The Prefontaine Classic is a track and field meet held at Hayward Field on the campus of the University of Oregon in Eugene, Oregon, United States. Organized by the Oregon Track Club, it was previously one of the IAAF Grand Prix events, and is now part of the Diamond League. The meet is one of the few international competitions to host the imperial distances of the Mile run (Bowerman Mile) and 2 Mile run.

Prefontaine Classic
Start of the 200m during the 2006 edition
DateJune
LocationHayward Field
Eugene, Oregon, U.S.
Event typeTrack and field
World Athletics Cat.GW[1]
Established1973; 51 years ago (1973)
1975 as Prefontaine Classic
Official siteDiamond League Eugene
Hayward Field is located in the United States
Hayward Field
Hayward
Field
Logo

History edit

The first Prefontaine Classic was held in 1975. The meet had its genesis with the Hayward Restoration Meets of 1973–74. The Hayward Restoration meets were launched to help replace the deteriorated wooden West Grandstands at Hayward Field. It was to become the "Bowerman Classic" in 1975 to honor longtime University of Oregon track coach Bill Bowerman, and was scheduled for June 7.[2] With the unexpected death of University of Oregon distance runner and Olympian Steve Prefontaine in an automobile accident on May 30, the Oregon Track Club changed the name, with Bowerman's approval, on June 1;[3][4] the first "Pre Classic" was held six days later.[5] Nike has been the primary sponsor since 1978. The 2019 edition moved to Stanford's Cobb Track and Angell Field, Palo Alto, California because of restoration of Hayward Field in anticipation of the IAAF World Athletics Championships in 2021.[6] The 2020 edition was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[7]

In 2023, the Prefontaine Classic was held as the Diamond League Final for the first time.[1]

World records edit

Over the course of its history, six world records have been set at the Prefontaine Classic.

Year Event Record Athlete Nationality Ref
2023 Pole vault 6.23 m Armand Duplantis   Sweden
2023 5,000 m 14:00.21 Gudaf Tsegay   Ethiopia
2011 30 km (track) 1:26:47.4 Moses Mosop   Kenya [8][9]
2011 25 km (track) 1:12:25.4+ Moses Mosop   Kenya [8][10]
1982 5,000 m 15:08.26 Mary Decker Slaney   United States
1975 220 yard dash 19.92 Don Quarrie   Jamaica

Other notable performances and records edit

2001: Alan Webb's high school mile record edit

At the 2001 Prefontaine Classic, Alan Webb competed against elite international runners, in a field that included world record holder Hicham El Guerrouj, and the 2000 Sydney Olympics 1500m bronze medalist Bernard Lagat.[11]

Webb ran 3:53.43 in the Bowerman Mile and broke Jim Ryun's national high school record that had stood for 36 years. This was also the fastest mile by an American in three years.

1993-2008: Maria Mutola in the 800 m edit

Maria de Lurdes Mutola won 16 consecutive (1993-2008) women's 800 m races at the Pre Classic.

2023: Jakob Ingebrigtsen's mile & 3000m double edit

In the 2023 Prefontaine Classic & Diamond League Final, on September 16, Norwegian athlete Jakob Ingebrigtsen won the Bowerman Mile, in a time of 3:43.73, with the aid of pacing lights and pacemakers Erik Sowinski & Cameron Myers.

Ingebrigtsen missed Hicham El Guerrouj's mile world record by .60 seconds, still having run the fastest mile in 24 years and the third fastest mile in history at the time.

Ingebrigtsen was closely followed by Yared Nuguse, who finished in an American record time of 3:43.97, breaking Alan Webb's former American mile record of 3:46.91 by almost three full seconds and running the fourth fastest mile in history at the time.

The race closely mimics El Guerrouj's 1999 world record run in Rome, where El Guerrouj won in 3:43.13, but was being closely tracked by Kenyan athlete Noah Ngeny, who came in second place at 3:43.40. El Guerrouj and Ngeny still hold the first and second fastest mile times respectively as of 2023.

These four men (El Guerrouj, Ngeny, Ingebrigtsen, Nuguse) remain the only ones in history to have ran a mile under 3:44.00 as of 2023, with the #5 fastest mile of all time being Noureddine Morceli's 1993 time of 3:44.39.[12][13][14]

The next day, Ingebrigtsen would go on to win the 3000 m, in a time of 7:23.63, beating Yomif Kejelcha by only one hundredth of a second. At the time, this ranked Kejelcha at #4 all time and Ingebrigtsen at #3 all time, behind Hicham El Guerrouj's 7:23.09 and Daniel Komen's world record of 7:20.67.[15]

Both of Ingebrigtsen's performances stand as Diamond League Records and are the third fastest performances in their respective event as of 2023.

Meet records edit

Men edit

Event Record Athlete Nationality Date Ref Video
100 m 9.80 (+1.3 m/s) Steve Mullings   Jamaica 4 June 2011 [16][17] [2]
200 m 19.52 (+1.5 m/s) Noah Lyles   United States 21 August 2021 [18] [3]
400 m 43.60 DLR Michael Norman   United States 28 May 2022 [19] [4]
800 m 1:42.80 Emmanuel Wanyonyi   Kenya 17 September 2023 [20]
1000 m 2:13.62 Abubaker Kaki Khamis   Sudan 3 July 2010
1500 m 3:28.76+[a] Jakob Ingebrigtsen   Norway 16 September 2023 [21][22]
Mile 3:43.73 DLR Jakob Ingebrigtsen   Norway 16 September 2023 [23]
3000 m 7:23.63 DLR Jakob Ingebrigtsen   Norway 17 September 2023 [24]
Two miles 8:03.50 Craig Mottram   Australia 10 June 2007 [5][6]
5000 m 12:50.05 Berihu Aregawi   Ethiopia 28 May 2022 [19]
10000 m 26:25.97 Kenenisa Bekele   Ethiopia 8 June 2008
25000 m (track) 1:12:25.4+ Moses Mosop   Kenya 3 June 2011 [8][10] [7]
30000 m (track) 1:26:47.4 Moses Mosop   Kenya 3 June 2011 [8][10] [8]
110 m hurdles 12.90 (+1.6 m/s) David Oliver   United States 3 July 2010
400 m hurdles 46.39 DLR Rai Benjamin   United States 16 September 2023 [23]
3000 m steeplechase 8:01.71 Ezekiel Kemboi   Kenya 30 May 2015 [25]
High jump 2.41 m Mutaz Essa Barshim   Qatar 30 May 2015 [25]
Pole vault 6.23 m WR Armand Duplantis   Sweden 17 September 2023 [26]
Long jump 8.74 m (-1.2 m/s) Dwight Phillips   United States 7 June 2009
Triple jump 18.11 m (+0.8 m/s) DLR Christian Taylor   United States 27 May 2017 [27]
Shot put 23.15 m DLR Ryan Crouser   United States 21 August 2021 [18]
Discus throw 71.32 m Ben Plucknett   United States 1983
Hammer throw 82.65 m Koji Murofushi   Japan 19 June 2004
Javelin throw 89.88 m Thomas Röhler   Germany 25 May 2018 [28]

Women edit

Event Record Athlete Nationality Date Ref Video
100 m 10.54 (+0.9 m/s) DLR Elaine Thompson-Herah   Jamaica 21 August 2021 [18]
200 m 21.57 (+0.3 m/s) Shericka Jackson   Jamaica 17 September 2023 [29]
400 m 49.34 Ana Guevara   Mexico 24 May 2003
800 m 1:54.97 Athing Mu   United States 17 September 2023 [30]
1000 m 2:32.33 Maria Mutola   Mozambique 1995
1500 m 3:50.72 Faith Kipyegon   Kenya 16 September 2023 [23]
Mile 4:21.25 Mary Slaney   United States 1988
2000 m 5:31.52 Vivian Cheruiyot   Kenya 7 June 2009
3000 m 8:18.49 DLR Sifan Hassan   Netherlands 30 June 2019 [31]
Two miles 8:59.08 Francine Niyonsaba   Burundi 27 May 2022 [32]
5000 m 14:00.21 WR Gudaf Tsegay   Ethiopia 17 September 2023 [33]
10000 m 30:24.39 DLR Tirunesh Dibaba   Ethiopia 1 June 2012 [34] [9]
100 m hurdles 12.24 (+0.7 m/s) Kendra Harrison   United States 28 May 2016 [35]
400 m hurdles 51.98 Femke Bol   Netherlands 17 September 2023 [36]
3000 m steeplechase 8:50.66 Winfred Yavi   Bahrain 16 September 2023 [23]
High jump 2.04 m Mariya Lasitskene   Russia 30 June 2019 [37]
Pole vault 4.86 m Katie Moon   United States 16 September 2023 [23]
Long jump 7.31 m Marion Jones   United States 31 May 1998
Triple jump 15.35 m (+1.7 m/s) Yulimar Rojas   Venezuela 16 September 2023 [23]
Shot put 20.76 m Chase Ealey   United States 16 September 2023 [23]
Discus throw 69.32 m Sandra Perković   Croatia 30 May 2014 [38] [10]
Hammer throw 75.98 m DLR Tatyana Lysenko   Russia 3 July 2010
Javelin throw 67.70 m Christina Obergföll   Germany 31 May 2013 [39]

Notes edit

  1. ^ by Athletics Weekly source; 3:28.9 by official 1 Mile Run Race Analysis

References edit

  1. ^ "IAAF World Ranking Calendar". IAAF. 2019.
  2. ^ Newnham, Blaine (April 25, 1975). "A great season". Eugene-Register Guard. p. 1D.
  3. ^ "Moore: I knew he was happy". Eugene-Register Guard. June 4, 1975. p. 1D.
  4. ^ Newnham, Blaine (June 4, 1975). "The Pre Classic". Eugene-Register Guard. p. 1D.
  5. ^ Moore, Kenny (June 8, 1975). "Pre's peers pay tribute". Eugene Register-Guard. (New York Times). p. 2B.
  6. ^ Brian Russell (June 28, 2019). "Quality clashes at every turn in Stanford – IAAF Diamond League". IAAF. Retrieved July 17, 2019.
  7. ^ "Wanda Diamond League announces updates to 2020 calendar". IDL Diamond League.
  8. ^ a b c d Dave Martin (June 4, 2011). "Mosop rips apart World records for 25,000 and 30,000m in Eugene - Samsung Diamond League". IAAF. Retrieved June 4, 2011.
  9. ^ "30000 Metres Results" (PDF). www.diamondleague-eugene.com. June 3, 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 25, 2012. Retrieved June 4, 2011.
  10. ^ a b c "30000 Metres Results with 25000m Intermediate Time" (PDF). www.diamondleague-eugene.com. June 3, 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 25, 2012. Retrieved June 4, 2011.
  11. ^ Alan Webb Mile High School Record - 2001 Prefontaine Classic, retrieved March 8, 2024
  12. ^ Wright, Andy (September 17, 2023). "Bowerman Mile 2023 - Eugene Mile Madness". Meta Endurance. Retrieved November 1, 2023.
  13. ^ LetsRun.com (September 16, 2023). "Jakob Ingebrigtsen (3:43.73) Tops Yared Nuguse (3:43.97) in Epic 2023 Bowerman Mile". LetsRun.com. Retrieved November 1, 2023.
  14. ^ "One Mile - men - senior - outdoor". worldathletics.org. Retrieved November 1, 2023.
  15. ^ "3000 Metres - men - senior - outdoor". worldathletics.org. Retrieved November 1, 2023.
  16. ^ "100 Metres Results" (PDF). www.diamondleague-eugene.com. June 4, 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 25, 2012. Retrieved June 5, 2011.
  17. ^ Dave Martin (June 5, 2011). "Oliver and Jeter shine on a day when world leading marks dominate in Eugene - Samsung Diamond League". IAAF. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  18. ^ a b c "Prefontaine Classic 2021 Complete Results" (PDF). sportresult.com. August 21, 2021. Retrieved August 27, 2021.
  19. ^ a b Cathal Dennehy (May 29, 2022). "Norman reigns in fierce 400m clash with record run in Eugene". World Athletics. Retrieved June 15, 2022.
  20. ^ "800m Results" (PDF). sportresult.com. September 17, 2023. Retrieved September 20, 2023.
  21. ^ Steve Smythe (September 19, 2023). "Cairess top European in Copenhagen Half – overseas round-up". athleticsweekly.com. Retrieved September 20, 2023.
  22. ^ "Mile Run Race Analysis" (PDF). sportresult.com. September 16, 2023. Retrieved September 20, 2023.
  23. ^ a b c d e f g "Ingebrigtsen and Yavi shine as records fall on day one of Diamond League Final | REPORT | World Athletics". worldathletics.org. Retrieved September 16, 2023.
  24. ^ "3000m Results" (PDF). sportresult.com. September 17, 2023. Retrieved September 20, 2023.
  25. ^ a b "Prefontaine Classic 2021 Complete Results".
  26. ^ "Pole Vault Results" (PDF). sportresult.com. September 17, 2023. Retrieved September 20, 2023.
  27. ^ "Triple Jump Results". IAAF. May 27, 2017. Retrieved May 27, 2017.
  28. ^ "Javelin Throw Results". flashresults.com. May 25, 2018. Retrieved May 26, 2018.
  29. ^ "200m Results" (PDF). sportresult.com. September 17, 2023. Retrieved September 20, 2023.
  30. ^ "800m Results" (PDF). sportresult.com. September 17, 2023. Retrieved September 19, 2023.
  31. ^ Brian Russell (July 1, 2019). "Hassan takes historic 3000m victory in Stanford – IAAF Diamond League". IAAF. Retrieved July 20, 2019.
  32. ^ Cathal Dennehy (May 28, 2022). "Mahuchikh and Taye triumph on opening night in Eugene". World Athletics. Retrieved June 10, 2022.
  33. ^ "5000m Results" (PDF). sportresult.com. September 17, 2023. Retrieved September 20, 2023.
  34. ^ Paul Gains (June 2, 2012). "Dibaba 30:24.39 and Kiprop 27:01.98 on stunning but wet first night in Eugene - Samsung Diamond League". IAAF. Retrieved June 2, 2012.
  35. ^ "Prefontaine Classic 2021 Results".
  36. ^ "400m Hurdles Results" (PDF). sportresult.com. September 17, 2023. Retrieved September 20, 2023.
  37. ^ "High Jump Results". flashresults.com. June 30, 2019. Retrieved July 18, 2019.
  38. ^ "Discus Throw Results" (PDF). www.diamondleague-eugene.com. May 30, 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 31, 2014. Retrieved May 31, 2014.
  39. ^ "Javelin Throw Results" (PDF). Diamond League. Omega Timing. May 31, 2013. Retrieved June 2, 2013.[permanent dead link]

External links edit

44°02′31″N 123°04′16″W / 44.042°N 123.071°W / 44.042; -123.071