Excitement Builds for the 2022 Prefontaine Classic

The Wanda Diamond League trophy and World Athletics Heritage Plaque on display at the 2022 Prefontaine Classic press conference. Photo by Logan Hannigan-Downs

By Joe Zochert

With the 2022 Prefontaine Classic kicking off later tonight, Friday morning’s press conference was full of action as 15 athletes addressed the media about their season and plans for this Wanda Diamond League meet at Hayward Field at the University of Oregon. Here are some of the highlights from the presser below.  

Schedule Change

With weather concerns, some of Saturday’s events have been moved to Friday night. Men’s pole vault, women’s discus and women’s high jump have been rescheduled to the first day of the Pre Classic. It is a decision that both athletes and race officials made to help ensure the safety of the athletes.

“It was really a great collaborative effort to ensure that we were prioritizing the safety of the athletes,” said TrackTown USA CEO Michael Reilly about the decision. “Really putting them in the best possible position for great performances this evening.”

The new times for the three field events are as follows; Men’s pole vault has been rescheduled to 7:00 p.m., women’s high jump has been moved to 7:05 p.m. and women’s discus will start at 8:46 p.m.

Paralympics Return to Pre Classic

It has been 33 years since paralympic athletes have been featured at the Pre Classic. For paralympic athletes like Scout Bassett and Blake Leeper, the opportunity to compete and be represented at a Diamond League event is something that they don’t take lightly.

“I remember when I got the email, I had to read it a few times because I didn't think it was real,” said Bassett, who is competing in the women’s 100m T63. 

Bassett, a two-time World Championship bronze medallist, hopes that fans get to see that behind every paralympic athlete there is a special story about why they are competing.

Scout Bassett

Blake Leeper

“Each one of us has an amazing story because something out of the ordinary has had to happen in all of our lives for us to even be able to compete at the Paralympics,” said Bassett about what she hopes fans can appreciate about paralympic athletes.

Leeper, a competitor in the men’s 400m T62, is also excited about this opportunity to make more fans of paralympic sports. He believes that the Pre Classic is a step in the right direction that could help bring more inclusion to the sport.

“Hopefully after this weekend, we'll gain so many more fans for life,” said Leeper.

Bowerman Mile

This year’s Bowerman Mile features reigning Olympic champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen as he faces off against a loaded field that includes Cole Hocker, Clayton Murphy and Timothy Cheruiyot.

Ingebrigtsen, last year’s Bowerman Mile winner, finished second in the 1500m at the Indoor World Championships earlier this year. The 21-year-old already has an Olympic gold medal along with two European gold medals.

With such an impressive resumé already, the next logical step would be to try to take a run at  a world record. However, for Ingebrigtsen, breaking records isn’t his focus at the moment.

“My main goal is as always trying to improve and run faster than I've done before,” said Ingebrigtsen about his focus when it comes to setting a world record.

Olympic gold medalist Jakob Ingebrigtsen looks to defend his Bowerman Mile title this weekend. Photo by Logan Hannigan-Downs