Arizona's Freddie Crittenden heads to U.S. Outdoor Track and Field Championships

One year removed from one of the most frantic years of Freddie Crittenden’s life the Valley resident and crown jewel of the Phoenix Track Club is hoping for a calmer, but equally fruitful summer with the United States Track and Field Outdoor Championships on the horizon.

He is one of many from the state who will be making the trip up to the Pacific Northwest to compete at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon from July 31 to Aug. 3 with a spot to the World Athletics Championships on the line. 

Crittenden, who is coached by former Sunnyslope athlete Tim O’Neil at the Phoenix Track Club, is one of the athletes with ties to Arizona who has the best chance at making Team USA for the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo in September.

“I’m feeling really relaxed, calm, confident,” Crittenden said to The Arizona Republic after a recent workout session at Phoenix Brophy Preparatory College. “Training has been out of this world.”

His preparations have come after a year that saw him run of the fastest times ever in the history of track and field for the 110-meter hurdles, qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics, sign a professional contract with Adidas, and welcome the birth of his child.

Crittenden holds a lifetime personal best of 12.93 seconds and a season best of 13.09. He is currently ranked No. 9 overall in the world and No. 8 in the United States. The top three from the USATF Championships will qualify for Tokyo.

Crittenden was one of the hurdlers selected for Olympian Michael Johnson's start-up track and field league, Grand Slam Track. It was a clear indicator that those involved with the sport viewed Crittenden as one of the best in his event, a big boost for someone who just yearned to get noticed before. He was proud to be selected.

But Crittenden is one of the many athletes still waiting to be paid by Grand Slam Track for the three meets he participated in. The league is facing financial issues after a key investor backed out early on.

Still, Crittenden hasn't let the off-the-track distractions get to him. He has big ambitions.

“I’m definitely looking to PBing (setting a personal best) at the very least,” Crittenden said. “I’m eyeballing the world record, honestly. A couple of practice sessions have indicated that we’re moving toward that direction. I feel like I’m seasoned, I’m experienced. I’ve been down this road before. I’m ready to make some stuff happen.”

The world record in the 110-meter hurdles is 12.80, set in 2012 by Aries Merritt. 

The U.S. is deep with talent in the 110-meter hurdles, with five of the top-10 ranked athletes in the event.

“It’s absolutely stacked,” O’Neil said. “I would say at the end of the year, it wouldn’t surprise me if over half of the top 15 in the world were Americans.”

But with Grant Holloway, the defending world champion, receiving a bye, that’s one more spot that opens up.

“We’re optimistic,” O’Neil said. “I think we said last year that we like our chances. And we’re only happier than where we were last year, so we like our chances. There’s a lot of great Americans – we’re one of them.”

Alongside Crittenden at his practice was his chiropractor, Evan Price, who was doing mobile work on the track with a fold-out table. Price, who runs a practice under his name in Scottsdale, has been working with Crittenden since 2023, which coincides with his rise in the sport.

Crittenden says that Price has been instrumental in his journey from being unsigned to a contract with Adidas. Price is a Scottsdale Chaparral alum, graduating in 1988.

“It makes me proud to be part of his team,” Price said. “Man, I’m all in. If I can shave off that millisecond, it can mean the difference. It’s not about pain relief with him, it’s about performance enhancement. It’s not many times I get to work on someone’s performance; I’m usually working with pain. Now, track is starting to become my thing.”

Crittenden wasn’t the only one getting in work at Brophy, preparing for the U.S. Championships. 

Zach Extine, a 2021 Gilbert Perry alum and soon-to-be senior at the University of Arizona who just finished second in the 110-hurdles at the NCAA Championships in June, was working out as well with his coach, Fred Harvey, out of state at the Junior Olympics.

Extine’s time of 13.13 is the second-fastest all-time from an Arizona prep (only behind Devon Allen) and is No. 2 in the NCAA this season. He had no expectations heading into the NCAA Championships – just make the final and “shock the world.”

He’s headed to Eugene with the same game plan. 

“It’s the first time I’m going to be on this stage and running with the best in the world,” Extine said. “I’ve been working my (butt) off this summer after NCAAs, keeping my foot on the gas. We’re trying to shock the world. I’m trying to make that final and see if we can make something happen.”

Logan Stanley is a sports reporter with The Arizona Republic who primarily focuses on high school, college and Olympic sports. To suggest ideas for human-interest stories and other news, reach out to Stanley at [email protected] or 707-293-7650. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter: @LSscribe.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona's Freddie Crittenden in U.S. Track and Field Championships