DES MOINES, Iowa — So far, two athletes with Iowa ties have punched their ticket to Paris at the U.S. Olympic Track & Field Team Trials.
Karissa Schweizer qualified in the women's 5000-meter race and Kenny Bednarek qualified in the men's 100-meter race.
If you're a fan of the Drake Relays, you've probably seen both of these athletes compete at the Blue Oval.
In 2019, Bednarek won the men's 200-meter dash, becoming the first ever Indian Hills Community College athlete to become a Relays champion. The year prior, Schweizer shattered the Drake Relays record in the women's 5000 meters.
But Bednarek and Schweizer aren't the only ones you might recognize.
Sixteen of the athletes who have qualified so far at this year's Olympic trials are Drake Relays veterans. Some notable names include five-time Drake Relays Champion and two-time Olympic gold medalist Ryan Crouser as well as four-time Drake Relays champion and Olympic bronze medalist Sams Kendricks.
"As Track and Field fans in central Iowa and the Midwest, we get spoiled, because every April, these athletes come through Des Moines," said Drake Relays Director Blake Boldon. "As a Drake Relays fan, a ticket holder, they can sit and watch the track and field Olympic trials and feel connected. So, it really is a piece of Des Moines is out in track town, USA right now."
Here's the complete list of Drake Relays alumni who have earned a spot on Team USA for the Paris Olympics:
Women’s High Jump
- Charity Hufnagel (2024 Drake Relays champ)
- Vashti Cunningham (2018 & 2022 Drake Relays champ)
Women’s Hammer Throw
- Annette Echikunwoke (4th in 2023 Drake Relays)
- Erin Reese (3rd in 2024 Drake Relays)
Women’s Triple Jump
- Keturah Orji (2022 Drake Relays champ)
Women’s 5000
- Karissa Schweizer (2018 Drake Relays champ)
Women’s 800
- Allie Wilson (2024 Drake Relays)
Heptathlon
- Taliyah Brooks (2019 Drake Relays)
Decathlon
- Zach Ziemek (2015 Drake Relays champ)
Men’s Shot Put
- Ryan Crouser (Five-Drake Relays champ)
- Payton Otterdahl (2024 Drake Relays champ)
Men’s Pole Vault
- Sam Kendricks (Four-time Drake Relays champ)
- Chris Nilsen (2019 Drake Relays champ)
Men’s Javelin
- Curtis Thompson (6th in 2024 Drake Relays)
- Capers Williamson (5th in 2204 Drake Relays)
Men’s 100
- Kenny Bednarerk (2019 Drake Relays champ)