Sydney McLaughlin, Athing Mu and 19 other U.S. track & field stars to watch at World Athletics Championships Oregon22

Of the 151 athletes named to Team USA for the upcoming World Athletics Championships Oregon22, several dozen have a good chance to bring home a medal from the 10-day track and field meet that starts Friday at Hayward Field in Eugene.

Here are just some of the United States’ top contenders who will be worth watching as Oregon22 unfolds.

Note: Stars such as Ryan Crouser and Raevyn Rogers are not listed here, but look for them instead on our list of more than two dozen athletes with Oregon and southwest Washington ties to watch at the World Athletics Championships.

More Oregon22: Team USA roster | Day-by-day event schedule

TOP U.S. ATHLETES TO WATCH AT OREGON22

Valarie Allman, women’s discus: Allman, 27, is the U.S. record-holder in the discus and already had a bye into the 2022 world championships after winning the overall Diamond League title in the event in 2021. But that didn’t stop Allman from also winning the competition at the USA championships at Hayward Field last month. She brings a No. 1 world ranking into Oregon22.

Brooke Andersen, women’s hammer: Andersen, 26, owns a world-leading throw of 259 feet, 3 inches this year and is coming off a victory at the U.S. championships. Reigning world champion DeAnna Price remains formidable, but Andersen has shown better form this season.

Rai Benjamin, men’s 400 hurdles: Benjamin, 24, earned the silver medal at the 2019 world championships and at the Tokyo Olympics last year. He set the American record of 46.17 seconds in the 400 hurdles final in Tokyo, but Norway’s Karsten Warholm crossed in a world-record time of 45.94 to win. The two could be set for another showdown in Eugene.

Emma Coburn, women’s 3,000 steeplechase: Coburn is a 10-time U.S. champion in the steeplechase and the 31-year-old has won gold, silver and bronze medals on the world stage. She is the 2017 world champion, the 2019 world silver medalist and the 2016 Olympic bronze medalist.

Vashti Cunningham, women’s high jump: Cunningham, 24, earned the bronze medal at the 2019 world championships. The daughter of former NFL quarterback Randall Cunningham, she enters Oregon22 ranked No. 6 in the world. Her PR is 6 feet, 7 1/2 inches in 2021, but her best clearance this season is 6-5.

Chase Ealey, women’s shot put: Ealey uncorked a throw of 67 feet, 3½ inches to win the USA championships, and the 27-year-old’s second-best toss of 66-3 also would have won the competition. She heads back to Hayward Field holding the world’s No. 1 ranking.

Allyson Felix, mixed 4×400 relay: Before she bids farewell to pro track and field, Felix, 36, has one more chance to add to her record haul of 18 world championships medals.

Anna Hall, women’s heptathlon: Hall, 21, racked up a personal-best 6,458 points to win the U.S. heptathlon title in May, then won the heptathlon at the NCAA championships at Hayward Field a month later. At the USAs, Hall’s time of 2:03.11 in the 800, the last of the heptathlon’s seven events, marked the third-fastest heptathlon 800 time on record. Olympian Kendell Williams is another heptathlon contender to watch for the United States.

Keni Harrison, women’s 100 hurdles: Harrison ran the fastest time in the world this year at the U.S. championships, winning in 12.34 seconds. She owns the world record of 12.20 in the 100 hurdles, and the 29-year-old won silver at the 2019 world championships and at last year’s Tokyo Olympics.

Grant Holloway, men’s 110 hurdles: Holloway, 24, is the reigning world champion and also took home silver at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. He posted two sub-13-second times at the Olympic trials last year at Hayward Field. He sat out the 110 hurdles final at the USA championships last month because he had a bye into Oregon22 as a 2019 world champion. But the final at worlds could be a showdown between Holloway and fellow U.S. hurdler Devon Allen.

Fred Kerley, men’s 100, 200, 4×100 relay: Kerley has emerged as a force in the 100. He clocked a personal-best and world-leading 9.76 seconds to win the U.S. title last month and has finished either first or second in each of his seven outdoor 100 races this season. Kerley, 27, is the Tokyo Olympics silver medalist in the 100 and the 2019 world championships bronze medalist in the 400. In Eugene, he also could contend in the 200 and should be a key part of the United States’ 4×100 relay team.

Joe Kovacs, men’s shot put: Kovacs, 33, is a two-time world championships gold medalist, but to win No. 3 he will have to beat fellow U.S. thrower Ryan Crouser. And Crouser hasn’t lost a shot put competition outdoors since finishing second to Kovacs at the world championships in Doha in 2019.

Noah Lyles, men’s 200: Lyles is the 2019 world champion and also brought home the bronze medal at last year’s Tokyo Olympics. The United States is loaded in this event and could bring only four of its eight athletes who have posted times under 20 seconds this season to Oregon22. Erriyon Knighton, Fred Kerley and Kenny Bednarek are worth watching in the 200 as well.

Sydney McLaughlin, women’s 400 hurdles: McLaughlin will be back at Hayward Field just weeks after breaking her own world record with a time of 51.41 in the 400 hurdles. McLaughlin, 22, hasn’t lost a 400 hurdles race outdoors since finishing second to U.S. rival Dalilah Muhammad at the 2019 world championships.

Sandi Morris and Katie Nageotte, women’s pole vault: Nageotte, 31, ranks No. 1 in the world and is the reigning Olympic gold medalist. Morris, 29, holds a No. 3 world ranking, was the silver medalist at the Rio Olympics and also took silver at the 2017 and 2019 world championships. Either or both could wind up on the podium in Eugene.

Athing Mu, women’s 800: Just how dominant has the 20-year-old Mu been in the 800? She has won every outdoor 800 race she has entered for the past two seasons, with eight wins in 2021 and five more in 2022.

Chris Nilsen, men’s pole vault: Nilsen ranks No. 2 in the world and is coming off a 2021 season when he won silver at the Tokyo Olympics. The 24-year-old cleared 19 feet, 7 inches in Tokyo, and this season he has upped his PR to 19-8 1/4.

Michael Norman, men’s 400: Norman, 24, has twice dipped below 44 seconds this season at Hayward, first at the Prefontaine Classic (43.60) and then at the U.S. championships (43.56). The only other man to break 44 seconds this outdoor season is U.S. teammate Champion Allison (43.70).

Donald Scott, men’s triple jump: Scott, 30, is a three-time U.S. outdoor champion and enters Oregon22 ranked No. 5 in the world. He won the national championship this season with a leap of 56 feet.

Abby Steiner, women’s 200: Steiner, who recently turned pro, is the NCAA and U.S. champion at 200 meters. The 22-year-old set the collegiate record of 21.80 at the NCAA meet at Hayward Field before returning two weeks later to run a personal-best 21.77 in the 200 final at USAs.

— Joel Odom; jodom@oregonian.com