Meet the athletes on the 2016 U.S. Olympic Track and Field team

Who’s on the 2016 U.S. Olympic track and field team? Here’s a comprehensive list of the qualifiers at the trials in Eugene, Oregon.

Author:
Chris Chavez
Publish date:
Jul 1, 2016

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The U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials have concluded at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore., and a 127-member team is headed to Rio.

In order to qualify for the Olympics, an athlete must finish among the top three of their respective event while also holding the Olympic qualifying standard for their event.

Track and field will be contested at the Olympics from Aug. 12 to Aug. 21.

Get to meet the U.S. Olympic team throughout the weekend on this page:

Men

100 meters

Justin Gatlin
Age: 34
Hometown: Woodham, Florida

Gatlin could become the oldest man to medal at the Olympics in Rio. He won gold at the 2004 Olympics in Athens before serving a four-year suspension due to a positive test for testosterone that kept him out of competition until 2010. Gatlin won a silver medal behind Usain Bolt at the 2012 Olympics in London. He also took silver behind Bolt in the 100, 200 and 4x100 at last summer's world championships. He will race all three events in the 2016 Olympics.

Trayvon Bromell
Age: 20
Hometown: St. Petersburg, Florida

Bromell has been an emerging star since breaking 10 seconds as a high schooler. Last summer, he made his first U.S. national team and took bronze in the men’s 100. He decided to turn professional after Beijing and signed a sponsorship contract with New Balance. There were initial concerns about an Achilles injury from early June but his strong running at the trials dispelled those doubts.

Marvin Bracy
Age: 22
Hometown: Orlando, Florida

Bracy’s days as a wide receiver for Florida State are long gone. He was a star sprinter while in high school and has developed well over the past few years. He has never competed at a world outdoor championship or Olympics.

200 meters

Justin Gatlin and LaShawn Merritt took the top two places. See above for their bios.

Ameer Webb
Age: 25
Hometown: Tustin, California

Webb broke out in early 2016 as a potential new U.S. sprints star as he set a personal best of 9.94 in the 100, just barely lose to Gatlin, and won the Doha Diamond League meet in 19.85 seconds. Webb was the 2013 NCAA champion but finished fourth at that year's U.S. championships. He has never competed for the U.S. at a global championship.

400 meters

LaShawn Merritt
Age: 30
Hometown: Portsmouth, Virginia

Merritt looks to add another Olympic gold medal to his collection. The 2008 400-meter Olympic gold medalist has not slowed down as he won the 2013 world championship gold medal and took silver at last summer's world championships. His runner-up finish also brought along a 43.65 personal best, which made him the sixth fastest man of all-time. Michael Johnson's world record of 43.18 may be threatened. He also qualified for the U.S. Olympic team in the 200 and will attempt to match Michael Johnson's gold medal double in the 200 and 400 from the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta.

Gil Roberts
Age: 27
Hometown: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Roberts will compete in his first Olympics after not making it out of the semifinals at the 2012 Olympic Trials. His 44.73 run to make the Olympic team was just off his 44.53 personal best from 2014.

David Verburg
Age: 25
Hometown: Lynchburg, Virginia

Verburg has been a valuable member of the U.S. 4x400-meter relays that won gold at the 2013 and ’15 world championships. Now he will have a chance to display his talent on the individual level.

800 meters

Clayton Murphy
Age: 21
Hometown: New Paris, Ohio

Last year, Murphy made his first U.S. national team by chance as two-time Olympian Nick Symmonds protested a statement of conditions form that limited his ability to represent his sponsors and he refused to sign the paperwork. Murphy was called in as his replacement and he was the lone American to reach the semifinal of the world championships in Beijing. Murphy went on to win the NCAA title in the 1,500 meters as a junior for Akron in June. He decided to forego his remaining eligibility to sign a contract with Nike. Rio will be his first Olympics.

Boris Berian
Age: 23
Hometown: Colorado Springs, Colo.

Last July, Boris Berian failed to make the U.S. Olympic team despite having previously run the fastest time on the year by an American. He made up for the early exit at the U.S. championships by running 1:43.34 to become the fifth-fastest American 800-meter runner. Less than two years ago he was working at McDonald’s, yet he continued his breakout by winning gold at the 2016 world indoor championships in March. He was sued by Nike over a contract dispute but the sportswear apparel company dropped its lawsuit ahead of the trials. Berian’s fight against Nike was applauded by many within the sport as another case that brought attention to athlete sponsorship issues in track and field.

Charles Jock
Age: 26
Hometown: San Diego, Calif.

Jock is headed to his first Olympics just four years after winning the NCAA title at 800 meters for UC Irvine. He represented the United States at the 2011 world championships but failed to make it out of the first round in Daegu, South Korea.

1500 meters

Matthew Centrowitz
Age: 26
Hometown: Annapolis, Md.

Centrowitz still seeks an Olympic medal despite owning a bronze and silver medal in the 1,500 from the 2011 and 2013 world championships, respectively. He took fourth at the 2012 Olympics as compatriot Leo Manzano, who missed the 2016 team with a fourth place finish at the trials, earned silver. Centrowitz set personal bests in the 800 (1:44.62); 1,500 (3:30.40); mile (3:50.53) and 5,000 (13:20.06) since the London Olympics.

Robby Andrews
Age: 25
Hometown: Manalapan Township, N.J.

Andrews missed the 2012 Olympic team by less than half a second and decided to forego his remaining NCAA eligibility at Virginia to turn professional. He struggled mightily in 2013 before starting to progress in 2014. By 2015, he developed a strong kick in the final lap of races that put him on his first world championship team, where he reached the final and took 11th. Andrews is hitting his stride at the right time and could reach the finals of the 2016 Olympics.

Ben Blankenship
Age: 26
Hometown: Stillwater, Minn.

Blankenship says that he has never watched the 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials 1,500 meter final. At the time, he was recovering from a series of injuries and escavating in Colorado. He returned to running and worked well under coach Mark Rowland, a steeplechase bronze medalist at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul. He boasts a 3:35.48 personal best, which could improve before the Olympics. Blankenship does have a world record on his resume as he anchored Team USA to the distance medley relay (1200 meters, 400 meters, 800 meters and 1600 meters) world record of 9:15.50 at the IAAF World Relays (not a global championship) in 2015.

3,000-meter steeplechase

Evan Jager
Age: 27
Hometown: Algonquin, Ill.

Jager looks to end a 31-year medal drought by the United States at the Olympics. Jager holds the American record in the event from his 8:00.45 from the 2015 Paris Diamond League meet despite falling over the final barrier. Jager made his Olympic debut in London when he finished sixth in the final after leading for a few laps. He has also placed fifth at the 2013 world championships and sixth at last summer's world championships. If there is an American steeplechaser that is ready to take down the East Africans, it is Jager.

Hilary Bor
Age: 26
Hometown: Eldoret, Kenya

Bor was born in Kenya and competed at Iowa State. He obtained U.S. citizenship as a member of the U.S. Army WCAP program in 2013. He used a big move from fifth place into second on the final lap to post a personal best of 8:24.10.

Donn Cabral
Age: 26
Hometown: Glastonbury, Conn.

Cabral was coming off an incredible collegiate season for Princeton when he made the 2012 Olympic team. In London, he joined Jager toward the front of the race and led for a few laps. He finished eighth. Cabral also competed at last summer's world championships in Beijing, where he finished 10th overall.

5000 meters

Bernard Lagat
Age: 41
Hometown: Tucson, Ariz.

Lagat is headed to his fifth Olympics and will become the oldest U.S. distance runner in history. He won a bronze and silver in the 1500 meters at the 2000 and 2004 Olympics, respectively, while competing for Kenya. He became an American citizen in 2005 and went on to compete in Beijing and London. Last summer, he missed his first global championship in 10 years but a 52-second last lap to win the 2016 Olympic Trials 5,000 meter final made up for any disappointment.

Hassan Mead
Age: 26
Hometown: Minneapolis, Minn.

Mead will head to his first Olympics just one year after making his first U.S. national team and competing at the world championships in Beijing. Mead finished 15th in the 10,000 meters at last summer's world championships. He missed the 10,000 meter team for Rio but rebounded to make the 5,000 team. Mead was born in Somalia and emigrated to the United States as a child. His family settled in Minneapolis before he became a high school star and went on to earn several All-American honors at Minnesota.

Paul Chelimo
Age: 25
Hometown: Chebiemit, Kenya

Chelimo is just one year removed from earning his United States citizenship as he joined the U.S. Army WCAP progam. He showed great potential during indoor season as he finished second at the U.S. championships and went on to place seventh in the 3,000 meters at the world indoor championships. Chelimo accidentally took sleeping medication instead of Ibuprofen ahead of the semi-final but safely advanced and will now compete in his first Olympics.

10,000 meters

Galen Rupp
Age: 30 years old
Hometown: Portland, Ore.

Rupp, the defending Olympic silver medalist in this event, won the 10,000 meters to win his second U.S. Olympic Trials. Rupp’s schedule for Rio will be a busy one as he plans to run the 10,000 meters on Aug. 13 and then the marathon eight days later on Aug. 21 (he won February’s U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials in 2:11:13). Last summer, a report by ProPublica and the BBC report alleged Alberto Salazar, Rupp’s coach, pushed the boundaries on doping rules to gain a competitive advantage. Rupp and Salazar have denied all allegations.

Shadrack Kipchirchir
Age: 27
Hometown: Iten, Kenya

Kipchirchir stayed on Rupp's heels until he tried to take the lead into the final lap. He finished second and qualifies for his first U.S. Olympic team. Kipchirchir ran at Oklahoma State before committing to the U.S. Army WCAP program, which allows him to represent the U.S.

Leonard Korir
Age: 29
Hometown: Iten, Kenya

A third-place finish secures Korir's first Olympic team berth. He is also a member of the Army WCAP program.

110-meter hurdles

Devon Allen
Age: 21
Hometown: Phoenix, Ariz.

Allen made Hayward Field sound like Autzen Stadium as he won the 110-meter hurdles in a personal best of 13.03 seconds. Allen won his first U.S. national title in 2014 but there was no world championship or Olympics that year. He returned to football in the fall and suffered a knee injury that would force him to miss the 2015 outdoor track season. He returned and won the 2016 NCAA title in the 110-meter hurdles and downed an Olympic trials final field that included Olympic gold medalist Aries Merritt and silver medalist Jason Richardson.

Ronnie Ash
Age: 28
Hometown: Knightdale, North Carolina

Ash will look to use Rio as a way to make up for his false start and disqualification at last summer's world championships. Ash failed to make it out of the semifinals at the 2012 Olympic Trials.

Jeff Porter
Age: 30
Hometown: Somerset, N.J.

Porter pulled off another close third-place finish at the trials. In 2012, he took the final Olympic berth with a personal best of 13.08, which he has not improved upon since then. He was the lone American to not reach the finals of the 2012 Olympics in London. He is married to British Olympian Tiffany Porter.

400-meter hurdles

Kerron Clement
Age: 30
Hometown: LaPorte, Texas

Clement is headed to his third Olympics. He owns a silver medal from the 400 meter hurdles in 2008 and a gold medal as a member of the men's 4x400-meter relay. He returned to the Summer Games in London and took eighth in the final.

Byron Robinson
Age: 21
Hometown: Chesapeake, Virg.

Robinson was another surprise to make the Olympic team considering Johnny Dutch, who held the world's fastest time of 2016, was leading after the final hurdle but tied up and faded to fifth place. Robinson, who did not compete at the NCAA championships, entered 2016 with a 50.42 personal best and is now down to 48.79 and on the U.S. Olympic team.

Michael Tinsley
Age: 32
Hometown: Little Rock, Ark.

Tinsley will be the top returner from the 2012 Olympics after Olympic gold medalist Felix Sanchez announced his retirement earlier in the summer. After London, he earned a silver medal at the 2013 world championships in Moscow.

Pole Vault

Sam Kendricks
Age: 23
Hometown: Oxford, Miss.

Kendricks is head and shoulders above the rest of the the U.S. pole vaulters at the moment, as he set the U.S. Olympic Trials record with a 5.91-meter (19' 4 ¾") clearance. He was a two-time NCAA champion in the pole vault for Ole Miss and was a finalist at last summer’s world championships in Beijing. In March, he won a silver medal at the 2016 world indoor championships.

Cale Simmons
Age: 25
Hometown: Rocklin, Calif.

Simmons just graduated from the Air Force Academy in 2013. He did not clear a height at the 2012 Olympic Trials and four years later finished second with a 5.65 meter clearance.

Logan Cunningham
Age: 25
Hometown: Smithson Valley, Texas

Cunningham also did not clear a height at the 2012 Olympic Trials. He cleared 5.60 meters on his first try and it was enough for him to make the Olympic team.

Long jump

Jeffrey Henderson
Age: 27
Hometown: McAlmont, Arkansas

Henderson won his first U.S. title at his first Olympic Trials. He competed at last summer’s world championships and finished ninth.

Jarrion Lawson
Age: 22
Hometown: Texarkana, Texas

Lawson matched Jesse Owens’s three victories from 1936 in the 100 meters, 200 meters and long jump at the NCAA Championships. Owens accomplished the feat before winning all three events at the Olympics. Lawson will focus on the long jump in Rio.

Marquise Dendy
Age: 23
Hometown: Middleton, Dela.

Dendy is just two years removed from a well-accomplished career at Florida, where he won the NCAA titles in the long jump and triple jump in 2014 and ’15. He now gets his first opportunity to add an Olympic medal to the collection.

Triple Jump

Will Claye
Age: 25
Hometown Phoenix, Ariz.

Claye rebounded well after missing the Olympic team in the long jump. His 17.65 jump on his fifth attempt of the afternoon gave him the victory over Olympic champion Christian Taylor. At the 2012 Olympics, Claye took silver behind Taylor and also earned a bronze medal in the long jump. Claye has also won triple jump bronze medals at the 2011 and 2013 world championships.

Christian Taylor
Age: 26
Hometown: Fayetteville, Ga.

Taylor eyes the world record and Olympic gold in Rio after his 18.21-meter leap at last summer's world championships in Beijing made him the second-best jumper of all-time. His gold medal at the 2012 Olympics was the first by an American since Kenny Harrison upset world record holder Jonathan Edwards at the 1996 Olympics.

Chris Benard
Age: 26
Hometown: Corona, Calif.

Benard qualified for his first Olympic team by jumping a personal best of 17.21 meters and held off former NCAA star and world championship finalist Omar Craddock. Benard was 11th at the 2012 Olympic Trials and has never represented the U.S. at a global championship.

Shot put

Ryan Crouser
Age: 23
Hometown: Boring, Ore.

Crouser was a two-time NCAA champion in the shot put for indoor and outdoor track when he attended University of Texas. Earlier this summer, he improved his personal best to 22.11 m (72' 6 1⁄2"), which ranks second in the world for 2016—behind Joe Kovacs.

Joe Kovacs
Age: 27 years old
Hometown: Bethlehem, Penn.

Four years after missing the Olympic team by one spot, Kovacs is headed to his first Olympics as a gold-medal contender. The reigning world champion and former Penn State star is coming off a stellar 2015 season in which he threw 22.56 meters, which ranks as the eighth best throw in history and best since 2015.

Darrell Hill
Age: 22
Hometown: Darby, Penn.

Hill joins Kovacs as another former Penn State shot putter to make the 2016 U.S. Olympic team. His best finish at the NCAA championships was a second-place showing in 2015.

Javelin

Cyrus Hostetler
Age: 29
Hometown: Newburg, Ore.

Hostetler heads to his second Olympics after finishing 32nd in the qualifying round at the 2012 Olympics in London. After his victory at the 2016 trials, he said his goal will be to make the final in Rio.

Curtis Thompson
Age: 20
Hometown: Florence, N.J.

Thompson continues his strong 2016 campaign with a trip to the Olympics. In June, he won the the NCAA title for Mississippi State.

Riley Dolezal
Age: 30
Hometown: Stanley, N.D.

Dolezal has now made back-to-back U.S. national teams. He competed at last summer’s world championships and finished 24th in the qualifying round. He won a silver medal at the 2015 Pan American Games.

Decathlon

Ashton Eaton
Age: 28
Hometown: Bend, Ore.

Eaton to become the first man to win back-to-back Olympic medals in the decathlon since 1984 after securing his spot in Rio. He won the 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials with a world record of 9,039 points, which he improved to 9,045 points in his world championship win last summer in Beijing.

Jeremy Taiwo
Age: 26
Hometown: Ballard, Wash.

Taiwo qualified for his first Olympics with his runner-up finish at the trials. He was the 2013 NCAA Outdoor runner-up at Washington before making his world championship debut in Moscow, where he did not finish the 10 events. He also did not finish at last summer's world championships in Beijing.

Zach Ziemeck
Age: 23
Hometown: Itasca, Ill.

Ziemeck, who just finished his senior season at Wisconsin, finished the first day of competition in third place and hung on for the final spot to Rio.