By David Melly
July 28, 2025
Buckle up track and field fans. The most high-octane four-day stretch of sprinting and hurdling imaginable is set to get underway Thursday at increasingly historic New Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon. We’ve broken down each event in obscene detail below, and highlighted when and how to watch each race.
And if you just can’t get enough track and field coverage, there’s plenty more where that came from:
- Each day before the meet begins, tune in to Good Morning Track and Field (presented by Beekeeper Coffee), where Eric Jenkins and Aisha Praught-Leer give their takes on the action and happenings in Eugene. (Also available on the Off The Rails Podcast feed.)
- After each day at the track, tune in for CHAMPS CHATS—Chris Chavez, Eric, Aisha, Anderson Emerole, and Paul Hof-Mahoney will break down all of the results and offer up their analysis from each day’s competition. (Also available on the CITIUS MAG Podcast feed.)
- The CITIUS MAG Newsletter will be hitting your inbox daily with a recap of results and a round-up of the best content from the day.
- And for those in Eugene, we’ll be hosting two group runs with New Balance, Saturday and Sunday at 8 a.m. PT, meeting in front of Agate Alley on 1461 E. 19th Avenue. There will be coffee, treats, free “I Love Track and Field” t-shirts and the chance to try out the new FuelCell Rebel v5 and FuelCell SuperComp Elite v5. It’s going to be a great time!
Without further ado, here’s your full preview of the top storylines and athletes to watch in the men's 400mH at the U.S. Championships:
Schedule + How To Watch
Heats: Friday, Aug. 1st at 3:30 p.m. PT (Watch it on USATF.TV)
Semifinals: Saturday, Aug. 2nd at 1:41 p.m. PT (Watch it on NBC, Peacock)
Final: Sunday, Aug. 3rd at 1:43 p.m. PT (Watch it on NBC, Peacock)
Last year's Olympic team: CJ Allen, Trevor Bassitt, and Rai Benjamin
Who has the World Championship qualifying standard or is in the World Rankings quota: Benjamin, Chris Robinson, Caleb Dean, Allen, Bassitt, and Ja’Qualon Scott have run under the World Championships standard of 48.50.
Top Contenders: When it comes to domestic 400m hurdling these days, it’s Rai Benjamin’s world and we’re all just living in it. Benjamin hasn’t ever lost a U.S. championship he’s contested, winning every edition going back to 2019. Given the Olympic champion is also the world leader, it would take a small act of God to knock him off the top step of the podium for the first time this year.
Kevin Morris / @kevmofoto
That’s not to say this event is boring, however. Although they’re over a second behind Benjamin, only 0.09 seconds separates the season’s bests of Chris Robinson (48.05), Caleb Dean (48.08), CJ Allen (48.10), and Trevor Bassitt (48.14). Because Benjamin is only the reigning Olympic champ and not the World champ, those four will likely be fighting over only two spots, and while Bassitt has the best resume, including a World medal in 2022, Robinson and Dean, both 24 years old, have plenty of upside.
Dark Horses: Texas A&M’s Ja’Qualon Scott set a PB of 48.29 to finish second in the NCAA final, and if he continues to elevate his game to match the level of competition, he could find himself in the mix as well.
One Good Stat: Among active American hurdlers, Rai Benjamin has the 18 fastest marks in history. The next fastest behind him is Caleb Dean’s 47.23 from last year’s NCAA championship.
David Melly
David began contributing to CITIUS in 2018, and quickly cemented himself as an integral part of the team thanks to his quick wit, hot takes, undying love for the sport and willingness to get yelled at online.
