NEW YORK — Track and field fans will watch when New Jersey-native Sydney McLaughlin competes in the 400 meter hurdles at the Olympics in Tokyo.

The world record-holder was a regular at the Armory Track in Washington Heights during her rise to the Olympics:

"We're delighted but humbled by the part that the Armory Track can play in the development of American track and field athletes,” said Rita Finkel, the co-president of the Armory Foundation.

Mount Vernon's Rai Benjamin is another Olympian who helped make a name for himself on 168th Street and Fort Washington Avenue. In fact, 24 champions of the prestigious Millrose Games held at the Armory are competing for Team USA, including Noah Lyles, Ajee Wilson, shot putters Ryan Crouser — a gold medalist in the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro — and silver medalist Joe Kovacs. Both returned to compete at the Armory after medaling in Rio.

"We love having them back,” Finkel said. “When they come back and when they come back for our Millrose Games, it's like homecoming.”

The facility is operated by the Armory Foundation, founded by Dr. Norbert Sander, who in the early 1990s brought the building, which once served as a shelter for thousands of homeless men, back from disrepair to its current status as world-class track facility. It’s also home to Armory College Prep, a successful after-school educational program for students from underserved communities.

Finkel says they certainly will have their eye on the track and field events in Tokyo when they begin later this week.

"We're going to be rooting for all of them,” said Finkel, who notes there are very few athletes on the American team who did not come through the Armory first, on their way to the Olympics.

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