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| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nationality |  United States | ||||||||||||||
| Born | September 15, 1998 (1998-09-15) (age 27)1 | ||||||||||||||
| Home town | Baltimore, Maryland, United States2 | ||||||||||||||
| Education | |||||||||||||||
| Height | 183 cm (6 ft 0 in)5 | ||||||||||||||
| Weight | 73 kg (161 lb)5 | ||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||
| Sport | Sport of athletics | ||||||||||||||
| Event(s) | 60 metres hurdles 110 metres hurdles | ||||||||||||||
| College team | |||||||||||||||
| Achievements and titles | |||||||||||||||
| National finals |
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| Personal bests | |||||||||||||||
Medal record
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| Updated on May 6, 2024 | |||||||||||||||
Dylan Beard (born September 15, 1998) is an American hurdler specializing in the 110 metres hurdles.5 He was notable for winning the 2024 Millrose Games 60 m hurdles while being unsponsored and working as a Walmart deli employee.6
Career
Competing for Archbishop Spalding High School, in 2016 Beard set a Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association championship record in the 55 metres hurdles, running 7.49 seconds.7 He placed 7th in the finals of the 2017 USATF U20 Outdoor Championships.5
Beard competed for three different NCAA teams in college, transferring from the Wagner Seahawks to the Hampton Pirates and attending graduate school with the Howard Bison track and field team.2 Beard qualified for the 2019, 2022, and 2023 NCAA East preliminary rounds in the 110 m hurdles but did not advance to the NCAA Division I Men's Outdoor Track and Field Championships or the indoor NCAA championships during his collegiate career.5
At the 2023 Tom Jones Memorial meet, Beard improved his 110 m hurdles personal best from 13.55 to 13.31 seconds. This qualified him for the 2023 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, where he advanced from the first round but placed 7th in his semifinal and did not make the finals. He was nonetheless selected for the 2023 U.S. Pan American Games team, where he ran 14.15 seconds to place 6th in the 110 m hurdles final.5
Beard significantly improved his times in early 2024, going undefeated throughout the indoor season in the 60 metres hurdles up through the 2024 Millrose Games, running 7.44 seconds to pull an upset win over Daniel Roberts, Trey Cunningham, and Cordell Tinch. Despite his success at Millrose, Beard only ran 7.65 seconds at the 2024 USA Indoor Track and Field Championships and was the fastest athlete to not qualify for the finals.5
At his last meet before the 2024 United States Olympic trials, Beard ran a personal best of 13.10 seconds in the 110 m hurdles, making him the 10th-fastest performer in the world that year.5 At the trials, Beard ran 13.19 seconds in his first round to advance to the semifinals, but his 13.38-second semifinal performance was not fast enough to advance to the finals and qualify for the 2024 U.S. Olympic team.5
Beard placed third overall in the US Outdoor Track & Field Championships in 2025, behind Cordell Tinch and Ja'kobe Tharp. 8 He ran with a time of 13.04.
Personal life
Beard is from Baltimore, Maryland, where he played football and ran track at Archbishop Spalding High School. Beard's cousin is NFL football player Antoine Bethea.7
In 2024, Beard was presented with a $20,000 check from his employer Walmart on The TODAY Show to support his attempt to qualify for the Olympics.9
Statistics
Circuit performances
| Grand Slam Track results10 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Slam | Race group | Event | Pl. | Time | Prize money |
| 2025 Kingston Slam | Short hurdles | 110 m hurdles | 1st | 13.29 | US$50,000 |
| 100 m | 3rd | 10.67 | |||
| 2025 Miami Slam | Short hurdles | 110 m hurdles | 5th | 13.24 | US$15,000 |
| 100 m | 5th | 10.63 | |||
Personal best progression
| # | Mark | Pl. | Competition | Venue | Date | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 14.42 (+1.7 m/s) |  |
TCNJ Invitational, College of NJ | Ewing, NJ | April 7, 2017 | 11 |
| 2 | 14.33 (+0.6 m/s) | (Round B) |
IC4A Outdoor Track & Field Championships, Princeton | Princeton, NJ | May 11, 2017 | 12 |
| 3 | 14.27 (+1.3 m/s) |  (Round C) |
2019 Colonial Relays | Williamsburg, VA | April 5, 2019 | 13 |
| 4 | 14.12 (±0.0 m/s) | 4th (Heat 1) | Penn Relays, Franklin Field | Philadelphia, PA | April 25, 2019 | 14 |
| 5 | 14.03 (+1.0 m/s) | 5th (Heat 4) | NCAA East Preliminary Round | Jacksonville, FL | May 23, 2019 | 15 |
| 6 | 13.85 (±0.0 m/s) | (Heat 2) |
Morgan State Legacy Track & Field Meet | Baltimore, MD | April 22, 2022 | 16 |
| 7 | 13.55 (+0.6 m/s) | |
Morgan State Legacy Track & Field Meet | Baltimore, MD | April 22, 2022 | 16 |
| 8 | 13.31 (+2.0 m/s) | |
UF Tom Jones Memorial | Gainesville, FL | April 14, 2023 | 17 |
| 9 | 13.25 (+0.8 m/s) | |
Aggie Invitational | Greensboro, NC | May 3, 2024 | 18 |
| 10 | 13.10 (+0.7 m/s) | |
Last Chance Qualifier @ Mceachern High School | Marietta, GA | June 7, 2024 | 19 |
References
References
- Dylan Beard at World Athletics
- "Men's Track (Indoor/Outdoor): Dylan Beard". Hampton Pirates. Retrieved July 26, 2024.
- Dylan Beard at TFRRS
- "Men's Track and Field: Dylan Beard". Howard Bison. Retrieved July 26, 2024.
- Dylan Beard at Tilastopaja (subscription required)
- "FROM WALMART TO CHASING THE OLYMPIC DREAM: MEET U.S. HURDLER DYLAN BEARD". Olympics.com. Retrieved July 26, 2024.
- "Dylan Beard". Wagner Seahawks. Retrieved July 26, 2024.
- Cannizzaro, Matt (August 4, 2025). "Here's Who Won The Men's 110m Hurdles At The 2025 USATF Championships". FloTrack. Retrieved August 4, 2025.
- "Meet the Walmart deli employee who's also a track star hoping to make the Olympic team". Today.com. Retrieved July 26, 2024.
- "Grand Slam Track Results". Grand Slam Track. Retrieved April 5, 2025.
- "Athletics recap for meeting #12891286". Tilastopaja.
- "Athletics recap for meeting #12893317". Tilastopaja.
- "Athletics recap for meeting #12925414". Tilastopaja.
- "Athletics recap for meeting #12927778". Tilastopaja.
- "Athletics recap for meeting #12930498". Tilastopaja.
- "Athletics recap for meeting #13009220". Tilastopaja.
- "Athletics recap for meeting #13033632". Tilastopaja.
- "Athletics recap for meeting #13069452". Tilastopaja.
- "Athletics recap for meeting #13075676". Tilastopaja.