Wednesday, June 14, 2017 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
5
Running commentary
zy Charlie Kanzig
Correspondent
Eugene, Oregon hosted
the most high-caliber track
and field meet in America
last week as world-class ath-
letes jumped, threw, and ran
world-leading marks at the
annual Prefontaine Classic,
a Diamond Level meet that
honors Oregon’s own Steve
Prefontaine, considered one
of the finest American dis-
tance runners of all time, who
died in a car accident in 1975
at the peak of his career.
Mo Farah of Great Britain,
who trains under Alberto
Salazar’s Nike-sponsored
Oregon Project, was the
crowd favorite among all
entrants. The two-time 5,000-
and 10,000-meter Olympic
champion did not disappoint,
taking control in the final two
laps of the 5,000 meters to
beat a world-class field in a
world class time of 13:00.7.
Farah says this is his last
season on the track before
turning to marathon racing.
Seeing him for the last time
on the track made it worth
the trip to historic Hayward
Field.
To be sure, every event
included Olympic medalists
competing, but to my sur-
prise, four teenagers turned
out to give the most memora-
ble performances of the meet.
Friday evening featured
seven events, including two
official Diamond League
contests, but it was the high
school girls’ 200-meter race
that got the evening off to
a surprising start as Tamari
Davis, 14, who is actually
not in high school but is an
eighth-grader, won the race
in 23.21, the fastest time ever
recorded by someone of that
age. For comparison, the fast-
est high school girl in Oregon
this year ran 24.58.
More impressive yet,
Celliphine Chespol of Kenya,
who turned 18 just three
months ago, won the wom-
en’s 3,000-meter steeplechase
in 8:58.78 defeating both the
Olympic champion Ruth
Jebet and American record-
holder and Olympic bronze-
medalist Emma Coburn in
the process despite having
to pause to put her shoe back
on in the second-to-last water
jump.
On Saturday, teenage pole
vaulting sensation Armand
Duplantis, 17, who has dual
citizenship here in the U.S.
as well as Sweden, faced off
with both the world record-
holder Renaud Lavellenie
and the American Olympic
bronze-medalist Sam
Kendricks, where he finished
fourth. Kendricks won with
a mark of 19 feet 2.7 inches
while Duplantis finished at 18
feet 8.8 inches.
Earlier this season the
young vaulter broke the
world age group record when
he cleared 19 feet 1 inch. For
comparison, the Olympic
winner in 2016 cleared 19
feet 9.4 inches.
Not to be outdone by his
teenage counterparts, Jakob
Ingebritsgen of Norway
became the youngest person
ever to break the four-min-
ute-mile barrier as he clocked
3:58.07 in the International
Mile. Jakob’s two brothers
are both world-class mil-
ers — Henrik ran 3:53.79
in the same race as Jakob,
while Filip ran 3:53.23 in the
Bowerman Mile, which con-
cluded the meet. In the press
area after his race, he spoke
in fluent English about his
record and how the cheering
crowd spurred him on to the
finish.
The remainder of the meet
included a slew of Olympians,
world record-holders, and
national and world champi-
ons making it the most high-
powered track and field meet
on American soil this year.
Five men ran under 13:05
for 5,000 meters, two men
jumped over 59
feet in the triple
jump, four men
broke 3:50 in
the mile, six
women cracked
two minutes in
the 800 meters,
a shot-putter
tossed the
metal ball over
73 feet, the
women’s 200
was faster than
the Olympics,
and six men
dipped under
10 seconds in
the 100 meters.
PHOTO BY CHARLIE KANZIG
Non-stop, high-
level action all Kenyan 18-year-old Celliphine Chedpol wad one
p a c k e d i n t o of four teenagerd who dtole the dhow at the
an amazingly Prefontaine Claddic in Eugene. She ran a world-
efficient time leading time and beat the world record-holder, Ruth
Jebet, aldo pictured, in the procedd.
schedule.
The Dia-
mond League schedule this right in our own backyard.
season started in early May If you didn’t make it this
with meets in Qatar and year put it on your calen-
China and includes 11 more dar for next year. If the idea
throughout the summer, all of attending a high-caliber
but one in Europe, and con- track and field meet is attrac-
cludes September 1 in Brus- tive, tickets for the NCAA
Division 1 Championships set
sels, Belgium.
In other words, this meet for Hayward Field June 7-10
provided Oregonians with the may still be available.
If you love track and field,
chance to experience a gather-
ing of some of the finest ath- we’ve got the best America
letes this side of the Olympics offers just over the hill in
or World Championships Eugene.
20th Annual Outlaw Open
at Aspen Lakes
June 25, 2017 at 12:30 p.m.
Scramble Golf & Catered Barbecue
Don’t Golf? Join us for dinner at 6 p.m.
Outlaw Booster Club 3rd Annual
Outlaw Hall of Fame
Dinner & Induction Ceremony
September 16, 2017
5:30 p.m. Social
Banquet & Ceremony 6:30 p.m. at SHS
2017 Inductees:
Jody Henderson (Band and Choir Director/Teacher)
Sisters Folk Festival, Inc. (Community Organization)
SHS Fall 1957 Football Team • Brad Bulloch (Coach)
Shelly Greene (Class of ’98)
Ron Olmstead (Class of ’56) • Cortney Ellis (Class of ’99)
Willis Winkle (Class of ’57) • T.K. Phelps (Class of ’96)
All Proceeds Benefi t All Sisters Schools Co-Curricular Activities.
www.shshalloffame.org • 541-617-0707 • Registration and sponsorship at
www.birdeasepro.com/OBCOutlawOpenandHOF
Outlaw Booster Club is a 501(c)(3)
( )( ) organization.
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