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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (May 24, 2002)
Emerald Gail Devers (130) returns to the Pretontaine Classic after finishing second in the 100 hurdles in 2001. The former UCLA star holds the American (12.33) and Prefontaine Classic (12.64) records in the event. Jones, Devers, Dragila headline women’s field ■The 28th annual Prefontaine Classic is set to go with some of the world’s best athletes By Hank Hager Oregon Daily Emerald They are the “Who’s Who” of world-class athletes. They’ve won gold medals, earned world-record holding times, and have jumped further and high er than any women before them. And for the 28th version of the Prefontaine Classic Grand Prix, they will come to Eugene as com petitors, hoping to energize the Hayward Field crowd. They are Stacy Dragila, world record holder in the pole vault; Gail Devers, former Pacific-10 Confer ence standout and world-renown runner; and Sandie Richards, one of the top high school athletes in the nation. But then, to make the list of ath letes even more impressive, you have one of the world’s most re spected and well-known athletes in the world. Marion Jones will return to the Prefontaine to defend her 2001 title in the 100. Jones will be competing in her fifth Prefontaine Classic, win ning the 100, 200, and long jump twice. Jones has never lost an event she has competed in at the Prefontaine. With so many of the world’s finest athletes in so close of quar ters, does this sound like the Olympics? ‘‘Any time you have the world record holder, it makes a difference. She will push the others. ” Tom Jordan meet director on Stacy Dragila, the world record holder in women’s pole vault “In terms of the quality of the field, it’s very close,” meet director Tom Jordan said. First, there’s Dragila, the world record holder in the pole vault. It had been expected that the indoor world record holder Svetlana Feo fanova would descend upon Hay ward to challenge Dragila, but that has now changed due to the Russ ian’s inability to stay healthy. Now, in a field that features four other women who have cleared the 15-foot mark — the required height for entrance into the classic — Dragila is still the woman to beat. “Any time you have the world record holder, it makes a differ ence,” Jordan said. “She will push the others.” But then, the Eugene crowd will have a chance to see one of the most respected, and most success ful, athletes in the world. Devers, former UCLA star and the 2001 Prefontaine Classic run ner-up in the 100 hurdles, returns to the field as the best bet in the event. But Devers means more to Jordan and the Eugene crowd than just as a competitor. Devers is a living leg end, a type of athlete that excels at the highest and most competitive meets, and comes around just once in a while. “You want to make sure you see an athlete like that,” Jordan said, “because you never know when she might hang ’em up. Turn to Women’s, page 4C Is Vowr voide heard? vote in pur weekly news, polls wmvM«//yefnpr^/(/,com. . FOOTWISE THE BIRKENSTOCK STORE 181 E Broadway Downtown Eugene 342-6107 .......Mpn-Sat ipr6 and .Sun 11-5 -1 You are cordially invited to *7be Neon bade Eugene’s Newest & Hottest Nightclub This coupon good for one free cover charge! 20% OFF COUPON Valid through June 2,2002. U£^oT<Orego^^"^ l3th Street &K4aidA^u;e Duck,(oi shop I I I I ■ I I I I I a a Bct^rtJngrcmaus —®£it£rPizza. vlllaM Chase Village --- /ersity Commons Bethei/Danebo IPA (7272) /icTllara/RimRoaa '*'*) 461-PAPA (7272) expires 6/15/02 I tARCE 2-T0PP||\|(j PIZZA I aTiA _ ™ a Miter 0/Coca-Cola $4 jBQa J asa* product v^>lS#g* f 1 charge on'dehVerwt^Il* w,ttl anV otter offers expires 6/15/02 a a a a ■ a a a a a
