Mallard Wins U20 400m Title; Benjamin Wins 4th Consecutive USATF 400m Hurdles Title

Christine Mallard won the women's 400m title with a USC freshman record time during the final day of the USATF U20 Championships and Rai Benjamin won his fourth consecutive 400m hurdles national title during the final day of the 2023 USATF Outdoor Championships, both held at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore. today (July 9).

To qualify to represent USA at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary, from Aug. 19-27, an athlete had to meet the qualifying standard and finish in the top three of an event. To make the USA U20 team, an athlete had to finish in the top two of an event to qualify for the 2023 Pan American U20 Athletics Championships to be held in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico from Aug. 4-6.

At the USATF Outdoor Championships:

Rai Benjamin (USC, 2019) won the U.S. men's 400m hurdles title with a meet-record time of 46.62, breaking his own record. It was the fourth consecutive USA 400m hurdles title for Benjamin.
Dalilah Muhammad (USC, 2012) placed second and Anna Cockrell (USC, 2021) third in the women's 400m hurdles final, both earning a spot on the USA World Championships team. Muhammad had a season-best time of 53.53 and Cockrell a season-best time of 54.24.
TeeTee Terry (USC, 2021) placed fifth in the women's 200m dash final with a PR of 22.17 (-0.4). Terry advanced to the final by matching her previous personal best of 22.38 (-0.2) in the semifinal earlier in the day. Caisja Chandler placed fifth in her semifinal heat and ninth overall with a time of 22.59 (+0.9). Chandler posted the third-fastest time by a USC women all-time in the 200m in USC history of 22.32 in the heats yesterday to advance to the semifinal.
Isaiah Jewett placed fourth in the men's 800m final with a time of 1:47.02.

At the USATF U20 Outdoor Championships:

Freshman Christine M. Mallard won the women's U20 400m dash title with a big PR and USC freshman record of 50.74. That time moved her from 10^th to third on USC's all-time 400m list and was just .05 seconds off the USATF U20 Championship record of 50.69 set by Sanya Richards Ross in 2002. Incoming freshman Madison Whyte placed third with a time of 52.49, matching her personal-best time.
Incoming freshman Jacob Andrews placed second in the men's 400m race with a PR of 45.91.
Freshman Tamaal Myers placed fourth in the men's 400m hurdles final with a time of 52.32. He ran his first outdoor race as a Trojan yesterday and had a time of 52.59 to advance sixth to the final.
Freshman Max Thomas, who missed the outdoor season after competing indoors, placed eighth in the men's 200m dash final with a time of 21.34 (+0.0). Earlier in the day he ran 21.28 (+0.8) to advance eighth to the final.

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Players Mentioned

Caisja Chandler

Christine M. Mallard

Tamaal Myers

Max Thomas