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EUGENE, Ore. — In the United States, the popularity of individual Olympic sports ebbs and rises depending on the stardom and appeal of the athletes competing. Michael Phelps and Katie Ledecky elevated swimming just as Simone Biles elevated gymnastics. General audiences may like the sport, but they love the stars.

The first half of the U.S. Olympic track and field trials, which resume Thursday after a two-day break, presented the vivid possibility that American track and field is producing its collective version of Phelps and Biles.

Noah Lyles and Sha’Carri Richardson, world champions in the marquee 100 meters, won and maintained their status as favorites to win gold medals in Paris. Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, the 400-meter hurdles world record holder, will make her trials debut Thursday as an essential lock to make her third Olympic team by 24.

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All are the kinds of talent that draw casual fans to screens. Richardson is a magnetic athlete on a redemptive arc. Lyles is an unrestrained showman. McLaughlin-Levrone is the best ever at what she does and promises to do more.

By the time Los Angeles hosts the Olympics in 2028, American track and field may be chocked with a cohort of reigning gold medalists still young enough to be in their competitive prime. Despite Athing Mu’s devastating fall Monday denying her a chance to defend her Tokyo gold medal in the 800 meters in Paris, emerging stars such as Grant Holloway in the 110-meter hurdles (who could break the world record Thursday or Friday) and heptathlete Anna Hall, who won at the trials Monday, will have a platform to become household names.

The Los Angeles host committee already has announced the decision to reverse the traditional schedule, moving track and field to the first week of the Games — when television viewership tends to be higher — and swimming to the end.

“The world is coming to the LA for the Olympics,” LA28 CEO Casey Wasserman said at a news conference here this week. “And track is going to be number one.”

Sunday night’s U.S. trials broadcast drew 5.7 million viewers, according to NBC, making it the highest-rated track and field telecast in 12 years. The reason it rated so well: stars. Lyles won the 100 meters, and 16-year-old Quincy Wilson qualified for the 400-meter final. Wilson ultimately finished sixth, but he still could make it to Paris: On his Instagram account Tuesday, Wilson said he would know by Sunday whether he would be named to the relay pool.

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Track and field officials, both globally and domestically, are banking on another boost before the Olympics. “Sprint,” a Netflix documentary series in the mold of Formula One’s “Drive to Survive” and golf’s “Full Swing,” will debut July 2. The primary stars? Richardson and Lyles.

In America, sprinters have been the most frequent breakthrough stars. For years on the men’s side, the presence of Jamaica’s Usain Bolt blotted out the sun. With Bolt hogging golds for three quadrennials, the last American man to win the unofficial title of World’s Fastest Man at the Olympics was Justin Gatlin in 2004, making this the longest U.S. drought ever.

Lyles’s pursuit will be augmented by the frequency with which he competes. Swimmers and gymnasts can transcend their sports at the Olympics because they compete in multiple events. Viewers could expect to see Phelps or Biles almost nightly for stretches. Presuming Lyles makes it to Paris in the 200 and also takes a spot on the 4x100 relay team, he would run in seven races across five days. Richardson is not favored in the 200 and will need a big performance to make the team in that event, but she could execute the same schedule.

In the 400-meter hurdles, McLaughlin-Levrone would run three days, although given her skill and the race’s demands, she’ll probably give mostly conservative performances in the first two rounds. But she almost certainly will star in the 4x400 relay. It’s even reasonable to wonder whether she could receive consideration for the 4x100.

As athletes have qualified for Paris, discussion surfaced about where the next trials will be held. Many U.S. track and field athletes have soured on Eugene hosting most every major national event, largely because of burdensome travel costs and concern that remaining in one corner of the country limits the sport’s ability to attract new fans.

Still, Hayward Field seems to be the safest bet. Wasserman said hosting the trials in Los Angeles ahead of the Olympics “adds a level of complexity to our planning that I’m not sure is best for the athletes.” USA Track & Field CEO Max Siegel, who is ultimately responsible for choosing the location, said it would be difficult to find a host city as collaborative and supportive as Eugene.

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