Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Alum Rayven Sample '24 to Compete at the 2026 Toyota USATF Outdoor & Para National Championships
7/22/2026 1:14:00 PM | Men's Track and Field
LEWISBURG, Pa. – Bucknell alum and two-time Paralympian Rayven Sample '24 will compete on Thursday and Friday at the 2026 Toyota USATF Outdoor & Para National Championships. Sample will run in the Mixed Men's 400-meter dash and compete in the Mixed Men's long jump.
What: 2026 Toyota USATF Outdoor & Para National Championships
Where: Icahn Stadium - New York City, N.Y.
When: 3:19 p.m. (Thursday) - Round One of 400-meter dash | 2:40 p.m. (Friday) - Finals of 400-meter dash | 3:30 p.m. (Friday) - Long Jump
Stream: USATF.tv | Peacock
Follow Along: Live Results
The 2026 USATF Nationals Meet features an unusual format, with all races and field events contested as mixed events. This means that Para athletes from all classifications will compete in the same heats and flights.
Sample's classification is T45, which includes athletes with eligible upper-limb impairments, including bilateral upper-limb deficiency, severely impaired range of motion, or severe impairment of muscular strength. Sample's impairment is classified under the severely impaired range of motion category.
At the Paralympic Games and in non-mixed Para races, Sample competes in the combined T45/T46/T47 classification, which includes athletes with eligible upper-limb impairments. Promotional materials often refer to this as the men's T47 event. T45 is the most impaired class in the grouping, while T47 is the least impaired.
Sample is competing in the long jump in support of his friend Dallas Wise, the T47 silver medalist at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games. Wise returned from injury and was scheduled to compete in New York City, but financial constraints prevented him from entering the competition.
Sample finished eighth at the 2020 Tokyo Games and 12th at the 2024 Paris Games in the T47 400-meter dash. He also placed 14th in the T47 100-meter dash at Paris 2024.
Classification is an important part of Para athletics, with athletes grouped according to the impact of their eligible impairments on their ability to compete. More information about the classification system can be found here, while detailed explanations of individual classifications are provided by LEXI.
