Although he has only raced once since winning Paris gold (in an indoor 300), Rai Benjamin, USA 400 hurdles titlist the last 4 years, merits status as a favorite. (JEFF COHEN)PEERLESS PROGNOSTICATIONS by Dave Johnson
TEAM USA for September’s World Championships in Tokyo will be chosen at the later-than-usual USATF Championships (Eugene, July 31–August 03). Collegiate athletes will face a long break between the NCAA and the USATF meets.
From the exceedingly tenuous vantage point of 9 weeks out, here’s our Top 10 charting for each men’s event at USATF. The listing of an athlete in a discipline doesn’t guarantee he’ll contest that event (or events).
Athletes who have met the Tokyo qualifying standard are noted with an asterisk. Achieving a Q isn’t mandatory for making the team, as WA will fill out about half the fields in each event from its world rankings.
The U.S. will have 4 Wild Card slots (meaning 4 can qualify instead of the standard 3), given to reigning WC gold medalists: Noah Lyles (100 & 200), Grant Holloway (110H) & Ryan Crouser (SP).
Here’s our Top 10s (the number in the right-hand column represents the athlete’s placing in last year’s U.S. Rankings as compiled by T&FN ):
100 METERS 1 *Noah Lyles (adidas) 1 2 *Kenny Bednarek (Nike) 4 3 *Courtney Lindsey (Nike) 6 4 *Fred Kerley (SHARKS) 3 5 *Christian Coleman (Nike) 2 6 *Jordan Anthony (Arkansas) nr 7 *Brandon Hicklin (Nike) 7 8 Christian Miller (Puma) 5 9 Ronnie Baker (adidas) 10 10 Jelani Watkins (LSU) nr
200 METERS 1 *Noah Lyles (adidas) 2 2 *Kenny Bednarek (Nike) 1 3 *Erriyon Knighton (adidas) 3 4 *Fred Kerley (SHARKS) 5 5 *Courtney Lindsey (Nike) 4 6 *Jordan Anthony (Arkansas) nr 7 *Garrett Kaalund (USC) nr 8 *Cameron Miller (Purdue) nr 9 Kyree King (Nike) 6 10 Robert Gregory (unattached) 8
400 METERS 1 *Quincy Hall (adidas) 1 2 *Jacory Patterson (Cique E) nr 3 *Chris Bailey (Tracksmith) 4 4 *Michael Norman (Nike) 3 5 *Vernon Norwood (New Balance) 2 6 *Bryce Deadmon (Nike) 5 7 *Chris Robinson (unattached) nr 8 Khaleb McRae (D4) 8 9 *Micahi Danzy (Florida State) nr 10 *Auhmad Robinson (Texas A&M) nr
800 METERS 1 *Josh Hoey (adidas) 4 2 *Bryce Hoppel (adidas) 1 3 *Brandon Miller (Brooks Beasts) 3 4 *Jonah Koech (Under Armour) 5 5 *Hobbs Kessler (adidas) 2 6 Sam Whitmarsh (Texas A&M) 10 7 Christian Jackson (Virginia Tech) nr 8 Wes Ferguson (unattached) nr 9 Will Sumner (adidas) nr 10 Isaiah Jewett (Nike) 8
1500 METERS 1 *Cole Hocker (Nike) 1 2 *Yared Nuguse (On AC) 2 3 *Hobbs Kessler (adidas) 3 4 *Ethan Strand (North Carolina) nr 5 Liam Murphy (Villanova) nr 6 Nathan Green (Washington) 5 7 *Gary Martin (Virginia) nr 8 *Jonah Koech (Under Armour) nr 9 *Vince Ciattei (Under Armour) 4 10 Abel Teffra (Georgetown) nr
STEEPLE 1 *Kenneth Rooks (Nike) 1 2 *Matt Wilkinson (Under Armour) 2 3 James Corrigan (BYU) 3 4 *Nate Mountain (unattached) nr 5 *Duncan Hamilton (Bowerman TC) 4 6 Evan Jager (Nike Bowerman) 5 7 Derek Johnson (New Balance) 10 8 Yasin Sado (Asics) 6 8 Anthony Rotich (US Army) 8 10 Hillary Bor (HOKA) 9
5000 METERS 1 *Grant Fisher (Nike) 1 2 Abdihamid Nur (Nike) 2 3 *Graham Blanks (New Balance) 4 4 *Cole Hocker (Nike) 6 5 *Nico Young (adidas) 7 6 *Cooper Teare (Nike) nr 7 Morgan Beadlescomb (adidas) nr 8 Marco Langon (Villanova) nr 9. Woody Kincaid (Nike) 10 10 Olin Hacker (Hoka) nr
10,000 METERS 1 *Grant Fisher (Nike) 1 2 *Nico Young (adidas) 2 3 *Graham Blanks (New Balance) nr 4 Ahmed Muhumed (HOKA NAZ Elite) nr 5 Casey Clinger (unattached) 5 6 Sean McGorty (Nike) nr 7 Drew Hunter (Asics) 4 8 Conner Mantz (Nike) 6 9 *Woody Kincaid (Nike) 3 10 Joe Klecker (On AC) 8
110 HURDLES 1 *Grant Holloway (adidas) 1 2 *Jamal Britt (unattached) nr 3 *Cordell Tinch (Nike) 5 4 *Trey Cunningham (adidas) 4 5 *Freddie Crittenden (Phoenix TC) 3 6 *Ja’Kobe Tharp (Auburn) nr 7 *Kendrick Smallwood (Texas) nr 8 *Jamar Marshall (Houston) nr 9 *Dylan Beard (D4) 8 10 *Daniel Roberts (Nike) 2
400 HURDLES 1 *Rai Benjamin (Nike) 1 2 *Trevor Bassitt (unattached) nr 3 Chris Robinson (unattached) 4 4 Caleb Dean (adidas) 5 5 *CJ Allen (Asics) 2 6 Jevon Williams (Tennessee) nr 7 Kody Blackwood (Texas) nr 8 Ja’Qualon Scott (Texas A&M) nr 9 James Smith (Arizona Flames) 6 10 Drake Schneider (unattached) nr
20K WALK 1 Nick Christie (New York AC) 1 2 Jordan Crawford (Raleigh Walkers) 3 3 Emmanuel Corvera (New York AC) 2 4 Jason Cherng (New England Walkers) 5 5 Bricyn Healey (Raleigh Walkers) 8 6 Nathan Limas (unattached) 10 7 Michael Mannozzi (USAF/Shore AC) nr 8 Christopher Zuck (unattached) nr 9 AJ Gruttadauro (Shore AC) 7 10 Dan Nehnevaj (Raleigh Walkers) 4
HIGH JUMP 1 *Shelby McEwen (Nike) 1 2 JuVaughn Harrison (Puma) 2 3 Tyus Wilson (Nebraska) 4 4 Eli Kosiba (unattached) nr 5 Riyon Rankin (Georgia) nr 6 Jaivon Harrison (Grand Valley State) 6 7 Arvesta Troupe (Mississippi) nr 8 Kason O’Riley (Texas State) nr 9 Aiden Hayes (Texas State) nr 10 Tito Alofe (Harvard) 10
POLE VAULT 1 *Chris Nilsen (Nike/New York AC) 3 2 *Sam Kendricks (Nike) 1 3 *Matt Ludwig (unattached) 8 4 *KC Lightfoot (Puma) 2 5 Jacob Wooten (unattached) 5 6 Austin Miller (unattached) 4 7 Logan Hammer (Utah State) nr 8 Tray Oates (unattached) 10 9 Arnie Grunert (Western Illinois nr 10 Keaton Daniel (Nike) 6
LONG JUMP 1 Marquis Dendy (Puma) 6 2 Jarrion Lawson (unattached) 3 3 Isaac Grimes (unattached) 5 4 Jeremiah Davis (Puma) 1 5 Cameron Crump (D4) nr 6 Will Williams (Win Sportswear) 10 7 Kemonie Briggs (Leap Squad) nr 8 Joshua Rivers (Wisconsin—Oshkosh) nr 9 Malcolm Clemons (Florida) 2 10 Trumaine Jefferson (unattached) nr
TRIPLE JUMP 1 Donald Scott (New York AC) 3 2 *Russell Robinson (unattached) 2 3 James Carter (unattached) 10 4 Will Claye (New York AC) 5 5 Sean Dixon-Bodie (unattached) 7 6 Brandon Green (Oklahoma) 8 7 *Salif Mane (New York AC) 1 8 Micaylon Moore (Nebraska) nr 9 Jeremiah Davis (Puma) 6 10 Hakeem Ford (Minnesota) nr
SHOT 1 *Ryan Crouser (Nike) 1 2 *Joe Kovacs (Nike) 2 3 *Payton Otterdahl (Asics) 3 4 *Roger Steen (Velaasa) 5 5 *Tripp Piperi (EAN) 7 6 *Jordan Geist (Iron Wood TC) 4 7 Josh Awotunde (Shore AC) 6 8 Jason Swarens (Wisconsin) nr 9 Tarik Robinson-O’Hagan (Mississippi) 8 10 T’Mond Johnson (Garage Strength) 9
DISCUS 1 *Sam Mattis (CTG) 2 2 Andrew Evans (unattached) 1 3 *Marcus Gustaveson (Seal Throws) 6 4 Joe Brown (unattached) 3 5 *Robbie Otal (unattached) nr 6 Reggie Jagers (CTG) 4 7 Jordan Roach (unattached) 8 8. Turner Washington (unattached) 5 9 Vincent Ugwoke (South Florida) nr 10 Casey Helm (Princeton) nr
HAMMER 1 *Rudy Winkler (New York AC) 2 2 Daniel Haugh (New York AC) 1 3 *Tyler Williams (Tracksmith/Garage Strength) 4 4 Trey Knight (Cal State Northridge) 9 5 Justin Stafford (South Bay) 3 6. Alex Young (adidas) 8 7 Tanner Berg (unattached) nr 8 Texas Tanner (Air Force) nr 9 Jordan Geist (Iron Wood TC) 5 10 Tarik Robinson-O’Hagan (Mississippi) 7
JAVELIN 1 *Curtis Thompson (Tracksmith) 1 2 Marc Minichello (unattached) 4 3 Donavon Banks (unattached) 2 4 Capers Williamson (unattached) 5 5 Mike Stein (Iowa) 10 6 Caleb Calvin (Pittsburg State) nr 7 Dash Sirmon (Nebraska) 6 8 Nick Reynolds (Tennessee) nr 9 Jordan Davis (unattached) 3 10 Ethan Shalaway (Tracksmith) nr
DECATHLON 1 *Kyle Garland (Nike/New York AC) 7 2 *Heath Baldwin (unattached) 1 3 Harrison Williams (unattached) 2 4 Zach Ziemek (unattached) 3 5 Hakim McMorris (VS Athletics) 8 6 Devon Williams (unattached) 4 7 Peyton Bair (Mississippi State) 10 8 Austin West (unattached) 6 9 Brad Thomas (UCSB) nr 10 Marcus Weaver (Arkansas) nr
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