By Chris Chavez & David Melly

With the World Cup now in the rearview, it’s time for track and field to take center stage in New York City. The 2026 USATF Outdoor Championships run July 23-26 at Icahn Stadium on Randall’s Island. This marks the first time nationals have been held in New York since 1991.

Kudos to NYRR, Central Park Track Club, USATF New York, and the Randall’s Island Park Alliance for taking on the championships and making the case that the meet belongs back east. If these organizations are able to showcase interest from a city where run clubs meet everywhere and every day, then there’s hope USATF would want to bring the national championships here as well—ideally in a year when World Championship or Olympic team spots are on the line.

For the first time since 2018, there’s no traditional World Championship or Olympic berth at stake at nationals. But the weekend still matters since athletes can boost their World Ranking if they are chasing spots at the inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championships—set to take place inBudapest this September—and there’s $27,500 in prize money per event ($8,800 for the win) up for grabs.

Not everyone is making the trip. Olympic 1500m and World 5000m champion Cole Hocker, Olympic 200m champion Gabby Thomas, Olympic 100m hurdles champion Masai Russell and 110m hurdles world record holder Ja’Kobe Tharpe are among the big names sitting this one out. But there’s still some star power in the fields.

200m World champion Noah Lyles and 200m Olympic silver medalist Kenny Bednarek renew their rivalry in the 100m. Lyles is also chasing a record sixth national title in the 200m. Training partners Sha’Carri Richardson and Melissa Jefferson-Wooden—the last two 100m World champions—headline the women’s sprints. Long jump Olympic champion Tara Davis-Woodhall pulls double duty in the long jump and 100m hurdles. Olympic champions Quincy Hall (400m) and Valarie Sion (discus) are entered. Grant Fisher and Parker Valby lead the distance contingent. 17-year-old Cooper Lutkenhaus, the youngest individual World champion in track and field history, will also certainly draw eyes as he seeks his first national title.

We’ll get into all of it below… But first! Here’s your guide on how to watch the action (All times Eastern):

Thursday

• 11:30 a.m. – USATF.TV

Friday

• 12 p.m. – USATF.TV
• 6-8 p.m. – Peacock, NBCSN

Saturday

• 10 a.m. – USATF.TV
• 2-6 p.m. – NBC, Peacock

Sunday

• 12:30 p.m. – USATF.TV
• 4-6 p.m. – NBC, Peacock

CITIUS MAG has teamed up with New Balance for this year’s championships, so keep an eye on the broadcast for the CITIUS MAG x New Balance cheer section. If you’re in the area, join us for a group run on Friday, July 24 at 7 a.m. from New Balance’s Upper West Side store (210 Columbus Ave). Full details here.

And throughout the championships, we’ve got you covered across social media, a daily newsletter recapping all the action, plus daily episodes of The CITIUS MAG Podcast breaking down and reacting to the best moments.

Women’s Sprints

We won’t be getting a highly-anticipated rematch of Sha’Carri Richardson vs. Melissa Jefferson-Wooden this time around, unfortunately, as the two Star Athletics stars are splitting the difference rather than facing off in the 100m for the first time since their 1-2 finish at the Pre Classic.

Jefferson-Wooden is running only the 200m and Richardson is running only the 100m, where both should be favored. Their training partner Kayla White could also land on the podium in both, particularly after White’s 21.92 last week in Hungary. Other names to watch in the 200m include Anavia Battle and McKenzie Long, stalwarts on the pro circuit, as well as Brittany Brown, who hasn’t raced all season but is making her debut at USAs. A resurgent Cambrea Sturgis, the double NCAA champ from 2021, is having her best season in years and could be a factor in one or both events.

The 400m could see a Butler 1-2 as Aaliyah Butler and Sanaria Butler (no relation) are the top seeds. Aaliyah will be highly favored for the win as she’s the only entrant under 49 seconds this year, and if she can take Marileidy Paulino to the line like she did in Monaco she should be able to handle any domestic challengers. Sanaria is a more variable prospect, as she ran sub-50 back in April for Arkansas but only finished sixth at NCAAs. More proven commodities like Alexis Holmes and fellow Razorback alum Britton Wilson may end up displacing her even if they haven’t run super fast yet this season.

The 100m hurdles are wide open thanks to the absence of Masai Russell, which means that any of the second- through fifth-place finishers from USAs last year could end up on top: Grace Stark, Alaysha Johnson, Keni Harrison, or Tonea Marshall, also the top four seeds on the entry list. Of that group, Stark has been the most consistent, but don’t sleep on long jumper Tara Davis-Woodhall, who finished as the top American in this event at the LA Grand Prix.

In the 400m hurdles, the fan favorite will surely be 36-year-old Queens native Dalilah Muhammad to defend her U.S. title, but she was beaten by training partner Anna Cockrell in their most recent race at the LA Grand Prix. With Jasmine Jones scratching and Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone enjoying new motherhood, either Muhammad or Cockrell will almost certainly come home with the win.

Men’s Sprints

The men’s short sprints are one area in which the top talent is not taking a pass. Noah Lyles, Kenny Bednarek, and Christian Coleman are all slated to contest the 100m, and Lyles is doubling back to the 200m (assuming he contests all the rounds) where he’s a heavy favorite to win his sixth U.S. title. In the 100m, it should be an even fight: Bednarek has the fastest wind-aided mark of the group at 9.72 (+2.4), but he finished behind Coleman at the Pre Classic. Lyles has run 9.88, but in his most recent race he took second behind Trayvon Bromell, who isn’t competing.

The 400m could be similarly close, as Chris Bailey is the fastest by season’s best at 44.06 but he and Khaleb McRae finished just 0.02 seconds apart at last year’s USAs. Potential spoilers include veterans Vernon Norwood, Bryce Deadmon, and the ever enigmatic Quincy Hall. The 2024 Olympic champ has battled injuries and raced sparingly the last two seasons, only posting a season’s best of 45.51, but we all know he has the talent to be in the mix for the win if he lands in New York even close to full health.

In the 110m hurdles, the absence of Ja’Kobe Tharp, Grant Holloway, and Trey Cunningham dampens some of the star power, but reigning World champ Cordell Tinch will still face two other sub-13 men in the form of Jamal Britt, who’s been running great on the Europe circuit as of late, and Kendrick Smallwood, the NCAA runner-up for Texas. Smallwood didn’t have a great race in Paris after NCAAs, so the most consistent men on the start line are decidedly Britt and Tinch. The longer hurdles event will likely feature three men far ahead of the rest of the field, as Caleb Dean, Chris Robinson, and CJ Allen lead all qualifiers, but what order they finish in is anyone’s guess. Dean has run the fastest of that group, with a season’s best of 47.42, but his last race in London was a bit of a dud, finishing last in 50.45.

Women’s Distance

When Roisin Willis won the 800m at last year’s U.S. championship, she was far from an unknown quantity as a two-time NCAA champ, but it was still a surprise. This year, she won’t enter as an underdog; she’ll have a target on her back after setting the American record indoors and clocking the top time outdoors. But there’s not a lot of breathing room behind her: Willis’s SB is 1:57.56, and Addison Wiley is right on her heels at 1:57.70. A more tactical race could favor the hard closers, like Nikki Hiltz, who’d be doubling back from the 1500m the day before, or Meghan Hunter. And we can’t forget Willis’s former teammate, Juliette Whittaker, who didn’t have a great NCAAs but can be up front with the best of ‘em if all goes well here.

In the 1500m, it’s Hiltz’s world and we’re just living in it. They’ve claimed every indoor and outdoor U.S. title going back to 2023, and as the fastest entrant by both personal and lifetime best with a lethal kick, they can win any kind of race. They’ll still need to dispatch fellow sub-four runners Emily MacKay and Heather MacLean, but that’s exactly what happened at the Pre Classic, when Hiltz took down Faith Kipyegon, along with the rest of the 2025 World Championship podium. If someone else does break up that trio, a good bet would be Gracie Morris, who’s the third fastest by season’s best and has been getting better and better ever since she turned pro.

MacKay is set to take on the likes of Shelby Houlihan and Parker Valby should she double back to the 5000m. If it’s a kicker’s race, Houlihan has to be considered the favorite. Valby has proven to have the best strength among U.S. 5000m runners this year with her 14:39 personal best from the LA Grand Prix. The 10,000m, on the other hand, is one of the most wide-open events of the whole meet, with stalwarts like Elise Cranny, Weini Kelati, and Karissa Schweizer all opting out. The very first track final on the schedule is a true toss-up, with no former champions and a tight grouping of entrants in the 32:20 range. The lack of non-collegiate 10,000ms this year makes the entrants’ recent form a bit of a guessing game, but if anyone has an edge it might be Allie Buchalski, who has the fastest time of the year with a third-place 31:29.06 run from the TEN.

Similarly, the women’s steeple will be one to watch, but the talent is a bit more concentrated at the top of the list. Gabbi Jennings is the fastest seed and finished top American in three of her four steeples this season, but her most recent race at the Pre Classic landed her third American (tenth overall) behind Lexy Halladay-Lowry and Emma Coburn. Coburn is the savvy vet who’s been methodically making her way back into form, and it would be quite the comeback story to see the 35-year-old pick up her 11th U.S. title. To do so, she’d have to beat both Halladay-Lowry and Jennings as well as other strong contenders like Courtney Wayment, Kaylee Mitchell, and Gracie Hyde. This is one of those races where there almost certainly will be a group of four or five runners in contention at the bell and a lot could change over the last few barriers.

Men’s Distance

Sadly, a late scratch from Brandon Miller, fresh off a huge lifetime best in London, means we won’t get a rematch between the Brooks Beast and World Indoor champ Cooper Lutkenhaus. Instead, Lutkenhaus will face off once again with last year’s U.S. champ, Donavan Brazier, and as improbable as it still sounds, the 17-year-old high schooler has to be considered the heavy favorite. A tactical race could allow a spoiler like Sean Dolan or 2024 800m Olympian Hobbs Kessler into the race, but Lutkenhaus and Brazier would be unwise to let things get tactical when they both can easily run away from this field.

A Nuguse and Hocker-less 1500m means this is anyone’s race, and it’ll somewhat be billed as a clash of generations as NCAA standouts like Simeon Birnbaum and Gary Martin take on seasoned racers like Vince Ciattei and Sam Prakel. But the smart money is probably on tactical maestro Nathan Green, who’s translated his collegiate championship-racing savvy into a few medium-profile pro wins this season, including the U.S. title indoors. But Green did get beat straight-out by Ciattei back in May, so he’s far from a lock. And while Birnbaum DNFed the mile at the London Diamond League, he looked so invincible on the collegiate level this season that it wouldn’t be a total surprise to see him continue his winning ways if there’s anything left in the tank.

For as credentialed as Grant Fisher is, it may surprise you to remember that he only has three total U.S. titles and isn’t the defending champ in either the 5000m or the 10,000m. But neither Nico Young nor Cole Hocker are contesting USAs, and with Graham Blanks skipping the event as well, it feels highly likely that Fisher will repeat his double-win performance from 2024. On paper, Fisher’s biggest threats should come from his former training partners, Woody Kincaid and Sean McGorty (McGorty is only entered in the 5000m), but neither man has laid down any particularly notable races thus far in 2026. The 5000m is a more interesting affair, as it’s attracted more speed-based guys like Martin, Liam Murphy, and Cooper Teare. A really tactical race could get interesting, but it’s likely in Fisher’s best interest to wind this thing up from two or three laps out to reduce the likelihood of chaotic outcomes.

Theoretically, the men’s steeple could deliver Kenneth Rooks his fourth straight U.S. title, but Rooks hasn’t looked like himself this season and only has a season’s best of 8:21.35. The guy who has looked the best, and consistently so, has been Matthew Wilkinson, who’s run four solid Diamond Leagues and hasn’t lost to an American yet. He finished fourth last year and the other two guys ahead of him, Dan Michalski and Benard Keter, could also factor into the top three on a good day. The other three names worth mentioning are Olympian James Corrigan, Yasin Sado, who won two strong domestic steeplechases this season, both in 8:15, plus Nathan Mountain, who went 8:11.92 earlier this season, the third fastest NCAA mark ever.

Women’s Field

Olympic champs Tara Davis-Woodhall and Valarie Sion are the highest-profile athletes slated to compete in NYC, and they’ll both be heavily favored to win—although Sion’s fortunes may have changed somewhat after Cierra Jackson’s huge Diamond League record throw in London last weekend. In all likelihood, Jackson will regress to the mean somewhat, as tends to be the case in the discus. But if she truly has broken through to another level, she and Sion will be set for an epic battle.

In the shot put, Chase Jackson will also be a heavy favorite as the two-time defending champ holds the farthest season’s best (20.74m) by well over a meter. Barring a disastrous performance, she’ll be well-positioned to three-peat, which would give her her 11th U.S. title overall.

The high jump will see a rematch between Vashti Cunningham and Charity Hufnagel, with Hufnagel denying Cunningham the title indoors for the first time in a decade. At their most recent matchup, both women cleared 1.85m at the Ed Murphey Classic (Cunningham beat out Hufnagel on countback), so it’s likely to be another close duel.

With Katie Moon and the Moll twins skipping USAs, Sandi Morris looks well positioned to defend her U.S. title in the pole vault. But even if they had shown up, Morris would be hard to beat as she showed fine form in her most recent competition, winning the Pre Classic in a season’s best 4.85m. Emily Grove did finish ahead of Morris at the Rabat Diamond League, however, so she’s shown the ability to beat the 9x national champ when the stars align.

Men’s Field

The men’s shot put competition will be much tighter than the women’s, as Ryan Crouser is out for the season with an elbow injury and five men have thrown between 21.76m and 22.58m this season. The head of that pack is Joe Kovacs, but he only finished fifth indoors and his most recent outing at the Pre Classic landed him eight overall (fourth American). Jordan Geist has been the most consistent top American at major competitions, so he could add his first U.S. title to a season that also brought him World Indoor silver.

Intriguingly, 2025 World 110H champ Cordell Tinch is pulling a “reverse Tara” and is declared in the long jump as well as the hurdles. He’s tied for the top entry seed with his 8.29m season’s best from indoors, and though he hasn’t long jumped in competition since March, he’s got the talent to claim an unexpected double U.S. title if it all works out in his favor. He’ll have to beat a bunch of promising collegians and a few experienced vets to do it—the latter category including Marquis Dendy, Will Williams, and Jarrion Lawson, among others.

In the triple jump, the two 17-meter jumpers in the field will take on a rising collegiate star, as Russell Robinson and Salif Mane, the top two finishers from 2025, square off against Brandon Green, Jr., the 2025 NCAA champ. He was also top American at both indoor and outdoor NCAAs this year for Oklahoma.

Five men have leapt 5.90m or higher in the pole vault, and although Sam Kendricks hasn’t been back over six meters recently, he’s riding high on a season’s best and surprise win over Mondo Duplantis at the London DL. If he can hang onto that momentum one more week, he’ll be tough to beat. U.S. Indoor champ Zach Bradford has the top vault of 2026 with his winning 6.01m mark there, but he hasn’t been back up to those same heights outdoors. Chris Nilsen is riding the opposite trend of Kendricks, as he’s jumped well all season but landed a dud in London, but perhaps he can write that one off as a momentary blip and get back in the mix for the win.