Track and field qualifying standards change for Rio Olympics
The International Association of Athletics Federation has revised the qualifying standards for the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro next summer.
Athletes have until July 11, 2016 to achieve the qualification standards. Track and field events at the Olympics begin on Aug. 12 and conclude with the men's marathon on Aug. 21.
“In April 2015, the IAAF Council approved the entry standards but allowed for a review following the IAAF World Championships Beijing 2015 where a similar system of qualification and similar standards were used,” the IAAF said in a statement. ”Resulting from the experience of these championships, the Technical Delegates proposed some amendments to the Rio 2016 Olympic Games entry standards, which have been accepted by all parties.”
As opposed to previous global championships, there is only one single standard and no option for an ‘A’ standard or ‘B’ standard.
Below are all the qualifying standards for 2016:
Here are some of the noted changes:
• The women's 400-meter dash time was slowed .20 seconds from 52.00 to 52.20.
• Half a second was added to the women’s 800-meter run standard which goes from 2:01.00 to 2:01.50. At last year’s U.S. outdoor championship, 2:00.48 did not qualify for the final. Alexa Efraimson (2:01.11), Hanna Green (2:01.17), Katie Mackey (2:01.20), Gabe Grunewald (2:01.23) now meet the qualifying standard for Rio.
• A full second was added to the women’s 1,500-meter run, which moved from 4:06:00 to 4:07:00. In 2015, 15 American women have run faster then 4:07:00 for the event. Rachel Schneider, a professional runner for Under Armour and Georgetown graduate, picks up the standard with the change as she has run 4:06.90 this year.
• In the women’s 5,000-meter run, the qualifying standard was slowed by four seconds from 15:20 to 15:24.
• Marathon qualifying standards changed on both sides as the women were added three minutes to jump from 2:42:00 to 2:25:00. The men’s qualifier goes from 2:17:00 to 2:19:00. The United States will determine its Olympic marathoners with the Olympic Marathon Trials scheduled for Feb. 13 in Los Angeles.
• The men’s triple jump qualifying standard was eased from 16.90-meters to 16.85-meters and the women’s from 14.20-meters to 14.15-meters.
• Only three men’s track events changed qualifying standards. In the men’s 800-meter run and 1,500-meter run, .20 seconds were added to the qualifying times which now stand at 1:46.00 and 3:36.20 respectively. Olympic silver medalist Leo Manzano ran a season's best of 3:36.16 and is now qualified for a return to the Olympics for the 1,500-meters, if he makes the U.S. team at the Olympic Trials. Former NCAA champion Robby Andrews ran a season's best of 1:45.98 in the 800-meters for 2015 and represented the U.S. in the 1,500-meters at the IAAF World Championships. His 800-meter performance now meets the standard.
• The men’s 3,000-meter steeplechase qualifier was added two seconds and goes from 8:28.00 to 8:30.00.
- Christopher Chavez
