Olympic champion Noah Lyles and sprinting standout Sha’Carri Richardson had little trouble punching their tickets to the 100-meter semi-finals on Thursday as the U.S. outdoor track and field championships got underway at Icahn Stadium in New York.
Lyles took first in his heat with a time of 9.97 seconds, though Christian Coleman edged him for the top overall mark of the day with a 9.96. Lyles has his sights set on winning both the 100m and 200m in New York, with his semi-final set for Friday.
The Olympic gold medalist described the run as a workout more than anything else. “Felt like a good warm-up. I could use about three more of those,” Lyles said. He’s been eager to race again after finishing a surprising second to fellow American Trayvon Bromell at last month’s Paris Diamond League meet.
“I came back from Europe right as July started. I’m not going to be able to get another meet in once this is over until mid-August. And I don’t want to wait that long for running again,” he added.
With no Olympics or world championships on the calendar this year, the national meet carries less urgency than usual — the competition typically serves as a qualifier for those major global events. Still, athletes acknowledged its significance.
Kenny Bednarek, the two-time 200-meter Olympic silver medalist and a frequent rival of Lyles, also advanced after clocking a 10.04. “This is still an important event for us, more like bragging rights,” Bednarek said.
On the women’s side, Richardson had a clearer path to the top with world champion Melissa Jefferson-Wooden concentrating solely on the 200m. Richardson finished the day’s heats with the fastest women’s time of 10.90, a full 0.08 seconds ahead of the next competitor.
Nikki Hiltz, who is nonbinary and uses they/them pronouns, won their women’s 1,500-meter heat in 4:04.54. The performance comes just three weeks after Hiltz surged past world record holder Faith Kipyegon to claim victory in the mile at the Prefontaine Classic.
“If anything, it just showed me that like dragons can get slayed all the time in this sport,” Hiltz said. “Nothing’s given no matter what you’ve done in the past.”
In the men’s 1,500m heats, Vincent Ciattei posted the quickest overall time of 3:41.30. Both the men’s and women’s 1,500m finals are scheduled for Saturday.
One of Thursday’s most exciting moments came in the men’s 10,000m, where Woody Kincaid overtook Olympic bronze medalist Grant Fisher in a dramatic final stretch. Kincaid surged to the front at the last turn and crossed the finish line in 30:13.66, with Fisher close behind at 30:14.46.
“I came in here being like, it’s not going to be given to me, but I think I can still win this. And with 200 metres to go, I’ve come too far and I’ve got to just lay it down now,” Kincaid said.
In the women’s 10,000m, Sydney Vaught broke away from the pack with 800 meters remaining and went on to win in 33:30.60, finishing more than six seconds ahead of the field.
Competition at the U.S. outdoor championships resumes on Friday.
