USATF Outdoor Championships begin Thursday

DES MOINES, IOWA — For American track and field fans, this weekend’s USATF Outdoor Championships in Des Moines will be the pinnacle of the 2018 season with no Olympics and no world championships.

The best of the best from Team USA is slated to compete, with sprinter Ronnie Baker, hurdler Keni Harrison and emerging star Sydney McLaughlin among a host of past Olympic medalists and champions aiming for domestic titles at Drake Stadium. The meet starts on Thursday and runs through Sunday.

Here are some of the key events to follow as the U.S. national outdoor meet returns to Iowa after a fiveyear absence:

MEN’S 100

The title of “World’s Fastest Man” has been up for grabs ever since Usain Bolt retired. Baker, the former University of Kentucky star, hopes to soon claim it and he’s been sporting a necklace with a “Flash” pendant since the start of this season. Baker, 24, has certainly progressed toward his goal, running a wind-aided 9.78 seconds in Eugene, Oregon and a 9.93 in Rome a week later in Diamond League action on May 31. “Flash is the fastest man in the world. That’s my goal every single time I step out on the track,” Baker said.

WOMEN’S 100 HURDLES

Harrison is well known in Des Moines after becoming the first person since Lolo Jones to win this event three years in a row. Harrison, the world and American record holder at 12.20, took first on the Blue Oval in April in a wind-aided 12.37 after winning the world indoor title this spring.

WOMEN’S 400

McLaughlin, the 18-year-old Kentucky star, turned pro two weeks ago. Though McLaughlin’s specialty the 400 hurdles, she’s ranked fifth in the world in the 400 after posting a 50.07 earlier this season. McLaughlin’s main competition might be USC’s Kendall Ellis. Her remarkable closing kick to help USC win the 1,600 relay at the recent NCAA meet was arguably the sport’s most notable highlight in 2018.