The 50th edition of the Prefontaine Classic was billed as one of the most stacked single-day track and field meets ever assembled, and despite some high-profile late withdrawals from Olympic champions Kenny Bednarek and Quincy Hall, it lived up to the hype.
With ideal weather conditions and a sellout crowd on the University of Oregon campus in Eugene, Hayward Field was treated to a Summer Olympics worth of elite competition crammed into a five-hour window.
Faith Kipyegon lowers the 1500-meter world record again
That’s how you close the show.
There wasn’t a sub-4-minute mile run by Faith Kipyegon in Paris, but fans didn’t have to wait long to see her do something historic again.
The Kenyan superstar, owner of six combined golds in the Olympics and World Championships, lowered her own 1500-meter world record from 3:49.04 to 3:48.68 to wrap up the event. The pacemaking was targeted for world record pace and Kipyegon kept up with it and then some, sending the 12,606 fans into euphoria.
There is no equal for Kipyegon. She’s the greatest women’s middle-distance runner we’ve ever seen and she showed why again on Saturday. Kipyegon took the world record from Genzebe Dibaba in 2023 by becoming the first woman to run under 3:50. Now she’s the first to run under 3:49.
Beatrice Chebet sets her own world record in the 5000 meters
It was a tremendous day for Kenyan women on the track. Double Olympic champion Beatrice Chebet, who broke the 10k world record in Eugene last year, became the first woman in history to go under the 14-minute mark in the 5000. A 61-second last lap pulled her away from countrywoman Agnes Jebet Ngetich and unseated WR holder Gudaf Tsegay of Ethiopia. Chebet crossed the line in a new record time of 13:58.06, surpassing Tsegay’s mark by over two seconds.
Melissa Jefferson-Wooden beats Julien Alfred in the women’s 100 meters
The woman to beat in 2025 appears to be Coastal Carolina’s Melissa Jefferson-Wooden. Her tremendous showings in Grand Slam Track have carried over into the Diamond League, as she held off Olympic champion Julien Alfred to win in 10.75 seconds, two hundredths faster than the Saint Lucian. Sha’Carri Richardson, who revealed at Friday’s press conference she had an injury setback in February, didn’t start well and finished last in just her second 100-meter run of the year. Luckily for Sha’Carri, she has a bye into September’s World Championships as reigning champ back in 2023.
Kishane Thompson dominates in the men’s 100 meters
Jamaican sprinting star Kishane Thompson built an early lead on the rest of the field and never looked back. Fresh off running 9.75 seconds at Jamaican trials last week, the Olympic silver medalist ran 9.85 seconds for his first Prefontaine Classic win. Zharnel Hughes and Trayvon Bromell were second and third, respectively, while former world champion Christian Coleman’s season-long struggles continue with a seventh-place showing at 10.06 seconds.
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone wins 400m, but Sanya Richards-Ross’ record survives
With a personal best of 48.74 seconds in the open 400 meters, two-time Olympic 400m hurdles champion and world record holder Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone didn’t need to lower her time a whole lot to take the 19-year-old American record away from the great Sanya Richards-Ross. McLaughlin-Levrone was able to get the win over NCAA champion Aaliyah Butler of Georgia. However, the winning time of 49.43 seconds means Sanya’s record lives on for now.
Athing Mu-Nikolayev struggles in her return to the 800 meters
The first 800-meter race of 2025 for Tokyo Olympic champion Athing Mu-Nikolayev didn’t go as planned. She finished last place at just 2:03.44. Ethiopia’s Tsige Duguma held off a late-charging Prudence Sekgodiso of South Africa to win in 1:57.10. It was Athing’s first major 800m run since her fall in Olympic trials last year.
Mu-Nikolayev admitted it wasn’t ideal to run the 800 this late into the season but had two planned races nixed due to event cancellation. She told SB Nation after the race, “I definitely appreciate the fans still supporting me through all the highs and lows that come with being a pro athlete. They’re kind of the ones that pick you back up. It reminds you again of why you’re doing it, it’s not just for myself and getting records and winning golds, but inspiring the young kids that are looking up to me and just the people who love track who get to see fast races and good runs.”
An epic Bowerman Mile with a stunning ending
Middle-distance running is as unpredictable as it gets in track and field, and the Bowerman Mile had an ending no one saw coming.
As the “Goose!” yells emanated from the fans, it looked for all the world that Olympic bronze medalist Yared Nuguse would end the 19-year American drought in this race. With less than 100 meters to go he was well in front of France’s Azeddine Habz, but 20-year-old rising Dutch talent Niels Laros made a ridiculous comeback. He had more left in the tank, Nuguse was gritting his teeth and struggling, and he outleaned Nuguse at the line. Habbz drifted back to third place but still picked up a national record.
With a time of 3:45.94, Laros ran a Dutch record and gave fans the best finish and best face of the day.
Other top moments
- Brazil’s Alison Dos Santos pulled off a thrilling win over Olympic champion Rai Benjamin in the men’s 400m hurdles, running a season’s best 46.65 seconds to Benjamin’s 46.71. This was the same venue Dos Santos won his 2022 world title over Benjamin, so history repeats itself on this occasion.
- Letsile Tebogo didn’t have Kenny Bednarek to run against in the men’s 200 meters as hoped, but the reigning Olympic champ from Botswana still gave the fans a show with a clocking of 19.76 seconds, the fastest time of 2025. American Cortney Lindsey and Dominican Republic’s Alexander Ogando rounded out the top three.
- Mya Lesnar’s Diamond League debut was brief. The NCAA women’s shot put champion and daughter of former WWE and UFC champion Brock Lesnar entered elite competition and finished in last, getting two no-marks and throwing 18.23m in her third and final attempt over six rounds. American record holder Chase Jackson won in 20.94m over a field filled with decorated shot put champions and contenders.
- As usual, Mondo Duplantis won the men’s pole vault. Six meters was all he needed to win over his good friend and 2019 world champion Sam Kendricks, but three attempts at the world record of 6.29m all ended in the pole getting knocked off. See? The Swede is human, after all.
When is the next major track and field event?
The Prefontaine Classic is part of the Diamond League outdoor circuit and runs all the way through September. Up next is Monaco on July 16, streamed on FloTrack.
Meanwhile, the US National Championships (which double as World Championship qualifiers) will take place in Eugene from July 31-Aug. 3, with NBC broadcasting the last two days of competition.
All of the Prefontaine Classic results, including full field results, the youth meets, and para-athlete races, can be found here.
