Tickets to Tokyo: meet the four track athletes who made the U.S. Olympic teams Monday

The Kansas City area will have plenty of representation at the Summer Olympics next month in Tokyo.

Four athletes — former prep stars Chris Nilsen and KC Lightfoot in the men’s pole vault, former Kansas Jayhawk Bryce Hoppel in the men’s 800-meter run and former Missouri Tiger Karissa Schweizer in the women’s 5,000 — punched tickets to Tokyo Monday with qualifying performances in their respective events at the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials in Eugene, Ore.

This is the first time any of the four have qualified for Team USA. Though each put up stellar performances, the ways in which they claimed their spots varied from dominating to fortunate.

Chris Nilsen

Nilsen entered his event as the statistically best pole vaulter in America this year. And he made that official Monday evening.

The Park Hill High grad secured the American championship, jumping 19-4.25 (5.90 meters) on his first attempt — a height his competition couldn’t clear. After a decorated collegiate career at South Dakota, where he won three NCAA championships, he’ll be looking to improve his international resume as a medal threat in Tokyo. He won gold at the Pan Am Games in 2019.

Nilsen cruised to the title, clearing 5.90 without a miss along the way. Already having won, he skipped 19-6.25 (5.95) and went for a personal-best 19-8.25 (6), which he couldn’t clear in three tries. Nilsen’s season-best of 19-4.75 (5.91), set at the USATF Golden Games in May, was at the time a world-leading mark and still is the best by an American in 2021.

He’s the fifth-ranked pole vaulter in the world, per World Athletics, and second-ranked American behind Sam Kendricks. Nilsen beat Kendricks Monday, but both have qualified for Tokyo (Kendricks tied for second at Monday’s Trials — but more on that in a moment).

KC Lightfoot

The man who tied Kendricks for second in the pole vault, thus also securing a spot on Team USA? Another former local prep star.

Lee’s Summit High grad Lightfoot — who’s also the newest NCAA champion in the men’s indoor pole vault — cleared 19-2.25 (5.85) on his first attempt. Like Kendricks, Lightfoot couldn’t match Nilsen’s 5.90, but by virtue of having cleared the Olympic standard of 18-10.25 (5.80), and having finished in the top three at Trials, Lightfoot too is headed to his first Olympics.

The former Baylor athlete who turned pro in April has a chance to catch Nilsen: Lightfoot is the all-time men’s collegiate record-holder in the indoor pole vault, having cleared 6m in February at the Texas Tech Shootout. His mark Monday was an outdoor personal best.

Bryce Hoppel

Former KU star Hoppel got a boost to help his chances. But with a third-place finish in the 800 meters, he’s an Olympian.

The Texan, who had the fastest semifinal time headed into the race to decide who would go to Tokyo, needed to place third or better to earn a spot. Hoppel was in third following the first of two laps, behind American record-holder and defending world champion Donovan Brazier and NCAA champion Isaiah Jewett.

Clayton Murphy, who was at one point fifth on the backstretch, surged past Hoppel and eventually raced into the lead. Them with Hoppel momentarily out of contention, Brazier faded rapidly, falling all the way from second to last place.

Hoppel remained composed and kept his position to finish in 1:44.14, with Murphy winning and Jewett placing second.

“Oh, man. I just had to give everything I had,” Hoppel said on the NBC broadcast. “That was all my support, my family, my friends, my coaches, just everybody. I left it all out there.”

Hoppel won both the indoor and outdoor NCAA titles in the 800 in 2019.

Karissa Schweizer

One of the most decorated Missouri athletes ever adds another title to her name: Olympian.

A two-time national champion in the 5,000 meters with the Tigers, the Iowa native claimed her spot on the U.S. roster with a runner-up time of 15:28.11 behind winner Elise Cranny. After pacing herself early in the race, Schweizer led for most of the final mile but was overtaken by Cranny with about 200 meters to go.

A six-time national champion in Columbia across three disciplines (3,000m, 5,000m, cross country), Schweizer and Bowerman Track Club teammate Cranny qualified along with Rachel Schneider, who finished third. Schweizer set the American record in the indoor 3,000 in February 2020, a mark she still holds.