The inaugural season of the USATF Tour culminates this weekend with the Ed Murphey Classic in Memphis on Friday, and the Sound Running Sunset Tour in Los Angeles on Saturday, a pair of meets that will help determine who comes away with the $50,000 prizes to be awarded to the men's and women's overall champions in the Tour's point standings. The two meets are also World Athletics Continental Tour Silver competitions.
While reigning Olympic and World Championships discus gold medalist Valarie Sion has the women's title under wraps with big wins at the Oklahoma Throws Series World Invitational, Iron Wood Classic, and USATF LA Grand Prix, the men's top spot is up in the air at the Murphey Classic.
Jamal Britt has been on a torrid streak in the 110 hurdles, winning the Pre Classic last weekend with a 12.86 that moved him to No. 5 on the all-time world performer list. He has wins at the Miramar Invitational, Drake Relays, and the USATF LA Grand Prix, and is in the top form of his career. If he replaces his 13.22 at Drake with a sub-13.15 clocking in Memphis, he will present a formidable obstacle for shot putter Jordan Geist to overcome.
Geist won the USATF LA Grand Prix and was the runner-up at the Iron Wood Classic. He would need a throw of more than 22 meters to remain in contention for the overall title, and for every hundredth Britt dips under 13.15, Geist will need to add distance to his winning throw. An outside chance also still exists for Roger Steen, who is also entered in the shot. Steen would need to win with a lifetime best farther than 22.32 to challenge Geist and Britt. Get your calculators out!
Apart from the intrigue accompanying the race for the overall title, the men's shot has a great lineup. In addition to the aforementioned Geist and Steen, there will be a special guest appearance by three-time Olympic champ Ryan Crouser. New Zealand legend Tom Walsh is another multiple global medalist, and the silver medalist from the World Championships at Tokyo last year, Uziel Muñoz of Mexico, will be in the field.
Plenty of other top-level matchups are on the slate at the Murphey Classic, including a tasty men's 400 that has NCAA champion and world leader Samuel Ogazi of Nigeria. Ogazi, a two-time NCAA champ who was seventh at the 2024 Olympic in Paris, leads the global list at 43.38, a time that ranks him as the No. 4 all-time world performer.
He will face Quincy Wilson, the youngest American Olympic gold medalist ever in track and field after running in the heats of the U.S. 4x400 at Paris. Wilson, 18, has a PB of 44.10 that he set at this meet in 2025, and he was the silver medalist at the recent USATF U20 Championships. Also in the 400 field are Jamaica's Antonio Watson, the 2023 world champion, and 2012 Olympic champion Kirani James of Grenada. Even at age 34 James is still capable of beating anyone on a given day.
The two pole vaults have American record holder KC Lightfoot leading the men's entrants, and Sandi Morris topping the women's list. Morris is the No. 4 all-time world performer with a PB of 5.00 meters, and she has four World Championships silvers to go with a pair of World Indoor titles.
One of the winningest women in U.S. high jump history, Vashti Cunningham has 16 USATF titles on her résumé and she was the 2016 World Indoor champ at age 18. Her newest American challenger is Charity Hufnagel, who was this year's USATF indoor gold medalist. They will take on Temitope Adeshina of Nigeria, a three-time NCAA indoor and outdoor champion for Texas Tech.
Paris Olympic 200 finalist McKenzie Long is in the women's 100 and 200, and in the longer sprint she will go against Nigeria's Favour Ofili, who beat her by one place at Paris. The men's 100 has a wealth of sub-10 entrants, including three of the top 10 Americans ever in Courtney Lindsey, Ronnie Baker, and T'Mars McCallum.
Lindsey clocked 9.82 to finish second at the 2025 USATF Championships and won gold on the U.S. 4x100 at Tokyo. Baker has a PB of 9.83 that placed him fifth at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, and McCallum also has a PB of 9.83. Jamaica's Bryan Levell has run 9.82 and was the bronze medalist in the 200 at Tokyo last year.
Gold medalists on the U.S. women's 4x400 and mixed 4x400 at Tokyo last summer, Lynna Jackson and Alexis Holmes are the top two entrants in the 400. Jackson ran on both victorious relays and has a PB of 49.80, while Holmes was on the Tokyo mixed squad and also anchored the American record 4x400 at the Paris Olympics. She has a lifetime best of 49.77. On the comeback trail after injuries, Britton Wilson is the No. 7 all-time American performer with a PB of 49.13 from three years ago.
Jamaica's Roje Stona won the 2024 Olympic title in the men's discus and is here to throw against Tokyo bronze medalist Alex Rose of Samoa and Reggie Jagers, who holds the record for the farthest throw by an American lefthander. In the triple jump, another Jamaican, Jordan Scott, tops the bill. Scott earned silver at this year's World Indoor Championships and set his PB of 17.69 at the Doha Diamond League meet. He won the Oslo DL meet and was second at Rome. U.S. Olympians Salif Mane and Russell Robinson will look to surpass 17 meters and challenge Scott for the win.
A special triathlon will feature decathlon stars Kyle Garland and Harrison Williams, along with Grenada's Lindon Victor. Garland captured the USATF title last year and was the Tokyo bronze medalist, while Williams was seventh at the Paris Olympics. Victor earned bronze at Paris and was also the 2023 World Championships bronze medalist.
Monae' Nichols was third at the Prefontaine Classic in the women's long jump last weekend with a wind-aided 7.05, and she was the 2024 World Indoor silver medalist. Sweden's Axelina Johansson earned bronze in the women's shot put at the World Indoors this year and swept the NCAA indoor and outdoor crowns for Nebraska, setting an indoor collegiate record in March.
2019 world champion and former American record holder Donavan Brazier is in an exhibition men's 800 and has three sub-1:45 clockings already this year. The women's two-lapper features Paris fourth place finisher Shafiqua Maloney of St. Vincent going against Americans Michaela Rose and Victoria Bossong.
Distance duels on tap at Sunset Tour
Saturday night at Occidental College's Kemp Stadium, just north of Los Angeles, the Sound Running Sunset Tour is a middle- and long-distance fan's delight with men's and women's races from 800 meters to 5000 meters, as well as a special women's 100.
Five of the top seven finishers from last year's USATF Championships will line up in the men's 3000 steeplechase in what looks to be the marquee event of the night. Daniel Michalski was the USATF silver medalist in 2025 and was a World Championships finalist. He also earned silver at the 2023 Pan American Games and was the NACAC winner last summer.
2021 Olympic finalist Benard Keter also made the 2022 and 2023 U.S. squads for the World Championships, and he was third at the USATF meet in '25. Two-time World Champs competitor Isaac Updike has the fastest PB at 8:10.59, making him the No. 9 all-time U.S. performer. Winner of the USATF LA Grand Prix in a PB 8:15.78, Yasin Sado is on the rise and ran sub-8:16 at Oxy last year.
Six of the entrants in the men's 800 have run sub-1:45, led by Mexico's Abraham Alvarado at 1:44.41. Alvarado placed seventh at the 2025 USATF Championships with that time and transferred his allegiance to Mexico in March. Georgetown's Tinoda Matsatsa dipped under 1:45 for the first time with his 1:44.75 at the NCAA East meet in May and is the top American.
Two of the top 10 U.S. women's all-time 1500 performers drop down in distance to contest the 800 here against 2021 Olympic 800 bronze medalist Raevyn Rogers, who is No. 5 on the all-time U.S. list with a PB of 1:56.81. Emily Mackay is the No. 3 all-time American in the 1500 and earned silver in the 3000 at this year's World Indoor Championships. She has an 800 PB of 1:57.87.
Sinclaire Johnson holds the American record in the mile and is the second fastest U.S. woman at 1000 with a PB of 2:31.30, while USATF Indoor runner-up Valery Tobias and 2025 NCAA indoor champ Makayla Paige are also strong contenders.
Spain's Mario Garcia Romo is the only man in the 1500 to have run sub-3:30 and was the 2022 NCAA indoor mile champ for Mississippi. He has a career best of 3:29.18. BYU's Carter Cutting won the NCAA indoor mile this year and is one of the up-and-coming U.S. talents. The fastest American entrant is John Reniewicki, who set his PB of 3:33.58 on the Oxy oval two years ago.
USATF Road Mile runner-up Gracie Hyde has focused mainly on the steeple this year but is one of the favorites in the women's 1500 with a best of 4:06.12. Eleanor Fulton is the fastest of all the entrants with a 4:03.03 PB, and Kayley DeLay has a best of 4:04.99.
American record holder and 2021 Olympic silver medalist Courtney Frerichs hasn't run a 3000 steeplechase since 2023, so is a bit of a mystery coming in. She is by far the fastest entrant with a PB of 8:57.77 but will be challenged strongly by sub-9:30 runners Madie Boreman and Logan Jolly.
Britain's Sam Atkin was an Olympian in the 5000 at Paris and has the best PB in the field at 12:54.66. Americans Sean McGorty and Dylan Jacobs are very capable performers who have run sub-13:10, and Liam Murphy is fresh off a last-gasp mile win and PB at Eugene last weekend where he clocked 3:50.49. Vanessa Fraser and China's WuGa He are the only two who have cracked the 15:00 barrier in the women's 5000.