How To Watch All Of The U.S. Track And Field Action In Paris

If you’re an American track and field fan still riding the high of this summer’s Paris Olympics, just wait. The Paralympic Games Paris 2024 kick off on Wednesday, and Para track and field will feature prominently.

The biggest question facing viewers might simply be what event to watch.

Take Tuesday Sept. 3, for example. From 1 to 3:41 p.m. EST, there will be 14 medal events taking place at the Stade de France.

In that span, Breanna Clark will attempt to win her third straight gold in the women’s 400-meter T20, two-time defending world champion Jaydin Blackwell will look to break his own world record in men’s 400 T38, and defending Paralympic gold medalist in the men’s high jump T63, Sam Grewe, will battle against teammate Ezra Frech, the 2023 world champion and current world record holder in the event.

Thankfully for fans, there’s not just a lot to watch in Paris, but also a lot of ways to watch it all.

More Ways To Watch

USA Network will be airing swimming and track and field finals that afternoon, with live coverage starting at 11:45 a.m. EST. However, with 14 medal events just for track and field on Sept. 3, USA won’t be able to capture everything as it happens. To catch all of the action at the Stade de France, fans at home can tune in to Peacock, which will be airing every sporting event at the Paralympics live.

Fans won’t have to settle for only watching one event at a time, either. After it received rave reviews during the Olympics, Gold Zone is set to return on Peacock for the Paralympics to show whip-around coverage of every medal event and the top moments form the Games. Gold Zone, hosted by CNN’s Carolyn Manno, will air from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. EST every day from Aug. 29 to Sep. 7.

Peacock is also brining back Multiview, which provides four top events for viewers to watch simultaneously on one screen.

So, on Sept. 3, fans can watch every jump Grewe and Frech attempt while not missing the men’s 1,500 T54 final, which could feature two-time Paralympic medalist Daniel Romanchuk and now seven-time Paralympian Aaron Pike.

Always Something On

The Paris Games run from Aug. 28 to Sept. 8, and almost every day will feature an action-packed schedule for track and field fans, with up to 1,069 athletes competing across 164 medal events.

Team USA is set to bring 225 athletes to Paris, and 55 of them are competing in track and field, making it the largest sport delegation for the U.S. at the Games.

Either USA Network, CNBC or NBC will be broadcasting track and field every day from Friday, Aug. 30, through the marathons that end the competition on Sunday, Sept. 8.

New Faces

Of the 55 Americans set to compete at the Stade de France, 16 will be making their Paralympic debut. Headlining that group is Blackwell — who could compete in his first final in the men’s 100 T38 on Saturday, Aug. 31, at 1:35 p.m. EST — and Noelle Malkamaki, also a two-time defending world champion and world record holder in her respective event, the women’s shot put F46. Viewers can catch the final of that event at 6:02 a.m. EST on Wednesday, Sept. 4, on Peacock.

Another exciting debutant to keep an eye on will be Derek Loccident, who medaled in the men’s high jump (silver), long jump (silver) and 100 (bronze) T64 in Kobe. The long jump is his signature event, and it features stiff competition from some of his teammates. Three-time Paralympian Trenten Merrill is the reigning bronze medalist in the event. Meanwhile, Jarryd Wallace — who is competing in his fourth Games — will make his Paralympic debut in the long jump after setting an Americas record of 7.95 meters at the U.S. Paralympic Team Trials last month. Peacock will broadcast the entirety of this event at 2:35 p.m. EST on Wednesday, Sept. 4.

Two American throwing phenoms will compete against each other in their respective Paralympic debuts. Samantha Heyison, a 19-year-old member of the track and field team at Wake Forest, took home bronzes in the women’s discus and shot put F64 at the world championships in Paris last year. Arelle Middleton, 16, competed in both of those events in Kobe back in May and won silver in the shot put. Viewers can watch those two in the discus final at 4:47 a.m. EST on Sunday, Sept. 1, while the shot put final is set for 5:43 a.m. EST on Thursday, Sept. 5. Both events will air live on Peacock.

Follow Online

For fans that want to see more from the track and field athletes than just their competitions in Paris, Team USA will have 10 creators at the Paralympics who will provide behind-the-scenes access of the athletes at the Games.

Dani Aravich (@theonearmdan on Instagram), who competed as a sprinter in the Tokyo Paralympics but is now a full-time Nordic skier, will be one of the creators in Paris. So will Tara Davis-Woodhall (@_taarra_ on Instagram), the women’s long jump Olympic champion and wife of Hunter Woodhall, who will be competing in his third Paralympics.

You can see the full broadcasting schedule for the Paralympics here.

Luke Hanlon is a sportswriter and editor based in Minneapolis. He is a freelance contributor to usparatf.org on behalf of Red Line Editorial, Inc.