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The U.S. Olympic Trials are back and better than ever in the second half of the 8-day program, with incredible drama, upsets, and underdog stories across the board.

The race of the day (and perhaps the week?) was the women’s steeplechase, where a fast early pace and a topsy-turvy final lap ended with a whole slew of personal bests and rewriting of the record books. Tokyo Olympian Val Constien ended up on top thanks to a phenomenal final 400m, running 9:03.22 to PR by 11 seconds and land at #3 on the U.S. all-time list. Constien had ACL surgery last year and after a long road back is better than ever.

We got our first peeks at the 400m hurdles crew, and the main takeaway from the first round is that Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone and Rai Benjamin are looking like world beaters out for an easy jog. McLaughlin-Levrone in particular shut it down entirely over the final two laps and still ran 53.07, the third-fastest performance in the world this year behind her own season’s best and Femke Bol’s world lead.

Speaking of first looks, Erriyon Knighton doesn’t seem to have missed a step as he ran his first 200m in four months, cruising through the first round with a 20.15 just behind Noah Lyles’s 20.10 in an earlier heat. And a stacked final is set for the 5000m, where reigning U.S. champ Abdi Nur takes on two of the three members of Team USA in the 10,000m, the 1500m Trials champ, and two NCAA champs.

The middle-distance rounds will continue to get more and more cutthroat, with the women’s 1500m featuring Elle St. Pierre, Heather MacLean, Cory McGee, Emily MacKay, Elise Cranny, Nikki Hiltz, Sinclaire Johnson, and more heading to the semis and Olympians Bryce Hoppel and Clayton Murphy looking ready to once again do battle in the 800m.

What To Watch On Day 6

We’ve got a big day for hurdles fans coming up, as the session begins the first round of the 100m hurdles gets underway featuring U.S. champs Keni Harrison, Nia Ali, and more, and then ends with the final of the 110m hurdles and another opportunity for Grant Holloway to drop something crazy fast.

It’s also a big day for semifinals with the men’s 800m, the women’s 1500m, the men’s 400m hurdles, and both 200ms. Plus we’ll get our first peek at stacked fields women’s shot put and pole vault, where winning will pretty much solidify anyone’s spot as an Olympic medal contender. Big Throws fans will have quite a fun day overall, with the qualifying rounds of the women’s javelin and men’s hammer throw as well as the shot.

Follow along with live results here and on the CITIUS MAG social channels.

Race Of The Day: Women's Steeplechase

With the absence of American record holder Courtney Frerichs and 10-time U.S. champ Emma Coburn from the scene this year due to injury, the general consensus was that this year would be a bit of a rebuilding effort for American steeplechasers.

But apparently no one told Val Constien. Because with an 11-second personal best, her first national title, and a last lap that could match any of the best in the world, Constien isn’t just looking like the two-time Olympian she is: she’s looking like a medal contender as well.

And she’s not alone. The top three finishers — Constien, Courtney Wayment, and Marisa Howard — all ran under Coburn’s previous meet record, and 5 spots on the U.S. top-10 list now come from this race. You’ve gotta feel for fourth-placer Gabbi Jennings, who set a six-second PB and ran faster than last year’s winning-time but still missed the team, and Olivia Markezich, who fell coming off the final barrier and still set a 3-second lifetime best.

These speedy times were helped by having a rabbit to chase, as Annie Rodenfels took the race out hard and treated the crowds to a two-kilometer display of some of the most… unorthodox… hurdle form anyone has ever seen in a national steeplechase final. The pack eventually reeled her in, but the pre-race favorites had some unexpected company in the form of Idaho Afoot’s Marisa Howard, a 31-year-old mom without a shoe sponsor, who bravely took the lead with 400m to go and then hung on to make her first U.S. team on the track thanks to a 15-second personal best.

This race had everything. Lead changes, surprises, stumbles and falls, comeback stories, and historically fast times. When you think of the magic of the Olympic Trials, this race should stick in your mind of an example of the best track and field has to offer.

Athlete Of The Day: Valarie Allman

Few athletes in the world have the record of consistency and achievement that Valarie Allman has put together over the last four seasons.

From 2021 to 2024, the Olympic discus champion has finished 1st, 3rd, and 2nd at global championships, set season’s best over 70 meters all four seasons, won every U.S. title, and picked up hefty paychecks by winning three Diamond League finals. In an event that’s dependent on your ability to literally spin on one leg at top speed and fling a metal object several hundred feet away without falling over, landing out of range, or stepping out of the ring, Allman’s ability to always deliver is remarkable.

Not only did she win her sixth U.S. title by over 8 meters, Allman also launched 5 of her 6 throws 67 meters or further (her best, on the final throw, was 70.73m). Four of the five best performances of 2024 now belong to Allman, and the world leader, Yaime Perez, is unfortunately unable to compete in Paris as she’s recently defected from her native Cuba.

So Allman heads into her Olympic title defense with both the confidence of knowing she has the capability of producing world-beating peformances and the security of knowing she can do it pretty much every time out.

Photo of the Day

Bryce Hoppel and Hobbs Kessler literally crossed the finish line holding hands in the first round of the men’s 800m.

Social Moment to Remember

For those of you still loyally tuning into our live shows over the next few days, have some fun playing along with CITIUS MAG Trials Bingo as you watch.