April 22, 2014
For Immediate Release

WHEN WORLDS COLLIDE:  MERRITT VS. JAMES AT PRE CLASSIC

            Eugene, Oregon – The world’s two best 400-meter runners headline another loaded field at the 40^th Prefontaine Classic.  LaShawn Merritt and Kirani James will match Olympic and World Championships gold medals – both have at least one of each.

            The landmark 40^th Pre Classic will be held May 30-31 at historic Hayward Field and includes a heavyweight pairing of the world’s best in the men’s 400 meters.

            It is another must-see matchup, as Merritt and James have raced each other nine times and always on the world stage, with James owning a 5-4 edge.

            Each already has had a rich career.

            Merrritt, 27, is the reigning World Championships gold medalist who also won the gold at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.  His gold medal haul includes another World title (2009) and six major relay golds.  Merritt has won the Pre Classic four times, more than any other in this event, including world record holder Michael Johnson.

            James is a hero in Grenada and a major chapter was added to his story when he won the gold medal at the 2011 World Championships at age 18.  He followed that with Olympic gold in London while still a teenager that was his country’s first ever in any sport.  Now 21, he remains the only non-American to run under 44 seconds.

            The field includes more treasures.

            Tony McQuay, 24, earned silver last year running his personal-best 44.40 at the Moscow World Championships after winning an NCAA title for Florida in 2012.

            The world’s best running brothers are once again twins.  Now 26, Belgium’s Jonathan and Kevin Borlée are the best pair since America’s Alvin and Calvin Harrison nearly two decades ago (Calvin even won the Pre Classic in 1996).  At least one of the Borlées has made the final of the last World Championships (Jonathan, 4^th) and Olympics (Kevin, 5^th, ahead of Jonathan’s 6^th).  Head-to-head, Kevin owns an 11-9 edge.  The two Florida State alums have been among the Track & Field News Top 10 world rankings every year since 2010.

            A pair of global rising stars are also part of the great field.  The Czech Republic’s Pavel Maslak, 23, earned a gold medal at the recent World Indoor Championships in Sopot, Poland.  He was a finalist in the Moscow World Championships, finishing just ahead of Asian champion Youssef Al-Masrahi, 26, of Saudi Arabia.  Both were first-time members of the Track & Field News world rankings last year. Rounding out the field is this year's World Indoor silver medalist, Chris Brown of Bahamas.

            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 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 still 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.