US Olympic Track and Field Trials 2021: Final day suspended as temperature soars to 43 degrees celsius

The US Olympic Track and Field Trials 2021 were suspended on Sunday afternoon for a brief period owing to record heat waves and rising temperatures in Eugene, Oregon.

The final day of the 10-day event came to a halt when the temperature reached a record 43 degrees celsius. An advisory warning was issued by the weather department to the residents to avoid the heatwave. Hence, the event authorities took fans' and athletes' health into consideration and announced at 3:00 pm that the trials will be postponed for six hours and will resume at 9:00 pm.

U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials 2021: Day 10 schedule

Completed

Men's 5000m- Final 1:00 PM ET

Heptathlon - Long Jump 4:00 PM ET

Men's High Jump - Final 4:15 ET

Heptathlon - Javelin 5:15 PM ET

Postponed

Men's Long Jump - Final *11:30 PM ET

Heptathlon - 800m *12:02 AM ET

Women's 400m Hurdles - Final *12:20 AM ET

Women's 800m - Final *12:30 AM ET

Men's 1500m - Final *12:40 AM ET

Men's 200m - Final *12:52 AM ET

A total of 11 events were lined up for the last day with 24 Olympic berths left to be filled. Prior to the mid-day hiatus, only four events had been completed.

Results of US Track & Field trials day 10

1.Men's 5000m

The Olympic silver medalist never let 🥇 out of his sight.@Paulchelimo wins the men's 5,000m in 13:26.82, followed by @Phresh_Fish and @KincaidWoody! #TrackFieldTrials21 pic.twitter.com/iVt6EWYLvT

— USATF (@usatf) June 27, 2021

1. Paul Chelimo — 13:26.82

2. Grant Fisher — 13:27.01

3. Woody Kincaid — 13:27.13

Paul Chelimo, the silver medalist at the 2016 Rio Olympics, secured the first position at the trials to book his Tokyo ticket. He was followed by Grant Fisher and Woody Kincaid.

The men's 5000m race was originally scheduled for late Sunday night. However, keeping the heatwaves in mind, the event was re-scheduled for early morning.

Reacting to the decision, Paul Chelimo stated:

"I believe in one thing: Go hard or suffer the rest of your life,”

2. Women's Long Jump

The winners of women's long jump event/ image credit @usatf

1. Brittney Reese — 7.13m

2. Tara Davis — 7.04m

3. Quanesha Burks — 6.96m

Olympic gold and silver medalist Brittney Reese is heading to the Olympics handsomely for a record 4th time. Meanwhile Tara Davis and Quanesha Burks will be taking their maiden trip to the Olympics.

3. Men's High Jump

Congratulations to #TrackFieldTrials21 men's high jump champions! 🥇 JuVaughn Harrison @LSUTrackField (also 🥇 long jump)🥈 Darryl Sullivan @Vol_Track 🥉 @ShelbySm5 pic.twitter.com/InTAgYvXft

— USATF (@usatf) June 28, 2021

1. JuVaughn Harrison — 2.33m

2. Darryl Sullivan — 2.33m

3. Shelby McEwen — 2.30m

22-year-old Harrison achieved his goal of qualifying for the Olympics. He can now become the first American since Jim Thorpe in 1912 to qualify for both the high and long jumps at the same Olympic Games.

Harrison was declared the US champion despite scoring the same score as Darryl Sullivan based on fewer misses (he missed two compared to Sullivan's six).

4. Women's Javelin Throw

winners of women's javelin throw event/ credit @usatf

1. Maggie Malone — 63.5m

2. Kara Winger — 61.47m

3. Avione Allgood - Whetstone - 58.94m (Didn't match Olympic qualification mark)

Maggie Malone secured first place to advance to her second trip to the Olympics. Avione Allgood-Whetstone came third in the event but won't be making it to the Olympics as she failed to reach the qualification mark.

Sunday night will see some big names on the pitch. Reigning world champions Dalilah Muhammad (in the women's 400m hurdles) and Noah Lyles (in the men's 200m) will compete at the trials on Sunday.

The fans have been asked to get stamped on their way to exit so that they can come back hassle-free to the stands when the event resume at 9 pm.