In Oregon, USA
Some of the world’s finest athletes will on Saturday descend on Hayward Field at the University of Oregon in Eugene to compete in Prefontaine Classic Diamond League Meeting.
Organisers of the Prefontaine Diamond league, the ninth event out of 15 competitions in the 2025 Diamond League calendar, have lined up top athletes from around the world in Eugene.
The Diamond League is an annual series of elite track and field athletic competitions comprising 15 invitational athletics meetings. The Diamond League series, sponsored by Chinese multinational conglomerate Wanda Group, sits in the top tier of the World Athletics one-day meet competitions.
Saturday night meeting has attracted Olympic champions, world champions, world record holders, and some of the fastest athletes this season who are out to tighten their grip on global athletics.
Fresh from her failed bid dubbed ‘Breaking4’ in which she attempted to run the mile in less than four minutes in Paris, three-time 1,500m Olympics champion Faith Kipyegon returns to competition against a strong field featuring Ethiopia’s Diribe Welteji and Australian Jessica Hull, both of whom have posted impressive times this season.
Kenya’s Faith Kipyegon finishes her attempt to run the women’s mile in under four minutes at the Stade Sebastian Charlety Stadium in Paris on June 26, 2025.
Photo credit: Pool
Others are US-based Kenyan runner Susan Ejore, Ethiopians Saron Berhe and Haile Freweyni, Australia’s Jessica Hull, Elise Cranny, Nikki Hiltz, Shelby Houlihan Sinclare Johnson, all from USA.
Kenyan athletes competing in the women’s 5,000m and men’s 10,000m races will be out to kill two birds using a single stone. Other than seeking to attain 2025 World Athletics Championships qualification standard, they will fight for a share of the rich prize purse on offer.
The top athlete in all the categories will take home US$20,000 (Sh 2.6m), the second US$10,000 (Sh1.3m), the third US$6,000 (Sh780,000) and the fourth US$5,000 (Sh 650,000). The fifth, sixth, seventh, eight and ninth finishers will take home US$3,000 (Sh 390,000), US $2,500 (Sh 325,000), US $2,000 (Sh 260,000), US$1,500 (Sh 195,000), and US$750 (Sh 97,500).
Olympics 10,000m and 5,000m champion Beatrice Chebet has declared that she will attempt the world record in women’s 5,000m.
World 800m champion Mary Moraa will come up against Olympics champion Keely Hodgkinson from Great Britain, and silver medallist Ethiopia’s Tsige Duguma in a race dubbed ‘Mutola 800m race’ in honour of Mozambican legend Maria Mutola who has been voted one of the greatest middle distance runners ever.
Mary Moraa of Kenya reacts after winning her 800m semi-final at Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France on August 04, 2024.
Photo credit: Dylan Martinez | Reuters
Also in the mix is South Africa’s Prudence Sekgodiso who has been in top shape this season, 2019 world champion over 800m Halima Nakaayi from Uganda.
Moraa, who finished second in women’s 800m last year at the same venue, said: “We are here to test how the upcoming global event shall be.
Although I am the world champion, I have to compete at the national trials which I can equate to a championship because there are many competing Kenyans who are good.”
In women’s 3,000m steeplechase, Kenya’s Faith Cherotich who is also the Olympics bronze medalist and has been unbeatable this season, the 2020 Olympics champion Peruth Chemutai from Uganda, Olympics champion Kenyan-born Bahraini Winfred Yavi and the 2022 World champion Norah Jeruto will all be eyeing the title.
Kenya's Faith Cherotich (left) and Winfred Yavi of Bahrain sprint to the finish line during the women's 3000m steeplechase race at the Doha Diamond League on May 16, 2025.
Photo credit: Reuters
Last year at the same race, Uganda’s Peruth Chemutai won ahead of Kenyans Beatrice Chepkoech and Cherotich who finished second and third respectively, with Yavi finishing in ninth place
The Bowerman Mile will be a contest between former 1,500m World Champion Timothy Cheruiyot, the 2022 World Under-20 1,500m champion Reynold Cheruiyot, Abel Kipsang, and Festus Lagat.
The highly anticipated women’s 5,000m race will see double Olympics champion Beatrice Chebet come up against her compatriots Agnes Jebet Ngetich who is world record holder over 10km, Africa 10,000m champion Janeth Chepngetich, Margaret Akidor, Maurine Chebor, Caroline Kariba, Hellen Lobun, Caroline Nyaga, and Susan Wanjiru.
Kenya’s Beatrice Chebet celebrates after winning the women's 5,000m race at Brussels Diamond League on September 14, 2024.
Photo credit: Reuters
In men’s 10,000m race, the University of New Mexico freshman Ishmael Kipkurui leads a strong team as he also guns for a place in Team Kenya for the 2025 World Athletics Championships. If he wins a place in the team today, he shall have graduated in style, today’s race being his first assignment as a senior.
Kipkurui currently holds the fastest time in the 10,000m globally this season of 26:50.21 which he recorded on March 29 this year, making him eligible for the World Athletics Championships.
Nicholas Kipkorir, Richard Etir, World Cross Country bronze medalist Benson Kiplangat, Matthew Kipruto, Robert Koech, Edwin Kurgat, Vincent Langat, Samwel Masai, Stanley Mburu and Gedion Rono complete Kenya’ roster in the race.
In women’s 100m, Olympic medallists Julien Alfred, Sha’Carri Richardson and Melissa Jefferson-Wooden will face off.
The Prefontaine Classic is the premier track and field meet in USA. Since its inception in 1975, the meet has been a fixture in the global track and field calendar, earning a reputation for bringing the world’s best athletes to Hayward Field at the University of Oregon. The meet is named after legendary American runner Steve Prefontaine.
