Top Moments from The Prefontaine Classic Media Days: WOMen’s Edition
Left to right: Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, Julien Alfred, Sha’Carri Richardson, and Melissa Jefferson–Wooden. Photo by Mollie Handkins.
By Owen Murray, TrackTown USA
With the 50th edition of The Prefontaine Classic set for Saturday, some of the world’s best athletes made their media rounds ahead of competition. The women’s 800m headliners, sprinters, jumpers and 1500m stars spoke at a panel Thursday and Friday — and we’re selecting the best moments.
Mutola women’s 800m stars reflect on competitive opportunity
Left to right: Athing Mu-Nikolayev, Jemma Reekie, and Mary Moraa. Photo by Howard Lao.
The Mutola women’s 800m race is one of just two Prefontaine events to bear the name of an athlete. Its namesake, Maria Mutola, is one of the meet’s most dominant participants — she won 16 Pre Classic races, including 12 at the 800m length.
Today, new challengers see the historic events as an opportunity. Athing Mu-Nikolayev (USA) is the youngest woman in history to hold Olympic and world titles in an event; her gold medal in the 800m at Tokyo 2020 came when she was just 19 years old. Now 23, she’s looking for her third-career gold medal at Pre, after she set meet records in both 2021 and 2023.
“It’s really great to get to go in a fast, competitive 800m around this time of the year,” Mu-Nikolayev said. “I’m excited, and I’m really proud for it to be here at home.”
She hasn’t run a major 800m race since the 2024 U.S. Olympic Team Trials — Track & Field, where contact with another racer saw her trip and eventually finish the race in last. On Saturday, she’ll return to Track Town, U.S.A. and Hayward Field for more competition.
“I’ve decided to put myself out there and compete a little more,” Mu-NIkolvayev said. ”Put myself in races so I can get out of the groove of training and have more growth in my competitive nature as we progress through the season.”
Her competitors are prepared for anything.
“In our race, you should expect energy,” Mary Moraa (KEN) said. “You can win, you can lose — anything can happen in a race.”
Moraa, the 2023 world champion over 800m and Kenyan record holder in the 400m, is making her third-career appearance at the Pre Classic, but looking for her first win — she finished second in 2024.
Jemma Reekie (GBR) is also on the line; the 2024 World Athletics Indoor Championships silver medalist loves running in Eugene — ”Every time I’m here, I’m excited,” she said.
The Mutola Women’s 800m starts at 1:58 p.m. PT on July 5.
Women’s sprints talk life changes, ‘Day-by-day’ approach
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone speaks at the women’s sprints panel at the press conference for the 50th Prefontaine Classic. Photo by Mollie Handkins.
Since Julien Alfred (LCA) became St. Lucia’s first-ever Olympic champion with a 100m win at last summer’s Games, she said, life has been “surreal”.
“I’m seeing how appreciative everyone on the island is,” Alfred said. She’s met Usain Bolt, her hero, and got his advice — “I wanted to know how he was able to move from one race to the next and have so many titles from each time,” she said.
World leader in the 100m, Melissa Jefferson-Wooden (USA), is also focused on her life — ”I’ve been saying it since last year — we bring the championship atmosphere to practice day in and day out,” she said of her group, which also includes Sha’Carri Richardson. “We do a great job of bringing out the best in each other.
Sha’Carri Richardson (USA), the reigning world champion, will also run the 100m at Pre after suffering an injury setback earlier in her season.
“I’m looking for a well-executed race — that involves me having a healthy race,” she said. “It’s me being confident, and knowing what I know.”
Taking the track for the 400m with a shot at the American record will be Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone (USA); the world record holder and Paris gold medalist in the 400m hurdles returns to Hayward Field after running a 48.74-second 400m race at 2023 US Olympic Team Trials – Track and Field. That time is just four-hundredths of a second off the national record.
“I’m just looking to go out there and execute,” McLaughlin-Levrone said. She has the potential to compete on the world level in both the 400m and 400m hurdles, but “Tomorrow will tell us a lot about where we are,” she said. “All options are open, and that’s what’s exciting about it.”
The women’s 400m will start at 1:51 p.m. PT, with the women’s 100m set to begin at 2:44 p.m. PT on July 5.
Women’s 1500m talk Pre stage, Breaking4 and returning home
Left to right: Georgia Hunter-Bell, Faith Kipyegon, and Jessica Hull. Photo by Mollie Handkins.
One week ago, the center of the women’s middle-distance world was in Paris, where Faith Kipyegon’s (KEN) attempt at a sub-four minute mile captivated the world. One week later, the focus has shifted to Eugene.
“To go out there in Paris, when the whole world is waiting for you, and you’re out there on the track, you can just see how many young women out there are looking up to you — how many young girls, young boys are looking up to Faith going for a historical event.”
Also on the track in Paris was Georgia Hunter-Bell (GBR), who ran there alongside Kipyegon as a pacer.
“It felt really different to all the races you do,” Hunter-Bell said of Breaking4. ”My favorite bit was before the race started, when we were doing our strides, getting ready to go to battle for Faith.”
With the shift to Hayward Field comes a return home for University of Oregon alumna Jessica Hull (AUS). She’s been in Eugene for a week now, but she didn’t feel at home until she got back on her favorite trail, she said. Her pick is apt.
“It’s Pre’s trail,” Hull said. “When you get back out there, that’s when you really feel like you’re home.”
Both Kipyegon and Hull independently asked for the wave light to be set at world-record pace — and Saturday’s race was moved to be the final event of the day. All eyes are on the field.
The women’s 1500m race starts at 2:50 p.m. PT on July 5.
Women’s jumps focus on advancing the sport
Left to right: Tara Davis-Woodhall, Malaika Mihambo, and Jessica Hull. Photo by Mollie Handkins.
Tara Davis-Woodhall (USA) loves her Olympic medal. She’s given it a name — Philippe — and takes it wherever she goes. Equally as special, though, is what the win gave her.
“It makes me feel unstoppable,” she said. “I feel like I can accomplish anything in the world as an Olympic champion. Once you have that medal, I feel like the pressure’s off. I can do anything I aspire to do.”
Next on her list is to push the boundaries of the event — “I want to be the person who changed the sport for long jump,” she said. With the world bar now solidly over 7m, she wants to change jumpers’ world, from shoes to pure distance.
Similarly successful is Malaika Mihambo (GER), the Tokyo 2020 long jump champion who also captured the world championship in Eugene in 2022.
“I’m so happy with what I reached so far,” Mihambo said. “I’m hoping to reach even more and see how far I can jump. That’s what’s driving me.”
Tomorrow, “Success would mean putting my potential on the track,” she said.
Also making her return to Eugene is Jasmine Moore (USA), the reigning Olympic long jump and triple jump medalist.
“I have a lot of great memories here — making Olympic teams here — it’s just the crowd. They know track.”
In 2022, Moore became the first American woman to qualify for the World Athletics Championships in both the long jump and the triple jump — and she plans to continue pushing for both. On Saturday, she’ll have her eyes on a first-ever Pre Classic title.
The women’s long jump starts at 12:38 p.m. PT.
The 50th edition of The Prefontaine Classic is scheduled for Saturday, July 5, at Hayward Field. Gates open at 9:30 a.m. PT, with competition beginning at 10:00 a.m. PT.
PHOTO GALLERY — WOMEN’S PANELS
Photos by Howard Lao & Mollie Handkins
