The USATF National Junior Olympic Track & Field Championships, also known as the USATF Junior Olympics, is an annual

track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping events ...

competition for American athletes between the ages of seven and eighteen. It is organised by

USA Track & Field USA Track & Field (USATF) is the United States national governing body for the sports of track and field, cross country running, road running and racewalking (known as the sport of athletics outside the US). The USATF was known between 1979 and ...

and features six different age categories, each covering two years. Qualification for the competition is dependent upon performances at the preliminary, association level (usually a

state State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...

), then the regional championships; the top five of each event at regional level earn the right to compete at the national competition.Junior Olympics
USATF. Retrieved on 2015-05-17. The competition had its first edition in 1967 and has been held every year since. The event grew in stature to include around 10,000 athletes at the 48th edition in 2014. The 50th edition was held in Sacramento, California. The event and its qualifiers serve to support the development of

grassroots A grassroots movement is one that uses the people in a given district, region or community as the basis for a political or economic movement. Grassroots movements and organizations use collective action from the local level to effect change at t ...

track and field competition in the United States. The national level event has been attended by several prominent American athletes in their youth, including Olympic champions Maurice Greene,

Allyson Felix Allyson Michelle Felix (born November 18, 1985) is a retired American track and field athlete who competed in the 100 meters, 200 meters and 400 meters. She specialized in the 200 meters from 2003 to 2013, then gradually shifted to the 400 me ...

and

Bryan Clay Bryan Ezra Tsumoru Clay (born January 3, 1980) is an American decathlete who was the 2008 Summer Olympic champion for the decathlon and was also World champion in 2005. Biography Clay was born in Austin, Texas and raised in Hawaii. He is Afr ...

, as well as three-time world champion

John Godina John Carl Godina (born May 31, 1972) is an American shot putter, whose record includes three World Championship wins and two Olympic medals. He also competes in discus. Godina was born in Fort Sill, Oklahoma. High school years While attendi ...

. The USATF event is a stand-alone track and field event, as opposed to the broader multi-sport programme of the

AAU Junior Olympic Games The AAU Junior Olympic Games'' are the pinnacle competitions held annually by the US Amateur Athletic Union. Overview The AAU Junior Olympic Games are known as the largest national multi-sport event for youth in the United States. It has become t ...

.2015 AAU Junior Olympic Games
Amateur Athletic Union. Retrieved on 2015-05-17.

References

External links

USATF websiteChampionships records
{{DEFAULTSORT:USATF National Junior Olympic Track and Field Championships Track and field competitions in the United States United States athletics (track and field) championships Track and field youth National athletics competitions Recurring sporting events established in 1967

See also

References

External links