EUGENE, Ore. — Grant Fisher won the men’s 10,000-meter race Friday at Hayward Field, becoming the first American track and field athlete to punch their ticket to the Paris Olympics.
Woody Kincaid and Nico Young also qualified with second- and third-place finishes.
“It feels really good,” Fisher said after the win. “There’s a lot of anticipation going into the trials. You never know what’s going to happen."
Fisher, who holds the American record in both the 5,000 and 10,000-meters, ran a 27:49.47. The 27-year-old will run the 5,000 next week in Eugene for a chance at the double.
“It’s going to be really, really hard out there," he said of Paris. "There are a lot of good athletes this year. Anything can happen. I want to get in there and mix it up. 10k is a straight final so I just need to have one good day. I’ve been close to the medals before and it never gotten them. Hopefully this is my time."
Fisher placed fifth in the 10,000 at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and fourth at the 2022 World Athletics Championships. In Paris, he will look to become the first American to win an Olympic medal in the 10,000 since Galen Rupp in 2012.
Earlier Friday, three U.S. stars advanced in their respective events.
Sha’Carri Richardson ran a 10.88 to move to the next round in the 100-meter. Richardson, who was forced out of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics after a positive test for cannabis, will next compete at 5:58 p.m. PT Saturday in the semifinals and then, if she advances, at 7:50 p.m. PT in the finals. She is one of the gold medal favorites in Paris.
Athing Mu, who claimed gold in the 800 in Tokyo, finished in 2:01.73 in the opening heat Friday to qualify for Sunday’s semifinal. She was arguably the freshest competitor in the event, having not raced since winning the event at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest in August.
"For the most part I think it was pretty smooth," Mu said after the race. "It felt like my first race back, so of course the legs were getting a little wakeup. It was nice."
Michaela Rose, the 2023 NCAA 800-meter champion out of LSU, paced all runners with a 1:59.57 time.
Ryan Crouser, the two-time reigning Olympic champion in the men’s shot put, continued his winning ways. He was third in the first heat after a throw of 21.44 to qualify for Saturday's final (6:40 p.m. PT).
"It was great," Crouser said of being back at Hayward Field. "I've been dealing with an elbow issue, dealing with a pec issue but to get out there in front of the crowd, you don't feel it."
The biggest notable result may have come in the men's 400. Quincy Wilson, a 16-year-old high school sophomore at the Bullis School outside Washington D.C, ran a 44.66. The mark bested a 42-year-old American high school record of 44.69 set by Darrell Robinson and an under-18 world record if certified by World Athletics.
"I just waited for this moment," Wilson said. "I've always dreamed for this moment. I told myself I would come out here for a big moment and get ready ... I'm just coming out executing each race as best as I can."
On Saturday, Noah Lyles, the 200-meter bronze medalist at the 2020 Games, will begin his quest for another medal beginning at 6:20 p.m. PT.
Coverage of the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials for the 2024 Paris Games will continue live Saturday on NBC, USA and Peacock.
