USA Track and Field outdoor championships: Syracuse grad Hunter Woodhall calls controversial DQ ‘ridiculous’

NEW YORK CITY — Meghan Hunter led for much of the first heat of the 800-meter women’s semifinals on the second day of the USA Track and Field outdoor championships and had little trouble qualifying for the finals of the event Friday at Icahn Stadium.

The former BYU and Provo High middle distance standout finished second among all qualifiers in 2 minutes, 00.38 seconds, only being overtaken by New Balance pro Roisin Willis in 1:59.83 in the final 50 meters to confidently advance to the finals.

Hunter, who runs professionally for Nike’s Swoosh TC, will be joined in a star-studded final that includes New Balance runner Paige Sheppard (2:00.99), Adidas’ Addy Wiley (2:01.40), fellow Swoosh TC runner Makayla Paige (2:01.45) and Hoka’s Nia Akins (2:01.78).

In the men’s 800-meter semifinal, Utah State’s Landon Bott finished 22nd in 1:51.17 and did not qualify after a blistering series of heats led by Under Armour’s Wes Ferguson (1:45.17) and indoor world champion Cooper Lutkenhaus (1:45.83).

What a final we have in store!

Roisin Willis (1:59.83), Nia Akins (2:01.78) and Addy Wiley (2:01.40) all earn victories in their heats to move into the #USATFOutdoor 800m final.

Meghan Hunter, Makayla Paige, Juliette Whittaker, Emma Sullivan, Lauren Tolbert and Paige Sheppard… pic.twitter.com/U1NC9DHAmh

— DyeStat (@DyeStat) July 24, 2026

In the 100-meter women’s final, Sha’Carri Richardson ran away with the individual title in 10.77 seconds, .13 seconds ahead of fellow Nike star Kayla White’s season-best time of 10.90.

BYU and Enterprise High alumna Jaslyn Gardner finished fifth in 11.03 after advancing from Friday’s second round with a fifth-place time of 11.02. BYU’s Paje Rasmussen Brady, the rising senior from Corner Canyon High, did not advance after an 18th-place time of 11.32.

Hunter Woodhall challenges controversial DQ for use of foam block

In the USA Track and Field para outdoor championships held concurrently at Icahn Stadium, former Syracuse High star Hunter Woodhall was embroiled in controversy after he broke the tape first in 46.43 seconds to win the men’s ambulatory 400 meter.

The 27-year-old six-time Paralympic medalist in the 200, 400 and 4×100-meter mixed relay was disqualified for the use of a mechanical aid on the starting line, USA Track and Field announced. Prior to the race, Woodhall put his hand on a large foam cube that he used to raise his starting position in an effort that officials said provided an advantage with more leverage to push out of the blocks.

The foam blocks are not prohibited by rule, according to DyeStat, which noted Woodhall used the blocks in the mixed-class 100-meter sprint at the Prefontaine Classic. But a World Para Athletics official on site learned that Woodhall’s starting block was not approved for competition, according to a USATF statement.

“Hunter elected to run under protest,” the statement read, per NBC Sports. “The rules set by the international governing body do not allow for the results to be official, so our officials were left with no choice but to disqualify him from the final results. Of course, this is never the outcome we want for any athlete who has worked hard to get to this stage. We also recognize that it’s disappointing for all of Hunter’s many fans. We will work with athletes to fully understand the rules around equipment so together we can make sure these incidents don’t happen in the future.”

Still, from his trackside vantage point as his finish he received the DQ, he voiced his displeasure to NBC’s Lewis Johnson before a lengthy conversation in the mixed zone with several media outlets where he called the disqualification “unfathomable.”

“I believe you gotta fight for what you think is right,” Woodhall said, per DyeStat. “I think what they did here was wrong.

“I believe we should be trying to push the sport forward and help athletes with disabilities and make things easier for them,” he added. “They deal with enough stuff day-to-day. They don’t need to deal with more stuff. It’s ridiculous. This is ridiculous.”

Woodhall said he “absolutely” plans to protest the decision, and that he won’t stop using the block until the Rule 7.3c in the World Para Athletics rulebook is rewritten. He also said the decision disincentivized his wife, Olympic gold-medalist Tara Davis-Woodhall, from competing in this weekend’s event.

Paralympic champion Hunter Woodhall shares this thoughts after being disqualified from the men’s ambulatory 400m final at the U.S. Para Championships.

Under World Para Athletics rules, Woodhall violated rule 7.3c, which “prohibits the use of technology, mechanical aids or… pic.twitter.com/ZfJM6VBWYp

— DyeStat (@DyeStat) July 24, 2026

“I’m not competing,” she appeared to mouth in the mixed zone after Woodhall’s race, according to DyeStat.

Next up

Action continues Saturday at the USA Track and Field outdoor championships, including a trio of BYU steeplechasers as former stars Courtney Wayment and Lexi Hallday-Lowry join recent grad Lexi Goff in the women’s 3,000-meter steeplechase final at 2:05 p.m. MT.

BYU’s James Corrigan and Daniel Michalski, the Air Force vet who recently began training with BYU coach Ed Eyestone in Utah, will follow in the men’s 3,000-meter steeplechase final at 2:23 p.m. MT.

BYU rising junior Carter Cutting, the NCAA indoor mile champion who is competing under a new NIL sponsorship with Hoka, will be among the headliners in the men’s 1,500-meter final at 3:28 p.m. MT, moments before recent BYU grad Carlee Hansen-Thompson and others will challenge eight-time defending U.S. champion Nikki Hiltz in the women’s final.

Event coverage is streamed live on Peacock, with select coverage on NBC and NBC Sports Network.