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The much-awaited Tokyo Olympics is less than 40 days away. The US Olympic Track and Field Trials are slated to begin on June 18 at Hayward Field in Oregon.
Many prominent U.S. athletes will be seen competing at the trials in a bid to secure a quota for the summer Olympics. However, there are a few big names that will be missing at the trials and subsequently the Tokyo Olympics.
Star athletes such as Rio Olympics 400m hurdles gold medalist Kerron Clement and reigning world 100m hurdles champion Nia Ali are among those who will not be seen at the US Olympic Track and Field Trials. So why are they skipping the quadrennial event?
With the entry deadline now over, it is safe to say that these notable athletes will not be taking part in the trials and hence not going to the Tokyo Olympics either.
In this article, we will list out 6 of the USA's top athletes who are going to give the trials a miss. Without further ado, here they are:
#6 Nia Ali - the biggest name missing
Nia Ali specializes in 100m hurdles. In fact, the 32-year-old bagged gold at the 2019 World Championships in Doha. En route to the coveted gold, she also managed to lower her personal best to just 12.34 seconds. After being in terrific form in the recent past, it comes as a surprise as to why Nia Ali will not be part of the Olympic trials.
As per The Canadian Press, Nia Ali and her partner Andre De Grasse were expecting their second child in May. Rio Olympics silver medalist Ali already has a daughter with Grasse named Yuri.
Nia Ali, who also holds two World Indoor Championships gold medals in the 60m hurdles, will be among the USA's best track & field athletes missing out on the Tokyo Olympics.
#5 Kerron Clement
Kerron Clement is best known for his exploits at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics where he clinched a gold medal in the Men's 400m hurdles. He also boasts of a silver in the 400m hurdles at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. The 35-year-old has four World Championships gold medals to his name as well.
The automatic qualifying time for 400m hurdles at the USATF Olympic Trials is 49.50 seconds (since Jan 1, 2019). The 2016 Olympics champion does not meet this standard and therefore won't be seen at the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials.
The veteran athlete last took part in 400m hurdles at the 2019 USATF Outdoor Championships. He only managed to finish 8th with a timing of 50.08 seconds.
Also Read - Michael Phelps feels physically ready to compete in another US Olympic Swimming Trials
#4 Tori Bowie - a serial winner at the Olympics
Tori Bowie is a three-time Olympic medalist. The 30-year-old from Mississippi bagged three sprint medals of every color at the 2016 Olympic games. At Rio, Bowie won gold in 4 × 100m relay, silver in 100m, and bronze in 200m.
Formerly a long jump athlete as well, Tori soon started focussing on sprint events in 2015 and that proved to be highly beneficial for her career. However, she re-added the long jump at the 2019 World Championships and ended up 4th with a season-best 6.81m.
The highly decorated athlete also holds two World Championships gold medals - one in 4 × 100m relay and one in 100m. Both medals were won at the 2017 edition in London, United Kingdom.
The women's standard for U.S. Olympic trials is 11.15 seconds for Women's 100m. Tori Bowie's season-best in 100m (wind-aided) is 11.36 seconds. This was during the Pure Athletics Sprint Elite Meet at the National Training Center, Clermont on 02 May 2021. Her chances of bagging an Olympic quota are all but over now.
Also Read - Tokyo Olympics: 5 medal prospects who caught COVID-19
#3 Tyson Gay - a shadow of his former self
Before the ascent of Usain Bolt, Tyson Gay was regarded as the world's best sprinter. Gay's rise in sprint events was meteoric. The 38-year-old still holds the American 100m record (9.69 seconds). He set the record during the 2009 Golden Grand Prix in Shanghai, China.
Tyson Gay is the second-fastest athlete ever (along with Jamaican Yohan Blake). During the 2007 World Championships in Osaka, the Track events star bagged a phenomenal 3 gold medals - one each in 100m, 200m, and 4×100m relay events.
Gay also bagged a silver medal along with his teammates at the 2012 London Olympics in the men's 4x100m. However, the team was later stripped of its medals on account of doping charges as was found in 2013. Consequently, Tyson Gay was also slapped with a 1-year ban.
The automatic qualifying time in 100m for the 2021 U.S. Olympic Trials is 10.05 seconds. However, Gay, who is now 38, seems well past his prime years and could only manage a best of 10.36 seconds in 100m since 2019.
In a rather illustrious sprint career with golds at World Cups and World Athletics Finals, it seems Tyson Gay will have to do without any success at the Olympics.
#2 Aries Merritt
Aries Merritt specializes in the 110m hurdles and is also the current world record holder in the event with a timing of 12.80 seconds. The Illinois-born track and field athlete won a coveted gold medal at the 2012 London Olympics with a time of 12.92 seconds in the Men's110 meters hurdles final.
Merritt missed out on the Rio Olympic team by a meager 0.01 second at Trials. The World Championships Bronze medalist has raced four times since the start of 2019. However, Aries has failed to hit the 13.48 seconds qualifying standard for U.S. Olympic trials. His dream of representing his nation for another Olympics is all but over now.
Also Read - US Olympic Trials: Top 5 male track and field athletes to watch out for
#1 Kori Carter
Another prominent athlete who has failed to make it to the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials is the 2017 London World Championships Women's 400m hurdles gold medalist Kori Carter.
The 29-year-old from California has a personal best of 52.95 s in the 400m Hurdles.
Carter had finished 4th in the 400m hurdles during the U.S. Olympic Trials in 2016 with a timing of 54.47 seconds. However, it was still not sufficient for her to qualify for the Rio Olympics.
Luck hasn't changed much for her since Kori last finished a 400m race back in 2019. Hence, Kori Carter will not be going to the Tokyo Olympics either.
