Jon D. Gaede | BVN Sports
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Once again Hayward Field in Eugene, OR, hosted the USATF National Track & Field Championships. The event, held July 31 to August 3, 2025, determined this year’s national champions and which U.S. athletes qualified for the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Japan (Sep 13-21). In addition, United States Para athletes competed alongside their fellow able-bodied athletes for the very first time. Top three finishing Para athletes punched their tickets to the Para World Championships in New Delhi, India (Sep 27-Oct 5th).
Every athlete was vying for a coveted spot on USA’s World Team, but the criteria for the top three qualifiers from each event, required that an athlete not only place among the top three at the USATF Outdoor Championships, he/she must also attain the World standard for that event. If any of the top three finishers fell short of the World standard, then the next placed athlete who had previously met that World standard would make the team for Tokyo or New Delhi respectively.
During the competition, several athletes achieved personal bests while securing their spots on the U.S. National Team, including a dominant performance by Anna Hall in the heptathlon with 6,899 points and her fourth consecutive national title. Hall helped Florida win their first indoor and outdoor titles her senior year. Kyle Garland, known as the “Freight Train,” won the decathlon by a wide margin with 8,869 points for the former Georgia Bulldog, becoming number 10 on the all-time World list in the event.
Two time Olympic medalist Sha’Carri Richardson competed in the 100 and 200 at Eugene, then pulled out of the 100. Top American men’s sprinters Noah Lyles and Kenny Bednarek, the teammates and rivals were scheduled to run against each other in the 100 and 200 meters. They have run against one another in a final 18 times. Bednarek, the two time Olympic silver medalist has had an impressive season as the World Championships in Tokyo draw near.
Tara Davis-Woodhall (long jump) and her husband Hunter (University of Texas grads), a para athlete who competes in several events, had impressive performances throughout the four day meet. Tara saved her best jump for last, winning the long jump after fouling on her first two, then jumping 22-8 on her last to edge Claire Bryant and Quanesha Burks for the gold. She is the current Olympic long jump gold medalist from the Paris games, leaping 23 ft. 2 inches at Stade de France last summer.
Paris Paralympian Hunter Woodhall had a phenomenal week at Hayward Field. Woodhall, born without both fibula’s, competes in the T62 classification as a double amputee. He won two national titles at Eugene, the 100 with an impressive 10.76 and the 400 in 45.79, meeting the paralympic standard to compete at the World’s in New Delhi. The unique relationship that both Hunter and wife Tara have on the track allows them to support each other in every way.
In the Men’s 800, middle distance specialist Donovan Brazier was favored and won a very tight race in 1:42.16. Crossing the line with him in 1:42.27 was 16 year-old Cooper Lutkenhaus from North Texas who was so surprised that he put up his hands rather than leaning on the tape. Cooper becomes the youngest American ever to qualify for a World Championship.
