World Champions Steven Gardiner, Dalilah Muhammad Among Top Entries In Saturday's Event at Prairie View

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

The first opportunity for professional athletes to take part in the USATF's Journey To Gold - Tokyo Outdoor Track and Field Series comes Saturday with the USATF Sprint Summit at Prairie View A&M in Texas. 

A sprints-heavy lineup will participate over three and a half hours Saturday afternoon and there will also be six contested field events. It is the first of 11 meets designed to give elite athletes safe opportunities to compete.

Following a full 12 months with limited opportunities to compete, the Journey To Gold series offers athletes with goals of competing at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials a chance to show what they can do and try to obtain standards. 

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For many athletes, the meet represents a return to action after many months of a workout-only calendar. 

Steven Gardiner of The Bahamas will be seeking something different. The reigning world champion in the 400 meters is entered in the 200 meters, where he will be looking to secure an Olympic 'A' standard and potentially compete in an extra event in Tokyo. 

American Dalilah Muhammad, the world record holder and reigning World Championship gold medalist in the 400-meter hurdles, is on the entry list for the 200 and 400 meters. 

Morolake Akinosun, a member of the the U.S. women's 4x100 relay team that won gold in 2016, is entered in the 100 and 200.

The top entries in the men's 100-meter dash are Isiah Young, Cameron Burrell, Ameer Webb and Mario Burke — all of whom have run under 10 seconds and are in the mix to represent the U.S. in one of the marquee events of any Olympic Games.

Michael Saruni, a former college star at UTEP, where the Kenyan athlete broke the collegiate record in the 800 meters, is one of nine entries in the men's 1,500, which is the longest race on the schedule. Craig Nowak and Isaiah Harris are in that event as well. 

Amere Lattin, who starred at Houston and earned a silver medal in the 2019 Pan American Games, is the top entrant in the men's 400-meter hurdles.

Discus thrower Reggie Jagers of the U.S., the bronze medalist in the 2019 Pan American Games, leads the field in that event. 

Andrew Irwin and Jacob Wooten are the top entries in the men's pole vault.

Kendell Williams, the World Championships fifth-place finisher in the heptathlon, is entered in the women's 100-meter hurdles, along with former U.S. indoor 60-meter hurdles champion Gabriele Cunningham, who ran a personal-best 12.90 in the 100 hurdles Saturday at the Raleigh Relays.

Gabby Thomas is the top entrant in the women's 200 and is also on the list for the 100. 

Raevyn Rogers, the silver medalist in 2019 World Championships 800 meters, is entered in the 400 meters.

Rashard Clark, last year's U.S. Indoor champion in the 400 meters, is entered in the event, along with former UTEP standout and Kenyan athlete Emmanuel Korir.

Ashley Spencer, the bronze medalist in the women's 400-meter hurdles at the Rio Olympics in 2016, will compete in her best event for the first time since placing sixth in the 2019 World Championships in Doha. 

Brooke Andersen (hammer) and Shadae Lawrence (discus) are the top entries in the women's throwing events.

Thea LaFond, a Maryland graduate who competes internationally for Dominica, leads the women's triple jump. LaFond jumped a personal-best 47-8.50 (14.54m) indoors Feb. 6 in Virginia Beach.