Teenager Tate Taylor wins the 200 at the Prefontaine Classic
· Yahoo Sports
EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — Teenager Tate Taylor stunned a field that included Olympic gold medalist Letsile Tebogo in the 200 meters at the Prefontaine Classic on Saturday.
Visit saltysenoritaaz.org for more information.
Taylor, an 18-year-old from San Antonio Texas, ran a personal best 19.75 seconds into a headwind. Taylor had already drawn attention in the sprints as the first high schooler to run the 200 in under 20 seconds. Tebogo finished second at the Pre in 19.93.
Taylor called the result “crazy ridiculous.”
“I knew it was going to be close,” he said. “I told my dad, I told my coach, if they’re gonna beat me they're gonna have to throw something crazy down to beat me."
The Prefontaine Classic, held each year at the University of Oregon's Hayward Field, is the only U.S. stop on the international Diamond League tour. It is named after Oregon track star Steve Prefontaine, who died in 1975.
Sprinters face tough competition
Melissa Jefferson-Wooden edged Sha'Carri Richardson in the women's 100, winning in 10.78 seconds. The thrilling photo finish showed Richardson, Jefferson-Wooden's training partner, just behind at 10.79. Collegian Adaejah Hodge was third in 10.80.
“It was a fight literally to the finish, but I wanted it more, so I got it,” said Jefferson-Wooden, who won the 100 at the world championships last year in Tokyo.
In the men’s 100, Nigerian Kayinsola Ajayi pulled in front at the midway point to overtake Jamaican Oblique Seville and reigning Diamond League champion in the event, American Christian Coleman. Ajayi finished in 9.84.
Botswana’s Collen Kebinatshipi won the men’s 400 in 44 seconds flat, besting American Rai Benjamin, who challenged on the outside lane but came up short in 44.11, a personal best. Benjamin won the 400 hurdles at the Pre in 2023.
Tharpe returns to Hayward
American Jamal Britt won the 110 hurdles in a personal-best and meet-record 12.86. Ja’Kobe Tharp was second in 12.91. Tharp set a world record in the 110 hurdles in 12.75 at the NCAA Championships last month in Eugene. The Auburn senior broke the record Aries Merritt set in 2012.
“It felt good to be back here, because I knew that if I’d go here and execute, it would be a good experience. I just did it two weeks ago,” Tharpe said. “But wasn’t my best. But hey, you win some, you lose some. Keep it pushing.”
Olympic gold medalist Masai Russell won the women's 100 hurdles in a meet-record 12.24 against a loaded field that included world record holder Tobi Amusan, who finished second in 12.34.
The Pre features some unique events
Ethiopian Aleshign Baweke won the seldomly contested women’s 2-mile event in 9:20.02. American Nikki Hiltz spoiled Kenyan Faith Kipyegon’s bid to break the 4-minute mark in the mile by winning the event in 4:17.49. Kipyegon, who holds the world record (4:07.64) in the event, finished third.
Australian Cameron Miles won the final event of the day, the Prefontaine's signature Bowerman Mile, in 3:46.06.
Lilian Odira of Kenya pulled in front of reigning Olympic champion Keely Hodgkinson down the stretch to win the 800 meters in a season-best 1:56.19. Kenyan Faith Cherotich, the bronze medalist in Paris, won the steeplechase in 9:51.74.
China's Jiale Zhang won the hammer with a throw of 255 feet, 8 inches and Chase Johnson won the shot put with a throw of 67-5½. Tara Davis-Woodhall's leap of 23-4¾ won the long jump.
In the other men's events, Lithuanian Mykolas Alekna won the men's discus with a throw of 233-1 while Leonardo Fabbri of Italy won the shot put with a throw of 74-7¼.
___
AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports