Tim Montgomery was originally runner-up in the men's 100 m, but was disqualified due to doping. Jon Drummond and Coby Miller were raised to second and third place.
Calvin Harrison was originally runner-up in the men's 400 m, but was disqualified due to doping. Jerome Young and Derrick Brew were raised to second and third place.
Eric Thomas originally won the men's 400 m hurdles, but was disqualified due to doping. Bershawn Jackson was elevated to the national title. Joey Woody and James Carter were raised to second and third place.
Kevin Toth originally won the men's shot put, but was disqualified due to doping. John Godina was elevated to the national title. Reese Hoffa and Adam Nelson were raised to second and third place.
Women track events
Women field events
Kelli White originally won the women's 100 m, but was disqualified due to doping. Torri Edwards was elevated to the national title. Gail Devers and Inger Miller were raised to second and third place.
Kelli White originally won the women's 200 m, but was disqualified due to doping. Torri Edwards was elevated to the national title. Allyson Felix and LaTasha Jenkins were raised to second and third place.
Regina Jacobs originally won the women's 1500 m, but was disqualified due to doping. Suzy Favor Hamilton was elevated to the national title. Tiffany McWilliams and Collette Liss were raised to second and third place.
Sandra Glover originally placed third in the women's 400 m hurdles, but was disqualified due to doping. Brenda Taylor was raised to third place.
The women's steeplechase was a national championship event, but was not part of the selection for the World Championships as the women's event was not added to the competition program until the 2005 edition.
Doping
Doping was widespread at the 2003 USA Championships. A year after the competition, hurdler Brenda Taylor revealed she was offered banned substancemodafinil and claimed that she thought she was "the only person that didn't take it". This followed the revelation that several athletes had tested positive for that drug at the championships and received bans from the sport, including Kelli White, Chryste Gaines, Sandra Glover and Eric Thomas and John McEwen. The governing body USA Track & Field was criticised for not acting more quickly in reporting the failed tests. Despite the failed drug test, the American body failed to report this to the International Association of Athletics Federations until after she had won gold medals in both the 100 m and 200 m at the World Championships. Others to later have their national championship results be disqualified for doping were: Regina Jacobs, Damu Cherry, Melissa Price, Tim Montgomery, Calvin Harrison, Alvin Harrison and Kevin Toth. Many of these athlete bans were related to the BALCO scandal and the use of Tetrahydrogestrinone.
Men's shot put fourth placer Christian Cantwell would have been given the fourth national team spot due to Godina's bye, but was omitted as Kevin Toth, whose performance was later disqualified for doping, was chosen instead. Sam Burley, sixth in the men's 800 m, was given the third national team place as the highest finisher with the "A" qualifying standard. Chris Phillips, fourth in the men's 110 m hurdles, was selected as a result of Allen Johnson's bye. Tora Harris was given the third men's high jump spot for his fifth-place finish as he was the only other athlete with the "A" standard. Low finishers in the men's discus were selected by merit of having the standard – Nick Petrucci had come fifth while Casey Malone was ninth nationally. None of the top three finishers in the women's 5000 m had the "A" qualifying standard so Lauren Fleshman, fourth in Palo Alto, was the United States' sole World Championships representative in the event. Women's discus third placer Seilala Sua did not reach the standard so fourth place Kris Kuehl was selected instead.
