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Hayward Field is a state-of-the-art American sporting facility located on the University of Oregon's campus in Eugene. It is an iconic stadium located in the north-west of the country.
Hayward is known as the home of the United States Olympic Trials (track and field). It has been one of the United States Olympic Committee's go-to places for ages and has hosted the Olympic trials a total of six times till now (1972, 1976, 1980, 2008, 2012, 2016).
Hayward Field will also host the US Olympic Track and Field Trials for the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. The trials will finally begin at the Hayward Field after a delay of one year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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The trials are scheduled between June 18-27, 2021, and many present-day star US athletes will be seen at the event.
Some of the most popular athletes who will be in attendance include long jump specialist Jeff Henderson, Rio Olympic gold medalist shot putters Michelle Carter and Ryan Crouser.
Other notable athletes who will be vying for a Tokyo ticket include Trayvon Bromell, Keni Harrison, Grant Holloway, Gabby Thomas, Donavan Brazier, Noah Lyles, Allyson Felix, and Michael Norman among others.
Hayward Field is famous for hosting a plethora of elite track meets. It will be interesting to learn more about the iconic Hayward Field that is going to host the US Olympic Track and Field Trials 2021.
Here is everything you need to know about Hayward Field:
#1 History & renovation of Hayward Field
Hayward Field was constructed way back in 1919 and replaced Kincaid Field. Initially, the main intention behind building the stadium was to serve the University of Oregon's football program. In 1921, a cinder track with six lanes was built around the football field. The West Grandstand opened in 1925.
Further up-gradation was done in 1949 as a 28-row grandstand was constructed in the south end zone. As a result, the venue had a capacity of 22,500 for football.
Hayward Field's final varsity football game took place in 1966 and thereafter the stadium became an exclusive facility for track and field (barring a few freshman team football matches).
Soon after becoming a dedicated track and field venue, more upgrades were made in the summer of 1969. The six-lane track was widened to eight lanes and converted to an all-weather surface.
Originally, the track length was 440 yards (402.336 m) but it was converted to 400 meters in 1987. This was done keeping in mind the standard international configuration. A 200 m warmup track was also constructed southwest of the main track.
Hayward Field has undergone many renovations since then - keeping up with the latest technological advancements.
A major renovation took place between 2018 to 2020. Both grandstands were demolished and a new stadium constructed around the track.
Also Read - Donovan Brazier heads to the US Olympic Trials 2021 as one of the favorites for the 800m
#2 Major competitions at Hayward Field
Hayward Field has hosted multiple editions of the USA Outdoor Track & Field (USATF) championships. The iconic stadium hosted the championships in 1986, 1993, 1999, 2001, 2009, 2011, and 2015.
The US Olympic trials have also been held here quite a few times, as mentioned above.
#3 Major records at Hayward Field
Source - Runnerspace
The following is an event-wise list of Prefontaine Classic records with record-holders at Hayward Field:
Men's 100 m - 9.77 seconds - Tyson Gay, USA, 2008
Men's 200 m - 19.57 seconds - Justin Gatlin, USA, 2015
Men's 300 m - 31.30 seconds - LaShawn Merritt, USA, 2009
Men's 400 m - 43.61 seconds - Michael Norman, USA, 2018
Men's 800 m - 1:43.55 - Donavan Brazier, USA, 2016
Men's 1000 m - 2:13.62 - Abubaker Kaki, Sudan, 2010
Men's 1500 m - 3:32.72+ - Ayanleh Souleiman, Djibouti, 2014
Men's 3000 m - 7:35.44+ - Eliud Kipchoge, Kenya, 2005 (+en route in 2-Mile)
Men's Steeplechase - 8:01.71 - Ezekiel Kemboi, Kenya, 2015
Men's 5000 m - 12:56.98 - Mo Farah, Great Britain, 2012
Men's 10,000 m - 26:25.97 - Kenenisa Bekele, Ethiopia, 2008
Men's 110 m Hurdles - 12.90 seconds - David Oliver, USA, 2010
Men's 400 m Hurdles - 47.02 seconds - Rai Benjamin, Antigua and Barbuda, 2018
Men's High Jump - 7-10 3/4 (2.41) - Mutaz Essa Barshim, Qatar, 2015
Men's Long Jump - 28-8 1/4 (8.74) - Dwight Phillips, USA, 2009
Men's Shot Put - 73-11 (22.53) - Ryan Crouser, USA, 2018
Men's Discus Throw - 234-0 (71.32) - Ben Plucknett, USA, 1983
Men's Javelin Throw - 294-10 (89.88) - Thomas Röhler, Germany, 2018
Women's 100 m - 10.70 seconds - Carmelita Jeter, USA, 2011
Women's 200 m - 21.69 seconds - Allyson Felix, USA, 2012
Women's 400 m - 49.08 seconds - Shaunae Miller-Uibo, Bahamas, 2021
Women's 800 m - 1:55.92 - Caster Semenya, South Africa, 2018
Women's 1000 m - 2:32.33 - Maria Mutola, Mozambique, 1995
Women's 1500 m - 3:56.41 - Faith Kipyegon, Kenya, 2016
Women's 3000 m - 8:33.33+ - Genzebe Dibaba, Ethiopia, 2015
Women's Steeplechase - 8:58.78 - Celphine Chespol, Kenya, 2017
Women's 5000 m - 14:19.76 - Genzebe Dibaba, Ethiopia, 2015
Women's 10,000 m - 30:24.39 - Tirunesh Dibaba, Ethiopia, 2012
Women's 100 m Hurdles - 12.24 seconds - Kendra Harrison, USA, 2016
Women's 400 m Hurdles - 52.88 seconds - Dalilah Muhammad, USA, 2016
Women's High Jump - 6-8 (2.03) - Mariya Lasitskene, ANA, 2017
Women's Long Jump - 23-11 3/4 (7.31) - Shared by Marion Jones, USA, 1998 & Brittney Reese, USA, 2016
Women's Shot Put - 66-1 1/2 (20.15) - Valerie Adams, New Zealand, 2013
Women's Discus Throw - 227-5 (69.32) - Sandra Perković, Croatia, 2014
Women's Javelin Throw - 222-1 (67.70) Christina Obergföll, Germany, 2013
#4 Hayward Field track's centenary
The preeminent US venue's track recently celebrated its centenary on May 14, 2021.
Also Read - How Mo Farah can still qualify for Tokyo Olympics
# 5 Most recent major event at Hayward Field
After the recent renovation, Hayward Field held the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Championships from June 9-12.
After a long and frustrating break due to the COVID-19 pandemic, thousands of fans finally got to throng the iconic stadium. A crowd averaging more than 5,600 was witnessed on each of the four days.
#6 Upcoming major event at Hayward Field
Next up at the magnificent venue will be the much-awaited US Olympic trials. This will be Hayward Dield's fourth straight Olympic cycle.
All the elite US athletes will compete against each other in a bid to secure a place in the US team heading for the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. It has been decided by the stakeholders to limit the capacity for the event to under 9,000 seats and adhere to COVID-19 safety protocols strictly.
Speaking on the matter, the CEO of the local organizing committee TrackTown USA told The Register Guard:
"Our mission is to create a world-class experience for the athletes, our fans, and the community. We’re not deviating from that in the least, and it’s the framework from which we try to make all of our key decisions in hosting the event. There are some things that must be implemented in order to conduct this large event safely. It’s not going to be the same that it was in 2016; it doesn’t mean it’s not going to be a world-class experience, it just means that the way we deliver that is going to be different."
Also Read - US Olympic Trials 2021: Justin Gatlin's last dance in a career full of ups and downs
#6 Hayward Field interesting stats
As per the official website, Hayward Field has 12000 permanent seats, 25000 expandable seats, and a mind-boggling 2,00,000 square feet of running space.
A total of 20 world records have been made at the venue. 6 Olympic trials and a total of 15 NCAA outdoor championships have been held at Hayward Field.
Hayward field is truly a world-class track and field facility and promises to continue producing elite performances and is regarded as the mecca of athletics. The city of Eugene is also nicknamed the Track Town of the US primarily due to the presence of Hayward Field.
