McLaughlin shines in solo effort to eclipse mark for third time in less than a year by clocking 51.41; Winger punctuates last national final with 210-10 (64.26m) effort to make sixth World Championships and 10th U.S. team, Haugh surpasses 80-meter mark to win hammer title; Felix and Jager both qualify

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

EUGENE, Ore. – The past four times the world record was broken in the women’s 400-meter hurdles, the spotlight was collectively shared by Sydney McLaughlin and Dalilah Muhammad, producing some of the greatest battles in the history of the sport, especially the past two matchups at last year’s U.S. Olympic Trials and the Tokyo final that witnessed them becoming the first athletes in the event to eclipse the 52-second barrier.

But in Saturday’s race at the Toyota USATF Championships at Hayward Field, McLaughlin was a one-woman show.

RESULTS | INTERVIEWS | MEET VIDEOS | PHOTOS by John Nepolitan | PHOTOS by Chuck Aragon

With Muhammad already having the bye to compete at the World Championships on July 15-24 at Hayward Field, and deciding not to race at the national meet in order to rest a sore right hamstring, McLaughlin was in a class all her own in the 400 hurdles final by lowering her own all-time mark to 51.41 seconds.

On a day when Kara Winger captured her ninth U.S. title in the javelin, fellow 36-year-old Allyson Felix navigated her way on to the U.S. roster in her final year with a sixth-place finish in the 400 meters, Daniel Haugh surpassed the 80-meter mark for the first time in the hammer throw and Evan Jager completed his comeback from a stress fracture in his foot to qualify for the World Championships for the first time since 2017, McLaughlin broke the world record for the third time in 364 days.

In addition to McLaughlin and Muhammad, a pair of athletes training in Arkansas secured the remaining spots in the 400 hurdles to compete in July, with reigning NCAA Division 1 champion Britton Wilson of the Razorbacks elevating to the No. 3 all-dates collegiate competitor by clocking 53.08 and adidas professional Shamier Little taking third in 53.92.

Winger, who captured her first national title in 2008, produced a sixth-round mark of 210 feet, 10 inches (64.26m) to secure her 10th career U.S. team berth, with six World Championships and four Olympics.

Ariana Ince produced a fourth-round effort of 198-3 (60.43m) to briefly take the lead, before Winger responded on her fifth and sixth attempts to achieve more career highlights in her final U.S. championship meet.

Avione Allgood-Whetstone took third at 194-5 (59.26m), with American record holder Maggie Malone not recording a mark after enduring three consecutive fouls.

Haugh became the sixth male athlete in U.S. history to surpass the 80-meter barrier, winning the men’s hammer final with his first throw of 263-1 (80.18m).

Haugh elevated to the No. 5 all-time American competitor and ascended to fifth in the world this year.

Rudy Winkler, another career 80-meter performer, also opened with a big mark of 257 feet (78.33m), but couldn’t catch Haugh the rest of the competition. Alex Young took third at 251-4 (76.60m).

Jager, 33, who hadn’t raced the steeplechase since August 2018 before returning to the event in April at the 62nd Mt. SAC Relays, not only needed the World qualifying standard, but also to place in the top three in the final in order to compete again in July.

Although Hillary Bor captured another national title in 8:15.76, Jager accomplished both goals by placing second in 8:17.29, with Benard Keter taking third in 8:19.16.

It was an impressive day for University of Florida athletes, with Talitha Diggs following her Division 1 indoor and outdoor titles in the 400 meters with a U.S. crown, rallying late in the race to prevail in 50.22, followed by Kendall Ellis clocking 50.35 and Lynna Irby taking third in 50.67.

Felix finished sixth in 51.24 in her 19th career U.S. championship meet, giving her the opportunity to be part of the relay pool that can compete in July in the women’s 4x400 or mixed 4x400 relays.

Michael Norman won the men’s 400 champion in 43.56, with Florida’s Champion Allison running a personal-best 43.70 to place second and North Carolina A&T’s Randolph Ross taking third in 44.17. Ross had edged Allison by a 44.13 to 44.41 margin June 10 at the Division 1 final at Hayward Field.

Keturah Orji added another triple jump title to her resume with a wind-legal fourth-round mark of 48-6.25 (14.79m), with Tori Franklin placing second at 47-10.50 (14.59m) and Florida’s Jasmine Moore taking third at 46-5.25 (14.15m).

Moore became the first female athlete in American history to qualify for the World Championships in both the long jump and triple jump.

Keni Harrison needed every bit of the fastest wind-legal performance in the world this year to triumph in the 100 hurdles final, clocking 12.34 to edge Alaysha Johnson in 12.35.

Alia Armstrong, the reigning Division 1 champion from LSU, achieved a wind-legal best by running 12.47 to take third.

Sinclaire Johnson, the 2019 Division 1 winner in the 1,500 meters at Oklahoma State, pulled away from an elite field to capture her first U.S. national championship in 4:03.29.

Cory McGee finished second in 4:04.52 and Elle St. Purrier placed third in 4:05.14, with both Olympians qualifying for the World Championships. Karissa Schweizer, already on the U.S. roster after winning the 10,000 title May 27, nearly added the 1,500 to her schedule as well, but finished fourth in 4:05.40.

Oregon’s Cooper Teare took advantage of a tactical race in the men’s 1,500 final, showcasing an impressive late surge to capture the title in 3:45.86 one year after friend and former Oregon teammate Cole Hocker triumphed, with Illinois’ Jonathan Davis securing runner-up in 3:46.01 and Josh Thompson taking third in 3:46.07.

Chris Nilsen cleared 18-8.25 (5.70m) on his first attempt to win the men’s pole vault championship, with Luke Winder placing second by clearing the same height on his third opportunity.

Andrew Irwin outlasted Jacob Wooten in a sudden-death jumpoff for third place after both athletes cleared 18-4.50 (5.60m).