World's Best Annual Track And Field Meet Began Modestly And Has Been An Enduring Living Memorial For Half A Century

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

RunnerSpace Photo archives

In the spring of 1975, there was a new meet on schedule. It was to be called the Bowerman Classic and the namesake was retired Oregon track and field coach Bill Bowerman. 

Steve Prefontaine died a week prior, on May 30, in a one-car accident on Eugene's Skyline Blvd that tore a hole in the sport of track and field and life and impacted life in Eugene and far beyond. 

But one of the first things that changed was the name of the upcoming meet. Bowerman suggested the meet bear the name of Steve Prefontaine, not his. 

And so, on June 7, little ore than a week after Pre died, the Steve Prefontaine Classic began. 

It was a good meet, relying primarily on the post-collegiate athletes who lived in Eugene and others who needed a competitive domestic opportunity to compete. 

Here is a year-by-year look at each Pre Classic, populated by the great athletes who gave it life and meaning, and pushed it onward to bigger and better. From Prefontaine's own contemporaries to the generations of athletes who followed, nearly all of the most significant athletes in U.S. and global track have passed through Hayward Field for the meet.

June 7, 1975

While the track and field community still grieved the loss of an American distance running hero, five world record holders came to Eugene for the first Steve Prefontaine Classic, which had 23 events on the program. 

Don Quarrie and Steve Williams matched each other stride for stride in the 220 yards dash, and both went under Tommie Smith's nine-year-old record of 20 flat, with 19.9. Quarrie was given the victory, and record, in a photo finish. He also tied the world 200 meters record with 19.8.

Williams tied the 100 yards world record with 9.1 seconds. 

Francie Larrieu, the American record holder in the 3,000 meters, won that event in 9:08.8 and then returned to race the mile, where she outkicked 14-year-old high schooler Eryn Forbes (Sunset OR) to win in 4:46.2.

Frank Shorter, the last person to talk to Prefontaine before his fateful crash, won the 3-mile in 13:00.8 and then, on his victory lap, stopped to embrace Steve Prefontaine's parents. "I tried to run the last mile like him, but it wasn't the same," he told them.

1976

The second meet served as a tune up for the 1976 Olympic Trials and Mac Wilkins tuned up by breaking the Hayward Field record in the discus. 

Paul Geis of the Oregon Track Club qualified for the Trials by winning the 5,000 meters in 13:30.8. Prior to the race, a crowd of 5,700 held a moment of silence for Steve Prefontaine.

Wilkins, the world record holder, thew 220-11 on his first attempt to break the field record by six feet. Mark Feig, one of Prefontaine's best friends, also broke a field record with 3:38.1 in the 1,500. 

High school freshman Carolyn Digby from Centennial OR was a surprise winner of the women's 400 meters in 54.94 seconds. Another young runner, Deanna Coleman, an eighth grader from Seattle, won the 800 meters in field record time of 2:08.6.

A quickly evolving women's track and field component produced a total of five new Hayward Field records. (All of which were about to be obliterated at the first Trials to be held at the same time for men and women).

Texas prep Johnnie Jones (Lampasas TX) won the men's 100 meters in 10.44 seonds and finished third in the 200 and 400, the only athlete in meet history to compete such a successful triple.

Much of the track world's attention was focused on Philadelphia, where Dwight Stones became the first man in history to jump 7-7 on the final day of the NCAA Championships. For the first couple of decades, the Prefontaine Classic was frequently held on the same weekend as the NCAA Championships.

1977

Held on a Tuesday, 10 days after the Portland Trail Blazers won the NBA championship, Matt Centrowitz, repping New York Athletic Club, kicked with 200 meters left to overtake Thom Hunt of Arizona and Paul Geis and had a 20-yard lead at the finish line, winning the 5,000 in 13:42.69. 

Steve Scott outkicked Marty Liqouri to win the mile, 3:57.92 to 3:58.02. Behind them, South Eugene High's Dirk Lakeman broke the Oregon high school record, a Prefontaine record, in the mile with 4:04.9.

Julie Brown of the LA Track Club won the women's 800 meters in 2:03.51.

 1978

Mac Wilkins, a member of the new Athletics West program sponsored by Blue Ribbon Sports (Nike), was the star of the show on Wednesday, May 31, as he launched the discus 231-3, just 15 inches shy of his world record and equaled the second-best throw in history at the time.

"I thought I would get it, especially on the last throw -- it was my best -- but I didn't have quite enough juice on it," he said.

This time, the meet was a prelude to the NCAA Championships, which arrived later the same week at Hayward Field. 

Wilkins saved the day, in some regards, as big names Edwin Moses, Houston McTear and Al Oerter scratched.

Doug Brown of AW won the 3,000-meter steeplechase in 8:36.7. 

Marty Liquori outsprinted Craig Virgin to win the 5,000 meters in 13:37.7.

Dwight Stones won the high jump at 7-3.50.

There were just five women's events. Lorna Griffin of Falcon Track Club won the discus with 180-3.

 1979

High school sensation Leann Warren of Crescent Valley (Corvallis, Ore.) outran Mary Decker of Colorado and Kathy Weston of Oregon State to win the women's 800 meters in 2:04.63. The opportunity to race elite women came one week after the prized Oregon recruit had won a 400/800 double at the Oregon AAA state meet. 

Another high schooler, Jeff Hess of South Eugene, broke the national record in the 3,000-meter steeplechase when he ran 8:50.1. Henry Marsh of Athletics West won the race in 8:28.84.

Rod Ewaliko wn the men's javelin with 281-9. 

Matt Centrowitz won the 5,000 meters in 13:40.50. 

 1980

On a cold and wet day in Eugene, Leann Warren, Rudy Chapa and Henry Marsh made the best of it and delighted fans at Hayward Field. 

Warren, an Oregon freshman, won he 800 meters for a second straight year in 2:02.58 and earned a spot at the upcoming Olympic Trials. 

Chapa, gearing up for the 5,000 meters at the Trials, won the 1,500 meters in 3:40.82. Marsh won the 3,000-meter steeplechase in 8:23.5. 

There were big marks in the javelin. Bob Roggy threw 284-11 and Duncan Atwood was second with 280-0.

Willie Banks won the triple jump with 54-10.50. 

Grace Bakari ran an Oregon record 53.93 to win the women's 400. 

The weather took a toll, however. Nine of the 11 men in the pole vault no-heighted.

 1981

Tom  Byers won a very competive men's 1,500 meters, dipping at the line to beat Craig Masback, 3:36.35 to 3:36.37, as New Zealand star John Walker, suffereing from laryngitis, finished third. 

Matt Centrowitz closed the 5,000 meters in 56 seconds and won in 13:27.06.

Kenya's Amos Korir ran a world-leading time of 8:18.57 to win the 3,000-meter steeplechase. 

Oregon standout Leann Warren ran a personal best 2:00.47 to win the women's 800 meters, sixth-fastest in U.S. history.

The meet fell on the same weekend as the NCAA Championship (still men-only) in Baton Rouge, La.

 1982

Mary Decker-Tabb (Slaney) broke a world record in the women's 5,000 meters with her time of 15:08.28 and Matt Centrowitz broke the American record in the men's 5,000 in 13:12.91. 

At that time, women racing 5,000 meters was still a rarity. World Athletics (IAAF) didn't even recognize a world record in the event until 1981. It was Decker-Tabb's first time racing the 5,000 meters and she held the world record until early 1984.

Centrowitz chased down Alberto Salazar, who had a 10-meter lead at the bell and finished second in 13:15.71. Salazar had recently won the Boston Marathon and set a blistering pace. World record holder Henry Rono was supposed to be there, but dropped out. 

The meet attendance of 10,600 was treated to the deepest field to date at the Pre Classic.

Canada's Debbie Brill jumped 6-5 to win the high jump, Carl Lewis won the men's 100 meters in an easy 10.25, and Bob Roggy threw the javelin an incredble distance of 302 feet, 5 inches. 

Sydnee Maree held off Ray Flynn to win the mile in 3:54.10 and 11 men ran under four minutes. 

John Powell edged out Mac Wilkins in the discus, 213-9 to 213-5.

Don Quarrie won the 200 meters in 20.61.

1983

Throwers Ben Plucknett and Tom Petranoff had fantastic performances in front of 10,919 at Hayward Field.

Plucknett approached the world record (235-9 at that time) with his winning discus mark of 234 feet, and Petranoff, world record holder in the javelin, threw 307-4. Both were field records. 

Eamonn Coghlan raced at the Pre Classic for the first time, marvaled at the enthusiasm of the crowd, an won the 5,000 meters in 13:23.53, closing in 52.6 seconds to beat Doug Padilla.

Mary Decker ran a meet record 8:42.38 to win the 3,000 in her tune up for the first World Championships later in the summer at Helsinki, Finland.

Henry Marsh won the men's 3,000-meter steeplechase in 8:22.15.

Lorna Griffin broke a meet record with 203-2 in the women's discus. Yet another meet record in the throws came in the men's hammer, where Ed Burke threw 238-6.

Mexican Jose Gomez outkicked Alberto Salazar to win the 10,000, in 27:56..74.

Ron Brown won a sprint double with wind-aided 10.11 and 20.44 in the 100 and 200. 

1984

With the world getting ready for the Los Angeles Games, the first on U.S. soil since 1932, the Prefontaine Classic was set for July 21 and was held on the same day as a TAC-sponsored Olympic preparation meet in Sacramento. 

Meet directorship had passed from Pat Holleran to Tom Jordan.

The meet was just a week out from the Opening Ceremonies and two weeks ahead of the track program at LA Coliseum. Sixty-five Olympians were entered in Eugene.

As such, some of the athletes in Eugene were ready to rip in front of 13,680.

Mike Tully broke his own American record in the pole vault when he made 19-1.

World record holder Zhu Jianhua of China won a jump-off in the high jump with 7-7.75. 

Dave McKenzie threw 246 feet to win the men's hammer. Michael Carter won the shot put (68-11), Art Burns the discus (232-10), ahead of Mac Wilkins and Mitch Crouser.

On the track, wind and caution, The Sunday Oregonian reported, made results "inconclusive."

Still, Joaquim Cruz of Brazil and the University of Oregon, ran the fastest 1,000 meters ever on U.S. soil with 2:14.54. It was also No. 4 in world history.

Brian Diemer upset Henry Marsh in the 3,000-meter steeplechase in 8:33.09. 

John Walker of New Zealand won a slow 5,000 in 13:43.32. Steve Scott took the mile in 3:54.44.

Don Paige, after failing to make the U.S. team in the 800, won the Pre Classic title in 1:45.96.

Brian Crouser, who also missed the Olympic team, threw 287-6 to beat a strong field in javelin. 

Mark Nenow won the 10,000 meters to cap the meet, edging Simeon Kigen by 0.19 seconds, with Alberto Salazar third. 

Vanessa Brown won the women's high jump at 6-4.

Francie Larrieu-Smith won the 1,500 with 4:07.28. 

 1985

The status of the meet was upgraded when it joined the Grand Prix track circuit and the hope was to draw more European stars to Eugene. It worked. More prestige meant better fields. 

Mary Slaney, making her first outdoor appearance since her fateful collision with Zola Budd in Los Angeles, broke her American record in the 5,000 meters with 15:06.53 in rainy conditions at Hayward Field. 

Joaquim Cruz won a thrlling 1,500 meters against Jim Spivey and Steve Scott in a world-leading time of 3:35.70. 

The meet ended with a hour of pole vaulting. Olympic silver medalist Mike Tully outlasted Pierre Quinon, Olympic champion, to win with 19-0.25.

Sydnee Maree broke out of a pack in the final 200 meters of the 5,000 to win in 13:20.48.

Jarmila Kratochvilova, the Czech star, won the 800 meters in a meet record 1:58.1. 

Merlene Ottey-Page won the women's 100 meters in 11.14 seconds. 

Mike Powell won the men's long jump with a meet record 26-2.

Judy Brown-King won the 400-meter hurdles in 56.54 seconds. 

1986

Carl Lewis, the biggest star in the sport of track and field, wowed fans a Hayward Field by winning the men's 100 meters in a meet record time of 10.08 seconds. 

Attendance was slightly down (9,800), and some of the performances were a little bit underwhelming. 

Greg Foster won the 110 hurdles in 13.32 seconds; Willie Banks jumped 57-5.50w in the triple jump; Mike Tully didn't clear a bar when he opened a 18-8.50; Scott Davis won it at 18-4.50.

Great Britain's Graeme Fell won the men's 3,000-meter steeplechase in a world-leading 8:20.34, holding off Henry Marsh (8:20.60).

Frank O'Mara of Ireland won the 5,000 meters in a world-best 13:24.70.

Jose Luis Barbosa of Brazil, also compting for Lane Community College, won the 800 in 1:45.74, barely defeating former Duck David Mack (1:45.80).

Mike Powell won the long jump again with 26-11w. 

McKay High's Gus Envela got a lane in the 100 meters with Lewis and finished fourth in 10.60.

Carol Cady threw a meet recod 207-8 in the women's discus. 

Judy Brown-King ran a meet and field record 55.20 in the 400-meter hurdles. 

Claudette Groenendaal beat Joetta Clark in the 800, 2:00.49 to 2:01.55.

1987

Doug Padilla and Steve Scott raced in the 5,000 meters and it came down to a duel on th homestretch, with Padilla able to kick a bit better and win in 13:30.20. Scott was right there in 13:30.39.

Joaqium Cruz won the men's mile in 3:56.36 over Chuck Aragon (3:56.62).

Kirk Baptiste won the men's 200 in 20.45, beating Wallace Spearmon (20.52) to the tape.

Willie Banks won the triple jump with 55-6.25.

Henry Marsh and Brian Diemer renewed their rivalry in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, with Marsh taking it in 8:29.98.

Mike Tully returned to the apex of the pole vault with his clearance at 18-10.25.

Attendance down again, to 7,043.

For the second year in a row, Claudette Groenendaal defeated Joetta Clark in the 800 meters, 2:02.08 to 2:02.37.

Pam Dukes won the women's shot put with 56-8.50.

Linda Sheskey ran a meet record time of 4:29.09 to win the women's mile, but the meet lost a headliner when Mary Slaney pulled out with an Achilles' tendon injury. 

It was the final meet on the old Stevenson Track, a 440-yard oval that needed an update. Demolition crews tore out the track and began a renovation project Monday morning. 

1988

Kory Tarpenning broke the Hayward Field and meet record by clearing 19-2.25 to win the pole vault, moving to No. 3 on the all-time American list. He took three shots at 19-7, which would have broken the American record.

Attendance was 7,310 for the Olympic Year Pre Classic, with athletes getting ready for the U.S Trials in two weeks in Indianapolis.

Mary Slaney, 30, returned to the meet with a strong performance in the mile as she won in 4:21.25, a Hayward Field and meet record.

Gwen Torrence won the women's 100 meters in 10.87w. 

Kenny Harrison edged ahead of Willie Banks to win the triple jump. 

Lynn Nelson won the women's 5,000 meters in 15:12.7.

Henry Marsh. 34, won the 3,000-meter steeplechase for a final time before retirement, in 8:34.74.

Brian Crouser won the men's javelin with 260 feet. Lance Deal won the hammer with 236-10.

Joaquim Cruz won the mile again, in 3:56.9.

1989

Ana Quirot of Cuba won the women's 400 meters with a Hayward Field record 50.14 seconds, a world best, but the meet itself was as threadbare as it had ever been. 

Lance Deal broke the Hayward Field record in the hammer with a soaring throw that traveled 257 feet. 

With a crowd of 5,860 on hand, Craig Blanchette from Springfield broke a world record in he wheelchair mile by eight seconds with 3:51.00. Sharon Hedrick did the same in the women's wheelchair 800, clocking 2:09.09.

Doug Padilla won the 3,000 meters in 7:51.94 for a meet record.

Kory Tarpenning returned to win the pole vault at 19-0.25. 

Lynn Williams won the women's 3,000 meters in 8:47.92.

German Wolfgang Schmidt, a former world record holder, won the discus with 222-7.

Elsewhere, the meet was burnished with high school athletes. Oregon City High's Michelle Reynolds finished second in the women's long jump with 19-2. Julie Bright of Oregon International won that with 21-3.25.

In the post-script to the meet, meet director Tom Jordan told The Oregonian's Kerry Eggers: 

"Let's face it, it's been a terribly flat track season so far," the typically upbeat meet promoter said. "Where are the stars of the Olympic Games? Florence Griffith Joyner has retired. Andre Phillips is injured, Carl Lewis isn't competing. And with all the negative publicity focused on Ben Johnson and steroids, the image of the sport is suffering right now. Until we have some new names to stimulate interest, it's going to be a struggle."

1990

Joe Falcon energized the Prefontaine Classic with a world-leading time of 13:20.49 in the 5,000 meers and also pocketed a $5,000 bonus for running faster than Steve Prefontaine's PR time in the race. 

Svetlana Kivota of the Soviet Union won the women's 2,000 meters in 5:41.11.

Craig Blanchette, a wheelchair athlete, was again one of the headline-makers after lowering his world record in the mile to 3:50.0.

Alberto Salazar returned to win the 10,000 in 29:09.22.

Karin Smith shined on the javelin runway with a lifetime best 211-6. 

Lance Deal won the hammer for a third straight year with 248-9.

Attendance crept up slightly, to 6,145.

 1991

A zany finish to the women's mile provided a jolt of drama to a meet that sorely needed some new buzz. VIDEO

Suzy Hamilton and PattiSue Plumer, fresh of an elbow exchange on the last lap of the U.S. Championships in New York, were joined in a physical women's mile at Hayward Field by teenage sensation Maria Mutola from Mozambique, who was attending school in Springfield. 

Coming around the final bend of the race, the three of them were separated by inches. Plumer shoved her way between Mulota and Hamilton, nearly knocking the teenager over. Then Plumer tried to pass Hamilton before the finish line, but Hamilton appeared to stick out her arm and prevent Plumer from going by. Plumer, this time, was the one to fall and crashed to the track, injuring her left hip. 

It was Hamilton in 4:32.99 to Plumer's 4:33.04 -- and both of them could have been disqualied.

The race overshadowed Lance Deal's Hayward Field record in the hammer (257-4) and Karin Smith won the javelin with 199-9. 

Joe Falcon won the 2-mile in 8:24.43, outkicking NCAA champion Shannon Butler from Montana State on the final lap. 

Kory Tarpenning won the pole vault again, with 18-8.25.

The evening meet, televised by TBS, drew 4,819. A new low. 

1992

With 12 days to go before the start of the 1992 Olympic Trials in New Orleans, the Prefontaine Classic stuck with an evening format and high hopes for its best field since 1985.

A crowd of 6,360 was on hand to see Joe Greene soar 27-6 in the long jump, third-best in the world to that point. 

Maria Mutola, a year removed from the 1991 mishap, won the women's 800 meters in 1:58.67. (Her Pre Classic success was just getting started).

Lance Deal continued to shine and broke his own meet record in the hammer with 264-10. 

Greg Duplantis won the men's pole vault with 18-8.25. (Little Armand was still seven years from being born). 

Annette Peters kicked to a victory in the women's 2,000 meters, defeating Mary Slaney in 5:38.80. 

Joe Falcon remained unbeaten at Hayward Field and won the 1,500 in 13:36.3.

Craig Blanchette lowered his wheelchair mile record  by nine seconds, to 3:41.06. 

Ken Martin won the 5,000 in 13:35.50. Mark Croghan won the steeplechase in 8:21.55.

Suzy Hamilton won the women's 1,500 meters in 4:10.8.

Mark Reed went over 7-5.25 to win the men's high jump. 

 1993

Meet director Tom Jordan has pointed to the 1993 meet as a turning point in the history of the Prefontaine Classic. 

The arrival of Sergey Bubka, world record holder in the pole vault 35 times over (indoors and out), was such an important moment that Jordan invited press to Bubka's Hayward Field workout just to prove that the Ukrainian was, indeed, in Eugene. 

Bubka delivered. He cleared 19-2.25, tying the meet record, and barely missed an attempt at the world record height of 20-1.75. He was over the bar and knocked it off with a brush of his arm on the way down.

Nike's sponsorship of the meet began to boost the meet and give it more of an international flavor. Bubka's appearance was a key to that turnaround and 8,099 came to see him.

Kevin Young smashed the meet record in the 400 hurdles with 48.59 seconds. 

Michael Johnson cruised to victory in the 200 meters with 20.56.

Quincy Watts won the 400 in 45.83 seconds. 

Maria Mutola, Suzy Hamilton (1,500) and Annette Peters (3,000) all won again. Mutola ran 2:32.57 for a Hayward Field record in the 1,000, although her stated goal was to break the world record. 

Bob Kennedy won the mile in 3:56.71 and Todd Williams won the 5,000 in 13:20.13.

Craig Blanchette again broke the world record in the wheelchair mile, this time taking it down to 3:31.48.

Lance Deal won the hammer with 261-10.

Future Olympian Dan Browne of West Linn High broke the meet's high school mile record with 4:12.22. Former Beaverton HS standout Jamey Harris won a tactical 1,500. 

Marc Davis won the 3,000-meter steeplechase in a world-leading time of 8:20.14.

1994

An encore performance by Sergey Bubka, and another oh-so-close world record attempt in the men's pole vault, was one of several highlights in front of a crowd of 7,367.

Maria Mutola took on the 1,000 meters again, and won it, but did not break the world record she was aiming at. She finished in 2:33.33.

Bob Kennedy was one of 12 men to go under 4 minutes in the mile with his win in 3:56.21 -- the most for a single race to that point in the U.S. 

Jon Drummond won the men's 100 meters in 10.15.

Mark Croghan ran a world-leading 8:21.76 in the 3,000-meter steeplechase.

Junction City High sophomore Billy Harper lowered the high school boys mile record to 4:10.90. Bethany Lucas of South Eugene won he girls 800 meters in 2:09.62 for another record.

Suzy Hamilton kicked past Annette Peters to win the women's 2,000 meters, 5:42.86 to 5:43.97, in a race between fan favorites.

1995 

Twenty years after Steve Prefontaine's death, a sold out Hayward Field (13,655) welcomed the athletes and turned back the notion that track and field could't sell tickets in the U.S.

Nike was putting more energy into the meet and it became the norm for Nike-sponsored athletes to have a clause in their contracts to appear at the Pre Classic.

Carl Lewis raced Michael Johnson in the men's 200 meters. Johnson won in 20.15 and turned to glare at Lewis, who ran 20.47.

Roger Kingdom ran a world-leading time of 13.30 to win the 110-meter hurdles after a pair of false starts.

Maria Mutola won the 1,000 meters for the third straight year, this time in 2:32.33, as Suzy Hamilton broke the American record with 2:33.93. 

Steve Holman ran the fastest mile in the world with a time of 3:52.89. Six broke 3:56 and 13 dipped under four minutes. 

Bob Kennedy won a compelling 2-mile against Todd Williams, breaking the Hayward Field record with 8:14.53 as Wlliams nearly caught him in 8:14.58. The event was designed to pay homage to Prefontaine, whose parents served as ceremonial starters.

Gail Devers smashed the Hayward Field record in the women's 100-meter hurdles with 12.84.

Jackie Joyner-Kersee made an appearance and finished third in the high jump but was the prime target for autograph-seekers.

Derek Mills ran a meet-record time of 44.13 seconds in the men's 400, beating Butch Reynolds and Quincy Watts.

Canadian Jeff Adams broke the world record in the wheelchair mile (3:30.05).

Meanwhile, a group from Disney Studios shot B-roll footage of the crowd for an upcoming movie production, 'Without Limits.'

The night before the meet, a candlelight memorial service for Prefontaine drew 500 people to Hayward Field. 

1996 

With the Olympic Games on the horizon in Atlanta, and the Trials two weeks out, another super-charged Prefontaine Classic featured many of the top Americans in the sport and a crowd of 13,804 soaked it in on a cool, cloudy morning. 

"Track is fully and completely back in Eugene," meet promoter Tom Jordan told The Oregonian's Ken Goe in the lead up to the meet.

The resurgent Prefontaine Classic was back on the Grand Prix tour, which helped draw international athletes to Eugene.

Jon Drummond beat an aging Carl Lewis in the men's 200 meters, 20.20w seconds to 20.22w.

Gwen Torrence won the women's 100 meters in 10.96 seconds. 

Allen Johnson won the men's 110-meter hurdles in 13.13 seconds. Decathlon star Dan O'Brien was sixth.

Sonia O'Sullivan ran away from Lynn Jennings to win the women's 3,000 meters in a world-leading time of 8:39.33.

"I never heard a crowd so loud in the last 100 meters,"O'Sullivan said.

Kenyan distance runner Paul Bitok ran a world-leading 5,000 meters time of 13:08.29 and American Bob Kennedy was third, also behind Daniel Komen, in 13:12.14. 

A third world leader was David Kibet, who won the mile in a meet record 3:52.28.

Rising Australian superstar Cathy Freeman won the women's 400 in 50.4 seconds. 

Johnny Gray, 35, broke the meet record in the 800 meters with 1:44.62; Tonja Buford-Bailey won the 400 hurdles with a Hayward Field record 55.1. 

Maria Mutola beat Suzy Hamilton in the 1,500 with 4:06.86.

Sergey Bubka and Okkert Brits of South Africa tied in the men's pole vault, both making 18-8.50. 

Charles Austin cleared 7-8 in the high jump. Balazs Kiss of Hungary beat Lance Deal in the hammer, 262 feet to 259-1.

1997

Michael Johnson, star of the Atlanta Games the previous summer, put on a show for the Hayward Field crowd at the Pre Classic as an all-star cast of athletes performed for a sellout crowd of 13,856. 

Johnson, now a world-record holder in the 200 and 400 meters, capped an already sensational day of performances by winning the 200 meters in 20.17 seconds. 

Gail Devers won the women's 100 meters in 11.24 seconds. 

Carl Lewis, who had announced his plan to retire at the end of the season, pulled out of the 100 meters with a hamstring flare up, but interacted with fans.

Kenyan Laban Rotich won the mile in a world-leading time of 3:52.68. Eleven men ran under 4 minutes. 

High school miler Gabe Jennings from Madison East WI ran the mile in 2:02.81 and said, "I think Pre's spirit was with me. His spirit grabbed hold of me, and I ran with it."

Connie Price-Smith broke the Hayward Field record in the women's shot put (62-11.50). 

Maria Mutola ran a world-leading time of 1:57.57 to win the 800 meters and American Jearl Miles ran a personal best 1:57.98 for second. 

Bob Kennedy ran a world-leading time of 7:39.22 to win a fast men's 3,000 meters. 

Sonia O'Sullivan broke the meet record in the women's 1,500 with 4:06.35.

Inger Miller won the women's 200 meters in 22.73 seconds.

1998 

Marion Jones burst onto the scene in a big way just a year earlier and showed so much talent and potential at Hayward Field that she overshadowed nearly everything else in another great Prefontaine Classic. 

She won the long jump with 23-11.25, the seventh-longest jump in world history, and she won the 100 meters in 10.77w. After helping North Carolina to a women's NCAA basketball title, she returned to track where she had been a high school standout. (Her fall from grace due to a doping scandal was still several years away).

With Hayward Field filled to capacity again (13,721), Daniel Komen won the mile in a Hayward Field record 3:50.95, second-fastest ever on U.S. soil. Eleven men ran run 3:57.

Mary Slaney, after several years of injury problems and a disputed doping case, won the women's 5,000 meters in 15:23.72. 

In a stellar men's 100 meters, Maurice Greene ran a wind-aided 9.79 seconds, third-fastest under any conditiosn. Ato Boldon was second in 9.89. 

Greene also won the 200 in 19.88w, while Michael Johnson finished third in 20.28. 

Australia's Cathy Freeman won the women's 400 meters in 50.02 to break the track and meet records. 

Maria Mutola, by now the meet's most reliable performer, ran a world-leading 1:58.66 to win the women's 800. 

Luke Kipkosgei won the men's 5,000 meters in a world-leading time of 13:07.83. 

1999 

Maurice Grene and Marion Jones returned to Eugene and continued to hold sway as the top American track and field stars. 

The meet was slightly smaller than previous years, and the attendance dipped a bit, to 12,247, but the enthusiasm remained high for the United States' premier track and field meet, which began early (10 a.m.) to accommodate TV. 

Greene won the 100 meters in 9.84w and later also won the 200 in 20.06, matchng his sprint double from the previous year. 

Michael Johnson won the 400 meters in 44.51 in spite of a windy backstretch. 

Jones won the 200 meters with a meet record time of 21.81 seconds.

Lance Deal won the hammer competition again. Maria Mutola won the for eighth year in a row, takng the 800 in 2:00.30. 

Amy Acuff took the high jump win with 6-4; Connie Price-Smith won th shot put with 61-10.50. 

Noah Ngeny won the men's mile in 3:52.09. Khadevis Robinson won the 800 in 1:46.73 and Larry Wade won the 110 hurdles in 13.12. 

 2000

Romanian middle distance runner Gabriela Szabo became an instant fan favorite with a gritty effort to close down a 10-meter gap, pass Suzy Hamilton, and win the women's 1,500 meters in 4:00.73. 

Szabo smashed the meet record by six seconds and Hamilton was nearly as fast in second with 4:00.79. They were the two fastest times in the world to that point of the season.

Marion Jones and her husband, C.J. Hunter won a combined three times at the meet. 

Jones won the 100 meters in 10.93w and the long jump with 22-10.50. Hunter won the shot put with 70-1.75. 

Jones had already gone on record as saying her goal was to win five gold medals at the upcoming Sydney Olympic Games in September. 

Michael Johnson won the 400 meters in 43.92 seconds. 

Gail Devers broke the Hayward record in the 100 hurdles with 12.64 seconds. 

Coby Miller won the men's 100 in 10.00 to break the meet record.

Lance Deal, in his final season, won the hammer (262-10). He finished with 11 Pre Classic wins.

Maria Mutola kept her winning streak alive by kicking past Regina Jacobs to win the 800 in 1:57.65.

2001 

When Hicham El Guerrouj of Morocco ran 3:49.92 and high schooler Alan Webb ran 3:53.43 in the mile at the Prefontaine Classic, it seemed to usher in a new world of possibilities. 

Webb, of South Lakes High in Reston, Va., broke Jim Ryun's 36-year-old national high school record, while racing the Olympic champion, in front of 11,211 at Hayward Field. Webb, and contemporaries Dathan Ritzenhein and Ryan Hall were ushering in a new generation of U.S. running stars. 

For many, Webb's achievement is the singular moment that tops all others in the history of the Pre Classic. He was still in his high school season, a week away from his state meet and graduation. The story was only magnified by El G's sub-3:50 mile, the first ever on American soil.

It was a fantastic meet all around, with five-world leading marks. Amy Acuff cleared 6-6 in the high jump. Deloreen Ennis-London ran 12.68 in the 100 hurdles. Bernard Williams ran 20.18 in the 200. Maria Mutola won the 800 in 1:58.90. 

Virgilijus Alekna from Lithuania won he men's discus with 218-11.

Suzy Favor Hamilton, returning from a collapse on the track at the 2000 Sydney Games, won the 1,500 in 4:06.93.

In the relatively new event of women's pole vaulting, Stacy Dragila took attempts a world record height but settled for the win with 15-1.50. 

2002

The big guys, the shot-putters, grabbed the spotlight at Hayward Field and the trio of Kevin Toth, Adam Nelson and John Godina broke the meet record a total of five times. 

Toth won it with 72-9.75 in front of an appreciative crowd of 11.227. It was the sixth sellout in seven years.

Gail Devers ran an electrifying time of 12.29 seconds in the women's 100-meter hurdles, but it was wind-aided. Still, it was the fastest ever by an American under any conditions.

World record holder Hicham El Guerrouj followed through on his promise and returned to Eugene, this time winning the mile in 3:50.89. 

Marla Runyan outkicked Sonia O'Sullivan to win an entertaining women's 3,000 meters, 8:39.36 to 8:39.88.

Charles Clinger broke a meet record in the high jump with 7-8.50. 

Marion Jones won the women's 100 meters in 10.90. 

Stacy Dragila broke the Hayward record in the women's pole vault with 15-5.75. 

2003

Ana Guevara of Mexico ran a Hayward Field record time of 49.34 seconds, a world-leading performance, in the women's 400 meters in her first Prefontaine Classic. 

The meet, now part of the USATF Outdoor Golden Spikes Tour, included a $164,000 prize purse, according to The Oregonian. 

Guevara, who had earlier broken the world record in the 300, defeated 2000 gold medalist Cathy Freeman.

Slovenia's Jolanda Ceplak won he women's 1,500 meters in 4:02.44. 

Maria Mutola won her 11th Pre Classic race, taking the women's 800 in 1:57.98.

Tyree Washington won the men's 400 meters in a world-leading 44.70. 

Bernard Lagat won the Bowerman Mile in 3:50.21.

Stacy Dragila defeated Russia's top-ranked pole vaulter, Svetlana Feofanova, when she made 15-1.75.

2004 

A new doping scandal and the shadow of an investigation that included Marion Jones, among others, hung over the Prefontaine Classic and the rest of the track and field world. 

Jones, the five-time medalist from Sydney, and her boyfriend Tim Montgomery, world record holder in the 100, had both been implicated. Jones' previous husband, C.J. Hunter, tested positive while they were married, in 2000. 

Even with the cloud of uncertaintly hanging over her, Jones did manage to win the long jump with 22-9. 

Neither Jones nor Montgomery ran well at the Pre Classic sprints. Jones was fifth in the 100 meters, won by Inger Miller in 11.05, and Montgomery sixth in a race won by Shawn Crawford in 9.88 seconds. 

Three years after making headines as a high schooler, Alan Webb won the men's mile in 3:50.85, fastest by an American in the U.S. 

Koji Murofushi from Japan broke Lance Deal's Hayward Field hammer record (271-2). 

Maria Mutola won her 12th Pre Classic race, with 1:57.78 to win the women's 800. 

Stacy Dragila won the women's pole vault at 15-5 and then took three attempts at a world record heigh of 16 feet.

Felix Sanchez broke a meet record in the 400 hurdles when he ran 48.12.

2005 

A crowd of 12,884 greeted a field with 10 Olympic champions from the previous summer's Games in Athens.

Eliud Kipchoge of Kenya, an Olympic bronze medalist who would much later make history as the first man to run sub-2 hours in the marathon, outran the pace-setter in the men's 2-mile and won the race in 8:07.68, fastest ever on American soil. 

Alan Webb stayed with Kipchoge for most of the race and set an American record of 8:11.48. The 2-mile served to commemorate the 30th anniversary of Steve Prefontaine's death.

Olympic champion Justin Gatlin and Jamaica's Asafa Powell hit the finish line of the 100 meters together in 9.84 seconds (wind-aided). Gatlin won the photo finish. 

Alex Kipchirchir of Kenya won the men's mile in 3:50.91, one of nine to go under 4 minutes.

China's Olympic champion Liu Xiang won the men's 110-meter hurdles in 13.06; Bershawn Jackson won the 400-meter hurdles in 47.91 seconds. 

Canada's Perdita Felicien beat Olympic champion Joanna Hayes in the women's 100-meter hurdles in 12.58 seconds. 

Gary Reed of Canada won the 800 in 1:44.82. 

Brad Walker won the men's pole vault with 19-4.25.

2006 

A wet and chilly day didn't diminish the Prefontaine Classic for the standing-room only crowd of 13,331. 

Co-world record holders in the men's 100 meters, Justin Gatlin and Asafa Powell, ran in back to back sections, instead of head-to-head. Gatlin won his race in 9.88 seconds, Powell took his in 9.93.

Sanya Richards won the women's 400 meters in 50.89 seconds. 

Maria Mutola won for the 14th time, with a late surge to pass Hazel Clark and Kenia Sinclair to run 1:58.86 in the 800. 

Virgilijus Alekna won the men's discus with 223-0. 

Wallace Spearmon won the men's 200 meters in 20.27 seconds; LaShawn Merritt won the 400 meters in 44.88.

Walter Davis soared 57-1 to win the triple jump. 

Liu Xiang repeated as the 110 hurdles winner with 13.21. 

Christian Cantwell won the men's shot put with 72-9. 

Kenyan Ben Limo upset his countryman, defending champion Eliud Kipchoge, in the 2-mile, winning it in 8:10.59. Adam Goucher was third in 8:12.73.

Yelena Slesarenko of Russia cleared 6-6.25 to win the women's high jump. 

Bernard Lagat, representing the United States for the first time, won the men's mile in 3:51.53.

2007 

Nick Symmonds made a spectacular entrance onto the Prefontaine Classic scene with a burst off the final curve to break out of pack and pass five other runners and break the meet record in the 800 meters with 1:44.54.

The NCAA Division 3 standout from up the road at Willamette University in Salem rapidly became a big deal in professional track. This race was a breakout moment for him. 

He beat Olympic champion Yuriy Borzakovskiy of Russia and three-time U.S. champion Khadevis Robinson with 13,244 screaming as he approached the tape.

The men's distance races were phenomenal. 

Craig Mottram of Australia won the 2-mile in 8:03.50. Daniel Komen of Kenya won the mile in 3:48.28. And Paul Koech cruised to 8:08.08 to win the 3,000-meter steeplechase. 

All were meet records and Hayward Field records.  

Xavier Carter beat a star-studded field to win the men's 200 meters in 20.23 seconds. 

Barbora Spotakova of the Czech Republic threw 213-11 for a Hayward Field record to win the women's javelin. 

Jesse Williams won the men's high jump with 7-6.50; Irving Saladino won the long jump with 27-10.25 to crush another meet record.

Melanie Walker broke a meet record in the 400 hurdles with 54.14 seconds; Sanya Richards repeated as women's 400 meters champion in a time of 50.74; A young Allyson Felix made an apperance at the Pre Classic and finished third in the women's 100.

2008

For the first tme in 28 years, Eugene was preparing to host a U.S. Olympic Trials. Excitement in Eugene was at a fever pitch. Trials were less than three weeks away. 

The Prefontiane Classic was an appetizer ahead of the Trials, and in some cases for the Beijing Games. 

Keninisa Beleke of Ethiopia, the world's greatest distance runner by that time, drew 4,000 fans for a 9:30 a.m. world record attempt in the 10,000 meters. It was, perhaps, the greatest feat of distance running in the history of Hayward Field. He didn't get the record, but hi 26:25.97 was fourth-fastest in history and fastest ever in the U.S. -- by 38 seconds.

Meseret Defar of Ethiopia smashed the meet record in the women's 5,000 meters with 14:38,73. 

A meet record crowd of 14,221 was on hand for the main event.

Brad Walker broke the American record in the pole vault with his clearance over the bar at 19-9.75. 

Maria Mutola ended her legendary Prefontaine Classic career with a 16th consecutive victory, running 1:59.24 in the women's 800 meters. After crossing the finish line, she fell to her knees, bent down, and kissed the track. 

"I kissed the track, maybe to say goodbye," she said. 

Alfred Kirwa Yego of Kenya broke the Hayward Field record in the men' s 800 meters with 1:44.01.

Adam Nelson held the crowd in the palm of his hand as he went through his pump-up routine of ripping off his warm-up shirt and charging into the ring like a bull for each throw. He won with 72-7. 

Betty Heidler of Germany crushed the Hayward Field record in the hammer with her winning distance of 242-7.

Wallace Spearmon (20.18 in the men's 200), Torri Edwards (10.94 in the women's 100) and Gelete Burka (4:00.44 in the women's 1,500) all broke meet records.

 2009

Dwight Phillips landed so deep into the long jump pit that he thought he may have broken the world record. 

The 2004 Olympic champion, after a few frustrating years lost to injuries, bounced back in a big way at the Prefontaine Classic, where he jumpd 28-8.25, moving into a tie for No. 5 all-time. 

On the track, Jenny Simpson (then Barringer) gave notice that her time as a force in the women's 1,500 meters had begun. The Colorado senior nearly caught Ethiopian Gelete Burka, but ran  a time of 3:59.90 to cut eight seconds off her PR. (Burka won by .01 seconds). 

Vivian Cheruiyot broke a meet record in the women's 2,000 meters with 5:31.52. 

Nick Symmonds beat a world-class field in the men's 800 meters, using a big kick at 200 meters to win in 1:45.86. Oregon high school star Elijah Greer got a spot in that race, too, and finished last in 1:49.15.

Sanya Richards ran a world-leading time of 49.86 to win the 400. 

Kenyan Asbel Kiprop, 20, raced the mile distance for the first time and found it to his liking. He won in 3:48.50 and was one of 13 men to go under 4 minutes. 

Bernard Lagat won the men's 3,000 meters in 7:35.92.

Carmelita Jeter beat a field that included Olympic champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce with a wind-aided 10.85 seconds in the 100. 

Stephanie Brown Trafton threw 209-11 to win the women's discus.

LaShawn Merritt won the 300 meters with the second-fastest time ever, 31.30 seconds. 

Former Oregon prep standout Ryan Bailey raced in his first professional 100 meters and was fourth in the two-section event in 10.18. 

Reese Hoffa threw a world-leading mark of 71-10 to win the men's shot put. 

2010

On a day when a dozen meet records were broken at Hayward Field, Kara Winger (then Patterson) enjoyed a big moment in the women's javelin. The Vancouver, Wash. native threw 216-2 on her sixth attempt to take the lead and break the record by more than two feet. 

Coming a week after the U.S. Championships in Des Moines, meet records were broken in 12 of 18 events. For the first time, the Prefontaine Classic was part of the Diamond League, the 14-meet schedule operated by th IAAF that spans the globe.

David Oliver matched the U.S. record in the men's 110-meter hurdles with 12.90. 

Christian Cantwell crushed the meet record in the men's shot put and had the six longest throws of the day, with 73-6 the best of them. 

Walter Dix edged out Tyson Gay in a sensational men's 200 meters, 19.72 to 19.76. 

Asbel Kiprop won the Bowerman Mile for the second straight year, running 3:49.75. 

Tirunesh Dibaba ran a meet record time of 14:34.07 to win the women's 5,000 meters. Shalane Flanagan, then of the Oregon Track Cub Elite, was second in 14:49.08, before switching to train for her first marathon.

Tariku Bekele of Ethiopia smashed the men's 5,000 meters record with 12:58.93.

2011

David Oliver earned a big win over Chinese rival Liu Xiang in the men's 110-meter hurdles two weeks after losing to him in China. Oliver ran a world-leading time of 12.94 seconds. 

Abubaker Kaki of Sudan took the kicks out of local challengers Nick Symmonds and Andrew Wheating and won the men's 800 meters in 1:43.68 for a meet record.

Jamaican Steve Mullings won the men's 100 meters in 9.80 seconds; Carmelita Jeter broke the meet record in the women's 100 meters with 10.70. 

The meet began the previous night, a Friday, when Mo Farah of the Oregon Project won the 10,000 meters in 26:46.57, breaking the European record in front of 5,000. The Friday evening session, free for spectators, included four distance races.

Boston Marathon runner-up Moses Mosop of Kenya broke world records for 25,000 and 30,000 meters. Vivian Cheruiyot broke the meet record in the 5,000 meters with 14:33.96. Sally Kipyego of the Oregon Track Club was fourth in 14:39.71. Shalane Flanagan was fifth in 14:49.68.

In front of more than 12,000 on Saturday, high schooler Lukas Verzbicas, with his own personal rabbit until the final 700 meters, broke the national high school record in the 2-mile with 8:29.46. The Oregon recruit from Illinois finished last but broke the record by five seconds. 

Up front of that race, Bernard Lagat timed his kick perfectly to win in 8:13.62. 

Haron Keitany was one of five men to dip under 3:50 in the Bowerman Mile, winning in 3:49.09.

2012

Four years after making his first Olympic team as an Oregon junior, Galen Rupp made his debut at the Prefontaine Classic memorable en route to an Olympic medal in London. 

Rupp, a Portland native, and training partner Mo Farah of the Nike Oregon Project (and Great Britain), both went under 13 minutes in the 5,000 meters at the Pre Classic in the run-up to the Olympic Trials.

Farah would go on to a golden 5,000/10,000 double in London.

Olympic champion (2004) Liu Xiang of China beat a loaded field in the 110-meter hurdles with 12.87w, defeating Aries Merritt and Jason Richardson. 

Allyson Felix won the women's 200 meters in 22.33 seconds and Sanya Richards-Ross won the 400 in 49.39. 

Ashton Eaton, primed to make history at the U.S. Trials in the decathlon, ran a wind-aided 13.34 in th 110 hurdles. 

Vadims Vasilevskis broke the men's javelin meet record with 277-8. 

Abubaker Kaki won the men's 800 meters for the second straight year, in 1:43.71.

Asbel Kiprop returned to the top spot in the Bowerman Mile, winning in 3:49.40. 

Anna Chicherova of Russia won the women's high jump with 6-7.50. 

The two-day meet started with an evening session where Christian Taylor defeated Will Claye in the triple jump. Alysia Johnson Montano won the women's 800 meters in 1:57.37. 

2013 

Mutaz Essa Barshim of Qatar cleared 7 feet 10.50 inches to win the high jump, the first man to do that in 13 years, to earn the Prefontaine Classic's Maria Mutola Athlete of the Meet award. 

Two more high jumpers, due to square off a week later at NCAAs, cleared 7-8.75: Erik Kynard of Kansas State and Derek Drouin of Indiana (and Canada). 

Olympic champion Renaud Lavillenie of France made 19-6.25 to win the men's pole vault. 

Edwin Cheruiyot Soi of Kenya kicked past Mo Farah to win the featured men's 5,000 meters as 10 men ran faster than 13:10 at the Prefontaine Classic. Farah was suffereing from stomach virus, but still managed to take second in 13:05.88. 

Hellen Obiri broke the Hayward Field record with 3:58.58 to win the women's 1,500 meters. 

Silas Kiplagat caught Asbel Kiprop in the final strides to win the Bowerman Mile in a world-leading time of 3:49.48. 

David Rudisha, the world record holder in the 800, scratched with a knee injury. 

Conseslus Kipruto won a dramatic men's 3,000-meter steeplechase in a meet record time of 8:03.59. 

High schooler Mary Cain of Bronxville NY broke the national high school record in the women's 800 meters when she took fifth in 1:59.51. Francine Niyonsaba of Burundi won the race in 1:56.72, the fastest time ever on U.S. soil. 

Justin Gatlin won the men's 100 meters in 9.88 seconds; LaShawn Merritt edged Kirani James in the 400, 44.32 to 44.39. 

Jamaica's Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce won the women's 100 in 10.71 seconds. 

2014

Kirani James, the 2012 gold medalist, and LaShawn Merritt, the 2013 world champion, finished in a tie a the end of a stirring 400 meters at the Prefontaine Classic. 

Both men ran 43.97. They shared a victory lap together. 

In the Bowerman mile, Ayanleh Souleiman ran a time of 3:47.32 to break the meet and Diamond League record. It was the fastest mile anywhere in seven years. 

Mercy Cherono won close race in the women's 2-mile in 9:13.27. In fourth Shannon Rowbury of the Nike Oregon Project broke the U.S. record with 9:20.25.

World record holder David Rudisha, racing for the first time in more than a year, arrived for his first Pre Classic and was in good shape to win the men's 800 meters with 200 to. But he faltered, badly, and six runners passed him. Nigel Amos of Botswana broke the meet record with 1:43.63.

Hellen Obiri won the women's 1,500 meters in another meet record time, 3:57.05. Faith Kipyegon, then just 20, was third in 3:58.01. Jenny Simpson was fourth in a personal best 3:58.28.

In the Friday night session before the big show, Galen Rupp gave 7,500 distance running fans a thrill when he broke his own U.S record in th 10,000 meters in a time of 26:48.00. 

Justin Gatlin won the men's 100 metrs in a wind-aided 9.76; Tori Bowie won the women's 200 in 22.18. 

Sandra Perkovic of Croatia broke the Hayward Field record in the discus with 227-5 (69.32m).

Will Claye won the triple jump with 57-9, defeating Christian Taylor. 

Ivana Spanovic of Serbia and Darya Klishina of Russia both jumped a world-leading 22-7 in the long jump. The top five women were separated by six centimeters. 

Three men went beyond 80 meters in the javelin. Vítězslav Vesely of Czech Republic won it with 83.75m (274-9).

2015

Genzebe Dibaba of Ethiopia chased after her older sister's world record in the women's 5,000 meters and got close at the Prefontaine Classic. 

With a 40-meter lead by 3,000 meers, Dibaba kept pushing and finally crossed the finish line in 14:19.76, fastest ever on U.S. soil and fourth-best all-time. 

In her debut at 5,000 meters, Faith Kipyegon was second in 14:31.95. 

Ezekiel Kemboi outkicked Jairus Birech to win the men's 3,000-meter steeplechase, 8:01.71 to 8:01.83.

Jenny Simpson added an exciting win in the women's 1,500 meters, running 4:00.98 for the second-best time in the world. High schooler Alexa Efraimson from Camas WA ran faster than any high schooler ever in seventh place with 4:03.39. 

Allyson Felix enjoyed one of her best Pre Classic moments with a victory in the 400 meters in 50.05 seconds. 

Johnny Dutch won a thrilling men's 400-meter hurdles over Bershawn Jackson, 48.20 to 48.22.

Ayanleh Souleiman retained his Bowerman Mile title with 3:51.10. 

Eunice Jepkoech Sum of Kenya edged out young American talent Ajee Wilson in the women's 800 meters, 1:57.82 to 1:57.87. 

Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce won a photo finish women's 100 meters, edging out Murielle Ahoure in 10.81. 

Maggie Vessey won the women's 800 in 2:00.07. 

Tianna Bartoletta won the long jump with a big mark of 23-4.

In the men's sprints, Tyson Gay won the 100 meters in 9.88 and Justin Gatlin won the 200 in 19.68. Kirani James beat LaShawn Merritt in the 400 meters, 43.95 to 44.51.

On the eve of the meet, Distance Night at Pre, Mo Farah won the men's 10,000 meters in 26:50.97. 

Mutaz Essa Barhim upped his meet record in the men's high jump when he cleared 7-10.75. 

Renaud Lavillenie broke the Hayward Field record with 19-10.25 in the pole vault. 

Joe Kovacs won the shot put with 72-7. 

2016

Kendra Harrison ran a blazing fast time of 12.24 seconds to break the American record in the women's 100-meter hurdles, the second-fastest time in history. 

With five weeks until the U.S. Trials at Hayward Field, the Pre Classic was a both a tune-up for elite athletes and a chance for top Americans to secure qualifying standards.

In addition to Harrison, there were more records on the women's side. Bahrain's Ruth Jebet broke Hayward Field and meet records in the 3,000-meter steeplechase when she ran 8:59.97 to eclipse the 9-minute barrier. Kenya's Hyvin Kiyeng ran 9:00.01 for second. Emma Coburn, third, broke the American record with 9:10.76.

Faith Kipyegon won the 1,500 meters in 3:56.41, the fastest time ever in the United States. 

Former Oregon Duck English Gardner won the women's 100 meters in 10.81 seconds. Tori Bowie won the 200 meters in 21.99. Shaunae Miller won the 400 in 50.15.

Justin Gatlin ran 9.88 to defeat Asafa Powell (9.94) and Tyson Gay (9.98.) in the 100. It was Gatin's sixth Pre Classic win. 

Asbel Kiprop became a four-time winner of the Bowerman Mile with 3:51.54.

Kirani James, again, defeated LaShawn Merritt in the 400 meters, 44.22 to 44.39. 

High schooler Michael Slagowski from Idaho ran his second sub -four mile in the B section with 3:59.78 for fourth place.

Christian Taylor jumped a Hayward Field record distance of 58-3.25 (17.76m) to surpass Will Claye's 2014 record.

In the men's shot put, Joe Kovacs won by four feet with 72-7.25. Back in sixth place and wrapping up school at the University of Texas, Ryan Crouser got his first taste of the Pre Classic and finished sixth with 66-6. (A couple of months later he would be Olympic champion).

2017

Christian Taylor vs. Will Claye took over the Prefontaine Classic and delivered some of the most compelling moments in a star-studded meet bursting with stories.

Claye produced a short-lived Hayward Field triple jump record when landed in the pit at 58 feet, 5.75 inches (17.82m) on his fourth attempt. Taylor, the two-time Olympic champion and a former University of Florida teammate, answered Claye on the very next jump with 59-5 (18.11m) -- the third-best mark in history and the farthest ever on U.S. soil. It was also the second-best jump of Taylor's life.

Claye came back in the fifth round with a bid to take the lead. He produced a lifetime-best 59-2.75 (18.08). That would have been the eighth-best jump in history if not for a +2.4 wind reading.

British running icon Mo Farah, of the Nike Oregon Project, gave the Eugene crowd a final, indelible memory in the 5,000 meters before announcing that it was his final track race in the U.S. He kicked away from his challengers in the final 200 meters to run 13:00.70 -- the fastest time in the world.

"It's hard to maintain year after year, and the year after that," Farah said. 

Tori Bowie ran a sensational time of 21.77 seconds to beat an Olympic final-caliber field in the women's 200 meters. She beat 400 gold medalist Shaunae Miller-Uibo (21.91), 100 and 200 gold medalist Elaine Thompson (21.98), 200 silver medalist Dafne Schippers (22.30) and nine-time Olympic medalist Allyson Felix (22.33).

High school pole vault prodigy Mondo Duplantis of Lafayette LA tantalized the crowed in a fourth-place finish that saw him just miss his final two attempts at 19-0.75. 

He finished with 18-8.75 (5.71m), once centimeter better than his father Greg's winning mark at the Pre Classic in 1992.

 Sam Kendricks pulled out a close victory over Frenchman Renaud Lavillenie for the victory with 19-2.75.

Ryan Crouser made a successful homecoming after winning the Olympic title and  broke the meet record with 73-7.25 (22.43m), the second-best throw in the world this year.

Ashley Spencer won the women's 400-meter hurdles with a lifetime-best 53.38 seconds, edging out Shamier Little (53.44). Olympic champion Dalilah Muhammad was fifth.

Olympic champion Omar McLeod ran a world-leading 13.01 in the men's 110-meter hurdles, while former Oregon star Devon Allen ran an encouraging 13.11 for third on his way back from knee surgery.

Maria Lasitskene, a Russian athlete competing as a neutral athlete, broke the Hayward Field record in the women's high jump, clearing 6-8 (2.03m). 

In the international men's mile, 16-year-old Norwegian Jakob Ingebrigtsen became the youngest man to break the four-minute mark with 3:58.07 for 11th place. His older brother Henrik placed third in the same race and another brother, Filip, was eighth in the Bowerman Mile at the conclusion of the meet.

"He was born to run," Henrik said of his younger brother.

Ronald Kwemoi was the day's fastest miler, winning the Bowerman race in 3:49.04. Clayton Murphy was fifth with a PR 3:51.99.

Morolake Akinosun beat a strong field in the women's 100 meters in 10.94 seconds (2.1w). Ronnie Baker won the men's 100 in 9.86 (2.8w).

South African Caster Semenya won the 800 meters in 1:57.78 in an event where the Olympic medalists all finished in the top three.

Faith Kipyegon of Kenya won the women's 1,500 in 3:59.67.

2018

 Shelby Houlihan checked off three big boxes with her victory in the 1,500 meters.

The Bowerman Track Club runner won her first Diamond League event, she beat Jenny Simpson for the first time and she broke four minutes for the first time, with a four-second PR of 3:59.06. 

Laura Muir of Great Britain crossed the line second in 3:59.30 and Simpson, the standard bearer for U.S. middle distance running for nearly a decade, was third in 3:59.37 after leading most of the second half of the race.

“She has been someone I have looked up to ever since I started running,” said Houlihan who has Iowa roots likes Simpson.

It was a good day for some of the top young U.S. athletes in the meet.

Ryan Crouser, who grew up in Oregon, broke the meet record in the shot put with 73-11 (22.53m), which held special meaning because it is the last Prefontaine Classic at historic Hayward Field, where he won state titles for Barlow High.

“Friends and family were here, and a lot of them have ties to Hayward Field, so it was just really special at the last Prefontaine Classic at historic Hayward Field to go out and set a record like that and be the Athlete of the Meet, I’m truly honored.”

Jakob Ingebrigtsen, just 17, surpassed Alan Webb’s historic U.S. high school record run from 2001, closing in 55.42 to place fourth in the Bowerman Mile in 3:52.28. Last year at the Pre Classic, Ingebrigtsen became the youngest sub-four miler ever when he ran 3:58.

"My goal was to take Alan Webb's record, but I knew of course it was going to be tough," Ingebrigtsen said.

Timothy Cheruiyot won the race in 3:49.87.

Twenty-year-old Noah Lyles blitzed the field with a eye-popping time of 19.69 (+2.0w) in the 200 meters for a new lifetime best and a share of the 2018 world lead.

Jenn Suhr made a resurgent statement in the women’s pole vault, clearing a meet record 15-11 (4.85m) and beating Eliza McCartney on fewer misses. McCartney broke the Australian record.

Christian Taylor entertained the fans at Hayward Field yet again with a victory in the triple jump, going 58-2 (17.73m) to beat longtime friend and rival Will Claye, who jumped 57-3.50w (17.46m).

Shaunae Miller-Uibo of the Bahamas ran 49.52 seconds in the 400 meters and beat 2017 world champion Phyllis Francis, who was second in 50.81.

Caster Semenya ran the fastest women's 800 meters ever on U.S. soil, clocking 1:55.92 and dominating the field on the final lap. U.S. standout Ajee' Wilson ran a strong second 1:56.86 and Francine Niyonsaba of Burundi was third in 1:56.88. 

Ronnie Baker of the U.S. sped to 9.78 seconds in a wind-aided men’s 100 meters (+2.4w).

Unheralded Benjamin Kigen of Kenya got the jump on Conseslus Kipruto and Evan Jager, the two favorites, and won the 3,000-meter steeplechase in 8:09.07. Kipruto and Jager, the Olympic gold and silver medalists, finished together. Kipruto was given second place, .002 seconds ahead of Jager, as both ran 8:11.71.

Genzebe Dibaba of Ethiopia was the class of the field in the women’s 5,000 meters and ran 14:26.89 for the victory.

2019

The 2019 edition of the Prefontaine Classic will go into the history books for being the first time – and perhaps last – to be held anywhere but Hayward Field in Eugene.

But the Stanford campus and the California sun was a welcome newcomer to the meet, the expanded seating at Cobb Track and Angell Field was packed with a reported 8,128 people, and the Diamond League quality competition re-wrote the track’s record book in a matter of two hours.

But aside from the venue change, there were moments that will be stitched into the history of the meet.

Sifan Hassan of The Netherlands (and the Nike Oregon Project) ran one of the world’s greatest women’s 3,000-meter races, clocking 8:18.49. 

Brazil’s Darlan Romani had the meet of his life in the shot put ring, piling 61 centimeters onto his personal best and breaking all-time South American and Diamond League records with his 74-2.50 (22.61) best mark.

Rai Benjamin got the meet revved up by mowing through the 400-meter hurdles field in 47.16 seconds for a new world-leading performance. Benjamin joined Edwin Moses as the only man to run that fast, or quicker, multiple times.

Caster Semenya, the South African who is fighting for her athletic life with the IAAF in court proceedings, continued to remain four or five steps ahead of every woman in the world in the 800 meters. The two-time Olympic champion ran away from a star-studded field to win in 1:55.70 – the fastest time ever on U.S. soil. Ajee' Wilson finished second in a season-best time of 1:58.36.

Christian Coleman re-set the fastest time of the year in the 100 meters, clocking 9.81 seconds on a day when the straightaway sprints generally did not produce jaw-dropping times. Behind him, 37-year-old Justin Gatlin showed he’s not going anywhere just yet, placing second in 9.87 seconds.

Michael Norman won the 400 meters in 44.62 seconds.

Matthew Centrowitz, the 2016 Olympic 1,500 meters champion, made his Pre Classic debut in a Bowerman Track Club kit, logging 3:52.26 after recovering from injury.

Timothy Cheruiyot of Kenya led all 14 finishers under four minutes in the Bowerman Mile to conclude the met. Cheruiyot won handily in 3:50.49 and produced the fastest time in the world outside this year. Top American Craig Engels kicked to a strong fifth place with a personal-best time of 3:51.60.

Beatrice Chepkoech showed unbeatable form in the women’s 3,000-meter steeplechase as she drove under nine minutes for a dominant win in 8:55.58 for a new Pre Classic record. Emma Coburn was second in 9:04.90.

Marie-Josee Ta Lou of Ivory Coast won the 100 meters in 11.02 seconds, just ahead of Aleia Hobbs (11.04). First-time pros Teahna Daniels (11.13) and Sha’Carri Richardson (11.15) finished third and fourth. 

Mondo Duplantis ran in to a little bit of trouble against Sam Kendricks, but passed after a miss at 19-3.50 (5.88m) and then took control again with a second-attempt make at 19-5.50 (5.93m). Kendricks missed all three attempts at 19-5.50 and called Duplantis’ gambit “a big boy move.” 

2020

(canceled)

 2021

Elaine Thompson-Herah affirmed her status as the fastest woman on the planet Saturday at the new Hayward Field, the two-time Olympic 100-meter gold medalist blowing away a star-studded field in a wind-legal 10.54 seconds – second-fastest in history and within arm's reach of the world record. 

The best race of the 46th Prefontaine Classic, held in late August after the Tokyo Games, featured the three Jamaican medalists taking on the fiery young American, Sha'Carri Richardson, who returned to racing after serving a 30-day ban for a drug test that detected cannabis after the U.S. Olympic Trials. 

Richardson was adamant after the race that her day is coming, but that it wasn't Saturday, as she appeared sluggish out of the blocks and then was a non-factor and finished last in a nine-woman field.  

Thompson-Herah, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (10.73) and Shericka Jackson (10.76) duplicated their finishing order in Tokyo and were willing to ignore the hype around the flashy and volatile American.

A cavalcade of Olympic stars from the recent Tokyo Games gave the Hayward Field crowd of 8,937 an impressive show that included two American records. 

History was made in the women's 3,000-meter steeplechase as Norah Jeruto of Kenya ran the No. 3 time in history, 8:53.65. Jeruto hadn't run since May and came to the Pre Classic with fresh legs.

Behind her, Courtney Frerichs, the Olympic silver medalist, became the first American to go  under nine minutes, with 8:57.77, making her the fourth-fastest female competitor in history. 

Athing Mu added one more highlight to her incredible 2021 season by running an encore performance in the 800 meters that produced another American record in 1:55.04, helping her ascend to the No. 8 competitor in history. 

Norway's Jakob Ingebrigtsen capped the meet with a Diamond League record and world-leading time of 3:47.24 to win the Bowerman Mile against a loaded field that affirms his status globally after winning the Olympic gold in the 1,500 meters. 

Noah Lyles stormed to his best result of 2021, taking the 200 meters in 19.52 – near his lifetime best (19.50). 

Kenyan national treasure Faith Kipyegon, the two-time Olympic champion in the women's 1,500 meters, dominated the event and ran a meet record 3:53.23. 

Dalilah Muhammad won the women's 400-meter hurdles in 52.77 for another Pre Classic record.

Canada's Andre DeGrasse won an entertaining and wind-aided 100 meters in 9.74 seconds with Americans Fred Kerley (9.78w), Ronnie Baker (9.82w), Trayvon Bromell (9.86w), Michael Norman (9.90w) and Justin Gatlin (9.93w) stacked up behind him. The wind reading was +2.9.

Swiss sprinter Mujinga Kambundji ran 22.06w (+2.4w) to win the women's 200, as Gabby Thomas, the U.S. bronze-medal winner in Tokyo, was second in 22.11. Allyson Felix, perhaps in her last Pre Classic, was eighth in 22.60.  

Ryan Crouser, Katie Moon (then Nageotte) and Pedro Pichardo all won their specialities in the field and were among the 10 gold medalists overall from Tokyo. Couser threw the third-best all-time mark in the shot put with 75-11.50 (23.15m) to smash the Diamond League record. 

2022

Michael Norman showed championship-level form and broke the meet record and ran a world-leading time of 43.60 to win the 400 meters as the Prefontaine Classic returned to late May and served as a warm-up to the World Championships.

Norman, running powerfully as he ever has, pulled away from Kirani James down the home straightaway for the win.  

After a fifth-place finish in the Olympics final last summer, Norman returned home and "experienced every emotion" as he tried to figure out how to get better. 

Berihu Aregawai of Ethiopia pushed himself out ahead of a strong field and broke the meet record in the 5,000 meters with 12:50.05.  

In the Bowerman Mile, Olympic champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen did his thing and controlled the race and won in 3:49.76. 

Further back, Newbury Park senior Colin Sahlman hung on to the back of the pack for as long as he could and caught Clayton Murphy to finish second-to-last in 3:56.24, third-fastest in U.S. prep history behind Alan Webb and Jim Ryun. 

Faith Kipyegon of Kenya ran a dominant time of 3:52.59 to win the women's 1,500 meters as seven women dipped under four minutes. 

In the women's 100 meters, Jamaica's Elaine Thompson-Herah sped to a victory in 10.79, another world-leading time. 

Ryan Crouser threw past 23 meters (75-6.25) for the fifth time in his career to win the shot put. 

In the men's 100 meters, Trayvon Bromell broke from the pack and held off a late charge by Fred Kerley to win in 9.93 seconds. 

2023

The Prefontaine Classic was also the Diamond League final and it may have been the greatest two-day track meet in history, with two world records, seven world-leading marks, 13 world leaders and four American records.

Mondo Duplantis broke the world record again with a clearance of 20 feet, 5.25 inches (6.23 meters), and Gudaf Tsegay nearly broke the once-unthinkable 14-minute barrier in the 5,000 meters. She ran 14:00.21. That would have been a men's world record as recently as 1954.

Tsegay reached 4,000 meters in 11:16.89 – a step ahead of Beatrice Chebet – and separated from the Kenyan before hitting the bell lap in 12:55.7. After that, it was a race to sub-14.

It was Tsegay’s second world record, following a 3:53.09 in the indoor 1,500 in February 2021.

Duplantis had first-try clearances at 18-5.25 (5.62m), 19-1 (5.82m) and 19-9 (6.02m). Then the bar went all the way to 20-5.25 (6.23m).

Athing Mu broke the American record in the women’s 800 (154.97) and Grant Fisher in the men’s 3,000 (7:25.47), which was won by Jakob Ingebrigtsen in 7:23.63.

Joe Kovacs upset Ryan Crouser in the shot put, 75-2.75 (22.93m) to 75-2 (22.91m). 

In the absence of Noah Lyles, the 200 meters loomed as an All-American duel between Olympic silver medalist Kenny Bednarek and World silver medalist Erriyon Knighton. Instead, Olympic champion Andre De Grasse of Canada decisively won in 19.76. Bednarek was second in 19.95, Knighton third in 19.97.

Olympic champion Hansle Parchment of Jamaica came from behind to win the 110 hurdls in a world-leading 12.93. Grant Holloway, a three-time World champion, edged U.S. teammate Daniel Roberts for second, 13.06 to 13.07. 

Kenya’s Emmanel Wanyonyi and Canada’s Marco Arop became the first of 2023 to go under 1:43 for 800 meters, with 1:42.80 and 1:42.85, respectively.  

Shericka Jackson completed a sprint double with a dominating 200 win in 21.57.  

The 100 hurdles featured the Olympic champion, Jasmine Camacho-Quinn; World champion, Danielle Williams; world leader, Keni Harrison; world record-holder, Tobi Amusan, and U.S. champion, Nia Ali. Amusan, a Nigerian who won an NCAA title representing UTEP, reprised her 2022 Worlds win with a time of 12.33. Camacho-Quinn was second in 12.38 and Harrison third in 12.44. 

Femke Bol and Shamier Little reprised their 1-2 finish in the 400 hurdles from Budapest, with the Dutchwoman pulling away for an emphatic Pre record of 51.98. 

Americans Valarie Allman and Laulauga Tausaga-Collins reversed their Budapest finish, too, with Allman throwing 225-3 (68.66m) to Tausaga-Collins’ 224-3 (68.36m).

Ukraine’s Yaroslava Mahuchikh and Australia’s Nicola Olyslagers made a world-leading 6-8 (2.03m) on their second and third tries, respectively. So, the trophy went to Mahuchikh, the world champion, for the second year in a row.

A day after running the No. 3 mile ever, 3:43.73, Ingebrigtsen ran the No. 3 all-time 3,000. Only Daniel Komen (7:20.67) and Hicham El Guerrouj (7:23.09) have been faster. 

New shoe technology has led to fast times at all distances, but Ingebrigtsen nonetheless capped an historic season that included world records at 2,000 meters and 2 miles, plus European records at 1,500, mile and 3,000, and world gold at 5,000. The one blemish was in losing the 1,500 to Britain’s Josh Kerr in Budapest.

Chase Jackson (then Ealey), coming off a second world title, had a world-leading shot put of 67-7.50 (20.61m) in the second round. In the third, she set an American record of 68-1.50 (20.76m), breaking the mark of 67-8.25 (20.63m) set by Michelle Carter in winning a gold medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

Karsten Warholm seemed headed to inevitable victory in the 400 hurdles – he had lost one Diamond League race over the past five years, at Zurich on Aug. 31 – until Benjamin gathered steam off the ninth hurdle and sustained momentum over the 10th.

Benjamin finished first in a world-leading 46.39, a Diamond League and Pre record – and No. 4 time ever. 

World champion Winfred Mutile Yavi of Bahrain ran the second-fastest 3,000 steeplechase ever, setting an Asian and Pre record of 8:50.66. Kenya’s Beatrice Chepkoech, whose world record of 8:44.32 has stood since 2018, was second (as she was in Budapest) with a time of 8:51.67 – No. 3 all-time behind her world record and Yavi.

Faith Kipyegon continued her epic season with a bid to break her own 1,500 world record. She closed in 59.6 and finished in 3:50.72, compared to her record of 3:49.11. 

Katie Moon, who shared Budapest gold, won the pole vault with a Pre record of 15-11.25 (4.86m). S

Venezuelan triple jumper Yulimar Rojas, nearly eliminated in the Budapest final before winning gold on her last attempt, set a Pre record with a world-leading distance of 50-4.50 (15.35m).

Christian Coleman won the 100 in 9.83, equaling the world lead he shared with Noah Lyles, who was second in 9.85.

2024

The build-up to a Josh Kerr vs Jakob Ingebrigtsen showdown in the Bowerman Mile was the talk of the town heading into one of the most anticipated races in the history of the Prefontaine Classic.

The race lived up to the hype. Kerr went for it from 600 meters out and was able to outlast Ingebrigtsen at the finish, and ran 3:45.34 for a British record. Arch rival Ingebrigtsen was second in 3:45.60. The result put a momentary stop to the war of words that had been volleyed back and forth since Kerr's win at the World Championships in Budapest the summer before. 

“I was just excited to go out at race against a world championship field and go out and show I’m still the best in the world,” Kerr said.

Joe Kovacs hit the second-longest put of his career with a mark of 75-10.75 (23.13m), a 2024 world leader. 

With world record holder Ryan Crouser a scratch this week, Kovacs won the only men's field event at the Prefontaine Classic and came within two centimeters of Crouser's meet record. 

Sha'Carri Richardson looked the part of a world champion in the 100 meters, cruising through the finish tape in a season's best 10.83 seconds. 

Great Britain's Keely Hodgkinson ran to a dominant win and world lead in the women's 800 meters with 1:55.78. With Athing Mu scratching earlier in the week, Hodgkinson still faced stiff competition from Mary Moraa of Kenya, the reigning world champion. Moraa was second in 1:56.71 and Jemma Reekie of GB was third in 1:57.45.

Ethiopia's Tsigie Gebreselama ran a world-leading time of 14:18.76 to win a competitive 5,000 meters. 

Grant Holloway lowered his season best and world lead in the men's 110-meter hurdles with a time of 13.03 seconds. 

Christian Coleman led from start to finish of the men's 100 meters, holding off a late rush by Kenya's Ferdinand Omanyala to win 9.95 seconds to 9.98. 

Kenny Bednarek continued his winning ways in the 200 meters with a decisive victory in 19.89 seconds. 

Ethiopia's Diribe Welteji ran a personal-best 3:53.75 to win the women's 1,500 meters by more than two seconds. 

Jessica Hull broke her own Australian national record for second with 3:55.97, barely ahead of Elle St. Pierre, the top American in 3:56.00. 

Ugandan Peruth Chemutai, the reigning Olympic champion, ran a national record and world-leading time of 8:55.09 to win the women's 3,000-meter steeplechase over Beatrice Chepkoech of Kenya, who was second in 8:56.51.

In the women's discus, Valarie Allman survived a challenge from Cuba's Yaime Perez, who connected on her sixth and final throw with 67.25m (220-7). Allman had one chance to retake the lead, and did it with 67.36m (221-0). 

The meet record in the women's hammer fell to two different athletes. First DeAnna Price broke it with her first attempt of 76.71m (251-8) and then increased it on her second throw with 76.74m (251-9). But then, Canadian Camryn Rogers threw a big mark of 77.23m in the fifth round (253-4) and then increased it to 77.76m/255-1, a Diamond League record.