Jamal Britt celebrates his 110m hurdles win in Eugene (© Diamond League AG 
Logan Hannigan-Downs)
Meeting records by Jamal Britt, Masai Russell and Nikki Hiltz were among the highlights as fierce battles and breakthroughs lit up the Prefontaine Classic, this season’s ninth Wanda Diamond League meeting, in Eugene, USA, on Saturday (4).
The competition closed with mile wins by Hiltz and Cameron Myers, while teenager Tate Taylor won the 200m on his Diamond League debut and Melissa Jefferson-Wooden took top spot in a stacked 100m. Tara Davis-Woodhall won a competitive long jump contest and Leonardo Fabbri launched a world lead in the shot put.
USA’s Britt continued his fantastic run of form in the 110m hurdles by breaking the meeting record with a PB of 12.86 (1.8m/s) – a performance that moves him to fifth on the world all-time list.
With a strong finish, he passed recent world record-breaker Ja'Kobe Tharp – who sits top of that all-time list with the 12.75 he clocked during the NCAA Championships at Hayward Field last month – to win by 0.05.
It is Britt’s fourth race under 13 seconds this season and it improves on the PB of 12.89 he set to win at the Diamond League meeting in Paris. He becomes the third athlete in history to ever dip under 12.90 more than once. Tharp, meanwhile, achieved the third-fastest time of his career behind his two NCAA races last month.
USA’s Olympic champion Russell also impressed as she matched the meeting record to win the 100m hurdles, clocking 12.24 (0.8m/s) – the fifth-fastest time of her career.
She beat Nigeria’s Tobi Amusan by a tenth of a second – Amusan back on the track on which she set her world record of 12.12 in 2022, a mark that Russell was just 0.02 shy of in Xiamen in May. Former world record-holder Kendra Harrison, who set the Eugene meeting record in 2016, was also in action and finished eighth in 12.66.
Kayinsola Ajayi won the non-Diamond League 100m, three weeks on from his NCAA title victory on the same track. This time the 21-year-old clocked 9.84 (0.1m/s) to equal his own Nigerian record, getting a great start and maintaining his advantage to beat Jamaica’s world champion Oblique Seville who clocked 9.89.
Tate Taylor also continued his winning ways at Hayward Field – the venue that will host the World U20 Championships in August. The 18-year-old won a 100m and 200m double at the US U20 Championships last month and followed that with a statement 200m win against strong senior opposition on his Diamond League debut – improving his PB to 19.75 (-0.9m/s) to move to third on the world U20 all-time list.
Botswana’s Olympic champion Letsile Tebogo finished fast but he couldn’t catch Taylor and had to settle for second place in 19.93. Makanakaishe Charamba was third in 20.11.
Tate Taylor wins the 200m in Eugene (© Diamond League AG 
LLogan Hannigan-Downs)
Triple world champion Jefferson-Wooden retained her Prefontaine Classic 100m crown, beating 2023 world champion Sha'Carri Richardson by just 0.01 in 10.78 (0.0m/s). World leader Adaejah Hodge was another 0.01 back in third.
Collen Kebinatshipi narrowly beat Rai Benjamin in a 400m clash between reigning world champions – Botswana’s world 400m gold medallist Kebinatshipi clocking 44.00 to edge USA’s 400m hurdles star Benjamin by 0.11, the latter, running from lane nine, clocking a PB for the flat one-lap event.
Mile wins for Hiltz and Myers
USA’s two-time world indoor medallist Nikki Hiltz kicked to victory in the mile, winning in a world-leading meeting record of 4:17.49 as Faith Kipyegon was beaten in either a 1500m or mile race for the first time in more than five years.
Hiltz held off world silver medallist Dorcus Ewoi, who clocked a PB of 4:17.62 for second place, while world record-holder and multiple global gold medallist Kipyegon was third in 4:17.80.
Australia’s Cameron Myers ran an Oceanian record of 3:46.06 to win the Bowerman Mile, judging his race to perfection to finish clear ahead of Yared Nuguse (3:46.61) and Ethan Strand (3:46.97) as the top seven all dipped under 3:48.
A fierce 800m fight between the world champion and the Olympic champion was won by Kenya’s Lilian Odira as she overpowered Great Britain’s Keely Hodgkinson in the closing stages – 1:56.19 to 1:56.73. Olympic champion Hodgkinson held back as the race got off to a fast start and then she moved to the fore. But Odira was waiting for her moment to strike and the world champion kicked past her rival down the home straight to clinch her first Diamond League victory.
Kenya’s world champion Faith Cherotich strode to a clear win in the 3000m steeplechase, moving away from Bahrain’s Olympic champion Winfred Yavi in the closing stages to triumph in 8:51.74. Yavi was second in 8:52.84, while Marwa Bouzayani was third in a Tunisian record of 8:54.32. Doris Lemngole also dipped under nine minutes, running a PB of 8:57.89 – the best ever time for fourth place.
The women’s two miles was won by Ethiopia’s Aleshign Baweke in 9:20.02.
Fabbri throws 22.74m
Italy’s Leonardo Fabbri had the shot put won with his opening throw. The two-time world medallist, who threw 22.50m in February, improved to 22.74m in Eugene and his rivals had no response. He eventually won by 58 centimetres ahead of Olympic bronze medallist Rajindra Campbell who threw 22.16m, also in the first round.
The women’s shot put was also won with an opening throw, USA’s two-time world gold medallist Chase Jackson managing 20.56m from her first attempt to win ahead of world champion and world leader Jessica Schilder (20.11m).
Lithuania’s world discus record-holder Mykolas Alekna opened his Diamond League campaign after injury with a win, throwing 71.06m in the fifth round to beat 2022 world champion Kristjan Čeh with 69.94m.
China’s world bronze medallist Zhang Jiale, who threw a world U20 record of 77.24m last year, improved her PB to 77.94m to win the hammer – that mark moving the 19-year-old to 10th on the world all-time list. Canada’s Olympic and two-time world champion Camryn Rogers led the contest until that final-round effort by Zhang and finished second with her opening attempt of 77.81m.
The top two in the women’s long jump were separated by a single centimetre. Larissa Iapichino added one centimetre to the Italian record held by her mother, Fiona May, since 1998 – jumping 7.12m (1.8m/s) in the first round. But USA’s Olympic and world champion Tara Davis-Woodhall responded with 7.13m (0.8m/s) in the next round and that clinched her the win. Monae' Nichols also surpassed seven metres with a wind-aided 7.05m (3.0m/s) for third place.
Tara Davis-Woodhall in long jump action in Eugene (© Diamond League AG Logan Hannigan-Downs)
Meeting record for Katzberg
A series of non-Diamond League contests kicked off the Prefontaine Classic on Friday (3) as the meeting was held over two days to coincide with Fourth of July celebrations.
The first day’s action was headlined by Ethan Katzberg’s hammer win as Canada’s Olympic and two-time world champion threw a meeting record of 83.33m in the second round, achieving the fourth-best winning mark of his career. All four of his valid throws in Eugene surpassed 80 metres. Rudy Winkler was second with 81.12m.
USA’s Sandi Morris won the pole vault (4.85m), while Valarie Sion won the discus (68.64m).
Brandon Miller won the 800m ahead of Cooper Lutkenhaus, 1:43.68 to 1:44.82, while Parker Wolfe clinched two-mile victory (8:10.13).
