
PARALYMPIC GOLD MEDALISTS EZRA FRECH AND HUNTER WOODHALL HEADLINE NBC SPORTS' LIVE COVERAGE OF USATF PARA NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS THIS SATURDAY ON NBC AND PEACOCK
First Time in History Para National Championships Will Be Combined with USATF Championships
This Weekend's Event Determines Which Para Athletes Will Represent Team USA at the World Para Athletics Championships in New Delhi from Sept. 26-Oct. 5
STAMFORD, Conn. – July 31, 2025 – Paris Paralympic gold medalists Ezra Frech and Hunter Woodhall headline NBC Sports' live coverage of the 2025 USATF Para National Championships this Saturday, Aug. 2, from iconic Hayward Field at the University of Oregon in Eugene, Ore., at 4 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock.
This will be the first time that the Para National Championships will be held jointly with the USATF Outdoor Championships, which will also be presented across NBC and Peacock. Team USA had a successful 2024 Paris Paralympics with 38 medals (10 of them gold), the second-most of any country and only trailing China.
This event serves as the primary selection process to determine who will represent Team USA at this summer's 2025 World Para Athletics Championships in New Delhi, India, from Sept. 26-Oct. 5.
Frech is coming off a momentous Paris Paralympic campaign that saw him take home the gold medal in the 100m T63 and high jump T63, the latter of which he won with a Paralympic-record-jump of 1.94m. A rising sophomore at USC – the reigning men's NCAA outdoor co-champions – Frech is the first above-the-knee amputee to be recruited to an NCAA Division I track & field program.
Woodhall, a five-time Paralympic medalist, won his first gold medal in Paris in the 400m T62 in addition to a bronze medal in the universal 4x100m relay. Woodhall is married to reigning Paris Olympic long jump gold medalist Tara Davis-Woodhall, who is also competing at Hayward Field this weekend.
Other notable Para athletes expected to compete include Paris Paralympic 100m T38 and 400m T38 gold medalist Jaydin Blackwell, who is the world record holder in both events, Paris Paralympic shot put F46 gold medalist Noelle Malkamaki, five-time Paralympic medalist sprinter Brittni Mason, and 21-time Paralympic track & field medalist Tatyana McFadden, the most decorated U.S. Paralympic track & field athlete in history.
Frech, along with fellow Paralympians Jamal Hill (swimming), Courtney Ryan (wheelchair basketball), and Josie Aslakson (wheelchair basketball), stars in Peacock's sports docuseries ADAPTIVE, now available to stream exclusively on the platform. The series presents an intimate and in-depth look into the lives of these world-class Paralympic and their journeys from the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics to the 2024 Paris Paralympics. To learn more, click here.
NBC Sports' Paul Swangard will call the event alongside seven-time Paralympic medalist Amanda McGrory.
Four-time Olympic medalist Ato Boldon, two-time Olympian Kara Goucher, and 2012 London Olympic decathlon silver medalist Trey Hardee will join Swangard and McGrory to call the USATF Outdoor Championships. Lewis Johnson will serve as reporter.
How To Watch – Saturday, Aug. 2 (all times ET)
· TV – NBC
· Streaming – Peacock, NBCSports.com, NBC Sports app
USATF OUTDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS SCHEDULE
--NBC SPORTS--
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Washington Post
an hour ago
- Washington Post
It's Ledecky vs. McIntosh in the 800 freestyle, the centerpiece of the world championships
SINGAPORE — It's Katie Ledecky against Summer McIntosh in the final of the 800-meter freestyle, probably the most anticipated race at the swimming world championships in Singapore. The race is one of six finals on Saturday, but it overshadows everything else on Day 7. The championships wrap up on Sunday. Ledecky of the United States holds the world record (8 minutes, 04.12 seconds) set earlier this year. The 28-year-old American has dominated the distance for a decade and has already won gold in the 1,500 in Singapore. She also has a bronze in the 400.


San Francisco Chronicle
an hour ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Ex-Olympic champ Rowdy Gaines calls for changes at USA Swimming as team struggles in Singapore
SINGAPORE (AP) — Rowdy Gaines, a three-time Olympic gold medalist, minces few words when he broadcasts swimming for the American network NBC. And he didn't hold back in an interview with The Associated Press over the shaky state of American swimming. He's calling for big-time changes as the Americans struggle at the world championships in Singapore. The American team isn't winning as much as expected or dominating, it's battling a case of 'acute gastroenteritis' picked up at training camp in Thailand before arriving in Singapore, and the governing body — USA Swimming — has been without a CEO for a year. 'Can you imagine any corporation going for a year without a CEO?' Gaines asked. Underwhelming Americans The Americans were also underwhelming a year ago at the Paris Olympics. They led the medal table, but won only eight gold medals, the lowest total since the 1988 Seoul Olympics. 'We're far from killing it," said Gaines in a telephone interview from the United States. "It's a major struggle and we can't hide our heads in the sand and say this is just a blip.' Gaines said he's been texting frequently with Greg Meehan, the national team director who was appointed four months ago. Meehan is also the head coach in Singapore. The American haven't said how many swimmers have fallen ill, but in an interview Meehan said 'the overwhelming majority of the team has gone through something' at the championship." 'Greg and I have been going back and forth in a very good way, very positive," Gaines said. He called Meehan a good choice and said he's had too little time to turn things around. Gaines also pointed out that the focus is the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. These world championships, less so. 'I think he's (Meehan) going to be great," Gaines said. "He's got that calm reserve. He had great success at Stanford. He's coached some of the best swimmers ever. I think he's a good choice, he's just walking into a bit of a landmine.' Thailand training camp Like many, Gaines questioned why the Americans picked Thailand as a training camp site and noted that global swimming now has dozens of countries that can beat the Americans, and many of their elite athletes train in the States. Those include the two stars in Singapore: Frenchman Léon Marchand and Canadian Summer McIntosh. Marchand trains at the University of Texas at Austin, and McIntosh will be there this fall and join Bob Bowman's training group. Bowman is, of course, the former coach of American swimming legend Michael Phelps. 'You can blame it on the illness, you can blame it on the inexperience -- most of these kids have never been in this situation -- and you can blame it on logistics,' Gaines said. 'Thailand doesn't make sense to me in the first place.' He also put some blame on what he called the 'state of today's athletes.' 'I think in some cases there's an entitlement for a lot of these kids, they feel like -- 'I should be in the finals of the world championships. And I can still do the peripheral stuff and not worry about making it all the way'." 'I think there needs to be a more focused attitude on the task at hand,' he added. Post-Olympic blahs Gaines also noted that many swimmers struggle the year after the Olympics. They just finished a four-year cycle, so where is the motivation to start over again? "It just beats you up because mentally and physically you are focused on four straight years, and the post-Olympic year can beat some people up. The post-Olympics is a real thing for all athletes whether you're from China or the United States." On the positive side, he talked up the future of 10 to 15 young American male swimmers including Luca Urlando, the winner of the 200-butterfly and the only American man to win gold over the first five days. The championships end Sunday. 'The women are already very good,' Gaines added. Gaines said much of the problem is that USA Swimming has gone for a year without a leader. Tim Hinchey resigned as the CEO a year ago. He was replaced by Chrissi Rawak, who stepped down after just a few days. 'I do think changes need to be made, there needs to be a complete reset," Gaines said 'But I don't think the sky is falling. But there needs to be some great leadership. Whoever they hire as CEO needs to be the leader that is sorely needed.'


San Francisco Chronicle
an hour ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
It's Ledecky vs. McIntosh in the 800 freestyle, the centerpiece of the world championships
SINGAPORE (AP) — It's Katie Ledecky against Summer McIntosh in the final of the 800-meter freestyle, probably the most anticipated race at the swimming world championships in Singapore. The race is one of six finals on Saturday, but it overshadows everything else on Day 7. The championships wrap up on Sunday. Ledecky of the United States holds the world record (8 minutes, 04.12 seconds) set earlier this year. The 28-year-old American has dominated the distance for a decade and has already won gold in the 1,500 in Singapore. She also has a bronze in the 400. Ledecky, 28, has won nine Olympic gold medals — the most decorated female in history — and her first gold was in 2012 in the London Olympics in the 800. McIntosh is an 18-year-old Canadian. She's already won three golds in Singapore and she swam just a second off Ledecky's time earlier this year. If anyone is to dethrone Ledecky, it's McIntosh. This would be McIntosh's fourth gold as she goes for five individual golds in the worlds, a feat only achieved the legendary American swimmer Michael Phelps. The other five finals are: the women's 50 butterfly; the men's 50 free; the women's 200 backstroke; the men's 100 butterfly; and mixed 4x100 freestyle relay. The Americans and Australians have each won five gold medals through six days. The Americans lead in overall medals with 20, although their performance has been lackluster and slowed after much of the team came down with a case of 'acute gastroenteritis' in training camp in Thailand. __