Stephanie Brown-Trafton, surprise winner of the women's Olympic discus title (© Getty Images)
Gold should be the color of choice for the women’s throwers confirmed to compete at this year’s Prefontaine Classic, the fourth stop on the 2012 Samsung Diamond League circuit. Four of the contestants have won Olympic or World Championships gold medals in the hammer and discus throws.
The 38th annual Pre Classic will be held 1-2 June at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore. The Friday portion of this year’s edition has been named Hollister Night at Hayward, in tribute to the late Geoff Hollister. Admission is free on Friday, thanks to long-time sponsor NIKE, in tribute to Hollister, one of the original executives at the company. Both of the women’s throwing events are included in the free portion of this year’s Pre Classic.
The women’s Discus Throw is one of 16 events in the meet designated as part of the worldwide Samsung Diamond League. The field features reigning Olympic gold medallist Stephanie Brown-Trafton of the U.S.
Brown-Trafton will have plenty of competition. The field includes a select group of the world’s best, including Aretha Thurmond of the U.S., Zaneta Glanc of Poland, and Sandra Perkovic of Croatia. Thurmond is a a four-time U.S. champion, Glanc finished fourth in the last two World Championships, and Perkovic is the reigning European champion.
Two more Olympians join the fray in Kateryna Karsak of Ukraine and former two-time World Junior gold medalist Xuejun Ma of China. Also included are two more with World Championships experience: American Gia Lewis-Smallwood and Darya Pishchalnikova of Russia.
Three World champions to dazzle in the Hammer Throw
The women’s Hammer Throw, not part of the Diamond League events, brings together a glittering collection highlighted by three World Championships gold medalists and five of the top six ranked throwers in the world last year, according to Track & Field News. The group also includes Track & Field News' last three year’s No. 1 throwers in the world, and four in the last six years.
Three of the throwers have set World records, including the current holder, Betty Heidler of Germany. Heidler set her mark of 79.42m last May and later in August earned her second consecutive World Championships silver. Two other World record setters are in the field, including Tatyana Lysenko of Russia. Lysenko won the gold in the World Championships last year in defeating Heidler. The third world record setter is Anita Wlodarczyk of Poland, the 2009 World Championships gold medalist and owner of the World record that Heidler broke.
The stellar fields gets even better with two more of last year’s top throwers, Wenxiu Zhang of China and Kathrin Klaas of Germany. Zhang has taken an early world lead by increasing her personal best to a world-leading 75.72m. She was bronze medallist at the 2008 Olympics as well as the 2007 and 2011 World Championships.
The hammer field doesn’t end there. Add to that group a pair of Americans and a Canadian: Jessica Cosby, Amber Campbell, and Sultana Frizell. Cosby is a four-time U.S. champion and Campbell and Frizell are 2008 Olympians. Cosby earlier this year increased her personal best to 73.71m, just six inches short of the U.S. record. Campbell is the third-longest thrower in U.S. history at 72.59m. Frizell, of Canada, earlier this year increased her PB to 75.04m.
With the addition of the women’s throwing events to the previously announced women’s 10K and men’s 5K, 12 athletes in this year’s Prefontaine Classic have won a total of 32 Olympic or World Championships medals (19 gold, 5 silver, 8 bronze).
Women's Discus Throw
Stephanie Brown-Trafton (USA)
Aretha Thurmond (USA)
Zaneta Glanc (Poland)
Kateryna Karsak (Ukraine)
Darya Pishchalnikova (Russia)
Gia Lewis-Smallwood (USA)
Sandra Perkovic (Croatia)
Xuejun Ma (China)
Women's Hammer Throw
Betty Heidler (Germany)
Tatyana Lysenko (Russia)
Wenxiu Zhang (China)
Kathrin Klaas (Germany)
Anita Wlodarczyk (Poland)
Amber Cambell (USA)
Jessica Cosby (USA)
Sultana Frizell (Canada)
Update on the men's 5000m -
Joining the field announced earlier this week is Kenya's Augustine Choge. He was the silver medalist at the World Indoor Championships earlier this year in Istanbul in the 3000m, an event in which he still owns the World Junior Record (7:28.78, 2005). Choge was a finalist in the 2008 Olympics and 2009 World Championships in the 1500 and has incredible range as his PBs indicate: 3:29.47 in the 1500 and 12:53.66 in the 5000m.
Organisers for the IAAF
Samsung Diamond League - 2012 Calendar
Doha, QAT - 11 May
Shanghai, CHN - 19 May
Rome, ITA - 31 May
Eugene, USA - 2 June
Oslo, NOR - 7 June
New York, USA - 9 June
Paris, FRA - 6 July
London, GBR - 13 / 14 July
Monaco, MON - 20 July
Stockholm, SWE - 17 August
Lausanne, SUI - 23 August
Birmingham, GBR - 26 August
Zurich, SUI - 30 August
Brussels, BEL - 7 September
Click here for the Samsung Diamond League website
The 38th annual Pre Classic will be held 1-2 June at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore. The Friday portion of this year’s edition has been named Hollister Night at Hayward, in tribute to the late Geoff Hollister. Admission is free on Friday, thanks to long-time sponsor NIKE, in tribute to Hollister, one of the original executives at the company. Both of the women’s throwing events are included in the free portion of this year’s Pre Classic.
The women’s Discus Throw is one of 16 events in the meet designated as part of the worldwide Samsung Diamond League. The field features reigning Olympic gold medallist Stephanie Brown-Trafton of the U.S.
Brown-Trafton will have plenty of competition. The field includes a select group of the world’s best, including Aretha Thurmond of the U.S., Zaneta Glanc of Poland, and Sandra Perkovic of Croatia. Thurmond is a a four-time U.S. champion, Glanc finished fourth in the last two World Championships, and Perkovic is the reigning European champion.
Two more Olympians join the fray in Kateryna Karsak of Ukraine and former two-time World Junior gold medalist Xuejun Ma of China. Also included are two more with World Championships experience: American Gia Lewis-Smallwood and Darya Pishchalnikova of Russia.
Three World champions to dazzle in the Hammer Throw
The women’s Hammer Throw, not part of the Diamond League events, brings together a glittering collection highlighted by three World Championships gold medalists and five of the top six ranked throwers in the world last year, according to Track & Field News. The group also includes Track & Field News' last three year’s No. 1 throwers in the world, and four in the last six years.
Three of the throwers have set World records, including the current holder, Betty Heidler of Germany. Heidler set her mark of 79.42m last May and later in August earned her second consecutive World Championships silver. Two other World record setters are in the field, including Tatyana Lysenko of Russia. Lysenko won the gold in the World Championships last year in defeating Heidler. The third world record setter is Anita Wlodarczyk of Poland, the 2009 World Championships gold medalist and owner of the World record that Heidler broke.
The stellar fields gets even better with two more of last year’s top throwers, Wenxiu Zhang of China and Kathrin Klaas of Germany. Zhang has taken an early world lead by increasing her personal best to a world-leading 75.72m. She was bronze medallist at the 2008 Olympics as well as the 2007 and 2011 World Championships.
The hammer field doesn’t end there. Add to that group a pair of Americans and a Canadian: Jessica Cosby, Amber Campbell, and Sultana Frizell. Cosby is a four-time U.S. champion and Campbell and Frizell are 2008 Olympians. Cosby earlier this year increased her personal best to 73.71m, just six inches short of the U.S. record. Campbell is the third-longest thrower in U.S. history at 72.59m. Frizell, of Canada, earlier this year increased her PB to 75.04m.
With the addition of the women’s throwing events to the previously announced women’s 10K and men’s 5K, 12 athletes in this year’s Prefontaine Classic have won a total of 32 Olympic or World Championships medals (19 gold, 5 silver, 8 bronze).
Women's Discus Throw
Stephanie Brown-Trafton (USA)
Aretha Thurmond (USA)
Zaneta Glanc (Poland)
Kateryna Karsak (Ukraine)
Darya Pishchalnikova (Russia)
Gia Lewis-Smallwood (USA)
Sandra Perkovic (Croatia)
Xuejun Ma (China)
Women's Hammer Throw
Betty Heidler (Germany)
Tatyana Lysenko (Russia)
Wenxiu Zhang (China)
Kathrin Klaas (Germany)
Anita Wlodarczyk (Poland)
Amber Cambell (USA)
Jessica Cosby (USA)
Sultana Frizell (Canada)
Update on the men's 5000m -
Joining the field announced earlier this week is Kenya's Augustine Choge. He was the silver medalist at the World Indoor Championships earlier this year in Istanbul in the 3000m, an event in which he still owns the World Junior Record (7:28.78, 2005). Choge was a finalist in the 2008 Olympics and 2009 World Championships in the 1500 and has incredible range as his PBs indicate: 3:29.47 in the 1500 and 12:53.66 in the 5000m.
Organisers for the IAAF
Samsung Diamond League - 2012 Calendar
Doha, QAT - 11 May
Shanghai, CHN - 19 May
Rome, ITA - 31 May
Eugene, USA - 2 June
Oslo, NOR - 7 June
New York, USA - 9 June
Paris, FRA - 6 July
London, GBR - 13 / 14 July
Monaco, MON - 20 July
Stockholm, SWE - 17 August
Lausanne, SUI - 23 August
Birmingham, GBR - 26 August
Zurich, SUI - 30 August
Brussels, BEL - 7 September
Click here for the Samsung Diamond League website
