Hammer Heroes Headline Historic 2026 Prefontaine Classic Showdown

Olympic Champion Camryn Rogers leads a field that features seven of the top eight wielders in the world

The Women’s Hammer Throw at the 2026 Prefontaine Classic will feature the last four Olympic Champions and the last seven World Champions. The group includes seven of the top eight-ranked throwers in the World. Among the entire entry list are women who collectively hold 89 of the top 100 throws in history and the 24 best of all-time. Eleven of the top 100 throws of all-time have been at Hayward Field at the University of Oregon.

World Rank #1 – Camryn Rogers (Canada) is the reigning Olympic gold medalist and two-time World Champion. She is also a back-to-back Prefontaine Classic champion, and her throw of 78.88m (258’ 7”) last year set a new Prefontaine Classic record. Camryn is a two-time Olympian who threw a personal best of 81.13 (266’ 2”) in April, setting a new Canadian record.

#2 - Jiale Zhang (China) finished third at last year’s World Championships at the age of 18-years-old. Last August, she threw 77.24m (253’ 5”) for a personal best and a U20 world record. Zhang won the 2024 World U20 Championships in Peru and is expected to defend that title later this summer at Hayward Field. Jiale was the 2025 winner of the World Athletics Rising Star Award.

#3 - DeAnna Price (Troy, Missouri) set the American record and Hayward Field record with a toss of 80.31m (263’ 6”) at the 2020 U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Track & Field. DeAnna is a four-time US national champion (twice in Eugene) and two-time NCAA champion (both in Eugene). Price is the 2019 World Champion and finished third at the 2023 World Championships.

#5 - Jie Zhao (China) threw a new personal best of 78.22m (256’ 7”) in April, which set a Chinese national record. That throw ranks as the eighth-best of all time and is the first over 78m by an Asian woman. Zhao finished second at last year’s World Championships in Tokyo and won a bronze medal at the Paris Olympic Games.

#6 - Rachel Richeson (Danielsville, Pennsylvania) threw a personal best of 79.33m (260’ 3”) on Saturday in the USA Track & Field Lone Star Grand Prix in Texas, which ranks her sixth on the list for best throwers of all-time. Richeson is the 2025 US Indoor Champion and was a member of Team USA at last year’s World Championships in Tokyo.

#7 - Brooke Andersen (Vista, California) won the 2022 World Championships at Hayward Field. Her personal best of 80.17 (263’) places her fourth on the all-time throwers list. Brooke is a two-time US national champion, with her titles in 2022 & 2023, both won at Hayward Field. Andersen made Team USA for the Tokyo Olympic Games.

#8 - Anita Włodarczyk (Poland) holds the world record of 82.98 (272’ 3”), which she set on home soil in 2016. Włodarczyk won three consecutive Olympic gold medals (London, Rio & Tokyo) and is also a four-time World champion. Anita - a 12-time Polish national champion - has the three best throws in history and seven of the top-ten.

#10 - Janee' Kassanavoid (Lawson, Missouri) was a silver medalist at the 2023 World Championships in Budapest and finished third at the 2022 World Championships at Hayward Field. She was a seven-time collegiate and the 2022 American indoor champion. Kassanavoid’s personal best is 78m (255’ 10”), good for the tenth spot on the all-time throwers list.

#15 - Annette Nneka Echikunwoke (Peckerington, Ohio) is the silver medalist from the Paris Olympic Games, which was the first Olympic medal for an American in the event. She won the 2017 NCAA Championship when the event was contested at Hayward Field. In April, Annette set a new personal best of 75.51m (247’ 9”) in Iowa

#18 - Erin Reese (Mount Prospect, Illinois) is the 2024 US indoor champion, where her winning toss ranks second-best in the weight throw. Last month, she reached 76.76 (251’ 10”) for a new personal best in the hammer throw. Reese represented Team USA at the Paris Olympic Games.

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

The Women’s Hammer Throw 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.