Friday night will be a party at the Pre
Letesenbet Gidey at the Thursday press conference ahead of the 2022 Prefontaine Classic. Photo by Mikeisha Kelly
By Cassie Cole
An exciting weekend is coming to Hayward Field at the University of Oregon. The Prefontaine Classic kicked off Thursday morning with a press conference at the Graduate Hotel in Eugene, Oregon.
World Record Attempts
Thursday’s conference centered around the athletes competing during Pre Classic’s Friday evening Party at the Pre. This includes the men’s and women’s USATF 10,000 meter Championships, women’s 2 mile, and men’s and women’s 5000 meters.
Distance runners Francine Niyonsaba, Letesenbet Gidey and Joshua Cheptegei were among the runners speaking at Thursday’s conference. All three are hoping to break the world record in their respective races.
Niyonsaba, of Burundi, was a middle distance runner and Olympic silver medalist in the 800m until she switched to longer distance running in 2019. She’ll be running the 2 mile race on Friday night.
“I work very hard to be a long distance runner,” said Niyonsaba. “I’m really happy that I never stop pushing myself to do the best I can.” The mark to beat is 8:58.58.
The women’s 5000m follows the 2 mile run on Friday. Gidey, who already holds the world record for the race, hopes to lower the mark. Her new world record attempt may hinge on the Eugene weather, however.
“I’m in good shape,” said Gidey. “If the weather condition is good I will decide with my coach [whether to attempt the record].”
“We will see,” she added. Gidey currently holds the 5000m world record of 14:06.62.
The last event on Friday evening will be the men’s 5000m and Cheptegei will also be joining the field as the event’s world record holder. “Things have to go right,” said Cheptegei, but he hopes to break his current record of 12:35.36.
“The plan is to run fast,” Cheptegei added. “Go into the race, have a good feeling.”
Cheptegei, who won the 10,000m at the World Junior Championships at Hayward in 2014, feels like the state is a second home.
“Oregon here, and Eugene, will always have a special place in my heart,” said Cheptegei.
USATF Championships a Month Early
Cheptegei isn’t the only athlete who feels at home in Hayward Field. Distance runners Joe Klecker and Grant Fisher, both running the men’s 10,000m, have a big appreciation for Eugene.
“Hayward’s a great place to race,” said Klecker. Both he and Fisher also spoke at Thursday’s press conference. “It’s kinda the mecca of running of the US,” Klecker added.
“This meet kind of feels like home soil,” said Fisher.
Friday’s 10,000m race will serve as the qualifier for the World Athletic Championships at Hayward this summer. The men’s and women’s 10k, which are typically held in conjunction with the USATF Championships in June, were moved a month earlier to this weekend.
“To have more time to recover is super beneficial for the athlete to get ready for the World Championships,” said Fisher. “I think this is a very good model to set athletes up for success.”
As athletes from around the world get ready for The Prefontaine Classic this weekend, the competition is seeming more and more like a practice run for Worlds this summer.