Eight-time All-American sprinter Eric Gregory became the first privatestudent-athlete ever to compete at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in any sport on June 21 at the 2024 U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Track and Field at Hayward Field at the University of Oregon in Eugene, Oregon. 

Gregory ran in the second heat of the men’s 400-meter dash and finished seventh with a time of 45.79 seconds. The top five finishers from each heat (five races) automatically advanced to Sunday’s semifinal round. The next two fastest times were also selected to Sunday鈥檚 semifinals. Gregory finished 27th overall but two runners in the last heat qualified with slower times than him. He was two spots away (0.29 seconds) from making the semifinal round.

Gregory finished 27th in a 35-runner field (33 runners finished) after he was the 35th runner selected by USA Track and Field a week ago when they announced the five-heat field.

Gregory was third in the opening 100 meters of Heat 2 with a time of 11.19 seconds, he was fourth at the 200-meter mark (21.66) and fifth at the 300-meter mark (32.96). His slowest 100-meter segment came down the stretch as it took him 12.83 seconds.

鈥淚t was a good race. Everyone pushed me through the race. It was my first real race that there was somebody faster than me,鈥� said Gregory after the race in the mix zone where media assembled to interview the Bison runner and Coach Byron Moore. 鈥淚 learned a lot from this race. The last 100 meters is my biggest weakness. So, now, I know what I need to do [for the future].鈥�

Gregory ran in the fastest heat that was paced by high school phenom Quincy Wilson from the Bullis School in nearby Potomac, Maryland. Wilson won the heat and set an Under-18 World Record and National High School record with a time of 44.66 seconds. While Wilson did not make the Olympic team for the 400-meter dash, he will go to the Paris Olympics as a member of the 400-meter relay team.

鈥淭he way I feel like right now is how I felt after I ran in my first national championship race [as a first-year runner in 2019],鈥� said Gregory, who placed tenth in the 200-meter dash at the 2019 NCAA Division III outdoor track and field national championship.

Gregory used that 2019 disappointment to fuel him to three straight NCAA Division III men’s outdoor 400-meter dash national championships in 2022, 2023, and 2024.

鈥淭his entire process has been a wonderful learning experience for Eric and me,鈥� said Moore.  鈥淣o, we did not move on to the semifinal round but you won鈥檛 find any disappointment over here. Eric has only trained for three years in the 400-meter dash. So you better believe that you will see him competing in the U.S. Olympic Team Trials four years from now.鈥�

Gregory is confident this is not his first and last U.S. Olympic Team Trials.

鈥淔or sure [I鈥檒l be back],鈥� said Gregory, when asked about coming back to the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in the future. 鈥淚 will be back greater than before.鈥�

While NBC Sports did not carry Gregory鈥檚 heat live, they posted all five heats of the men’s 400-meter dash on .