Open and Masters

Introduction

The USATF Georgia Association is your local association of USATF, the national governing body. While we do not directly train or coach athletes, we have member clubs and coaches that can assist with your training.

Useful Links

• USATF Membership
• USATF how-to videos for memberships
• USATF Find a Club

Event Calendars - find meets

• USATF
• USATF Sanctioned Events Calendar
• USATF Masters website
• Coach O calendar of events
• AthleticNET

​Qualifying for the Olympic Games in Track and Field

Qualifying for the Olympic Games in Track and Field for the United States is widely considered one of the most difficult athletic feats in the world. Unlike many other nations that use a selection committee, the U.S. uses a strictly objective "top-three" system at the **U.S. Olympic Team Trials**.

Here is the step-by-step breakdown of how to make the team:

1. Achieve the USATF Qualifying Standard

Before you can even step onto the track at the Olympic Trials, you must meet the USATF (USA Track & Field) entry standards. These are extremely high marks achieved during a specific "qualifying window" (usually the year leading up to the Trials).​

• Automatic Standards: If you hit this mark at a sanctioned meet, you are guaranteed a spot in the Trials.
• Minimum Standards: If the field isn't full, USATF will fill the remaining spots with the next fastest/best athletes who met at least the minimum standard.
• Sanctioned Meets: Your time or mark must be recorded at an official USATF or World Athletics sanctioned event with legal wind readings and fully automatic timing (FAT).

For example, the 2024 Olympic Team Trials Qualifying Information

2. Meet the World Athletics Olympic Standard

This is a separate, often harder, mark set by the international governing body (World Athletics).

• To compete in the Olympics, an athlete must either achieve this high-performance standard **or** be ranked high enough in the World Athletics world rankings to fill the event's quota.
• The Catch: You can finish in the top three at the U.S. Trials, but if you haven't met the World Athletics standard or ranking requirements, you cannot go to the Olympics. In that case, the spot typically goes to the next highest finisher at the Trials who *does* have the standard.

3. Place Top 3 at the U.S. Olympic Trials

The Trials are a "do-or-die" meet. Past gold medals or world records don't matter; you must perform in the final.

• Top 3 Finish: Generally, the top three finishers in each individual event make the team, provided they have the Olympic Standard.
• Relay Pools: For the 4x100m and 4x400m relays, USATF typically selects the top 6 finishers in the 100m and 400m to form the "relay pool."

For example, the 2024 Olympic Team Trials

4. General Eligibility Requirements

• Citizenship: You must be a U.S. citizen and eligible to represent the United States under World Athletics rules.
• Membership: You must be a current member of USATF.
• Drug Testing: You must be part of the USADA (U.S. Anti-Doping Agency) testing pool and remain in compliance with all anti-doping regulations.