Pre Meet at Stanford

Due to the construction at Hayward Field the 2019 Prefontaine Classic was moved to Stanfords Cobb Track.

 This is the first time the meet has been anywhere but Hayward Field in Eugene. It still was a great meet, with stadium and Pre Meet records

Sunday Cobb Track was packed with a reported 8,128 people, and the Diamond League quality competition re-wrote the track’s record book.

But aside from the venue change, there were other moments that will be stitched into the fabric of the 45-year old meet. 

Sifab Hassab of The Netherlands (and the Nike Oregon Project) ran one of the world’s greatest women’s 3,000-meter races, clocking 8:18.49.

Darlan Romani of Brazil set a new shot put meet record and Diamond League records with his 74-2.50 (22.61)  throw

Rai Benjaminin in the 400-meter hurdles ran 47.16 seconds for a new world-leading performance.   

Caster Semenya won the womans 800 meters with the fastest time ever on U.S. soil. The two-time Olympic champion ran away from a star-studded field to win in 1:55.70 

Ajee Wilson finished second in a season-best time of 1:58.36.

Christian Coleman ran the fastest 100M of the year so far with his 9.81. Justin Gatlin was second in 9.87 seconds.

Reigning Olympic 1500m champion Faith Kipyegon (Nike) is  back from maternity leaver, winning that discipline here in 3:59.04

getting past Britain's Laura Muir (Nike) on the final lap.  Muir ran 3:59.47 and was just able to hold off defending champion Shelby Houlihan

of the Nike Bowerman Track Club who ran 3:59.64.

Armondo Duplantis won the pole vault after missing at 19-3.50 (5.88m) he passed and then moved the bar up to 19-5.50 (5.93m) where Sam Kendricks missed all three attempts at 

19-5.50 and called Duplantis’ gambit “a big boy move.

In the women’s high jump,  Mariya Lasitkene won clearing 6-7.50 (2.02m) and 6-8.25 (2.04m) both on her first attempts before her first misses at the competition at 6-9.75 (2.08m), 

which would have been a centimeter away from the world record. As it was, Lasitkene broke the Pre Classic record. Vashti Cunningham was second with a jump of 2 meters for the 

first time in her career. She finished second at 6-6.75 based on a count back against Yaroslava Mahuchikh

Michael Norman won the open 400M in 44.62

Joseph Cheptegei the world cross country champion, outsprinted Paul Chelimo of the U.S. to win the 2 mile in 8:07.54 to 8:07.59

Beatrice Chepkoech won the women' 3,000-meter steeplechase in 8:55.58 for a new Pre Classic record. Chepkoech pushed it from the start, gunning through the first 1,000 meters in 2:55.07 on her way to the fifth-fastest all-time performance, giving her six of the top 12 marks in the event in history

Emma Coburn fell with 2 laps left and ended up 2nd in 9.04.90 Orlando Ortega won the mens 110M  hurdles, running 13.24 seconds to beat a strong field that included Olympic champion Omar Mcleod who was third.

Marie Josee Ta Lou won the 100 meters in 11.02 seconds

In the women’s 200 Blessing Okagare won in 22.05 seconds. Jamaica’s Elaine Thompson was second in 22.21.

Timothy Cheruiyot led all 14 finishers under four minutes in the Bowerman Mile to conclude the met. Cheruiyot won handily in 3:50.49 and produced the fastest time in the world outside this year.