Prefontaine Classic
Men
Continued from Page 11
come as exciting as the sprints —
every year fans wonder just how
many runners can finish in less
than four minutes.
The runners responded, as 10 of
(1:46.88). Robinson said he adjust
ed his workouts for the early
morning run and, in the end, it
paid off.
“I tried to prepare myself early
by going to bed at 9 a.m. and wak
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ished under the four
minute mark. Noah
Ngeny earned first in
3 minutes, 52.09 sec
ond, followed by
Kevin Sullivan
(3:53.70) and Adam
Goucher (3:54.17).
And Michael John
son finished his one
*( This is a great
place to run. The
fans are great, and
the meet is great. >>
Michael Johnson
400 meter competitor
“o ~ ~.>
Robinson said. “I
was ready.”
Crowd fa
vorite Lance
Deal, the world
record holder in
the hammer
throw who lives
and trains in Eu
gene, did not dis
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seconds, not quite fast enough to
break the meet’s 400 record (44.13)
set by Derek Mills in 1995, but good
enough for a victory.
“This is a great place to run,”
Johnson said. “The fans are great,
and the meet is great. ”
Khadevis Robinson won the
800 (1:46.73), finishing two sec
onds shy of the meet record and
just ahead of Dave Krummenacker
ajjpuuu. x lc liuiu
off the No. 2 thrower in the nation,
Kevin McMahon, with a throw of
261 feet, 2 inches.
By noon, it was finished, but the
fans were still draped on the
fences, screaming for autographs
and shoes. But as quickly as they
strode into town, the athletes were
gone, leaving the fans, meet
records and Hayward Field in
their wake.
Women
Continued from Page 11
the fastest woman in the world
— did just the opposite by clos
ing the Pre Classic with an elec
trifying finish.
The Nike athlete led four
sprinters who broke Inger
Miller’s Pre Classic record of
22.73, set in 1997. And Jones’
wind-aided time also set a new
Hayward Field record of 21.81.
“It’s incredible to come here
and be a part of the history that’s
taken place on this track,” Jones
said.
Despite the meet and field
record, Jones was not completely
satisfied with her race.
“I still have to work out some
kinks in the curves,” she said. “I
didn’t pull away like I thought I
should have, but that’s going to
take a little time.”
Maria Mutola of Nike-Mozam
bique protected her standing as
her field’s favorite by winning
the 800 in 2:00.30. Mutola ac
knowledged the wind was a fac
tor, but she said she was happy
with her finish.
“I finished very, very good,
and I had a little bit of kick at the
end, so I was happy,” she said.
Mutola, who lives and trains in
Eugene, won’t compete in the
U.S. Track and Field Champi
onships. She will compete at tide
World Championships in Seville,
Spain, on August 21-29.
In other action, Andrea Black
ett won the 400 hurdles in 55.35.
Tonja Bufford-Baily was the fa
vorite going into the meet, but
she finished seventh.
Connie Price-Smith, ranked
No. 3 in the world last year, beat
Teri Tunks and Tressa Thomp
son to win the shot put with a
throw of 61 feet, 10.50 inches.
Price-Smith, Tunks and Thomp
son are currently the top three
Americans in the event.
Amy Acuff won the high jump
with a mark of 6-4, edging Gwen
Wentland.
“ It’s incredible to come
here and be a part of the
history that’s taken place
on this track. **
Marion Jones
200 meter meet record holder
Marion Jones celebrates polishing
off the Pre by setting a new meet
and field record in the 200 meters
with a time of 21.81 seconds.
Noah Ngeny leads 10 runners who finished in less than four minutes in the mile, an event that has become a crowd favorite.