Kenyans set two track world records at Prefontaine Classic

EUGENE, Ore. — Kenyans Faith Kipyegon and Beatrice Chebet set world records and American Melissa Jefferson-Wooden won a star-studded women’s 100 meters Saturday as the Prefontaine Classic celebrated its 50th anniversary.

Kipyegon finished the 1,500 in 3 minutes, 48.68 seconds, besting her record of 3:49.04 in the event set last year.

Chebet became the first women to run under 14 minutes in the 5,000, finishing in 13:58.06 to surpass Ethiopian Gudaf Tsegay’s 2023 mark of 14:00.21 set at the Prefontaine Classic.

“When I was coming here to Eugene, I was coming to prepare to run a world record, and I said I have to try. I said, ‘If Faith is trying, why not me?’” Chebet said about her good friend. “And today, I’m so happy because I’ve achieved being the first woman to run under 14. I’m so happy for myself.”

The day’s most anticipated race was the 100, which featured the top three finishers from the Paris Olympics.

Jefferson-Wooden, who took the bronze medal last summer, finished in 10.75 seconds. Gold medalist Julien Alfred of Saint Lucia was second in 10.77,and Marie Josée Ta Lou-Smith of Ivory Coast was third in 10.90.

Sha’Carri Richardson, the silver medalist in Paris, finished last in the nine-runner field. It was just the second outdoor 100 of the year for Richardson, who said she struggled with an unspecified injury in February.

“The only motivation that I had today was having a healthy race and the fact that I executed a healthy race knowing that now I have the time, because I do have that by being the reigning world champion, and all I have to do is just keep pushing and focusing in our practice, so I’m super excited to just finish,” said Richardson, who has her attention on September’s world championships in Tokyo.

Jamaica’s Kishane Thompson won the men’s 100 in 9.86 seconds, ahead of British runner-up Zharnel Hughes. Thompson, who finished second to Noah Lyles at last summer’s Olympics, went into the Pre with the world’s best time this year at 9.75.

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, who set the world record in the 400 hurdles in Paris, easily won the flat 400 in 49.43.

“It’s a long year, so I’m really just taking it day by day, taking it slow, building and seeing which direction you want to go in by the end of it,” McLaughlin-Levrone said.

Ethiopian Tsige Duguma, the silver medalist at last year’s Olympics, won the 800 in 1:57.10.

Rudy Winkler set an American record in the hammer throw with a hurl of 272 feet, 10 inches. Canadian Camryn Rogers won on the women’s side.

“My training this week was very bad, so I kind of came into this like zero expectations of like ‘Whatever I throw, I throw,’ so I was super surprised by that today,” said Winkler.

In the other field events, American Chase Jackson won the women’s shot put at 68-8 1/2. Lithuanian Mikolas Alekna took the discus at 232-10.

Tara Davis-Woodhall won the long jump with leap of 23-2 1/2 inches. Pole vaulter Armand Duplantis, who set a world record in Stockholm last month, cleared 19-8 1/4 at the Pre.

Biniam Mehary of Ethiopia ran the 10,000 in 26:43.82, a world best this year. Jamaican Ackera Nugent won the 100 hurdles in 12:32.

Alison dos Santos of Jamaica, the bronze medalist in both the Tokyo and Paris Games, won the men’s 400 hurdles in 46.65. Olympic gold medalist Letsile Tebogo of Botswana won the 200 in 19.76. British sprinter Matthew Hudson-Smith held on to win the flat 400 in 44.10.

Niels Laros of the Netherlands won the Bowerman Mile, an event unique to the Prefontaine, in 3:45.93.

The Prefontaine Classic is named for Steve Prefontaine, the Oregon track star who died in a car accident in 1975. The event is the lone U.S. stop on the Diamond League series.