Top five best performers for USA in track & field events in 2024

Gabby Thomas was the USA’s most successful track and field athlete at the Paris Olympics 2024.

The United States showed why they are an Athletics powerhouse as the nation dominated the Paris Olympics medal tally with 34 medals in total, including 14 gold, 11 silver, and 9 bronze medals. Their dominance was such that the second-placed Kenya concluded their campaign with 10 gold medals less than the USA, earning 4 gold, 2 silver, and 5 bronze.

However, their brilliance was not limited to the Olympics as they were consistent in the World Athletics Indoor Championships, Continental Tours, and the Diamond League. With this, let’s have a look at the top five best performers for the USA in track & field events in 2024.

5. Rai Benjamin

Rai Benjamin returned home from the Paris Olympics with two golds – one in the 400m hurdles and the second being an integral part of the men’s 4x400m relay team. After successfully converting silver from Tokyo to gold in Paris in the 400m hurdles by holding off world record holder Karsten Warholm in the finals, he anchored the USA team in the 4x400m relay race. 

Despite a strong challenge from Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo, Benjamin capitalized on the lead given by his teammates, thus capturing the gold medal.

4. Ryan Crouser

Ryan Crouser kicked off his 2024 season by winning his first-ever indoor world title in Glasgow. However, he was hit by multiple setbacks, including a nerve entrapment in his throwing elbow and a torn pectoral muscle from bench pressing. This required immediate surgery to address his upper-body injuries.

However, Crouser came back strongly to take home his third consecutive shot put gold medal at the Olympics in Paris. With this, he also scripted history becoming the first ever shot putter (man or woman) to bag three golds.

3. Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone continued her dominance in track, breaking her world record in the 400m hurdles twice this season. She first achieved the feat at the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials, clocking 50.65 seconds. Then, on the grand stage of the Paris Olympics, the 25-year-old showcased her talent and successfully defended her Olympic title with a run of 50.37 seconds.

Her exploits didn’t stop there as she played a pivotal role in breaking the American record in the women’s 4x400m relay, running the fastest split of 47.71 seconds among all competitors in the event.

2. Noah Lyles

Noah Lyles cemented his status as the best 100m runner in the world in 2024 by claiming victory in the distance at the Paris Olympics. In a nail-biting contest, he prevailed over Jamaica’s Kishane Thompson. Despite both running very similar times, Lyles’ torso crossed the line slightly ahead of Thompson’s, with the American clocking 9.79 (9.784) compared to Thompson’s 9.79 (9.789) to win the much-anticipated showdown.

Besides this, Lyles also bagged a bronze in the 200m at the quadrennial games, despite testing positive for COVID-19. During the indoor season, Lyles won two silver medals in the 60m and another as part of the men’s 4x400m relay event at the World Athletics Indoor Championships during his tournament debut.

1. Gabby Thomas

Gabby Thomas was the most successful USA track and field athlete at the Paris Olympics 2024. After earning a bronze in the 200m at the Tokyo Olympics 2020, Thomas elevated her achievement this time in the distance.

She became the Olympic champion with a remarkable 21.83s in the finals, defeating the 100m gold medalist, Julien Alfred (22.08). She then went on to play a key role in the USA team’s victory in the women’s 4x100m and 4x400m relay events.

She earlier contributed to Team USA’s victory in the women’s 4x100m and 4x400m relay disciplines at the World Athletics Relays 2024 in the Bahamas. The event served as a qualification event for the selection of relay teams for the quadrennial games.

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