At the Toyota USA Track and Field Championships, winning third place can be as rewarding as being first, given that the top three finishers in most events can earn spots on the US team for the World Championships in Tokyo this September 2025.
Athletes such as Noah Lyles, Grant Holloway, Ryan Crouser, Sha’Carri Richardson, and Katie Moon have automatic byes to the world team as reigning 2023 world champions, and the US will still be sending more athletes to compete in the tournament through this track and field event.
Here are five standout events to watch out for at the Toyota USA Track and Field Championships taking place from July 31 to Aug 3.
Women’s long jump
For both indoors and outdoors, four of the world’s top eight female athletes are featured this year.
Olympic gold medallist Tara Davis-Woodhall is still undefeated in all 13 of her competitions since the beginning of 2024, and she holds the two best American jumps in 2025, measuring 7.07 and 7.05 meters, across just three competitions.
Lex Brown also improved her personal best by over two feet in 2024, and Claire Bryant claimed the world indoor title in March. Bryant also placed 10th at the Olympic Trials.
Jasmine Moore, an Olympic bronze medallist in both the long jump and triple jump, will be competing in both events as well.
Women’s 400m
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone will compete in the flat 400m instead of the 400m hurdles, even though she has successfully set the world record in the hurdles six times now. She is the third seed in the 400m for 2025 and ranks as the second-fastest American ever in the event with her 48.74-second performance in 2023. Her record can challenge Sanya Richards-Ross’s 48.70 seconds in 2006.
Furthermore, she will be competing against tough competitors in this event: Salwa Eid Naser of Bahrain with a time of 48.67, and Marileidy Paulino of the Dominican Republic with a record of 48.81.
Women’s 200m
Gabby Thomas, who won the Tokyo Olympic Trials, will be competing once again after claiming gold in the Paris Olympics, together with Brittany Brown, who also earned an Olympic bronze medal.
The 2023 World Championships bronze medallist, Sha’Carri Richardson, placed fourth at the Olympic Trials, and she has an automatic spot at the World Championships in the 100m and intends to compete in the 200m.
Men’s 200m
In this event, Lyles is eager to defend his title against Bednarek and McCallum.
Noah Lyles plans to compete in all three rounds of the 200m at the U.S. Nationals, and he aims to win a record-tying fifth U.S. men’s 200m title.
Kenny Bednarek, a two-time Olympic silver medallist, has been undefeated in his last six Grand Slam Track 100m and 200m races.
Moreover, T’Mars McCallum, a rising University of Tennessee senior, holds the world’s best 200m time this year at 19.73 seconds after starting the season with a personal best of 20.33.
Men’s 800m
Top athletes who will compete in this category are Bryce Hoppel, who finished fourth at the Paris Olympics, Josh Hoey, who placed fourth at the 2024 Olympic Trials, and Donavan Brazier, who is the 2019 World Champion.
Josh Hoey recorded the second-fastest indoor 800m time in history and captured the world indoor title in winter, and Donavan Brazier made a remarkable comeback this late spring and early summer after nearly three years away from competition due to surgeries.
Find out more about the upcoming track and field tournament here.
