As I mentioned in my previous post, things are about to really heat up., with the colleges heading towards their annual championship run! This week’s regional meets being held to select the top 24 Division I athletes that will go head to head in Eugene. If that’s not exciting enough for you however. There will be another little meet called the Prefontaine Classic that will be taking place as well.
I say a little meet in jest, as what started as a little meet in honor of a local hero, has become one of the world’s largest meets, thanks to the financial contributions of local employer, Nike. With their financial assistance, “Pre” is able to put together some of the deepest fields outside of World Championship competition. This year will be no exception, as many athletes will be competing in Eugene as part of their preparation for this year’s World Championships. While literally every event on the program is stacked, here are a few that I will be paying especially close attention to.
The Men’s 100
Well, as I’m getting ready to post, I have to make changes here. The defending World champion, Christian Coleman is still going to race. However, the current Olympic champion, Lamont Jacobs, has pulled out! That’s a shame, as most people were looking forward to him being in the race. Olympian Ronnie Baker was also scheduled, but is now a no. Leaving us with Noah Lyles, Erriyon Knighton, Fred Kerley, Andre Degrasse, Marvin Bracy, Kenny Bednarek and WJR holder Letsile Tebogo, who was just added. This still may be the best field assembled all year! And as tempted as I am to try to predict the race. This is one I just want to watch play out. Half the field are great starters. The other half great finishers. And everyone better keep their eyes on the two kids! Barring inclement weather, we should get a world leading time out of this race. This will be fun to watch.
The Men’s Shot Put
Yes, I’m looking forward to this one! After all, there will be three men in attendance that have thrown over 75 feet. Joe Kovacs, Tom Walsh, and WR holder Ryan Crouser. This will be worth the price of admission alone! Because these men are super competitive, and highly entertaining. Too many fans spend all their time watching what’s happening on the track. I’m hoping that the telecast of this meet spends some time on these guys – and a few other field events. Because when the world’s best do it, it can be beautiful to watch. I guarantee you that this event will be just that. And Crouser is always a threat to throw something special.
The Women’s Discus
I’m staying with the field events for a minute, because Valerie Allman is just doing fantastic things this year. Like throwing farther than anyone has done in over thirty years! Challenging marks that were thrown by athletes known to be steroid users. And doing it all by being very technically sound. She’s amazing to watch, and once again I’m hoping that the telecast spends some time showing you how good she is! If I were in the stadium, I would leave me seat to go watch her throw.
The Men’s Pole Vault
Yeah, I’m still in the field. I said Nike spends big money on this meet, and they spend a lot in the field. I really like the pole vault when it’s done right. Speed. Strength. Athleticism. It combines all these things. When it’s done just right, the vault goes up to twenty feet! That’s WAY up there. This meet has several men capable of challenging those heights. Starting with WR holder Mondo Duplantis. Throw in Sam Kendricks, KC Lightfoot, Chris Nilsen, and Renaud Lavillenie and this will be the vertical equivalent of the men’s shot put!
The Women’s 800
Back to the track, and I bet I fooled you. You expected a sprint, not middle distance. But I’m a big fan of two of the women in this race, Athing Mu and Keely Hodgkinson. Two of the brightest young stars in the sport, and the Olympic gold and silver medalists in the event in Tokyo. Did I mention that both were only 19? With good fortune, this pair will be racing each other for years to come. This should just be one of many matchups between the two. So I’m just going to settle in and watch them do their thing. I guarantee it will be entertaining.
The Men’s 400H
Ok. Here’s a tale of how quickly the sport can change. A little over two years ago, Abderrahmane Samba looked ready to take a go at the WR. So did Rai Benjamin. And the talk among fans was about who would get there first. Then Karsten Warholm won Worlds; got faster; won the Olympics and shattered the record! Samba got injured. Benjamin was runner up twice. And Alison dos Santos emerged, broke 47 and won bronze. Then a week ago he defeated Benjamin for the first time and currently leads the world at 47.24. And here we are at Eugene with Benjamin, dos Santos, and Samba ready to race! Frankly all three need a win. Samba to show he’s back. Dos Santos to show his win over Benjamin wasn’t a fluke. Benjamin to prove that it was! Get your popcorn here! It’s going to be an entertaining race.
The Men’s 400
This race doesn’t have the urgency of its hurdle counterpart, but it does have some outstanding competitors. Let’s start with Kirani James whose got an Olympic medal of every color in this event – gold, silver and bronze! There’s Michael Norman who’s the 4th fastest ever at 43.45. And Michael Cherry who’s being coached by quartermiler guru John Smith. Coach of Olympic Champions Steve Lewis & Quincy Watts, and Olympic bronze medalist Danny Everett. This will be about fast men running fast. As there will be plenty of speed on display. We could see the year’s first sub 44 if the conditions are right. I’d almost get on it.
The Men’s Mile
Of course, it’s Pre, and Nike. So the distance events are stacked. And the race that everyone relates to is the mile – not the 1500. Everyone understands what constitutes a fast mile, and there are several men here capable of doing just that – running a fast mile. In a very deep field, my favorites are Cole Hocker, Abel Kipsang, and Jakob Ingerbringtsen. All three are great racers and won’t let this race doddle. As a matter of fact, I expect to see something under 3:50 win this race!
So, buckle up boys and girls. This meet should provide great entertainment. And show just how good track and field can be when the lanes are full of the right athletes. Pre, Regionals, then on to NCAA Championships and Trials. We’re about to hit the sweet spot in the season!