Lansing Sun

EUGENE, Ore. - Michigan State graduate student Heath Baldwin won the decathlon at the U.S. Track & Field Trials on Saturday night at Historic Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, securing a spot at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. He is the first Spartan to qualify for the Olympic decathlon since Paul Terek in 2004.

Baldwin, who opted out of the 2024 NCAA Outdoor Championships earlier this month to prepare for the trials, totaled a personal-best 8,625 points to finish first in the 19-athlete field. His score is the sixth-best in the world this year and third all-time on the all-dates collegiate list.

He is joined on the Olympic team by 2020 Olympian Zach Ziemek (8,516 points, second place) and Harrison Williams (8,384 points, third place).

Baldwin kicked off decathlon action Friday morning and ended the first day of competition at the top of the leaderboard with 4,508 points. He set personal bests in the 400m (48.58) and shot put (16.52m), while adding a season-best 2.13m clearance in the high jump, securing top spots in both events.

A 13.77-second performance in the 110m hurdles for 1,004 points helped Baldwin hold his lead into day two of competition. He set his third personal best of the meet in discus throw (49.87m), maintaining a narrow lead over second-place Ziemek. Ziemek retook control after eight events with a 5.35m clearance in pole vault while Baldwin managed a jump of 4.85m.

The national title was decided by Baldwin's effort in javelin throw with a distance of 66.69m earning him an additional 839 points—16 feet better than his closest competitor's mark—and concluded with his time of 4:41.87 in the final event, surpassing Ziemek's time of 4:53.65 to secure gold.

MSU teammate Ryan Talbot competed alongside Baldwin in decathlon achieving four top-five finishes en route to a season-best total of 7,872 points.

Former Spartan standout Tori Franklin ('15) finished third in triple jump with a leap measuring at 13.72m and awaits USA Track & Field’s announcement regarding her inclusion on Olympic team for that event.

Track & field action at Paris Olympics begins August 1 and concludes August11.