The track and field competition at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro starts a year from today on Aug. 12, 2016. Although the U.S. team will be selected at the 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials—the marathon trials are on Feb. 13 in Los Angeles; track and field takes place July 1-10 in Eugene, Ore.—here’s a look at 20 of the most likely candidates to make the team in events from the 800m to the marathon in 2016. Some are longtime stars, others are youngsters on the rise, but there are also a lot of talented runners not on the list. The beauty of the American system is that there are no sure things. You’ve got to finish in the top three at the trials (and have the qualifying time) to earn a ticket to Rio. Many of these runners will probably make the team, but others will not. Who will rise to the occasion? The Road to Rio has begun!
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Matthew Centrowitz Jr., 25, Eugene, Ore., 1500m (Nike)
Matthew Centrowitz has been one of the most consistent performers for the U.S. in recent years. The 25-year-old former Oregon Duck won a bronze medal at the 2011 world championships, a silver medal at the 2013 world championships and placed fourth (just .04 from the bronze medal) at the London Olympics. He's the reigning U.S. champion and is a medal contender for the 2015 world championships later this month in China. Photo: PhotoRun.net
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Emma Coburn, 24, Boulder, Colo., 3,000-meter steeplechase (New Balance)
Emma Coburn is a four-time U.S. champion in this event and a medal contender at the 2015 world championships in China. She's already finished 12th at the 2011 world championships and ninth in the 2012 Olympics, plus she's the American record-holder (9:11.42) in the event. Photo: PhotoRun.net
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Desiree Linden, 32, Rochester Hills, Mich., marathon (Brooks)
It's not easy to make the Olympic team in the marathon, but with as tough as she competes, it's hard not to like Desiree Linden's chances. After dealing with injuries, she's been back to form in the past year, placing fifth in the New York City Marathon (2:28:11) last fall and fourth at the Boston Marathon (2:25:39). She also had success on the track this year, winning the silver medal in the 10,000m at the Pan American Games. Photo: PhotoRun.net
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Shalane Flanagan, 34, Portland, Ore., marathon (Nike)
Shalane Flanagan is the second-fastest marathoner in U.S. history (2:21:14) and the 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon champion. After a disappointing ninth-place finish at the Boston Marathon in April, she's been honing her speed while gearing up for 2016—in what could be her fourth Olympic team.
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Molly Huddle, 30, Providence, Rhode Island, 10,000m (Saucony)
Not only has Molly Huddle has been one of America's best distance runners in recent years, she's also been one of the world's best. She's twice lowered the American record in the 5,000 (14:42.64) and finished 11th in that event at the 2012 Olympics. This year she won the NYC Half Marathon in a personal best 1:08:31 and won the U.S. title on the track in the 10,000m run. Photo: PhotoRun.net
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Evan Jager, 26, Portland, Ore., 3,000m steeplechase (Nike)
If he hadn't tripped over the last barrier during a race in Paris, Evan Jager might have become the first American runner to break the 8-minute mark in the 3,000m steeplechase. But his 8:00:45 U.S. record shows that he's ready to compete for a medal at this summer's world championships and the 2016 Olympics. He's been close before—placing fifth at the 2013 world championships and sixth at the 2012 Olympics. Photo: PhotoRun.net
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Meb Keflezighi, 40, San Diego, marathon (Skechers)
Can Meb Keflezighi continue his world-class efforts for one more year? It sure seems likely, even though he recently celebrated his 40th birthday. Already a three-time Olympian (with a silver medal from the 2004 Olympic marathon), Meb followed up his 2014 Boston Marathon victory with a credible eighth-place, 2:12 effort in 2015. Photo: PhotoRun.net
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Leo Manzano, 30, Austin, Texas, 1500m (Hoka One One)
With his experience and deadly kick, you can never count Leo Manzano out. He was the silver medalist at the 2012 Olympics in London and has been a top-three finisher at the U.S. championships for 10 straight years! He set his personal best in 2014 with a 3:30.98. Photo: PhotoRun.net
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Brenda Martinez, 27, Big Bear Lake, Calif., 800m (New Balance)
Brenda Martinez has come on strong over the past three seasons, winning a bronze medal at the 2013 world championships and lowering her personal best to 1:57.91. She placed second at the U.S. championships in June. Photo: PhotoRun.net
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Alysia Montano, 29, Los Angeles, 800m (ASICS)
Alysia Montano has won two U.S. titles (indoor 1,000m, outdoor 800m) and a Pan American Games silver medal (800m) since giving birth to a baby girl last August. She's a six-time U.S. champion in the 800m and has twice finished fourth in the world championships. She owns a bronze medal from the 2010 world indoor championships and a fifth-place finish from the 2012 London Olympics. Photo: PhotoRun.net
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Dathan Ritzenhein, 32, Grand Rapids, Mich., marathon (Nike)
When Dathan Ritzenhein is healthy, he's a world-class runner, one of the very best in the U.S. Although injuries have riddled his career, he turned in a solid effort at the 2015 Boston Marathon (7th, 2:11:20) . He's already a three-time Olympian with a ninth-place finish in the marathon in 2008 in Beijing and a 13th-place showing in the 10,000 in London in 2012. Photo: PhotoRun.net
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Shannow Rowbury, 30, Portland, Ore., 1500m (Nike)
Shannon Rowbury set the American record in the 1500m (breaking Mary Slaney's 1983 mark with a 3:56.29 effort) and also owns a bronze medal from the 2009 world championships in Berlin. She finished second at this year's U.S. championships. Photo: PhotoRun.net
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Galen Rupp, 29, Portland, Ore., 10,000m (Nike)
Coached by Nike's Alberto Salazar since he was in high school, Galen Rupp has been one of America's top distance runners for more than a decade. He's the American record-holder in the 10,000m (26:44:36) and was the silver medalist in the event at the 2012 Olympics in London. Photo: PhotoRun.net
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Jenny Simpson, 28, Boulder, Colo., 1500m (New Balance)
In championship races, Jenny Simpson is hard to beat. She won the 1500m at the 2011 world championships in South Korea and nearly repeated her gold in 2013 in Moscow when she had to settle for silver. She previously held the American record in the steeplechase and owns nine U.S. titles on the track. Photo: PhotoRun.net
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Nick Symmonds, 31, Seattle, Wash., 800m (Brooks)
Aside from the recent controversy about Nick Symmonds being kept off the U.S. team heading to this month's world championships, he's been one of the top middle-distance runners the U.S. has had since 2007. He's a six-time U.S. champion, won a silver medal at the 2013 world championships and finished fifth at the 2012 Olympics in the fastest race in history. Photo: PhotoRun.net
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Ben True, 29, Hanover, New Hampshire, 5,000m (Saucony)
A former All-American skier for Dartmouth, Ben True has come on strong as a runner since 2011. He's won four U.S. road racing titles, placed 6th at the 2013 World Cross Country Championships and earlier this year, won the BAA 5K in a new American record on the roads in 13:22. Photo: PhotoRun.net
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Nicole Tully, 28, Piscataway, N.J., 5,000m (Hoka One One)
Nicole Tully burst on the scene this summer by winning the U.S. championships—in only the second 5K race of her life—to earn a spot in the world championships later this month in Beijing. The former Villanova All-American also works a full-time advertising and public relations job. Photo: PhotoRun.net
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Amy Cragg, 31, Providence, Rhode Island, marathon (Brooks)
Amy Hastings narrowly missed the U.S. Olympic team in the marathon, finishing a hard-luck fourth place at the 2012 trials. But she rebounded and made the team in the 10,000m, eventually finishing 11th at the London Olympics. She's twice run 2:27:03 in the marathon (making her the eighth-fastest U.S. runner ever). She had a rough Boston Marathon in April, but later finished fourth in the 10,000m at the U.S. championships. She's expected to race the Berlin Marathon in September. Photo: PhotoRun.net
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Abbey D'Agostino, 23, Topsfield, Mass., 5,000m (New Balance)
Already one of the top young runners in the U.S., D'Agostino won seven NCAA titles at Dartmouth before turning pro. She's had a breakthrough year in 2015, placing third at the U.S. championships to earn a spot on the U.S. team heading to the world championships and lowering her PR to 15:03.85. Photo: PhotoRun.net
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Ajee Wilson, 21, Neptune Township, N.J., 800m (adidas)
Wilson, who turned pro as an 18-year-old in 2012, has the fastest 800m in the U.S. this year, having clocked a personal best 1:57.87 at the Pre Classic on May 30. She was runner-up at the 2015 U.S. Outdoor Championships but will not compete at the world championships due to injury. Photo: PhotoRun.net
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