Benjamin On To Men’s 400m H Final, Smith & Ali To Women’s 100m H Semis At 2024 U.S. Olympic T&F Team Trials

Track & Field | June 28, 2024

Rai Benjamin advanced to the men’s 400m hurdles finals and Jalaysiya Smith and Nia Ali advanced to the women’s 100m hurdles semifinals during the sixth day of the 2024 U.S. Olympic Track & Field Team Trials held at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore. today (June 28).  Also, Andre De Grasse won the Canadian men’s 100m dash title today to earn a berth to the Paris Olympics.

• Rai Benjamin (USC, 2018), the 2020 Olympic 400m hurdles silver medalist, cruised to victory in his 400m hurdles semifinal heat with a time of 47.97.  He was the top qualifier for the final on Sunday at 5:20 p.m.
• Junior Jalaysiya Smith and Nia Ali (USC, 2011) were the first Trojans to compete today and they both advanced to the women’s 100m hurdles semifinals Saturday at 5:04 p.m.  The top five automatically would advance, but after scratches, all runners would advance.  Smith placed fifth in her heat with a time of 12.93 (+0.2) and Ali, who said she had a difficult warmup, just jogged through and finished with a time of 20.38 (+0.1). Ali won a silver medal in the event at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
• Sophomore Max Thomas had a time of 20.81 (+2.5w) to place 21^st in the men’s 200m semifinals.
• Sophomore Jassani Carter (22.50), freshman Madison Whyte (23.12), TeeTee Terry (USC, 2021), already qualified in the 100m for Paris, (22.62) and Caisja Chandler (USC, 2023 – 23.25) did not advance out of the women’s 200m semifinals.  The top nine advanced and Carter was 11^th and Terry 13^th.
• Isaiah Jewett (USC, 2021 – 1:46.22) and Bobby Poynter (USC, 2023 – 1:48.41) ran in the men’s 800m semifinals today, but did not advance.

Current and graduated Trojans expected to be in action on Saturday are Nia Ali (W – 100m H semis), Anna Cockrell (W – 400m H semis), Jasmine Jones (W – 400m H semis), Dalilah Muhammad (W – 400m H semis), Madisen Richards (W – LJ final), Jalaysiya Smith (W – 100m H semis).

At the Canadian Track & Field Trials in Montreal, Can. –

• Andre De Grasse (USC, 2015) and Aaron Brown (USC, 2014) finished first and third respectively in the 100m final today.  They both had a time of 10.10 in the semis and De Grasse had a time of 10.20 (-0.2) and Brown 10.25 (-0.2) in the final.  De Grasse gets the only automatic qualifying spot in the Canadian system, as only the event winners are…