Team USA athletes honoured Jesse Owens' memory by displaying the letters JO on their competition singlets.

The squad included reigning champions, such as: Tyson Gay, Allyson Felix, Michelle Perry, Reese Hoffa, Dwight Phillips, Brad Walker, Bernard Lagat, Kerron Clement, and Jeremy Wariner.

Furthermore, outside the reigning champions, there were a number of past medallists and world leaders in the squad.

[1] With such strength in depth in a large squad, the United States was expected to maintain its dominance of the competition, in which it has not been beaten on total gold medals since 1987.

Olympic champion Bryan Clay missed the competition due to injury.