May 31, 2013
For Immediate Release
RICHARDS-ROSS LEADS STELLAR WOMEN'S 400 AT PRE CLASSIC
Eugene, Oregon – While
Sanya Richards-Ross owns four Olympic gold medals, last year’s London 400 is very special to her as it was her first as an individual. She leads an incredible women’s 400-meter field at the 39
th Prefontaine Classic.
The Pre Classic, a member of the IAAF Diamond League of elite international track & field meets, will be held May 31 and June 1 at historic Hayward Field. The women’s 400 meters is to be contested as part of a power-packed Saturday that begins at 12:00 noon.
Richards-Ross is the American record holder at 48.70. She won the 2012 and 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials in Eugene, plus has captured an amazing five Pre Classic victories dating back to 2006. At 28, some might call that a career, but the woman who has won 10 major golds is still aiming for more.
The Pre Classic presents an incredible women’s 400-meter field. It includes every London medalist, plus the top 6 ranked by
Track & Field News in the world last year.
One of the best to compete with Richards-Ross might be 2011 World Champion
Amantle Montsho of Botswana, a two-time Olympic finalist, and this year’s world leader at 49.88. Or maybe it is Great Britain’s
Christine Ohuruogu, the 2008 Olympic gold medalist who was London silver medalist.
As an American, Richards-Ross finds challenges from U.S. teammates, such as London bronze medalist
DeeDee Trotter and
Francena McCorory, both members of USA’s London gold-medaling 4x400 team. McCorory won her NCAA title for Hampton at Hayward Field in 2010.
More contenders are from Jamaica, led by
Novlene Williams-Mills and
Shericka Williams. Williams earned the 2008 Olympic and 2009 World Championships silver, while Williams-Mills claimed the 2007 World Championships bronze. Both were part of Jamaica’s powerful 4x400 team that won silver in every World Championships since 2005. Another Jamaican challenger is
Stephanie McPherson, who was the yearly world leader until Montsho took over.
| Women’s 400 Meter |
Personal Best |
| Sanya Richards-Ross (USA) |
48.70 |
|
| Shericka Williams (Jamaica) |
49.32 |
|
| Amantle Montsho (Botswana) |
49.54 |
|
| Christine Ohuruogu (Great Britain) |
49.61 |
|
| Novlene Williams-Mills (Jamaica) |
49.63 |
|
| DeeDee Trotter (USA) |
49.64 |
|
| Francena McCorory (USA) |
50.06 |
|
| Stephanie McPherson (Jamaica) |
50.43 |
|
Fans can follow the event lineups as all announced fields are posted at
PreClassic.com. The direct link to current start/entry lists is
HERE and includes updates to previously announced fields.
Tickets for the 39
th annual edition of the Prefontaine Classic, to be held May 31-June 1 at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore., are
available now from
PreClassic.com and from 1-800-WEBFOOT. Sponsored by NIKE continuously since 1984, the Prefontaine Classic will be shown live to an international audience and by NBC Sports from 1:30 till 3:00 p.m. PT on June 1
st.
The Prefontaine Classic is the longest-running outdoor invitational track and field meet in America and is part of the elite IAAF Diamond League of meets held worldwide annually. Last year’s Pre Classic presented the most 2012 Olympic gold medalists (20) of any invitational meet in the world.
Steve Prefontaine is a legend in the sport of track & field and is perhaps the most inspirational distance runner in American history. Many call him the greatest ever. He set a national high school 2-mile record (8:41.5) while at Marshfield High School in Coos Bay, Oregon, that is the fastest ever in a National Federation-sanctioned race. While competing for the University of Oregon, he won national cross country championships (3) and outdoor track 3-Mile/5000-meter championships (4) every time he competed, and never lost a collegiate race at any distance. As a collegiate junior, he made the 1972 U.S. Olympic Team and nearly won an Olympic medal, finishing 4
th in the 5K at the 1972 Munich Olympics, at age 22. After finishing college in 1973 and preparing for a return to the Olympics in 1976, he continued to improve, setting many American records. His life ended tragically on May 30, 1975, the result of an auto accident, at age 24. The Pre Classic began soon after and has been held every year since.
