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Prefontaine Classic Preview: Sprint and Middle Distance Events

Posted June 6th, 2008 at 11:00 AM by Jesse Squire

Section: News & Results, Track & Field

prefontaine classic 2008 poster

Women’s 400 meters
4:03 p.m. EDT (1:03 p.m. local)
Competitors have not yet been announced.

Men’s 100 meters
4:12 p.m. EDT (1:12 p.m. local)
The favorites are Michael Frater (Jamaica) and Churandy Martina (Netherlands Antilles), who are #7 and #8 respectively in my World Rankings points system. Veteran sprinter Francis Obikwelu (Portugal) is just starting his season and could challenge for the win as well. Other entrants include Darrel Brown (Trinidad) and Americans Mark Jelks, Shawn Crawford and Ivory Williams.

Women’s 1500 meters
4:19 p.m. EDT (1:19 p.m. local)
As you would expect for a Pre Classic distance race, this is a great field, probably the best yet assembled this outdoor season. Maryam Yusuf Jamal (Bahrain, #4 in my World Rankings) is the defending World Champion and will be running her first outdoor 1500 of the year. Gelete Burka (Ethiopia, #2 in my World Rankings) recently won the African Championship and was third at this year’s World Indoor Championship, where she beat Jamal by half a second. Christin Wurth-Thomas (USA, #10 in my World Rankings) won the USATF Indoor title this year. Others include Meskerem Assefa (Ethiopia), runner-up at the African Championships; Lisa Corrigan (Australia), winner at last week’s Reebok Grand Prix; Carmen Douma-Hussar (Canada); Tatyana Tomashova (Russia); and Americans Lauren Fleshman, Amy Mortimer, Erin Donohue, and Treniere Clement.

Men’s 800 meters
4:30 p.m. EDT (1:30 local)
Another great field; Khadevis Robinson and TFS’ own Nick Symmonds will renew their budding rivalry. Others to contend with are defending World Champion Alfred Yego (Kenya, #7 in my World Rankings), World Indoor bronze medalist Yusuf Kamel (Bahrain, #5 in my World Rankings), 2007 World Championships medalist Gary Reed (Canada), Ismael Kombich (Kenya), and American Matt Scherer.

Women’s 100m Hurdles
4:41 p.m. EDT (1:41 local)
Competitors have not yet been announced.

Men’s 110m Hurdles
4:51 p.m. EDT (1:51 local)
Competitors have not yet been announced; World-record holder and Olympic Champion Liu Xiang was scheduled to run but likely will withdraw due to injury.

Men’s 400 meters
5:04 p.m. EDT (2:04 local)
Competitors have not yet been announced.

Women’s 100 meters
5:11 p.m. EDT (2:11 local)
Allyson Felix is the headliner, but based on her performance at last week’s Reebok Grand Prix she could not be considered the favorite. Nor could World Indoor champion Angela Williams. I would say the favorites based on recent performance are Muna Lee and Jamaican Sherone Simpson. But any of the eight is capable of winning, as the rest of the field is tremendously solid: Kerron Stewart (Jamaica) and Americans Lauryn Williams, Carmelita Jeter and Torri Edwards are all potential Olympic medalists.

Men’s 2 Mile
5:18 p.m. EDT (2:18 p.m.)
You’ve got Bernard Lagat, double World Champion at distances both shorter (1500m) and longer (5000m). You’ve got steeplechase world-record holder Saif Shaheen (Qatar) on the comeback from injury. You’ve got World Indoor runner-up Paul Koech (Kenya) who set a steeplechase US All-Comers record at last week’s Reebok Grand Prix in a stunning solo run. You’ve got Craig Mottram (Australia), who is perfectly suited for the 2-mile distance and is nothing if not entertaining. You’ve got Shadrack Kosgei (Kenya) who won the 5k at the Reebok Grand Prix. You’ve got pretty much all the best Americans on the track: Dathan Ritzenhein, Chris Solinksy, Adam Goucher, Jonathan Riley, Bolota Asmerom. You’ve got high schooler Luke Pudreska . What more could you ask for?

Men’s 200 meters
5:34 p.m. EDT (2:34 local)
The clear favorite is Wallace Spearmon (#3 in my World Rankings) who won at last week’s Reebok Grand Prix in dominating fashion. Xavier Carter, Rodney Martin and Jamaican Chris Williams have also been running well. Other entered are Shawn Crawford and Chris Berrian.

Bowerman Mile
5:42 p.m. EDT (2:42 local)
This race comes only two days after Oslo’s famed “Dream Mile” but it might be a better race. My favorite is Daniel Kipchirchir Komen (Kenya, #1 in my World Rankings), second at both the World Indor and last week’s Golden League meet in Berlin. Shedrack Kibet Korir (Kenya, #5 in my World Rankings) could also challenge. Almost any of the rest of the athletes could concievably win. Alan Webb, the season’s biggest question mark, is entered. 2005 double World Champion Rashid Ramzi (Bahrain) is in the race, along with Alex Kipchirchir (Kenya), Americans Matt Tegenkamp and Lopez Lomong, Tarek Boukensa (Algeria), Belal Mansour (Bahrain), Antar Zerguelaine (Algeria) and Michigan alums Kevin Sullivan (Canada) and Nick Willis (New Zealand).

Women’s 800 meters
5:52 p.m. EDT
This is Maria Mutola’s send-off race. She is retiring this year and got her start in top-level running as an exchange student in Oregon. Her competition includes Americans Nicole Teter, Hazel Clark-Riley, Alice Schmidt, 1500 ace Shannon Rowbury, high schooler Chanelle Price, Miho Sato (Japan) and Diane Cummins (Canada).

bowerman mile | Inmars said:

[…] Prefontaine Classic Preview: Sprint and Middle Distance Events6 Jun 2008 by Jesse Squire Bowerman Mile 5:42 pm EDT (2:42 local) This race comes only two days after Oslo’s famed “Dream Mile” but it might be a better race. My favorite is Daniel Kipchirchir Komen (Kenya, #1 in my World Rankings), second at both the World Indor …thefinalsprint.com | Premier Running Destinatio… - http://www.thefinalsprint.com […]
June 8th, 2008 at 7:38 pm
bowerman mile | Thehotopic said:

[…] Prefontaine Classic Preview: Sprint and Middle Distance Events […]
June 8th, 2008 at 8:21 pm