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Stars making annual visit for Pre Classic
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Emerald
Maurice Green (9) will look to defend his meet record in the 100-meter dash Sunday at the 27th annual Prefontaine Classic.
■ Led by many familiar names, the
women’s field of the 27th Pre Classic is
shaping up to be one of the best yet
By Peter Hockaday
Oregon Daily Emerald
Marion. Gail. Marla. Suzy.
These women don’t need last names. They’re
the stars who will come out to Hayward Field for
Sunday’s Prefontaine Classic, making it one of the
top track and field events in the country this year.
The Pre Classic, renamed in memory of Oregon
track legend Steve Prefontaine 26 years ago, has a
reputation for drawing many of today’s future track
legends.
“It’s such an event,” meet director Tom Jordan
said. “It captures the mystique and legend of Pre.”
This year should be no different. Marion Jones
will run the 200 meters. Gail Devers will take on a
world-class field in the 100 hurdles. Marla Runyan
will shoot for a record in the 3,000. Suzy Favor
Hamilton will try to redeem last year’s last-second
loss in the 1,500. The world’s best pole vaulter, Sta
cy Draglia, will ooh-aah the Eugene crowd.
The big-name list of stars not only creates a buzz
throughout the community, but it also generates
tremendous excitement for current Oregon track
and field athletes.
“I remember Michael Johnson saying last year
how the Pre Classic was his favorite, and probably
the best track meet he competed in,” said Sarah
Malone, an Oregon women’s javelin thrower.
“That right there says something about this meet.”
Just don’t get up for a soda, because the action
won’t wait for you. The meet starts at 11:45 a.m.,
but most of the headlining events will take place
between 12:00 and 1:00 p.m., when Fox Sports Net
will broadcast the event. The meet’s last event, the
men’s 5,000 meters, is scheduled for 1:40 p.m.
Each event has a monetary stipend attached to
it. The first-place finisher in each event will re
ceive $4,000, the runner-up gets $2,000, the third
place finisher receives $1,000 and the fourth-place
athlete receives $500.
The women’s side of the meet kicks off at noon
Turn to Women, page 10
■The men’s field is again top
notch at the 2001 Prefontaine
Classic, one of the toughest track
meets outside the Olympics
By Robbie McCallum
Oregon Daily Emerald
After months of anticipation for die
hard track and field fans, at last it is
here — the 27th annual Prefontaine
Classic Grand Prix.
What is becoming one of the greatest
assemblages of track and field athletes
on American soil will take place Sun
day at Hayward Field. The “Pre” will
feature six men’s events, packed with
world-class athletes on and off the
track.
Two world record-holders, six
Olympic champions, two American
record-holders, three defending Pre
fontaine Classic champions and two
Hayward Field record-holders will be
on hand, plus many other athletes who
will be close behind.
The Bill Bowerman Mile will be one
of the many marquee events, but meet
director Tom Jordan is calling it “the
best [mile] in terms of quality of any in
vitational track meet held in the Unit
ed States in at least the past 35 years.”
World record-holder Hicham El
Guerrouj highlights the entries. The
Moroccan broke the world mile record
two years ago with a time of 3 minutes,
43.1 seconds, and he hasn’t looked
back since. El Guerrouj has since set
world records in the 1,500 and 2,000
meters, along with a second-place fin
ish at the 2000 Olympic Games in Syd
ney, Australia.
The race will be El Guerrouj’s sec
ond on American soil, the first being
the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta.
Chasing El Guerrouj will be a talent
ed field of international athletes.
Third-ranked Bernard Lagat of Kenya
and No. 5-ranked Kevin Sullivan of
Canada are favorites for second place,
followed by Oregon Twilight champi
on Mike Miller, NCAA leader Bryan
Berryhill, prep sensation Alan Webb,
ON TAP:
What: 27th annual Prefontaine Classic
When: Sunday from 11:45 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Where: Hayward Field
TV: Fox Sports Net from Noon to 1 p m.
Tickets: Call 1-800-WEBFOOT
Jason Pyrah and many others.
Kenyan Daniel Komen owns the
meet record at 3:50.9 in 1998.
An equally talented field is expected
in the 100 meters. Maurice Greene, the
“World’s Fastest Man,” is the favorite.
The world record-holder at 9.79 sec
onds hopes to capture the meet record
at this year’s Classic. Greene is fresh off
a win at the Osaka Grand Prix in a time
of 9.96 seconds, his first race since
winning a gold medal in Sydney.
The entire gold medal 4x100-meter
relay team, which includes Greene,
will also participate individually. Jon
Drummond, Tim Montgomery and
Bernard Williams are the other legs.
Coby Miller set the meet record of
10.00 seconds at last year’s Pre.
The only event inside the track will
Turn to Men, page 10
Emerald
Former Eugene resident Suzy Favor Hamilton (34) will compete in the 1,500 meters at the Pre.
2001 Oregon NCAA Qualifiers
announced Thursday
Event Duck Men
5.000 Michael Kasahun
10.000 Jason Hartmann
110H Micah Harris
HJ Jason Boness
PV Trevor Woods
JT John Stiegeler
Dec. Santiago Lorenzo
Billy Pappas
Duck Women
PV Niki Reed
DT Mary Etter
JT Sarah Malone
Chary! Weingarten
Rank Qualifying Mark
17th 13:56.04
7th 28:56.06
16th 13.79
13th 7-3
17th 17-41/2
1st 245*9
4th 7,726
16th 7,7342
5th 13-51/4
10th 175*9
2nd 174-0
21 St 155-6
Hamilton running with her head on straight
; { HAKUNA
Harf* MATATA
JEFF SMITH
When a Vietnam veteran ex
periences nasty flashbacks
from his days in combat, it
usually elicits some sort of
sadness and remorse from people.
When St. Louis Cardinals’ pitcher Rick
Ankiel repeatedly sends his pitches 20
feet above and 10 feet to the left of the bat
ter en route to the backstop, it usually
elicits some sort of laughter from people.
Thing is, both deal with one of the
most fragile parts of the human body:
the mind.
“Trauma is trauma; it doesn’t matter
whether it’s war or athletics,” said Dr.
Scott Pengelly, Ph.D., a clinical psy
chologist in the Eugene area whose spe
cialties include athletics. “It can happen
to anyone.”
Suzy Favor Hamilton, 32, is well aware
of this. The three-time Olympian dis
tance runner who has captured six U.S.
Championships now understands how
much power the mind has over the body.
At 12:21 p.m. Sunday, when Hamilton
returns to the track for the first time this
year to run in the women’s 1,500 meters
at the Prefontaine Classic, she will do so
with a clear head.
The last time she raced, on that fate
ful September day in Sydney, Australia,
at the Olympic Games, the head above
her shoulders was cluttered with confu
sion. It was supposed to be Hamilton’s
time. She had run the fastest 1,500 time
in the world in 2000 (3:57.40) and was
the favorite to become the first Ameri
can woman to earn an Olympic medal
in the event.
Bui after running 1,300 meters, she col
lapsed and dropped to the track 200 me
ters shy of the finish line. In a sign of ex
haustion, she got up and half-jogged her
way to the end. False speculation ran
Turn to Smith, page 10