Thomas, Holloway, Knighton, Price, and Benjamin Make History

Today is the penultimate day of U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials competition. Words alone are not enough to describe what just went down.

I’m not sure where to even begin, so let’s start with women’s pole vault.

Katie Nageotte was able to take the win over current American record holder Sandy Morris and former record holder, Jenn Suhr. Her final clearance of 16’2-1/2” (4.95m) now ranks her number one in the world this year and set the meeting record.

The women’s javelin final also saw a meet record fall, as Maggie Malone and Kara Winger slung the spear out over 200 feet.

Then came the men’s 110m hurdles. If you’ve been following along with us, you will remember that just yesterday we alluded to the possibility that Grant Holloway is in prime form and could contend with the world record if everything were clean.

Well, he didn’t get it, but he ran 0.01 seconds shy of it!

Grant Holloway destroys the field in a near-world record-setting race. NBC Sports.

Holloway absolutely destroyed the rest of the field, running a strong and clean race that made some of the fastest men in the world look almost amateurish. Usually, that is what running near or at world record pace will do, though. If it weren’t known already, this display should be enough to make it clear who the favorite is going into the Olympic Games.

But wait…there’s more.

The men’s 400m hurdles final was set to go off, and all eyes were on Rai Benjamin.

Benjamin went off in the early rounds practically jogging to each victory and dominating the field. We expected much the same, but with an all-out effort to claim the gold in the final.

Benjamin looked to run the first half relatively conservative, but cranked up the heat and switched gears at the 200m mark destroying the other competitors. When he crossed the finish line, the board showed a time only five one-hundredths of a second off the world and American record set back in 1992 by Kevin Young.

This sets up a rematch of the World Championships between the two fastest 400m hurdlers alive — Rai Benjamin and Karsten Warholm.

Rai Benjamin on his way to the second-fastest 400m hurdle race ever. NBC Sports.

But wait…there’s more.

The men’s 200m dash has been one of, if not the most talked about and anticipated event of the Trials. With the current World Champion Noah Lyles, the two fastest times in the world this year from NCAA athletes Terrance Laird and Kenneth Bednarek, and recently re-crowned youth world record holder Erriyon Knighton — there’s just too much fire to not get excited about.

If you didn’t expect to see a high schooler run the fastest time in the field, tie for the second-fastest time in the world this year, and smash Usain Bolt’s youth record, you’re in for a surprise.

Erriyon Knighton may have just made everyone shit the bed, and regardless of what happens next, you will not be forgetting his name.

Knighton ran off the bend near even with Noah Lyles and charged down the homestretch to a 19.88-second finish. If that’s not enough to get you excited, let me end with this — he did so easing up at the end.

17-year-old Erriyon Knighton shocks the world with 19.88-second 200m victory. NBC Sports.

Josephus Lyles, Matthew Boling, and LaShawn Merritt fail to make the final.

I bet you think there couldn’t possibly be anything more, right? Wrong.

In the women’s 200m dash, everyone had their eyes glued in on Allyson Felix, all trying to figure out if she had another in her to double in Japan.

Felix ran a season’s best and a very respectable time of 22.11. Unfortunately, this field was so talented this year, that time was only good for fifth place. The top four women ran sub-22! For bronze, Anavia Battle clocked a 21.95, Jenna Prandini ran 21.89 for silver, and Gabby Thomas blew my mind by running a new meet record and world-leading time of 21.61 seconds.

That time puts her as the number two performer all-time in the event behind the world and American record holder, the late Florence Griffith-Joyner.

Gabby Thomas electrifies the field with the third-fastest time ever run for the 200m dash. Sports History Makers.

In the women’s hammer throw, American record holder and World Champion, DeAnna Price hit a fifth-round throw of 263’6” (80.31m) to overwrite her record by nearly six feet. That throw puts her number two all-time.

She will be happily joined by Brooke Andersen and Gwendolyn Berry in Tokyo next month.

Finally, with the women’s long jump final wrapping up, we saw Brittney Reese make her fourth Olympic team with a season’s best of 23’4-3/4” (7.13m) followed by NCAA record holder Tara Davis and Quanesha Burks.

One day to go. Could it possibly get any more exciting than what we just witnessed?