Eugene, Oregon- With just 31 days to go until the Prefontaine Classic on 3 July, the meeting organisers have confirmed the appearance of IAAF Diamond League Ambassador Shelly Ann-Fraser in the women’s 100m.

No fewer than 41 Olympic or World Championships gold medallists have committed to the meet, its first as a member of the prestigious new IAAF Diamond League series - www.diamondleague.com

“The fields are by far the strongest in the meet’s 35-year history,” says meet director Tom Jordan. “Unless fans have been fortunate enough to attend an Olympic Games, they will see more gold medallists at this year’s Pre Classic than at any other meet ever held in the United States.”

Taking as an example the short sprints, one of the most potent women’s 100m fields ever assembled will face off at Hayward Field on the 4 July weekend.  Jamaica’s World and Olympic champion Shelly-Ann Fraser heads a list that includes all three medallists from last summer’s Berlin World Championships - Kerron Stewart of Jamaica (silver) and Carmelita Jeter the U.S.(bronze) - plus Beijing Olympic silver medallist Sherone Simpson and two-time reigning Olympic 200m gold medallist and 2010 World Indoor 60m champion Veronica Campbell-Brown (JAM).  The Prefontaine Classic will be one of the few times this year that the Big Four will go head-to-head.

The men’s 200 metres is similarly loaded, with the previously announced IAAF Diamond League Ambassador Tyson Gay, the American record holder and 2007 double World Champion, meeting Berlin silver medallist Alonso Edward of Panama, Beijing bronze medallist Walter Dix, Beijing 100m silver medallist Richard Thompson, and the amazing Shawn Crawford, Olympic champion at 200 in 2004, and silver medallist in Beijing in 2008. 

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