and field stadium. But this year was the 14th time Eugene's hosted the championships.
Logistically, traveling to the city and hotel lodging aren't very convenient. Plus, there isn't an array of tourist attractions. It would behoove USA Track and Field to periodically change the host site for the national championships.
Los Angeles is a logical location. Afterall, the 2028 Olympics are in LA.
Sha'Carri Richardson
Unfortunately for Richardson, most of the news she made was off the track.
Richardson was arrested after an alleged incident at the Seattle–Tacoma International Airport, according to a police report obtained by USA TODAY Sports. According to the report, Richardson was arrested for domestic violence.
Richardson competed in the women's 200 but didn't advance to the final round.
Joe Kovacs misses team in men's shot put
Kovacs was upset in the shot put. The two-time world champion finished fourth with a put of 72 feet, 5 inches.
Josh Awotunde won the event with a personal-best toss of 73 feet, 8 ¾ inches.
Athing Mu-Nikolayev comes up short in 800
Mu-Nikolayev failed to qualify for the world championships in the women's 800. She placed fourth in her semifinal heat and didn't advance on time.
Mu-Nikolayev is the American-record holder (1:54.97) and won gold at the Tokyo Olympics in the 800, but she's struggled recently to regain her form.
Mu-Nikolayev admitted she's had a difficult time mentally and physically the past year but is finding her way back. The good news is she ran a season-best 1:59.79 in the semifinal round and is still just 23 years old.
'I think I'm still pretty fit. When it comes to track your mentality and your mental side of things takes a big toll,' Mu-Nikolayev said. 'If you're not mentally in it, then your body won't be in it. That's what kind of held me back I think both in practice and also competing in bigger races this past year. So, I have to get myself back to being wholly Athing Mu and not just a good athlete running.'
Follow USA TODAY Sports' Tyler Dragon on X @TheTylerDragon.