By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

The track and field schedule at Olympic stadium in Tokyo runs from July 30 to August 7, with competition culminating August 8 in Sapporo with the men's marathon. The following are 10 American women's competitors who could grab the spotlight with their performances:

Emma Coburn

The 2016 Olympic bronze medalist in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, Coburn has since captured gold and silver medals at the past two World Championships, and looks to add to her outstanding run of consistency in major global competitions. Although the event has only been showcased at the past three Olympics, Coburn and Kenya’s Hyvin Kiyeng – who secured silver in Rio de Janeiro – are both looking to become the only multiple medalists in the women’s steeplechase competition. Coburn is also trying to secure the first Olympic gold for the Americans since Horace Ashenfelter won the men’s 3,000 steeplechase crown in 1952. She would join Tunisia’s Habiba Ghribi as the only female athletes to capture both Olympic and World titles in the steeplechase. Coburn will have to contend with not just Kiyeng, but also world record holder Beatrice Chepkoech, with both Kenyan competitors also looking to join Ghribi with both Olympic and world titles in their careers. Courtney Frerichs, the American record holder and 2017 World silver medalist, will also look to challenge for a spot on the podium, as well as joining Coburn in their pursuit for sub-9 performances.

Vashti Cunningham

After winning the 2016 World Indoor title, Cunningham couldn’t achieve similar success in her Olympic debut, clearing only one bar in the final and finishing tied for 13th in Rio de Janeiro. Following a silver medal at the 2018 World Indoor Championships in England and a bronze medal at the 2019 World Outdoor final in Doha, Cunningham has enjoyed one of the best outdoor seasons of her career, including a personal-best 6-7.50 (2.02m) clearance May 29 at the Chula Vista Elite Athlete Training Center in California. Only 19-year-old Yaroslava Mahuchikh of Ukraine, who secured silver in 2019 in Doha, has jumped higher this year than Cunningham, although becoming the first American to win an Olympic title since Louise Ritter in 1988 promises to be a significant challenge. Mariya Lasitskene, an authorized neutral athlete from Russia, has captured three World Outdoor gold medals despite missing the 2016 Olympics because of her country’s ban, with Australia’s Nicola McDermott and Nadezhda Dubovitskaya of Kazakhstan also having cleared the 2-meter mark this season.

Allyson Felix

Already the oldest medalist in Olympic 400-meter history with her silver medal in 2016, Felix could add to her legacy in many more ways in Tokyo. The most ambitious would be earning a 10th career medal, which would break a tie with Jamaican and Slovenian athlete Merlene Ottey for the most all-time by an Olympic female track and field athlete. It would also pull Felix even with Carl Lewis and Ray Ewry as the most decorated American track and field competitors in Olympic history. The possibility does exist that Felix could achieve podium finishes in both the mixed 4x400 and women’s 4x400 relays, which would lift her to 11 medals, a number that would only trail the 12 secured by Finland’s Paavo Nurmi for the most by any Olympic track and field athlete. If Felix advances to the 400-meter final, she would become the oldest Olympic competitor to achieve the feat at age 35. Felix could also become the oldest athlete in either gender to contribute to a victorious 4x400 relay, should the Americans extend their Olympic winning streak to seven in a row. Another 4x400 gold medal would also allow Felix to break a tie with fellow American Sanya Richards-Ross for most by any athlete in the event in Olympic history. It would also help her join Ottey and recently retired Jamaican Veronica Campbell-Brown in becoming only the third track and field athlete in either gender to medal in five Olympic Games.

Keni Harrison

Since the United States was shut out from the podium in the women’s 100-meter hurdles in 1996, the Americans have combined to capture nine of the 15 medals in the event at the past five Olympics, including a sweep in 2016. Harrison expected to be part of that medal haul in Rio de Janeiro, especially after running the world record of 12.20 seconds that summer, but wasn’t able to qualify for the U.S. roster at the Olympic Trials. Since then, she has won a World Indoor title in the 60-meter hurdles in 2018 in England, in addition to capturing a silver medal at the World Outdoor Championships the following year in Doha. But at age 28, this is expected to be the best opportunity for Harrison to try and join Benita Fitzgerald, Joanna Hayes, Dawn Harper-Nelson and Brianna McNeal as the next Olympic champion representing the U.S. She will need to get past another former Kentucky star in world leader Jasmine Camacho-Quinn of Puerto Rico, along with Nigeria’s Tobi Amusan, Great Britain’s Cindy Sember and fellow Americans Christina Clemons and Gabbi Cunningham in order to complete her rebound from five years ago to the top of the Olympic podium.

Sydney McLaughlin

Along with reigning Olympic gold medalist and defending World champion Dalilah Muhammad, she and McLaughlin have combined to run the top four times in the history of the women’s 400-meter hurdles, and another exceptional chapter is expected in Tokyo, providing both athletes advance to the Aug. 4 final. McLaughlin has come a long way since advancing to the semifinals in 2016 in Rio de Janeiro at age 17, highlighted by her world record 51.90 seconds June 27 to win the Olympic Trials. After several narrow losses to Muhammad earlier in her career, McLaughlin enters the meet as the favorite, trying to help the United States join Jamaica and Russia as the only countries in Olympic history to win the event twice. Muhammad has added motivation to try to become the first female athlete to repeat as 400 hurdles champion, but she should have little difficulty joining Jamaica’s Deon Hemmings in becoming a multiple Olympic medalist in the event. If McLaughlin were to win, she would become the youngest Olympic women’s 400 hurdles champion. It will also be interesting to see if McLaughlin becomes part of the 4x400 relay pool for the Americans, just like she did with Muhammad in Doha two years ago, helping the United States capture the gold medal.

Athing Mu

The 800 meters is one of only two women’s distance races in Olympic history won by an American female athlete, which Madeline Manning Mims achieved with her victory in 1968. The other is the marathon title captured in 1984 by Joan Benoit Samuelson. At age 19, Mu has an opportunity to add her name to that exclusive list with a victory in the 800 after running a world-leading 1:56.07 to prevail June 27 at the Olympic Trials. The United States hasn’t had a presence on the women’s 800 podium at the Olympics since Kim Gallagher earned bronze in 1988, which followed her silver medal in 1984. Gallagher and Manning Mims represent the entire Olympic history for the Americans in the event, but it might not only be Mu in medal contention for the U.S., with Raevyn Rogers and Ajee’ Wilson also in the conversation. Cuba’s Rose Mary Almanza is the only athlete to run under 1:57 twice this season, with Jamaica’s Natoya Goule, Ethiopia’s Workua Getachew and Great Britain’s Jemma Reekie also eclipsing the barrier as well. With Mu having run under 50 seconds three times in open 400 races, including a personal-best 49.57, if she is leading in the late stages of the race, it will be tough for even the most elite global competitors to catch her from behind.

Katie Nageotte

The Americans have a pair of pole vaulters inspired to join Stacy Dragila (2000) and Jenn Suhr (2012) as Olympic champions, with Nageotte and 2016 silver medalist Sandi Morris both capable of soaring to the top of the podium. Nageotte has demonstrated remarkable consistency this year with five of the top eight outdoor clearances in the world, including a personal-best 16-2.75 (4.95m) on June 26 to win the Olympic Trials. Although she was seventh at the World Outdoor final in 2019, Nageotte has won a gold medal at the 2018 NACAC Championships, along with earning a silver two years ago at the Pan American Games in Peru. Despite her training with coach Brad Walker being compromised during the winter after testing positive for COVID-19, Nageotte has still placed first or second in all 11 competitions this year, including seven consecutive victories entering Tokyo. In addition to Morris, authorized neutral athlete Anzhelika Sidorova of Russia, Holly Bradshaw of Great Britain, Nina Kennedy of Australia and reigning Olympic champion Katerina Stefanidi of Greece are all capable of making the podium, but Nageotte winning the first major global title of her career at age 30 would be an incredible achievement.

DeAnna Price

Not only has an American female competitor never won the Olympic title in the hammer throw, the United States has yet to be represented on the women’s podium since the event was added to the schedule in 2000 in Sydney. Price enters the competition as the world leader at 263-6 (80.31m), making her only the second female athlete in history to surpass the 80-meter mark, joining Poland’s Anita Wlodarczyk, the two-time Olympic champion. Price captured the World title in 2019 in Doha, but it was without the presence of Wlodarczyk, who has endured a pair of knee surgeries since winning in 2016. Price has prevailed in her past two head-to-head matchups against the world record holder, in addition to producing 16 marks beyond 75 meters this season compared to six for Wlodarczyk, all of which came in the same series June 30 in Poland. American Brooke Andersen has edged Price twice this year, in addition to achieving 10 throws of more than 75 meters, with a third United States competitor in Gwen Berry, as well as Canadian Camryn Rogers – the NCAA record holder from Cal – and Poland’s Malwina Kopron also in medal contention.

Brittney Reese

A four-time Olympian in the long jump, Reese is looking to become only the second two-time gold medalist, joining Germany’s Heike Drechsler, along with just the third three-time podium finisher, in addition to fellow American Jackie Joyner-Kersee. Reese prevailed in 2012 and grabbed silver behind fellow American Tianna Bartoletta in 2016, giving the United States the opportunity to become the first country to win three consecutive Olympic women’s long jump championships. Reese also leads one of the deepest American trios in Olympic history, including collegiate indoor and outdoor record holder as well as reigning NCAA indoor and outdoor champion Tara Davis, as well as 2015 Division 1 outdoor winner and 2018 World Indoor finalist Quanesha Burks. In addition to her impressive teammates, Reese is also expecting to be challenged by reigning World Outdoor gold medalist Malaika Mihambo of Germany, the fourth-place finisher in 2016, along with world leader Ese Brume of Nigeria, who finished fifth in Rio de Janeiro, and bronze medalist Ivana Spanovic of Serbia, plus Chantel Malone of British Virgin Islands, who has the most 7-meter jumps globally this season.

Gabby Thomas

The United States has won twice as many Olympic women’s 200-meter titles as any other country in history with six championships, and is tied for most all-time medals in the event with Jamaica at 12 overall. Expect Thomas to factor significantly into adding to that history for the Americans, especially after elevating to the No. 2 all-time competitor at a wind-legal 21.61 seconds and joining world record holder Florence Griffth-Joyner in running sub-22 performances in three consecutive rounds, which she achieved June 24-26 at the Olympic Trials. American teammate Jenna Prandini and Jamaica’s Shericka Jackson are the only other athletes in the world to have run under 22 seconds on multiple occasions this season, but both competitors have yet to run under 21.8. Among the 200 entries in Tokyo, only Jamaica’s Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Dutch athlete Dafne Schippers and Bahamian star Shaunae Miller-Uibo have achieved wind-legal efforts under 21.8 during their careers. Jamaica’s Elaine Thompson-Herah and Schippers captured gold and silver in 2016. Thomas, a former Harvard standout, is also looking to extend the streak for the Americans to five consecutive Olympic podium finishes in the women’s 200.