DES MOINES, Iowa – Several updates have been made to various World Athletics Continental Tour lineups as the 2026 Drake Relays starts to take its final shape. The finalized schedule for the 116th Drake Relays has also been confirmed.
 
"America's Athletic Classic is committed to evolving and enhancing the experience in Des Moines for athletes and fans alike," Franklin P. Johnson Director of the Drake Relays Blake Boldon said. "We are always looking to raise the standard and deliver the best possible track and field showcase each year. These new lineup additions, strengthen the already competitive fields we have constructed, and the most recent schedule adjustments ensure that every day of Relays week features compelling performances that fans won't want to miss."
 
Thursday Night Throws has gotten even deeper as two of China's best women will be competing. Jie Zhao, the 2024 Olympic bronze medalist, will be trying to outdo her Chinese national record of 78.22m/256-7, which she unleashed earlier this month. The 2025 World Championships bronze medalist and last year's U20 World Champion Jiale Zhang will join her countrymate in Des Moines. More details on Thursday Night Throws are available here.
 
2024 Olympic gold medalist Shamier Little will now highlight the women's 400m hurdles. Little is a 2-time World Championships silver medalist and 3-time American champion in the 400 hurdles. Her personal record of 52.39 ranks fifth all-time in United States' history and seventh all-time in the world. A breakdown of the 2026 Drake Relays hurdle races is available here.
 
The women's road mile and stadium mile will both include American 1,000m record holder and 2026 World Indoor Championships bronze medalist Addy Wiley. A 9-time NAIA champion in her single year at Huntington University, Wiley won gold at the 2026 U.S. Indoor Championships before taking bronze at the World Indoor Championships. Wiley, who was a 2024 Olympic Trials finalist in the 1,500, will take a threatening swing at the Drake Relays women's mile record that was reset just last year in a historic display by Krissy Gear. More information about the USATF 1 Mile Road Championships and Drake Relays women's mile is available here.
 
Elsewhere, the 2026 Drake Relays is set to feature arguably the best pole vault display in meet history. Katie Moon and Sandi Morris, the Nos. 1 and 2 women's vaulters in the world, plus American men's record holder KC Lightfoot and 2-time Olympic medalist Sam Kendricks are set to compete in Des Moines. Morris and Kendricks will be enshrined in the Drake Relays Athletes Hall of Fame next week. Drake Relays pole vault details are listed here.
 
Roger Steen in back to defend his World Shot Put Series belt on Wednesday, April 22 before headlining the WACT men's shot put inside Drake Stadium on Saturday. Fellow field event champion Rudy Winkler, a 3-time Olympian in the hammer throw, returns to Des Moines to add to the explosive Thursday Night Throws.
 
Another shift has been made to the Elite High School Boys and Girls Mile races, detailed here. The best prep milers from Iowa and its neighboring states will now hit the Blue Oval on Saturday, April 25. The girls will run at 12:30 p.m. with the boys lacing up their spikes later that afternoon at 3:24 p.m.
 
The final Drake Relays schedule can be found here.
 
Tickets to the 2026 Drake Relays are available for purchase here.