May 12, 2014
For Immediate Release

Air Lavillenie Cleared for Landing at Pre Classic

            Eugene, Oregon – The world’s best pole vaulter won the Prefontaine Classic last year, in perhaps the highest quality vault competition ever held in America.  Renauld Lavillenie returns to historic Hayward Field on May 31^st with an additional accolade – the title of world record holder--and he’s still looking for more. Vault aficionados will marvel at the field assembled.  

            The last time someone other than Sergey Bubka held a world record in the men’s pole vault, Lavillenie was not yet born.  The 27-year-old Frenchman changed that in February, becoming the world’s second 20-footer with a 20-2½ (6.16) clearance that now rates as the highest height ever cleared. Lavillenie, the London Olympic gold medalist, has won the IAAF Diamond Trophy every year since it was introduced in 2010.  He has also been ranked No. 1 in the world every year since 2010 by Track & Field News, a streak of years exceeded only by Bubka and American legend Bob Richards of the 1950s.

            Raphael Holzdeppe has something Lavillenie doesn’t – the title of reigning world champion. The former World Junior record holder is only 24 and already a 2-time Olympian, earning bronze in London.  His fellow German, Malte Mohr, repeated as silver medalist at the World Indoor Championships.  Both are looking to become Germany’s second 6-meter vaulter (19-8¼). .

            Greece’s Konstantinos Filippidis can match undercover gold medals with Lavillenie, as each has won the World Indoor Championships. Filippidis owns the  current version after winning in March.  Completing the podium of reigning medalists is Jan Kudlicka from the Czech Republic.  He earned bronze, the first major medal in the event for his country.

            While Lavillenie is defending Pre Classic champion, American Brad Walker still owns the meet record.  His 19-9¾ (6.04) is the American record and the best ever by anyone on U.S. soil.  Walker is a 2-time Olympian and 2-time World champ, one indoors and one out.

Brazil is preparing for the 2016 Olympics, and it looks like its pole vaulters are right on schedule.  Thiago Braz, 20, is already the national record holder.  He is also the reigning World Junior champion.  His countrymate, Augusto Dutra, last year was the first Brazilian to rank among T&FN’s top 10 in the world in the event.

Rounding out this superb field is the Asian Championships gold medalist Changrui Xue of China, who turns 23 on the day of the the competition, and will be looking for a high bar clearance as a birthday present!

            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.