One of America's Biggest Track Meets to Air Today (Sunday)

http://www.usatf.org/events/2008/VisaChampionshipSeries/meets/outdoor/PreClassic/


On TV:
June 8, 4:00-6:00 p.m. ET, NBC


http://preclassic.com/2008meet.html



INDIANAPOLIS - Allyson Felix, Alan Webb, Sanya Richards, Wallace Spearmon, LaShawn Merritt, Lauryn Williams, Torri Edwards, Brad Walker, Reese Hoffa and Suzy Powell are just a few of the big names slated to compete Sunday at the 2008 Prefontaine Classic at historic Hayward Field on the campus of the University of Oregon in Eugene.

The fourth event of USA Track & Field's 2008 Outdoor Visa Championship Series, the 34th Prefontaine Classic will be televised on Sunday, June 8, on NBC from 4-6 p.m. Eastern Time. The Pre Classic will serve as a preview of the 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials - Track & Field, June 27 to July 6, also at Hayward Field.

Sprinters look to scorch Hayward track

The women's 100 meters will take center stage featuring a talented cast that includes 2005 World champion and 2007 World silver medalist Lauryn Williams, 2007 World Outdoor bronze medalist Carmelita Jeter and 2003 World champion and fourth-place finisher in 2007 Torri Edwards. Also watch for two-time World Outdoor 200m champion Allyson Felix, who posted the second-fastest time in the world this year with her 10.93 clocking in Doha on May 9. Keep an eye on the resurgent Muna Lee, whose career best time of 10.97 last week at the Reebok Classic in New York is sixth best in the world this season.

The men's 100 meters is a wide open affair featuring the reigning Olympic 200m gold medalist Shawn Crawford. 2007 World Outdoor Championships team member Mark Jelks will be in the field along with 2004 World Junior champion Ivory Williams. Michael Frater (Jamaica), Darrel Brown (Trinidad) and 2004 Olympic silver medalist Francis Obikwelu (Portugal) will add an international flavor to the event.

An outstanding field will enter the blocks for the men's 200 meters headlined by two-time World Outdoor Championships medalist and 2006 World Cup champion Wallace Spearmon, who posted the second-fastest time in the world this season with his win last weekend in New York in 20.07 seconds. Spearmon will face 2006 NCAA quadruple champion Xavier Carter, who owns the third-fastest time in history (19.63 in 2006). Also entered are 2007 World Outdoor Championships fourth-place finisher Rodney Martin and reigning Olympic champ Shawn Crawford.

Great fields featured in 400 meter races

2008 men's world leader and Osaka World Championships silver medalist LaShawn Merritt heads the men's field and three-time #1 world-ranked Sanya Richards leads the women in the 400m fields slated for Sunday.

Merritt, who posted the fastest time in the world this outdoor season of 44.03 seconds with his win June 1 over World and Olympic champion Jeremy Wariner in Berlin, will face a tough challenge in the men's race going up against reigning national outdoor champion and Osaka bronze medalist Angelo Taylor. Also in the field is 2007 World 400m hurdles champion Kerron Clement, World Championships and Olympic 4x400m relay gold medalist Darold Williamson and Gary Kikaya (Congo), who ended the 2007 campaign ranked #7 in the world.

Richards, who posted the five-fastest women's 400m times in the world last year and enters as the defending Pre Classic champion, will face reigning U.S. Outdoor champ Dee Dee Troter and 2007 World Championships finalist Mary Wineberg. 2007 NCAA Outdoor champion Natasha Hastings also is in the field, along with world ranked #4 Novlene Williams of Jamaica

Hayward Field favorites to compete in 800 meters

Oregon Track Club Elite member and Springfield, Ore., resident Nick Symmonds will look to defend his Prefontaine title in the men's race, and all-time two-lap great Maria Mutola will headline a strong women's field in 800m competition on Sunday.

Symmonds delighted the Hayward Field crowd at last year's sold-out Pre Classic when he stormed from behind in the final strides to upset Olympic gold medalist and 2007 World Outdoor Championships bronze medalist Yuriy Borzakovskiy of Russia.

Symmonds will have his hands full on Sunday dealing with his U.S. compatriot and constant nemesis Khadevis Robinson, who has been ranked #1 in the U.S. by Track & Field News the last three years. World ranked international competitors include Bahrain's Youssef Kamel (#5), Canadian record-holder Gary Reed (#9) and Kenya's Alfred Kirwa Yego (#7).

Five-time Olympian Maria Mutola, 35, of Mozambique is slated to compete in her final Pre Classic, bringing with her a remarkable streak of 15 consecutive victories dating back to when she was a student at Springfield (Ore.) High School. In honor of Mutola's accomplishments at the Prefontaine Classic, the meet will retire the No. 1 bib she has worn for the past 10 years. Instead of being issued to future athletes, the "1" bib will be the centerpiece of the Maria Mutola Outstanding Athlete Award, which will be presented for the first time immediately upon conclusion of the 2008 meet.

Mutola will face 2008 USA Indoor champion and Eugene resident Nicole Teter and three-time U.S. Outdoor champ and two-time Olympian Hazel Clark. Also in the field is two-time NCAA Outdoor champion Alice Schmidt, who ended the 2007 campaign ranked #3 in the U.S.

Stars aplenty in middle/long distance races

2007 Jesse Owens Award winner Bernard Lagat will compete in the 2-Mile race at Pre after becoming the first man in history to win the 1,500m and 5,000m at a single World Outdoor Championships last year in Osaka, Japan. Top Americans in the field include 2008 U.S. Olympic Team member in the marathon Dathan Ritzenhein, 2007 World Outdoor Championships 5,000m finalist Adam Goucher, two-time NCAA 5,000m champion Chris Solinsky and Jonathan Riley, who finished fourth in the 5,000m at the 2007 USA Outdoor Championships in Indianapolis. Top international stars include Australia's Craig Mottram and Shadrack Kosgei of Kenya.

A tremendous field will toe the line for the women's 1,500 meters, led by reigning World Outdoor champion Maryam Jamal of Bahrain, who enters the event ranked #1 in the world. She'll do battle with defending Pre champion Gelete Burka of Ethiopia, along with U.S. Outdoor champion Treniere Clement and Christin Wurth-Thomas, who posted the third-fastest time in the world this outdoor season with her runner-up finish in 4 minutes 4.94 seconds at the adidas Track Classic in Carson, Calif., on May 18.

The men's Bowerman mile will feature four of the top six ranked milers in the world led by Kenya's Daniel Komen, who is ranked #1 globally and is the defending Prefontaine champion. He'll face a strong challenge from U.S. mile record holder and reigning national outdoor 1,500m champion Alan Webb. Others to keep an eye on include world ranked international stars Tarek Boukensa of Algeria (#3) and Baharain standout Rashid Ramzi (#5). Also keep an eye on American Matt Tegenkamp, who placed fourth in the 5,000 meters at the 2007 World Outdoor Championships in Osaka.

The women's 5,000m story begins with the incomparable Mesaret Defar of Ethiopia, who is a world and Olympic champion, in addition to being the world record holder at this event. She'll be challenged by Kenya's Vivian Cheruiyot, who won the 5,000m silver medal at Osaka.

The men's 10,000m is a planned world-record attempt, headlined by reigning World and Olympic champion Kenenisa Bekele of Ethiopia, who ended the 2007 season ranked #1 in the world at both 3,000m and 10,000 meters. The top American in the race is Abdi Abdirahman, who placed seventh at the 2007 World Outdoor Championships after winning the U.S. title in that event for the third time in his career last June.
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