Despite difficult year Team USATF shined bright

If every cloud has a silver lining, the ominous thunderhead that was 2020 will be remembered for some remarkable individual and team efforts in track and field that overcame a global pandemic that shut down normal avenues of training and competition.

Before the pandemic struck in the third month, the year started out filled with excitement and anticipation for the Tokyo Olympic Games and the first U.S. Olympic Track & Field Trials in the glittering new Hayward Field.
 
Here's a look back at some of the bright spots of the year.
 
EXCITEMENT AND ANTICIPATION MARK EARLY MONTHS
 
An indoor season that offered a chance to qualify for the World Indoor Championships in China saw records fall at the Millrose Games in New York City on Feb. 8, where middle distance stars Donavan Brazier and Ajee' Wilson broke their own American indoor records in the 800 meters. Brazier rolled to a 1:44.22 to take almost two-tenths off the record he set at Millrose the previous year, moving him to No. 5 on the world all-time indoor list, while Wilson sliced .31 from her own American record with a 1:58.29.
 
Emerging star Elle Purrier stunned with a 4:16.85 mile at Millrose that shattered one of the oldest American women's indoor records on the books, a 4:20.5 by Mary Decker Tabb in 1982. Purrier also took the 1,500m American record en route in 4:00.20, breaking Decker Tabb's 40-year-old standard. That same weekend across the Atlantic Ocean in Rouen, France, Sam Kendricks sailed over 6.01m/19-8.5 to set an American record in the men's pole vault.
 
These performances set the stage for an early edition of the Toyota USATF Indoor Championships in Albuquerque, held on Feb. 14-15 to meet the entry deadline for the World Indoor Championships.
 
The highlight of the meet was the women's triple jump, where Tori Franklin and Keturah Orji traded American indoor records. Orji broke Franklin's existing American record in the second round with a 14.60m/47-10.75, but in the final round, Franklin regained it with a marvelous 14.64m/48-0.5 effort that led to ebullient celebration.
 
A preview of great things to come in the men's shot put saw reigning Olympic champion Ryan Crouser blast the second-farthest throw in indoor history, a 22.60m/74-1.75 bomb that missed the world record by less than three inches and signaled the official beginning of a year unlike any other with the 16-pound ball.
 
Other highlights included the deepest men's 35-pound weight throw in U.S. history with Conor McCullough launching the implement 25.31m/83-0.5 to move to third on the all-time U.S. performer list in a competition that marked the first time four Americans bettered 80 feet. Shelby Houlihan won another women's mid-distance double, taking the 1,500m and 3,000m, and world indoor record-holder Christian Coleman zipped to a 6.37 to win the men's 60m, equaling the second-fastest time in history behind only his world record of 6.34 from 2018.
 
Two weeks later on the lightning-quick oval at Boston University, Karissa Schweizer destroyed the American indoor record in the women's 3,000m, leading three women under the previous best with her 8:25.70. Shelby Houlihan (8:26.66) and Colleen Quigley (8:28.71) were also well under Shalane Flanagan's existing American record of 8:33.25.
 
Josh Thompson zipped to a 3:34.77 world-leading men's 1,500m, making him the No. 2 American all-time, while Vanessa Fraser (14:48.51) and Emily Infeld (14:51.91) moved to the 2-3 slots on the all-time U.S. women's indoor 5,000m list. In the men's 3,000m, Lopez Lomong moved to No. 6 on the all-time U.S. performer list, and Shadrack Kipchirchir became the seventh-fastest American ever in the men's indoor 5,000m. Kate Grace took over the No. 5 spot on the U.S. women's all-time indoor 1,000m list with a 2:35.49.
 
Moving to the roads at the end of February, the Olympic Trials marathon in Atlanta on the 29th delivered on its promise in fine fashion. Galen Rupp became the first person since Frank Shorter to win back-to-back Trials titles, dominating the race in 2:09:20, the third-fastest time in Trials history. Jacob Riley secured his Olympic berth in second with a personal best of 2:10:02, while 43-year-old Abdi Abdirahman qualified for a record fifth Olympic team in third at 2:10:03, breaking the U.S. masters 40-44 record of 2:12:10.
 
Aliphine Tuliamuk pulled away over the final stretch to win the women's title in 2:27:23, the second-fastest winning time in Trials history, eight seconds ahead of Molly Seidel. Sally Kipyego held on for the third Tokyo berth, clocking 2:28:52.

At the U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Men's 50km Race Walk in Santee, California, at the end of January, Andreas Gustafsson won in 4:12:11 with Matthew Forgues second and Nick Christie third. No American has achieved the Olympic standard in the event. The defending champion Robyn Stevens added another 50km Race Walk national title to her list of accomplishments with a 4:37:31.
 
Competition came to a screeching halt during the pre-meet practice time at the NCAA Indoor Championships in mid-March, with teams sent home to play wait and see with an insidious virus that would ultimately reshape the rest of the year.
 
THE WORLD WAITS
 
With the world's focus rightly on more important things in the face of an unprecedented shutdown of travel and activity around the globe, track and field athletes had to improvise to even have a hope of maintaining fitness and salvaging some remnant of a competitive season. Stories of sprints on grassy fields, jumping fences at locked tracks and makeshift weight workouts with common household products showed the ingenuity and motivation of Team USATF and were a harbinger of some good things to come.
 
A SLOW RETURN BLOSSOMS INTO SUNNIER DAYS
 
In early May, a trio of the world's best male pole vaulters cobbled together a "remote" backyard competition that featured Sam Kendricks from his home facility in Oxford, Mississippi, Sweden's Mondo Duplantis from Lafayette, Louisiana, and Renaud Lavillenie from his garden in France. More of an endurance test than a traditional competition, the three men attempted to clear 5.00m/16-4.75 as many times as possible in 30 minutes. More than a million viewers watched the live stream around the world, demonstrating a thirst for the sport so many love. Duplantis and Lavillenie ended up in a draw with each man registering 36 clearances. Kendricks finished with 26.
 
Organizers of the Oslo Diamond League meet put together "The Impossible Games" on June 11, with a mix of local and remote events, and there were other very small competitions scattered around Europe, but the first glimpse of America's stars came in late June and early July.
 
Nike's Bowerman Track Club hosted the first BTC meet in Portland on June 30 with fields limited to members of the training group due to state restrictions. Elise Cranny was the star of the meet with a 14:48.02 that moved her to seventh on the U.S. all-time outdoor list in the women's 5,000m. Behind her, American steeplechase record-holder Courtney Frerichs garnered a lifetime best and moved to No. 9 on that list at 14:50.06.
 
The Showdown in O-Town the next weekend in Florida saw the return of Noah Lyles and Trayvon Bromell in the 100m, along with stellar outings from Sha'Carri Richardson in the women's 100m and Kenny Bednarek in the men's 200m. Richardson would set U.S.-leading marks in the 100m and 200m the next month at Montverde, including a 22.00 in the half-lap.
 
Traditionally one of the top stops on the Diamond League circuit, Zurich's Weltklasse Inspiration Games on July 9 remotely brought together athletes from nine locations through the wizardry of technology, including Bradenton, Florida, and Walnut, California. Sam Kendricks and Sandi Morris swept the pole vaults, while Allyson Felix was victorious in the 150m and anchored the Team USATF women's 3x100m relay to a win. Georganne Moline also picked up a win in the women's 300m hurdles.
 
One day later, the Bowerman TC crew were back at it in Portland, and Shelby Houlihan scorched the Jesuit High School oval to shatter her own American record in the women's 5,000m with a 14:23.92 that was more than 10 seconds faster than her previous best. Karissa Schweizer was also much faster than the existing American record, clocking 14:26.34 in second. In the men's race, Lopez Lomong went sub-13 with a 12:58.78 to put him eighth on the all-time U.S. performer list.
 
Ryan Crouser opened his outdoor campaign at the first American Track League meet in Marietta, Georgia, on July 11 and it turned out to be the only meet of his season where he threw less than 22 meters. He remedied that one week later in the same ring, exploding out to 22.91m/75-2, equaling the fourth-farthest throw in history. Pole vaulter Katie Nageotte went over an outdoor personal-best 4.83m/15-10 to take over the world lead from Sandi Morris, who had beat Nageotte two days before on Morris's home facility in Piedmont, South Carolina.
 
A brand new track at the AP Ranch facility outside Fort Worth, Texas, produced one of the sprint surprises of the year as Michael Norman dropped down from his usual one-lap distance to zip to a world-leading 9.86 in the men's 100m, a mark that stood up as the best of 2020. Other top performances across the nation came from Rudy Winkler in the men's hammer, throwing 80.70m/264-9 at Walkill, New York at the end of July to move to No. 3 on the U.S. all-time list, and Noah Lyles, who romped to a 19.94 world leader in the men's 200m in Florida.
 
Closing out July, the Bowerman TC folks set a world record in the women's 4x1,500m relay with a 16:27.02 from the quartet of Colleen Quigley, Elise Cranny, Karissa Schweizer and Shelby Houlihan. That knocked more than six seconds off Kenya's existing WR and more than 28 seconds off the previous American record. An American record of 14:34.97 from the Bowerman men's team of Evan Jager, Grant Fisher, Sean McGorty and Lopez Lomong took more than five seconds off the prior best.
 
On her first throw at the Iron Wood Invitational in Rathdrum, Idaho, on Aug. 1, Valarie Allman added almost a meter to the American record, spinning the women's discus 70.15m/230-2. That meet also produced U.S. leaders in the women's javelin from Kara Winger and women's shot put from Chase Ealey. Across the country in Marietta, Katie Nageotte scaled 4.92m/16-1.75 at the fifth ATL meet, putting her sixth on the world all-time list.
 
One of the fastest tracks in the world elicited a trio of world-leading marks from Americans at the Monaco Diamond League stop on Aug. 14. Donavan Brazier continued his hot streak with a 1:43.15 in the men's 800m, just steps ahead of compatriot Bryce Hoppel, who set a lifetime best of 1:43.23. Noah Lyles crushed the field in the men's 200m with a seemingly effortless 19.76, and Lynna Irby won the women's 400m by almost a second in 50.50.
 
Justin Robinson took advantage of the seventh ATL meet in Marietta to clock the fastest men's 400m time of the year with a 44.91, a time bettered by only him and one other high schooler in history.
 
As more and more events emerged from the Covid-19 slumber, the Blue Oval Showcase in Des Moines offered a televised chance for many of Team USATF's stars to compete on a familiar facility. Ryan Crouser was again at the top of the bill as the marquee performer, and he won twice in four days, both times surpassing 74 feet. He would go on to close out his season over the next month with four more wins in Europe, three of them at 74-0 or better. USATF road mile championship titles went to Sam Prakel and Emily Lipari.
 
Sam Kendricks finished second at the Lausanne Diamond League street vault in early September, but it was the highest runner-up height ever as he cleared 6.02m/19-9, also his second-best clearance ever. Returning to Ostrava, Czech Republic, where he made his international debut in 2007 at the World Youth Championships, Christian Taylor bounded a world-leading 17.46m/57-3.5 in the men's triple jump. He added to that mark at Berlin later in the week, winning with a 17.57m/57-7.75.
 
The final Diamond League meet of the bizarre season took place in Doha, site of the 2019 World Championships. Aaron Mallett cemented a season that saw him move into contention for an Olympic berth in the men's 110m hurdles, skimming the barriers to win in a lifetime-best 13.15. Payton Chadwick also clocked an American-leading time in the women's 100m hurdles with a 12.78.
 
Late season track events included an American record in the women's one-hour run by Molly Huddle in Attleboro, Massachusetts, plus a jam-packed distance carnival at The Track Meet in San Juan Capistrano, California, on Dec. 4-5, where a score of Olympic Trials and Olympic qualifying marks were achieved in the 5,000m and 10,000m. In the women's 10,000m, Rachel Schneider's PR 31:09.79 put her No. 8 on the all-time U.S. list, while Eric Jenkins moved to No. 9 on the U.S. all-time men's 10,000m list with his 27:22.06 win.
 
Eleven weeks after finishing second at the London Marathon in a then-personal best 2:22:01, Sara Hall roared back to cross the line in 2:20:32 to win The Marathon Project with the second-fastest time ever by an American woman. Marty Hehir won the men’s Marathon Project in a huge personal best of 2:08:59 to move to No. 7 on the all-time U.S. performer list
 
2020 will go down in the books as a year that proved the value of safety and good planning in athletic excellence. The resilience of Team USATF athletes proved once again that they are The World's #1 Team. All eyes are now on the #JourneyToGold for Tokyo 2021.
 
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