April 14, 2014
For Immediate Release

Women’s High Jump Seeking High Notes at Pre Classic 

            Eugene, Oregon – Every medalist from the major international championships of the last 3 years is confirmed for the star-studded women’s high jump at the Prefontaine Classic.  However, only one has sung the national anthem at historic Hayward Field.

            Brigetta Barrett is the jumper plus singer of note, and she is just one of the superstars at the landmark 40^th Pre Classic set for May 30-31 at the very same historic Hayward Field.  As usual, singing is optional, but jumping high won’t be.

            The 23-year-old Barrett was the silver medalist at the London Olympics and last year’s World Championships in Moscow.  At Pre, she will leap again with the gold medalists from both London and Moscow, Russians Anna Chicherova and Svetlana Shkolina.

            Olympic champ Chicherova, 31, has earned nine medals at the Olympics and World Championships.  She has the highest personal best in the field at 6-9½ (2.07), a height bettered by only two women in history.  She also owns the Hayward Field and Pre Classic record at 6-7½ (2.02), a mark she set in winning in 2012.

            Shkolina, 28, rose to the global pinnacle last year by going undefeated in winning the IAAF Diamond Trophy and the gold medal in her home country at the World Championships.  She has only beaten Chicherova 9 times out of 39 meetings, but 6 of those wins have come since the 2012 London Olympics, where she earned bronze.

            Barrett has sung the national anthem at many events, including the 2013 Fiesta Bowl and the day before winning a third-straight title at last year’s NCAA Championships at Hayward Field.  But she is known best for record-setting high jumping, raising the collegiate best last year to 6-6¼ (1.99).  Her personal best of 6-8¼ (2.04) is only a half-inch off the American record held by Chaunte Lowe at 6-8¾ (2.05).

            Two more major gold medalists grace a tremendous field.  Kamila Licwinko of Poland and Mariya Kuchina of Russia tied for first at the recent World Indoor Championships in Poland.  Kuchina is just 21 years old. They'll be joined by Sopot podium mate Ruth Beitia of Spain, who won the bronze.

            Every entrant in the field is world-class. Filling out an awesome Russian quartet is Irina Gordeyeva, who won bronze at the 2012 European Championships and has a best of 6-8¼ (2.04).  Alessia Trost, 21, of Italy is the reigning World Junior champion and has already cleared 6-6¾ (2.00).

            This is easily the best field in Pre history, with every entrant having a lifetime best superior to what had been the Meet Record before Chicherova's big jump two years ago.

            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 will include updates to all announced fields.

            Tickets for the 40^th annual edition of the Prefontaine Classic, to be held May 30-31 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 Saturday, May 31.

            The Prefontaine Classic is the longest-running outdoor invitational track & field meet in America and is part of the elite IAAF Diamond League of meets held worldwide annually.  Last year’s Pre Classic was scored highest in the world for 2013 by All-Athletics.com, the official data partner of the Diamond League.

            Steve Prefontaine is a legend in the sport of track & field and is the most inspirational distance runner in American history.  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), and never lost a collegiate track 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 that year and has been held every year since.