USA Track and Field Team will head into Paris Olympics 2024 without a returning male Olympic Gold medalist runner for first time in 56 years

USA Track and Field Team for Paris Olympics 2024 is yet to be determined with the trials starting from June 21. While America has a defending Olympic champion in ranks in Ryan Crouser, in the sprinting, or running, USA will not have any of the Olympic medalists in its team. It comes after 2016 Rio Olympic champion Mathew Centrowitz scratched out of the U.S. Olympic Team Trials 2024.

USA hasn't won any Olympic gold medal in the running events after Centrowitz’s triumph in the 1500m at Rio Olympics 2016. While he didn't win any medals at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, he could have been a strong contender for the bronze medal behind Jakob Ingebrigtsen and Josh Kerr in Paris this year.

At the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Centrowitz was the lone Olympic gold medalist runner in the USA Track and Field Team. While there were multiple silver and bronze medal winners in the team, he was the only defending champion, and with his withdrawal from the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials, USA Track and Field Team will compete at the Olympics without a returning male Olympic medalist runner for the first time since 1968.

America won only two individual gold medals at the Rio Olympics 2016. They entered the competition with Justin Gatlin as the returning Olympic gold medalist, who lost to Usain Bolt in the finals later. At the 2012 Olympics, Justin Gatlin was again the returning Olympic gold medalist, with his 100m victory from 2004 Olympics. That also marked the last 100m Olympic gold for the United States.

Can the USA Track and Field Team break the gold medal drought in running events at the Paris Olympics 2024?

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2024 Paris Olympics could be the best shot for the USA Track and Field Team to break the gold medal drought in the running events. Sha'Carri Richardson and Noah Lyles will have a lot of expectations, but they always are, and both have shown they can deliver on big stages at the last year's World Championships.

Noah Lyles will be favorite for both 100m and 200m gold medals at the Paris Olympics 2024. Even if he has some issue, the USA Track and Field Team will have Kenny Bednarek, Christian Coleman, Fred Kerley and Courtney Lindsay as the potential grabbers of the gold. Over the 110m hurdles, it seems very unlikely that world record holder Grant Halloway will return without the gold.

In the women's competition, Sha'Carri Richardson will be a hot favorite to deliver the USA Track and Field Team its first 100m gold since the 1996 Summer Olympics. She is a medal contender over the 200m as well but silver medalist Gabby Thomas will have the edge to win first 200m gold since Allyson Felix in 2012 Olympics.