On their now iconic single, “Empire State of Mind,” Jay Z and Alicia Keys once posited that “there’s nothing you can’t do” in New York. The United States’ top track and field stars will get to test that hypothesis during the 2026 USATF Outdoor Track and Field Championships from 23-26 July.
Returning to the Empire State for the first time since 1991 – commemorating the 150th anniversary of the first-ever USA Track and Field Championships held in the Bronx in 1876 – the championships will bring together the best of the best from all 50 states at Icahn Stadium.
Athletes will aim to impress the partisan crowd with their sprinting, hurdling, jumping, vaulting and throwing abilities, with each national title all the more valuable in a year without the World Athletics Championships or Olympic Games.
A win on the nation’s biggest stage could propel an unknown rising star into the spotlight just less than two years out from the Olympic Games LA 2028, or serve as confirmation that the sport’s brightest stars are more than ready to represent the Stars and Stripes to their fullest potential.
With action set to take place across four days of thrilling competition, expect nothing short of exceptional athleticism and sportsmanship from the United States’ top athletes. Scroll down to learn more about the 2026 USATF Outdoor Track and Field Championships.
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2026 USA Track and Field Championships: Top stars in action
Having served as a hub for those traveling to the United States for centuries, New York will once again welcome aspiring hopefuls desperate to realize their “American dream” during the 2026 USATF Outdoor Track and Field Championships.
Many eyes will be on sprint stars, training partners and Olympians Melissa Jefferson-Wooden and Sha’Carri Richardson as they target individual national titles in the women’s 100 meters and 200m, respectively.
Richardson, a two-time national champion in the 100m, will look to win back the title she ceded to Jefferson-Wooden in Eugene, Oregon, last season, entering the championships with the fastest entry time at 10.77 seconds.
Her path to the title may be more straightforward this year, with Jefferson-Wooden scratching from the entry list to focus on the 200m, where she owns the fastest time among those entered at 21.68, followed by Brittany Brown at 21.89 and Cambrea Sturgis at 21.93.
Noah Lyles – gold medallist in the men’s 100m at the Olympic Games Paris 2024 – will enter the 100m and 200m as the man to beat in New York, renewing his sprint rivalry with two-time Olympic medallist Kenneth “Kung Fu Kenny” Bednarek in the 100m.
Bednarek has produced the fastest time this season among those entered at 9.79, but Christian Coleman (9.86) and Lyles (9.88) follow close behind, setting up a memorable high-speed encounter at Icahn Stadium.
read more: https://www.olympics.com/en/news/usa-track-field-championships-2026-noah-lyles-sha-carri-richardson-and-melissa-jefferson-wooden-full-schedule-how-to-watch
