May 5, 2011
For Immediate Release
Eugene, Oregon
PreClassic.com                   

MEN’S JUMPS

WILLIAMS VS. THE WORLD

          America’s No. 1 Jesse Williams has the highest outdoor jump in the world so far this year at 7 feet 8 inches (2.34). So why is he not the overwhelming favorite at his home venue of Hayward Field for the Prefontaine Classic on June 4th?  Because every other entrant in the field has won at least one Olympic or World Championships medal in the event. Ivan Ukhov, reigning World Indoor champion and last year’s world No. 1 as ranked by Track & Field News magazine, will be back in Eugene, where he dominated in 2009 with a 2.34 leap. Ukhov currently leads all jumpers in 2011 with an indoor mark of 7-9 ¾ (2.38). He will be joined by 2006 World Indoor bronze medalist Linus Thornblad (ranked No. 5 in the world last year) of Sweden, 2009 World Champs silver medalist Kyriakos Ioannou (ranked No. 7) of Cyprus, 2007 World Champion Donald Thomas (No. 8) of Bahamas, and 2010 World Indoor bronze medalist Dusty Jonas (No. 9) of the U.S. Add in Beijing Olympic champion Andrey Silnov of Russia and World Championships bronze medalist Raul Spank of Germany, and you have a field worthy of any Championships final.

HIGH JUMP (MEN) 
Ivan Ukhov (Russia)
Jesse Williams (USA)
Linus Thornblad (Sweden)
Donald Thomas (Bahamas)
Dusty Jonas (USA)
Andrey Silnov (Russia)
Raul Spank (Germany)
Kyriakos Ioannou (Cyprus)

CLASH OF THE TITLISTS 

          It has been 10 years since anybody not named Dwight Phillips (3 World Championships gold medals, 1 Olympic gold) or Irving Saladino (1 WC gold, 1 Olympic gold) stood atop the podium at the world's biggest meet. The two superstars won't give up that spot without a fight this year as they renew their Prefontaine Classic rivalry where they have filled the top two spots in the last three stagings of the event.

          Add in Fabrice LaPierre, the man with the farthest leap in the world this year, and spice the field with Godfrey Mokoena, silver medalist at the 2008 Olympic Games and 2009 World Championships, and Andrew Howe, 2007 World Championships silver medalist, and you have a recipe for the most competitive field in the history of the long jump at Pre. Last year, Phillips was ranked No. 1 in the world by Track & Field News magazine, LaPierre No. 3, Saladino No. 4, Mokoena No. 5. Four of the five best jumpers in the world will be on the runway at Hayward Field in just four weeks. And let’s not forget world indoor heptathlon record holder Ashton Eaton, who will be performing on the main stage before his hometown fans. 

LONG JUMP (MEN)  
Dwight Phillips (USA)
Fabrice LaPierre (Australia)
Irving Saladino (Panama)
Sebastian Bayer (Germany)
Andrew Howe (Italy)
Godfrey Mokoena (South Africa)
Ashton Eaton (USA)
Li Jinzhe (China)

Tickets for the 37^th Annual Prefontaine Classic are on sale at www.goducks.com, from 1-800-WEBFOOT, or at the University of Oregon Athletic Department ticket office. The NIKE Prefontaine Classic will be shown live from 2:30 – 4:00 ET on NBC.