NEW YORK CITY – With just hours remaining before the entry window closes, four more reigning World and Olympic champions have officially entered the 2026 Toyota USATF Outdoor & Para National Championships, setting the stage for one of the most star-studded national championships in recent memory.
Olympic champions Noah Lyles, Rai Benjamin, Tara Davis-Woodhall and Hunter Woodhall are all set to compete July 23-26 at Icahn Stadium on Randall’s Island, giving fans the rare opportunity to watch some of the biggest names in track and field compete in person as the championships return to New York City for the first time in 35 years.
Among the sport’s most recognizable stars, Lyles enters the championships as one of the world’s premier sprinters. The reigning Olympic champion in the 100 meters captured his third consecutive world title in the 200 meters last year and owns the American record in the event. Known for his electrifying personality and unmatched speed, Lyles has become one of the faces of the global athletics movement and will also headline September’s World Athletics Ultimate Championships in Budapest.
Lyles is entered in both the 100 meters and 200 meters.
Olympic long jump champion Tara Davis-Woodhall continues to build on the momentum from her historic 2024 and 2025 seasons. The reigning Olympic and world champion recently produced a lifetime best leap of 7.20 meters at the Los Angeles Grand Prix before returning to the track later in the meet to clock a personal best 12.47 in the 100-meter hurdles, finishing second only to American record holder Masai Russell. With that success in mind, Davis-Woodhall is entered in both events next week.
“There’s nothing like competing in New York City and having our National Championships there makes it even more exciting,” said Davis-Woodhall, who will also compete at the World Athletics Ultimate Championships. “The energy of the city brings out the best in us, and I’m looking forward to competing next week and showing why track & field deserves the biggest stage.”
Her husband, Hunter Woodhall, headlines the USATF Para National Championships, which will once again be contested alongside the Outdoor Championships. The reigning Paralympic champion in the 400 meters, Woodhall has become one of the sport’s most inspiring figures. He and Davis-Woodhall have shared their athletic journey with millions of fans through their popular YouTube channel, helping introduce new audiences to track and field and para athletics.
“I’m looking forward to competing next week at the U.S. Para Championships,” said Woodhall, who is entered in the 400 meters. “Having the opportunity to compete in New York City makes it even more special. Racing on one of the biggest stages in the world is a great opportunity to showcase para sport.”
Few athletes have dominated an event the way Rai Benjamin has in the men’s 400-meter hurdles. The reigning Olympic and world champion has claimed every U.S. title in the event since 2019. This year, however, Benjamin will take on a different challenge, entering the flat 400 meters as he continues to showcase his versatility following his gold-medal performances in Paris and Tokyo.
A full list of entries for the Toyota USATF Outdoor Championships can be found here while entries for the USATF Para National Championships can be found here. Entries close tonight.
A full schedule of events can be found here. The event is being organized by five non-profit organizations; Central Park Track Club, Randall’s Island Park Alliance, USATF New York, New York Road Runners and USA Track & Field.
Tickets are still available through FreshTix, the meet’s official ticketing provider. Competition will be broadcast live across NBC, Peacock, NBCSN and USATF.TV.
Applications for media credentials remain open until 11:59 p.m. tonight.
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About USATF
Based in Indianapolis, USA Track & Field® (USATF) is the National Governing Body for track and field, long distance running, and race walking in the United States. USATF encompasses the world’s oldest organized sports, the most-watched events of Olympic broadcasts, the number one high school and junior high school participatory sport, and more than 30 million adult runners in the United States.
About Central Park Track Club (CPTC)
Founded in 1972, the Central Park Track Club is comprised of 600+ members from the New York area including 14 Olympians and 19 World Championships Qualifiers. CPTC has won the USA Track & Field Club National Championships nine times. The club is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. For more information about the club or supporting our NYC elite athlete program, please visit www.centralparktc.org
About New York Road Runners (NYRR)
A New York City-based nonprofit, New York Road Runners’ vision is to build healthier lives and stronger communities through the transformative power of running – serving more than half a million people annually through its races, free community events, youth running initiatives, and school-based programs across the five boroughs. During its nearly 70 years, New York Road Runners has grown from a local running club to the world’s premier community running organization, producing more than 60 adult and youth races each year, including the TCS New York City Marathon. Held the first Sunday each November, the TCS New York City Marathon features more than 55,000 runners—from the world’s best professional athletes to a vast range of runners across experience levels, ages, genders, abilities, and backgrounds. To learn more, visit www.nyrr.org.
About Randall’s Island Park Alliance and Icahn Stadium
Founded in 1992, the Randall’s Island Park Alliance is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and a public-private partner of the NYC Department of Parks & Recreation, dedicated to realizing the full potential of Randall’s Island Park’s 330 acres of waterfront parkland at the intersection of Manhattan, the Bronx, and Queens. The Alliance serves as the Park’s steward, sustaining, maintaining, developing, and programming the park for the benefit of all, while also managing operations at Icahn Stadium.
Built in 2005, Icahn Stadium is one of the nation’s premier track and field venues and has hosted hundreds of thousands of athletes across elite competitions. In 2025, the stadium installed a state-of-the-art Mondo track surface, earning Class I certification and becoming one of only four outdoor venues in the United States with this certification and eligibility to host world-class competitions. For more information, visit randallsisland.org.