Olympic gold medalist Noah Lyles and Sha’Carri Richardson advanced smoothly through their opening 100-meter heats at the 2026 USATF Outdoor Championships at Icahn Stadium in New York City, setting up highly anticipated finals on Friday night amidst a competitive national track and field showcase.
Opening day at the Toyota USA Track and Field Outdoor and Para National Championships brought elite sprinting talent to New York City on Thursday, July 23, 2026. The historic Icahn Stadium, hosting the national showcase for the first time since 1991, witnessed dominant preliminary performances from the sport’s biggest American stars even in a quieter athletics season devoid of an Olympic Games or world championships.
Noah Lyles and Christian Coleman Set the Pace in Men’s Heats
Noah Lyles, the 2024 Olympic 100m gold medalist, opened his campaign with a comfortable victory in his first-round heat, clocking 9.97 seconds (according to NBC Sports). Lyles started slow out of the blocks before powering up to speed, describing the outing as just to get the engine firing
after the race (Yahoo reported).
“Felt like a good warm-up. I could use about three more of those just to get the engine firing.”
Noah Lyles, Olympic gold medalist, via NBC Sports
The fastest time of the men’s preliminary heats belonged to Christian Coleman. The 2019 world champion and 60m indoor world record-holder posted a 9.96-second run to top the opening heat despite racing into a slight headwind of 0.3 meters per second (Yahoo reported). Coleman noted that he was able to break the 10-second barrier without fully pressing the gas pedal.
Kenny Bednarek, a two-time Olympic 200m silver medalist, also captured his heat with a time of 10.04 seconds (NBC Sports noted). Bednarek reflected on the unique nature of a national championship held in a year without global outdoor title qualifiers, calling the meet more like bragging rights
(92.7 The Van reported). Lyles and Bednarek are projected for a dramatic showdown in Friday’s final, recalling their physical and vocal clashes at past U.S. championships (ESPN reported).
Sha’Carri Richardson Leads Women’s Field Toward Redemption
Sha’Carri Richardson began her pursuit of a third national title by logging the top time in the women’s 100-meter first round. The 2024 Olympic silver medalist and 2023 world champion clocked 10.90 seconds (NBC Sports reported), maintaining a stress-free pace after taking an extra moment in the starting blocks to avoid a false start and shutting down her stride early to conserve energy (ESPN reported).
Richardson enters Friday’s semifinals and finals as the heavy favorite in her signature event (Yahoo noted), particularly with reigning U.S. and world champion Melissa Jefferson-Wooden bypassing the 100m entirely to focus solely on the 200-meter competition (NBC Sports reported). Richardson’s arrival in New York followed a public appearance soaking in the atmosphere at a New York Liberty WNBA game at the Barclays Center (Olympics.com reported).
Broader Track and Field Highlights at Icahn Stadium
Beyond the headline sprints, Thursday’s action at Icahn Stadium featured several notable distance and field results. Woody Kincaid delivered a thrilling finish in the men’s 10,000-meter final, capturing the title in 30:13.66 by overtaking Olympic bronze medalist Grant Fisher—who clocked 30:14.46—at the final turn (92.7 The Van reported).
Isaac Grimes successfully defended his crown in the men’s long jump, securing his second national title with an 8.18-meter leap on his final attempt to edge Malcolm Clemons, who finished second at 8.07 meters (Yahoo reported).
Looking Ahead to Friday’s Semifinals and Finals
While the 2026 national meet does not serve as a direct qualifier for global championships (Reuters noted), athletes continue to build toward future milestones, including the newly added Ultimate Championships
scheduled for September in Budapest (Reuters reported). Lyles, who has embraced a role as creative advisor and competitor for the Budapest event, emphasized his ongoing drive during a non-championship year (Reuters reported).
“Some people take an off year as a year to not do stuff. I’m winning and still doing stuff. And I don’t see that as a reason to stop doing what I’m best at, which is getting out here and running fast.”
Noah Lyles, via Reuters
The men’s and women’s 100-meter semifinals and finals are scheduled for Friday night at Icahn Stadium, with live broadcasts streaming on Peacock and airing on NBCSN (NBC Sports reported).