Sally Kipyego after her silver medal-winning run in the Daegu 10,000m (© Gety Images)
Eugene, USAStrong fields in the Women's 3000m Steeplechase and 3000m have been assembled for the 38th Prefontaine Classic, the fourth stop on the Samsung Diamond League circuit and a major stop on the road to the 2012 London Olympic Games. This year’s Pre event will be held over two days, 1-2 June.
The women’s Steeplechase field includes five highly ranked runners from distance-rich east Africa: Kenyans Milcah Chemos, Mercy Wanjiku Njorge, and Lydia Rotich, and Ethiopians Sofia Assefa and Hiwot Ayalew, giving the field five of last year’s top seven in the world. Adding an element of mystery is 30-year-old Kenya’s Eunice Jepkorir, silver medallist at the 2008 Olympics and bronze medallist at the 2007 World Championships. Her PB of 9:07.41, set in 2008, makes her the second fastest in the field, and she is racing at the Prefontaine Classic to begin her comeback.
Chemos was the bronze medallist at last year’s World Championships as well as in 2009. Ranked No. 1 in the world by Track & Field News in 2010, she is history’s sixth-fastest ever in the event at 9:08.57. Njoroge finished fourth in last year’s World Championships and has a best of 9:16.94. Rotich was fifth in Daegu and has a 9:18.03 career best. Assefa meanwhile was a 9:15.04 best and Ayalew, the youngest of the group at 22, has run 9:23.88.
The U.S. will be represented by last year’s top two ranked Americans, and three of the top five in Emma Coburn, Bridget Franek, and Sara Hall. Coburn, 21, swept last year’s NCAA and U.S. championships and made the World Championships final. She improved her best to 9:37.16, making her the seventh-fastest American ever. Even faster is Franek, 24, at 9:32.35, making her sixth-fastest American in history.
An exciting 19-year-old highlights several others from around the world. Gesa Felicitas Krause of Germany, last year’s European Junior champion, was a World Championships finalist last year. Krause’s best is 9:32.74. Another up-and-comer is 24-year-old Russian Lyudmila Kuzmina, who has run 9:26.03.
Women’s 3000m Steeplechase -
Milcah Chemos (Kenya)
Mercy Wanjiku Njoroge (Kenya)
Sofia Assefa (Ethiopia)
Lydiya Rotich (Kenya)
Hiwot Ayalew (Ethiopia)
Gesa Felicitas Krause (Germany)
Barbara Parker (Great Britain)
Lyudmila Kuzmina (Russia)
Sara Hall (USA)
Emma Coburn (USA)
Brdget Franek (USA)
Beverly Ramos (Puerto Rico)
Mardrea Hyman (Jamaica)
Eunice Jepkorir (Kenya)
Kipyego in familiar territory
Eugene-based Sally Kipyego of Kenya, the silver medallist from last year’s World Championships 10,000m, will have her hands full with the field in the women’s 3000m. Ranked No. 2 in the world at 10,000m and No. 3 at 5000m last year by T&FN, Kipyego has run at Hayward Field many times, including last year’s Oregon Relays, where she showed her amazing range by winning the 1500 in a PB 4:06.23. Her 3000m best is 8:47.91, set indoors this year.
Her prime challenger will likely be Linet Masai, also of Kenya. As a 22-year-old Masai won the 2009 World Championships 10,000m at age 19. She introduced herself to the world in 2007, when she ran her still-standing 3000m PB of 8:38.97 at age 17. A year later she set a World Junior Record in the 10,000m (30:26.50) when she finished fourth at the 2008 Olympics. Last year in Daegu, she attempted a 10,000/5000m double, earning bronze over the longer distance before finishing sixth in the 5000m.
Masai will be joined in the 3000, a non-Olympic distance, by many other 5000 and/or 10,000m runners stepping down in distance as a test of speed in preparation for the London Games.
Yet a third Kenyan attracts interest: 18-year-old Purity Rionoripo. The 2009 World Youth champion at age 16, she has a best of 8:44.54.
Seven Americans are slated to toe the starting line, including Amy Hastings, who finished a heart-breaking fourth at the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials in January. Hastings, a consistent sub-33:00 10,000m runner, was ranked No. 3 in the U.S. last year in the 5K by T&FN. Her 3000m PB is 8:58.45.
Two other Americans have broken 9:00 in the 3000: Elizabeth Maloy, with a best of 8:56.89, and Molly Huddle, with a PB of 8:57.30. Huddle is also the U.S. record holder in the 5000m, having run 14:44.76 in 2010.
Lisa Uhl (formerly Koll), a former 5000/10,000m NCAA champion while at Iowa State, is the seventh-fastest American ever at 5000m at 14:55.74; her 3000m PB is 9:05.62.
Four other entrants have more success on the shorter side, thus stepping up from the 1500m. Fastest is Morocco’s Mariem Alaoui Selsouli with a 3000m best of 8:29.52 in 2007, the same year she finished fourth in the 1500m at the World Championships. Last year, Alaoui Selsouli lowered her 1500m best to an impressive 4:00.77. Kenya's Eunice Sum has a 1500 PB of 4:05.99 set earlier this year, and Adrienne Herzog of the Netherlands has a 1500 best of 4:06.07.
Women’s 3000m -
Sally Kipyego (Kenya)
Linet Chepkwemoi Masai (Kenya)
Amy Hastings (USA)
Molly Huddle (USA)
Elizabeth Maloy (USA)
Purity Rionoripo (Kenya)
Brie Felnagle (USA)
Julia Lucas (USA)
Jackie Areson (USA)
Lisa Uhl (USA)
Angela Bizzarri (USA)
Mariem Alaoui Selsouli (Morocco)
Adrienne Herzog (Netherlands)
Eunice Sum (Kenya)
With the addition of the women’s steeplechase and 3000m, 78 athletes in this year’s Pre Classic have won 97 Olympic or World Championships gold medals. Meet organisers expect the greatest collection of talent ever for an invitational on the North American continent, as the 78 athletes account for 224 medals (97 gold, 66 silver, 61 bronze). And more events are still to be announced.
Organisers for the IAAF
The women’s Steeplechase field includes five highly ranked runners from distance-rich east Africa: Kenyans Milcah Chemos, Mercy Wanjiku Njorge, and Lydia Rotich, and Ethiopians Sofia Assefa and Hiwot Ayalew, giving the field five of last year’s top seven in the world. Adding an element of mystery is 30-year-old Kenya’s Eunice Jepkorir, silver medallist at the 2008 Olympics and bronze medallist at the 2007 World Championships. Her PB of 9:07.41, set in 2008, makes her the second fastest in the field, and she is racing at the Prefontaine Classic to begin her comeback.
Chemos was the bronze medallist at last year’s World Championships as well as in 2009. Ranked No. 1 in the world by Track & Field News in 2010, she is history’s sixth-fastest ever in the event at 9:08.57. Njoroge finished fourth in last year’s World Championships and has a best of 9:16.94. Rotich was fifth in Daegu and has a 9:18.03 career best. Assefa meanwhile was a 9:15.04 best and Ayalew, the youngest of the group at 22, has run 9:23.88.
The U.S. will be represented by last year’s top two ranked Americans, and three of the top five in Emma Coburn, Bridget Franek, and Sara Hall. Coburn, 21, swept last year’s NCAA and U.S. championships and made the World Championships final. She improved her best to 9:37.16, making her the seventh-fastest American ever. Even faster is Franek, 24, at 9:32.35, making her sixth-fastest American in history.
An exciting 19-year-old highlights several others from around the world. Gesa Felicitas Krause of Germany, last year’s European Junior champion, was a World Championships finalist last year. Krause’s best is 9:32.74. Another up-and-comer is 24-year-old Russian Lyudmila Kuzmina, who has run 9:26.03.
Women’s 3000m Steeplechase -
Milcah Chemos (Kenya)
Mercy Wanjiku Njoroge (Kenya)
Sofia Assefa (Ethiopia)
Lydiya Rotich (Kenya)
Hiwot Ayalew (Ethiopia)
Gesa Felicitas Krause (Germany)
Barbara Parker (Great Britain)
Lyudmila Kuzmina (Russia)
Sara Hall (USA)
Emma Coburn (USA)
Brdget Franek (USA)
Beverly Ramos (Puerto Rico)
Mardrea Hyman (Jamaica)
Eunice Jepkorir (Kenya)
Kipyego in familiar territory
Eugene-based Sally Kipyego of Kenya, the silver medallist from last year’s World Championships 10,000m, will have her hands full with the field in the women’s 3000m. Ranked No. 2 in the world at 10,000m and No. 3 at 5000m last year by T&FN, Kipyego has run at Hayward Field many times, including last year’s Oregon Relays, where she showed her amazing range by winning the 1500 in a PB 4:06.23. Her 3000m best is 8:47.91, set indoors this year.
Her prime challenger will likely be Linet Masai, also of Kenya. As a 22-year-old Masai won the 2009 World Championships 10,000m at age 19. She introduced herself to the world in 2007, when she ran her still-standing 3000m PB of 8:38.97 at age 17. A year later she set a World Junior Record in the 10,000m (30:26.50) when she finished fourth at the 2008 Olympics. Last year in Daegu, she attempted a 10,000/5000m double, earning bronze over the longer distance before finishing sixth in the 5000m.
Masai will be joined in the 3000, a non-Olympic distance, by many other 5000 and/or 10,000m runners stepping down in distance as a test of speed in preparation for the London Games.
Yet a third Kenyan attracts interest: 18-year-old Purity Rionoripo. The 2009 World Youth champion at age 16, she has a best of 8:44.54.
Seven Americans are slated to toe the starting line, including Amy Hastings, who finished a heart-breaking fourth at the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials in January. Hastings, a consistent sub-33:00 10,000m runner, was ranked No. 3 in the U.S. last year in the 5K by T&FN. Her 3000m PB is 8:58.45.
Two other Americans have broken 9:00 in the 3000: Elizabeth Maloy, with a best of 8:56.89, and Molly Huddle, with a PB of 8:57.30. Huddle is also the U.S. record holder in the 5000m, having run 14:44.76 in 2010.
Lisa Uhl (formerly Koll), a former 5000/10,000m NCAA champion while at Iowa State, is the seventh-fastest American ever at 5000m at 14:55.74; her 3000m PB is 9:05.62.
Four other entrants have more success on the shorter side, thus stepping up from the 1500m. Fastest is Morocco’s Mariem Alaoui Selsouli with a 3000m best of 8:29.52 in 2007, the same year she finished fourth in the 1500m at the World Championships. Last year, Alaoui Selsouli lowered her 1500m best to an impressive 4:00.77. Kenya's Eunice Sum has a 1500 PB of 4:05.99 set earlier this year, and Adrienne Herzog of the Netherlands has a 1500 best of 4:06.07.
Women’s 3000m -
Sally Kipyego (Kenya)
Linet Chepkwemoi Masai (Kenya)
Amy Hastings (USA)
Molly Huddle (USA)
Elizabeth Maloy (USA)
Purity Rionoripo (Kenya)
Brie Felnagle (USA)
Julia Lucas (USA)
Jackie Areson (USA)
Lisa Uhl (USA)
Angela Bizzarri (USA)
Mariem Alaoui Selsouli (Morocco)
Adrienne Herzog (Netherlands)
Eunice Sum (Kenya)
With the addition of the women’s steeplechase and 3000m, 78 athletes in this year’s Pre Classic have won 97 Olympic or World Championships gold medals. Meet organisers expect the greatest collection of talent ever for an invitational on the North American continent, as the 78 athletes account for 224 medals (97 gold, 66 silver, 61 bronze). And more events are still to be announced.
Organisers for the IAAF
