# 1972 United States Olympic trials (track and field)

The men's 1972 United States Olympic trials for track and field were held from June 29 to July 9 at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, organized by the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU). These were the first trials with no preliminary events; athletes merely had to meet the qualification standard in their event. This was also the last time the women's Olympic trials were held separately, and the ten-day competition in Eugene was held over eleven days.
The women's trials were held separately over two days (July 7–8) in Frederick, Maryland, under less elegant conditions at Governor Thomas Johnson High School. There were no wind readings taken during the events that normally require them; while photo-finish equipment was available in Eugene to separate close finishes, it was not available when needed in Frederick. As a consequence, the women's 100 meter race had to declare a tie for second place and was only able to assess one hand time for the winner. Willye White, who qualified for her fifth Olympics at this meet, later complained that "We did poorly at the Olympics because of poor conditions; lack of meets, lack of qualified coaches, and lack of fairness. For example, the nationals and Olympic trials were conducted on tracks that were not superior, and the team was not in Munich early enough to adjust to the climate and time changes."
The pentathlon took place in New Mexico at Los Alamos on June 23 and 24 and allowed two Canadian athletes to participate. The Canadian athletes finished in the first two positions but did not displace the selection of the American team.

## Men's results

Key: ≠ Athlete without "A" standard, not selected.

### Men track events

| Event | Gold | Gold | Silver | Silver | Bronze | Bronze |
| 100 meters Wind +0.9 | Eddie Hart | 9.9 =WR | Rey Robinson | 9.9 =WR | Robert Taylor | 10.0 |
| 200 meters Wind -0.5 | Chuck Smith | 20.4 | Larry Burton | 20.5 | Larry Black | 20.6 |
| 400 meters | Wayne Collett | 44.1 | John Smith | 44.3 | Vince Matthews | 44.9 |
| 800 meters | Dave Wottle | 1:44.3 =WR | Rick Wohlhuter | 1:45.0 | Ken Swenson | 1:45.1 |
| 1500 meters | Jim Ryun | 3:41.5 | Dave Wottle | 3:42.3 | Bob Wheeler | 3:42.4 |
| 5000 meters | Steve Prefontaine | 13:22.8 NR | George Young | 13:29.4 | Len Hilton | 13.40.2 |
| 10,000 meters | Frank Shorter | 28:35.6 | Jeff Galloway | 28:48.8 | Jon Anderson | 29:08.2 |
| 110 m hurdles Wind +2.1 | Thomas Hill | 13.5w | Willie Davenport | 13.5w | Rod Milburn | 13.6w |
| 400 m hurdles | Ralph Mann | 48.4 NR | Dick Bruggeman | 48.6 | Jim Seymour | 49.3 |
| 3000 m s'chase | Mike Manley | 8.29.8 | Doug Brown | 8.31.8 | Steve Savage | 8.32.0 |
| 20K racewalk | Larry Young | 1:35:56.4 | Goetz Klopfer | 1:37:53.4 | Tom Dooley | 1:38:03 |
| 50K racewalk | Larry Young | 4:13:04.4 NR | Bill Weigle | 4:20:09.4 | Steve Hayden | 4:23:22.6 |
| Marathon | Kenny Moore | 2:15:57.8 | Frank Shorter | 2:15:57.8 | Jack Bacheler | 2:20:29.2 |
Source:

### Men field events

| Event | Gold | Gold | Silver | Silver | Bronze | Bronze |
| High jump | Dwight Stones | 2.21 m (7 ft 3 in) | Ronnie Jourdan | 2.21 m (7 ft 3 in) | Chris Dunn | 2.21 m (7 ft 3 in) |
| Pole vault | Bob Seagren | 5.63 m (18 ft 5+1⁄2 in) WR | Steve Smith | 5.50 m (18 ft 1⁄2 in) | Jan Johnson | 5.50 m (18 ft 1⁄2 in) |
| Long jump | Arnie Robinson | 8.04 m (26 ft 4+1⁄2 in)w +1.0 | Randy Williams | 8.02 m (26 ft 3+1⁄2 in)w +0.1 | Preston Carrington | 8.02 m (26 ft 3+1⁄2 in)w +0.8 |
| Triple jump | John Craft | 17.12 m (56 ft 2 in)w +2.4 | Dave Smith | 17.07 m (56 ft 0 in) +0.3 NR | Art Walker | 16.79 m (55 ft 1 in)w +2.6 |
| Shot put | George Woods | 21.37 m (70 ft 1+1⁄4 in) | Al Feuerbach | 20.99 m (68 ft 10+1⁄4 in) | Brian Oldfield | 20.69 m (67 ft 10+1⁄2 in) |
| Discus throw | Jay Silvester | 64.36 m (211 ft 1 in) | John Powell | 62.74 m (205 ft 10 in) | Tim Vollmer | 61.56 m (201 ft 11 in) |
| Hammer throw | Tom Gage | 70.08 m (229 ft 11 in) | Al Schoterman | 68.70 m (225 ft 4 in) | George Frenn | 68.46 m (224 ft 7 in) |
| Javelin throw | Bill Schmidt | 82.46 m (270 ft 6 in) | Milt Sonsky | 81.66 m (267 ft 10 in) | Fred Luke | 81.62 m (267 ft 9 in) |
| Decathlon | Jeff Bannister | 8120 | Jeff Bennett | 8076 | Bruce Jenner | 7846 |
Source:

#### Notes

    $^a$

## Women's results
### Women track events

| Event | Gold | Gold | Silver | Silver | Bronze | Bronze |
| 100 meters Wind NWI | Barbara Ferrell | 11.3 | Iris Davis Mattline Render | NT NT |
| 200 meters Wind NWI | Jackie Thompson | 23.4 | Barbara Ferrell | 23.4 | Pam Greene | 23.7 |
| 400 meters | Kathy Hammond | 51.8 NR | Debra Edwards | 53.3 | Mable Fergerson | 53.3 |
| 800 meters | Madeline Manning-Jackson | 2:05.2 | Cheryl Toussaint | 2:05.7 | Carol Hudson | 2:06.0 |
| 1500 meters | Francie Larrieu | 4:10.4 NR | Francie Johnson | 4:15.2 | Doris Brown | 4:18.5 |
| 100 m hurdles Wind NWI | Patty Johnson | 13.0 NR | Lacy O'Neal | 13.3 | Mamie Rallins | 13.4 |

### Women field events

| Event | Gold | Gold | Silver | Silver | Bronze | Bronze |
| High jump | Deanne Wilson | 1.76 m (5 ft 9+1⁄4 in) | Sandi Goldsberry | 1.76 m (5 ft 9+1⁄4 in) | Cindy Gilbert | 1.71 m (5 ft 7+1⁄4 in) |
| Long jump | Martha Watson | 6.14 m (20 ft 1+1⁄2 in) | Willye White | 6.13 m (20 ft 1+1⁄4 in) | Kim Attlesey | 5.88 m (19 ft 3+1⁄4 in) |
| Shot put | Maren Seidler | 16.28 m (53 ft 4+3⁄4 in) | Lynn Graham | 15.30 m (50 ft 2+1⁄4 in) | Mary Jacobsen | 14.87 m (48 ft 9+1⁄4 in) |
| Discus throw | Olga Connolly | 51.92 m (170 ft 4 in) | Vivian Turner | 48.80 m (160 ft 1 in) | Denise Wood | 45.41 m (148 ft 11 in) |
| Javelin throw | Kate Schmidt | 60.28 m (197 ft 9 in) | Sherry Calvert | 54.40 m (178 ft 5 in) | Roberta Brown | 52.00 m (170 ft 7 in) |
| Pentathlon | Jennifer Meldrum Canada Jane Frederick | 4251 4169 | Penny May Canada Marilyn King | 4202 4064 | Gale Fitzgerald | 4034 |