POSTED: Sunday June 7th 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Phillips, Barringer join all-time greats at 2009 Nike Prefontaine Classic

2009 Nike Prefontaine Classic at historic Hayward Field on the campus of the University of Oregon in Eugene

EUGENE, Ore. - Two-time World Outdoor champion Dwight Phillips and
U.S. women’s 3,000m steeplechase record holder Jennifer Barringer
posted landmark performances Sunday at the 2009 Nike Prefontaine
Classic at historic Hayward Field on the campus of the University of
Oregon in Eugene.

 The Nike Prefontaine Classic is the fifth event of the USA
Track & Field Outdoor Visa Championship Series, which will conclude
at the USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Eugene, June
25-28.

 Dwight is right!

 2004 Olympic gold medalist Dwight Phillips leaped back on
the world stage in posting the longest jump in the world since National
Track & Field Hall of Famer Mike Powell set the world record in
1991.

Phillips easily won the event when he sailed to 8.74
meters/28 feet 8.25 inches, which ties him with Larry Myricks and Erick
Walder for the eighth-best outdoor mark in history, and the trio are
also tied as the #5 performers all time. For his effort, Phillips was
named the Team USA Athlete of the Meet presented by Visa.

“Last
week I knew I was jumping far and I was looking at the world record,”
said Phillips. “I knew I was capable of jumping this far. I’m looking
forward to the rest of the season. I’m hungry. I’m excited about the
sport again.”

 

With his performance, Phillips takes over the
lead from Tyson Gay in the men’s Visa Championship Series race with his
total of 1,290 points. Gay’s sits in second place with 1,285 points.

 

Barringer joins America’s best at 1,500 meters

 Ethiopia’s Gelete Burka was in command throughout the Nike
women’s 1,500m until the final straightaway when U.S. women’s
steeplechase record holder Jenny Barringer put on a furious kick and
the two were even at the finish line. Burka just barely defended her
Pre Classic title from last year with her time of 3 minutes 59.89
seconds, as Barringer joined Mary Slaney and Suzy Favor as the third
American in history to better the four-minute barrier with her time of
3:59.90.

Barringer’s performance is the best by an American in
seven years, the third-fastest women’s 1,500m in the world this year
and it betters the previous collegiate record of 4:05.75 by Lindsay
Gallo set in 2005.

 Merritt sets sea level world’s best in 300m

 2008 Olympic 400m and 4x400m relay gold medalist LaShawn
Merritt was dominant in the men’s 300 meters posting the #2 all-time
mark and a sea level world best with his winning time of 31.30 seconds.
2006 NCAA 400m champion Xavier Carter was the runner-up in 31.93, with
2004 Olympian Wallace Spearmon finishing third in 32.14.

Richards posts world leader

 It was no contest in the women’s 400 meters as 2008 Olympic
400m bronze medalist and 4x400m relay gold medalist Sanya Richards
showed no mercy to her competitors. Richards left the blocks in a hurry
and was never challenged in winning the Nutrilite women’s 400m in the
fastest time in the world this year of 49.86 seconds.

Richards,
who has been ranked #1 in the world at 400m the last four years,
finished ahead of Olympic silver medalist Shericka Williams of Jamaica,
who crossed the line as the runner-up in 50.72 seconds.

 Symmonds pleases the home fans 

 2008 Olympian and Eugene area resident Nick Symmonds, who
won one of the most memorable races in Hayward Field history with his
unforgettable victory at last year’s Olympic Trials, was victorious
again today in the Nike men’s 800m. Symmonds grabbed the lead off the
final curve and held on for the win in 1:45.86. The runner-up was
Beijing Olympic bronze medalist Alfred Yego of Kenya, who crossed the
line in 1:46.36, and Oregon Track Club member Christian Smith, who
joined Symmonds on the U.S. Beijing Olympic Team, finished third in
1:46.36.

Reigning men’s 1,500m and 5,000m world champion Bernard
Lagat passed Qatar’s Saif Shaheen  with 60 meters to go and won going
away in the men’s 3,000m in 7:35.92. Shaheen was the runner-up in
7:36.87, with Americans Chris Solinsky and Matt Tegenkamp finishing
third and fourth respectively, with times of 7:37.05 and 7:37.32.

 Perry & Cherry at the finish

 Two-time World Outdoor champion Michelle Perry and 2008
Olympic Games fourth-place finisher Damu Cherry sailed across the
finish line together in the women’s 100m hurdles. Although both were
clocked in 12.74, it was Perry who was named the victor with Cherry
claiming the runner-up spot. Canada’s Olympic bronze medalist Priscilla
Lopes-Schliep was third, just one hundredth of a second behind the
Americans.

 “Batman” beats the world’s best

 The three Americans who swept the medals in the men’s 400m
hurdles at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing met again this morning in
Eugene. Bershawn ‘Batman’ Jackson, who won the bronze medal in Beijing,
got off to a quick start before clipping the second hurdle. Jackson,
who also won last week at the Reebok Grand Prix in New York,  recovered
quickly and held the lead with 80 meters to go along with Beijing gold
medalist Angelo Taylor, silver medalist Kerron Clement and
 Jamaica’s Isa Phillips. Jackson won the race to the
finish line in posting the second-fastest time in the world this year
of 43.38 seconds, which he shares with Clement. Phillips was second in
48.55, with Clement third in 48.73 and Taylor placing fourth in 48.79.

 Rodgers sets world best in 100m

 2008 USA Indoor 60m champion Michael Rodgers, who won last
weekend at the Reebok Grand Prix in New York, was victorious again
today in the men’s 100m posting a new career best and the fastest time
in the world this year of 9.94 seconds. Rodgers defeated former world
record holder and Olympic relay gold medalist Asafa Powell of Jamaica,
who finished second in 10.07 seconds. Two-time Olympic sprint medalist
Walter Dix also ran 10.07 in finishing in third place, with
 2008 Olympic Trials fourth-place finisher Travis Padgett placing fourth in 10.08.

 

After winning last week at the Reebok Grand Prix, Carmelita
Jeter continued her winning ways with her victory in the Visa women’s
100m. With a +3.2 mps wind at her back, Jeter sailed across the finish
line first in 10.85 seconds and remains undefeated this outdoor season.
Jamaican Kerron Stewart, who captured the 100m silver medal and 200m
bronze medal in Beijing, was the runner-up in 10.90 in suffering her
first loss this outdoor season and Olympic Trials champion Muna Lee
finished third in 11.02. Jeter holds on to the lead in the women’s Visa
Championship Series chase with 1,207 points, which is one point better
than Sanya Richards.

13 competitors break 4-minutes in Bowerman Mile

2008
Olympic silver medalist Asbel Kiprop of Kenya won the classic Bowerman
Mile in 3:48.50, which is the fastest time in the world this year,
bettering the previous fastest time this season by nearly six seconds.
Kiprop’s countryman, Haron Keitany, who ended the 2008 season ranked #1
in the world, was the runner-up in 3:48.78.  2008 Olympian Lopez Lomong
led the American contingent with his sixth-place finish in 3:53.47. 13
runners bettered the 4-minute barrier, which equals the Hayward Field
record for a single race.

 

Hoffa leads throwers with world best

2007
World Outdoor champion Reese Hoffa won the Visa men’s shot put in
posting the farthest throw in the world this year on his final attempt
that sailed 21.89 meters/71 feet 10 inches. 2008 Olympic Trials
fourth-place finisher Dan Taylor finished second with a toss of
21.29m/69-10.25 and reigning Olympic champion Tomasz Majewski of Poland
finished third with a best of 21.26m/69-9.

Stephanie Brown
Trafton, who won the 2008 Olympic gold medal in the women’s discus on
her first throw, did it again with a first attempt winning toss of
63.98m/209-11. 2008 Olympic Trials sixth-place finisher Summer Pierson
was second with a toss of 60.53m/198-7.

2008 Olympian Funmi
Jimoh, who finished at the Olympic Games in Beijing, won the women’s
long jump with a best of 6.69m/21-11.50.

In other events, Kenya’s Paul Koech won the men’s 3,000m
steeplechase in 8:13.44, Germany’s Betty Heidler won the women’s hammer
(72.81m/238-10), Ivan Ukhov of Russia won the men’s high jump
(2.34m/7-8) and Sweden’s Alhaji Jeng won the men’s pole vault with a
best clearance of 5.51m/18-1.

For more information on the 2009 Nike Prefontaine Classic and the USATF Visa Championship Series, visit: www.visachampionshipseries.com.

 
     

About USA Track & Field

 

USA
Track & Field (USATF) is the National Governing Body for track and
field, long-distance running and race walking in the United States.
USATF encompasses the world’s oldest organized sports, some of the
most-watched events of Olympic broadcasts, the #1 high school and
junior high school participatory sport and more than 30 million adult
runners in the United States.

 

For more information on USATF, visit www.usatf.org

 

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Keywords · 2009 Nike Prefontaine Classic · Hayward Field · University of Oregon in Eugene · athletics

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Name: Tom Surber
Organization: US Track and Field
Email:
Phone: +1.317-713-4690
URL: http://www.usatf.org/

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