Expect Mighty Marks from Women’s Shot Put Medalists at 2026 Prefontaine Classic

Gold & Silver from Paris and Last Three World Champions Heading to Hayward Field

The top-ranked Women’s Shot Put athletes in the world will enter the ring at the 2026 Prefontaine Classic. In the last decade, Hayward Field at the University of Oregon has seen seven of the top-ten throws on American soil, including three of the world’s best. Fans at this year’s Prefontaine Classic will enjoy a throwing battle between the reigning Olympic champion, current World Champion, the Hayward Field record holder, and a World U20 Champion.

Chase Jackson (Los Alamos, New Mexico) is the defending Prefontaine Classic champion, where her third throw of the competition flew to 20.94m (68’ 8.5”) to set a meet and Hayward Field record. At the 2022 World Athletics Championships at Hayward Field, Chase threw 20.49 (67’ 2.75”) on her first attempt in event finals for a mark that stood for her first World Championship. A year later in Hungary, Jackson would win her second World Championship, and in March of this year, she added a World Indoor Championship in Poland. During her collegiate career at Oklahoma State University, Chase was a three-time All-American and competed at the NCAA Championships at Hayward Field four times. Last June, Jackson set the American record of 20.95m (68’ 8.75”), which is the farthest throw in the world since 2013. Since she turned professional in 2016, five of the world’s top-ten marks have been thrown by Jackson, including three at Hayward Field.

Jessica Schilder (Netherlands) became the first European athlete in a decade - and the first ever from the Netherlands - to win the World Championship with her final throw of 20.29m (66’ 7”) last year in Tokyo. Jessica’s throw edged out Chase Jackson and prevented the American from winning her third World Championship in a row. At the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Schilder won the bronze medal. She is a 13-time Dutch indoor and outdoor national champion and three-time European indoor and outdoor champion. Schilder’s winning throw on home soil at the 2025 European Athletics Indoor Championships in Apeldoorn reached 20.69m (67’ 10.75”) for a career best and Netherlands national record. She matched that mark two months ago in Berlin. Currently ranked as the No. 2 best women’s shot put athlete in the world, Jessica’s best throw at Hayward Field of 20.03 (65’ 8.75”) came at last year’s Prefontaine Classic during a season that ended with her winning the Diamond League Final.

Yemisi Ogunleye (Germany) is the Olympic champion from the Paris Games, where she used a final round throw of 20.00 (65’ 7.5”) to win the Olympic title. During her post-event press conference in Paris, Ogenleye shared her other talent - signing - and videos went viral, amassing millions of views worldwide. Yemisi’s gold medal-winning throw was just the second time she reached 20.00m, and it occurred just 14 months after she reached 19.00m for the first time. Her quick rise up the global rankings and to the top of the Olympic podium came after full recoveries from two knee injuries. After becoming the first German woman to win the Olympic shot put title in 18 years, Yemisi has continued her success with medals at the World Indoor Championships, European Indoor Championships, and European Outdoor Championships. In February, Ogunleye threw 20.37m (66’ 10”) at the German Indoor Championships for a new personal best. This will be her second appearance in the Prefontaine Classic.

Maddison-Lee Wesche (New Zealand)burst onto the global scene thanks to a final round throw at the 2018 World U20 Championships in Finland to win her first world title. She’d continue New Zealand’s success in the throws by reaching the event final at the Tokyo Olympic Games, where she would finish sixth. At the 2022 World Athletics Championships at Hayward Field, Maddison-Lee would make another global final, and she backed it up in Budapest a year later. In the fifth round of the finals at the Paris Olympic Games, Wesche threw a then personal best of 19.86m (65’ 2”) to take the lead; however was edged out by Yemisi Ogunleye in the final round. Her Olympic silver medal extended a streak of New Zealand women making the Olympic podium over the last five consecutive games. Maddison-Lee threw a career best of 20.06m (65’ 9.75”) at last year’s Prefontaine Classic and equaled that mark at the World Championships in Tokyo to claim a bronze medal.

The Prefontaine Classic will take place on Friday, July 3rd, and Saturday, July 4th, 2026. 

A Diamond Discipline, the Women’s Shot Put, is scheduled for Saturday, July 4th.

The tentative event schedule windows for each day of competition are: Friday, 6:00 - 10:00 p.m. / Saturday, 12:00 - 3:00 p.m.

Tickets, VIP Experience Packages, and Accommodations packages are now on sale.

Those interested in volunteering at The Prefontaine Classic can learn more here.