Olympics track and field qualifying, explained: How the entry standards work at 2024 USA team trials

The 2024 Summer Olympics are quickly approaching, but many athletes are still waiting to find out whether they will have the chance to compete. The U.S. track and field Olympic Trials (June 21-30) will determine which track and field athletes will represent the red, white, and blue in Paris.

While the U.S. has its strengths and weaknesses in track and field relative to the rest of the world, there's no doubt Team USA will leave Paris with some hardware. The U.S. won 26 track and field medals in Tokyo, highlighted by Sydney McLaughlin's gold medal in women's 400-meter hurdles. 

Star power won't be hard to find at the Olympic Trials, either, between Sha'Carri Richardson and Noah Lyles. Once the trials wrap up and Team USA's representatives are set, all eyes will be on racking up as many medals as possible in Paris.

Here's a closer look at the U.S. Olympic team trial rules for track and field, as well as the Olympic standards for each qualifying event. 

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USA Olympic team trial rules

All athletes who meet USA Track & Field's automatic qualifying standards can compete at the sport's 2024 Olympic Trials. However, the USATF also has minimum qualifying standards. If there aren't enough automatic qualifiers to fill a qualifying field, athletes above the minimum qualifying standard can also compete for a spot on the Olympic team. 

The following requirements are also in place to compete at the Olympic Trials, according to USATF:

1. You must be a 2024 USATF member to enter the US Olympic Team Trials. 
2. You must be a U.S. citizen and meet the eligibility requirements.
3. Athletes may qualify for the 2024 US Olympic Team Trials with marks from Indoor or Outdoor competitions. There will be no conversions of entry performances for any reason.

The qualifying window for most events lasted from July 1, 2023, to June 9, 2024. The window started on Dec. 31, 2022, for combined events, relays, and the 10,000m. 

In most cases, the top three finishers in each event at the Track and Field Olympic Trials will qualify to compete in Paris. Just finishing within the top three doesn't guarantee anyone a spot in the Olympics, however, as competitors must still meet Olympic qualifying standards. 

Certain events at the Olympic Trials have well over three competitors who are expected to meet the Olympic standard, while others don't and might not send three athletes to Paris. 

There's one more wrinkle to the process: an athlete who doesn't meet the Olympic qualification standard could still make the cut if they are high enough in World Athletics' world rankings. That means the full U.S. Olympic track and field delegation might not be set until July 7, a week after the trials end. 

Here's a full look at the qualifying standard for each event in 2024.

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How many athletes make the USA Olympic track and field team?

The exact number of U.S. track and field athletes heading to the Olympics won't be determined until after the Olympic Trials, but Team USA listed 158 total track and field athletes on its roster for the Tokyo Olympics. That includes both men's and women's competitions, ranging from individual events to relay races that include a handful of athletes.

How old do you have to be to qualify for Olympics?

Each country has varying age limits for the Olympics. The default minimum age is 16, but some countries allow athletes as young as 13 to compete.

For the United States, 13 is the youngest an athlete can be to compete in the Olympics, according to the Olympics site.