Maurice Greene defeats Tim Montgomery at the Mt SAC Relays (© Getty Images)
Eugene, USAMaurice Greene and Tim Montgomery’s rivalry will resume in the Prefontaine Classic. The two fastest 100m men ever will compete in the IAAF Grand Prix meet at the University of Oregon’s Hayward Field on Saturday 19 June.
It will be the second meeting of the season between Montgomery, the World record holder at 9.78, and Greene, the holder of the preceding best mark (9.79). Greene handily defeated Montgomery in the Mt. San Antonio College Relays on 18 April, running 10.02 with Montgomery in third in 10.27. It was the first race between the Americans since 2002.
Reigning Olympic champion Greene is coming off wind-aided performances of 9.78 in the Payton Jordan U.S. Open on 31 May, and a 9.86 in the Home Depot Invitational on 22 May. Greene’s 9.78 is the second fastest of all-time under any conditions, and it will be Greene’s final race until the U.S. Olympic Trials next month in Sacramento.
The men’s 100m won’t be a two-personality race either, as Shawn Crawford, who clocked a wind-aided 9.86 to win the Doha Super Grand Prix, John Capel 2003 the World 200m champion, Mickey Grimes and Bernard Williams are all in the blocks.
Prefontaine celebrates 30th Anniversary
The Prefontaine Classic, now in its 30th year, was named after legendary U.S. distance runner Steve Prefontaine, who tragically died in an automobile accident at age 24 in 1975. To keep the quality of the meet to a high standard, athletes must be ranked among the top 50 in the world to be eligible for an invitation.
Jones returns
Marion Jones will be making a return to Pre after missing the 2003 meet because of pregnancy. The five-time Sydney medallist will compete in the 100m and Long Jump to continue her preparations for a double in the U.S. Trials.
As well as the reigning Olympic champion, who set the meet record in 2002 (10.90), the women’s 100m will feature Gail Devers the Olympic winner from 1992 and 1996. The 37-year-old Devers, who hasn’t run in the 100 here since 1997, has shown no signs of slowing in her bid for a fifth Olympic team spot. (In the Hurdles which remains her speciality, Devers has the two fastest times in the world this year at 12.50 and 12.56).
In the 100m dash, Jones and Devers will be challenged by Latasha Collander, Inger Miller and Chryste Gaines. Collander, the 2000 U.S. Olympic Trials 400m champion, has shifted her focus to the sprints in 2004 where she clocked a career-best 22.37 in the 200m in the Payton Jordan U.S. Open.
In the Long Jump, Jones, who sailed to a meet record and personal best of 7.31m in 1998, produced a wind-aided 7.13m in the Home Depot meet early this year, her first time over seven metres since 2000. At the Prefontaine, Jones will face compatriot Grace Upshaw and Anu Bobby George of India, who finished third in the 2003 IAAF World Championships for her country’s first World medal in any event.
Mutola - 13th year
No athlete has become more of a fixture at this meet than World and Olympic 800m champion Maria Mutola of Mozambique, who has won a record 11 times in 12 years. Mutola, a former Eugene resident, is coming off a world yearly leading 1:57.72 in Ostrava last week. The women’s 800m will feature six runners who have run under 2:00 with Slovenia’s Brigita Langerholc, fourth in the 2000 Olympics; Americans Nicole Teter, Jen Toomey and Hazel Clark and Canadian Diane Cummins and Marian Burnett of Guyana.
World Champions Johnson and Felicien in the Hurdles
Reigning World champions Allen Johnson and Perdita Felicien headline the men’s and women’s High hurdles. Johnson, the four-time global champion who has run three of the world’s fastest four times this year, faces Larry Wade at the 110m Hurdles.
Over the women’s 100m Hurdles, Felicien will face 2003 World Championship bronze medallist Miesha McKelvy-Jones, 2001 World Champion Anjanette Kirkland and Jenny Adams. Adams, who won the 100m hurdles in 12.67 in the U.S. Open, has forgone the Long Jump this season to focus exclusively on the hurdles.
Dragila and Stevenson looking for new heights in Pole Vault
Stacy Dragila and Toby Stevenson have been the dominant vaulters of the outdoor campaign. Dragila, the defending Olympic women’s champion, vaulted an all-time outdoor best of of 4.83m in the Ostrava Grand Prix in the Czech Republic on 8 June, whereas Stevenson became only the ninth man to clear 6m in the Modesto Relays last month.
The men’s vault will include three of the top nine of all-time with Stevenson, American record-holder Jeff Hartwig and 2001 World Champion Dmitri Markov of Australia. Nick Hysong, the 2000 Olympic champion and Oregon freshman Tommy Skipper, who won the NCAA title last Saturday in Austin, are also entered.
In the women’s competition, Dragila challengers included Tracy O’Hara, who became the sixth American to surpass 15 feet with a 4.58m effort last Saturday.
Cantwell, Hoffa and Nelson in the Shot Put
Christian Cantwell has won his last 12 consecutive competitions, including a 2003 World Indoor title. In this last two outings, the 23-year-old Missouri graduate had six throws over 21.45m and had three outdoor personal bests in the Hope Depot Invitational. Cantwell followed it by tossing a world-leading 22.54m in the IAAF GPII in Portland on 5 June.
Reese Hoffa, the 2003 World Indoor silver medallist, and 2000 Olympic runner-up Adam Nelson, who train together under Don Babbitt at the University of Georgia, will be looking for an upset.
Homecoming for Webb in the Mile
Alan Webb returns to the site of his greatest accomplishment in the Bowerman Mile. As a high school senior in 2001, Webb ran 3:53.43 to shatter the 36-year-old U.S. high school record of 3:55.3 held by Jim Ryun.
Webb has since struggled forgoing his collegiate eligibility after his freshman year at Michigan to turn professional this spring. The 21-year-old, however, has run three personal bests in the 1500m over the last month, including a world-leading 3:32.75 in Ostrava, for his first improvement since his high school best of 3:38.26 run en route to the Mile record.
In the Prefontaine 5000, Luke Kipkosgei of Kenya will be seeking his fifth win after winning from 1998-2001.
Kelly Holmes of Great Britain, the 2000 Olympic silver medallist in the 800m, is a late addition to the women’s 1500m.
