Track & Field 2k21: Olympic Trials, The 400 Meters

Friday night, 29 competitors will compete in the first round of the 400 meters at the Olympic Trials in the United States, in Eugene, Oregon. Here are the competitors:

Heat One

Athlete, Affilation, Season's Best Time

Joanna Atkins, Unattached, 52.90

Stephanie Davis, South Carolina, 51.34

NaAsha Robinson, Unattached, 51.94

Allyson Felix, Athleta, 50.66

Jessica Beard, Adidas, 50.38

Chloe Abbott. Kentucky, 51.93

Jaide Stepter Baynes, Unattached, 51.31

Heat Two

Bailey Lear, USC, 51.02

Quanera Hayes, Nike, 49.92

Taylor Manson, Florida, 51.04

Francena McCrory, Unattached, 52.01

Brittany Aveni, Duke, 51.60

Aaliyah Birmingham, Oklahoma State, 51.57

Honour Finley, Kansas, 52.83

Heat Three

Wadeline Jonathas, Adidas, 51.00

Kendall Baisden, Unattached, 52.34

Phyllis Francis, Nike, 52.01

Kaylin Whitney, Nike, 51.04

Lynna Irby, Adidas, 50.28

Natasha Hastings, Under Armour, 51.45

Olivia Becthel, Miami (Ohio), 51.65

Heat Four

Shae Anderson, UCLA, 51.16

Jordan Lavender, Unattached, 52.39

Kendall Ellis, New Balance, 50.30

Talitha Diggs, Florida, 50.74

Ziyah Holman, Michigan, 51.41

Courtney Okolo, Unattached, 52.00

Isabella Whittaker, Penn, 51.92

Below: Jessica Beard

Now we cannot front, there is a bias here for us. Jessica Beard is an athlete that we have had the pleasure to watch since she was in high school back in the mid-2000s. At, 32 Beard still has done it all in her sport but become an Olympian. She's won two NCAA championships, two World U20 Championships and two World Championships. Beard's time of 50.38 recorded on April 25 in Eugene, Oregon, is the second fastest finish of her career. It is the fastest time she ran since her personal best of 50.08, which was recorded in 2018, when she was 29.

Many of the brightest sprinters in college are featured in this opening round. It will be interesting to see which of them can push through and make it to the final round which will be held on June 20. Florida's Talitha Diggs ran her best time of the season when she finished second at the NCAA Division I Championships at 50.74. Diggs has as good a chance as anyone to steal a spot in the final. Other college stars to watch are Shae Anderson of UCLA, Michigan's Ziyah Holman, Olivia Bechtel of Miami, Kentucky's Choloe Abbot, Florida's Taylor Manson, Duke's Brittany Aveni and USC's Bailey Lear.

The biggest name in the field is four-time Olympian Allyson Felix, 35, who earned a silver medal in the 400 meters during the 2017 Olympics in Brazil. Quanera Hayes, 29, recorded the sixth fastest time in the world for the season at 49.92 in Miramar, Florida. She is looking to make it to the Olympics for the first time as well. She's won one world championship during outdoor season and two during indoor season, all as a member of the 1,600-meter relay squad.

Kendall Ellis, 25, is a pro that recorded a finish of 50.30, last month in Irvine, California. In May she also took a Diamond League win at 51.86 in Great Britain. Back in 2015, Ellis shined at the Pan American U20 Championships placing third in the 400 meters and capturing gold with a win in the 1,600-meter relay.

Below: Kendall Ellis

Natasha Hastings is another athlete that is another familiar name to look out for at the trials. The 34-year-old was an Olympian in 2016. She placed fourth in the 400 meters but won gold as a member of the 1,600-meter relay team. Hastings is well decorated in the 400 meters winning the world U20 championship in 2004, the NCAA championship back in 2007, the US national indoor crown in 2011, the US national outdoor title in 2013. On the global stage as a pro she also won a bronze at the World Indoor Championships in 2012.