Faith Kipyegon And Beatrice Chebet Break World Records At The 50th Prefontaine Classic

The 50th iteration of the Prefontaine Classic was nothing short of legendary. The historic Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, is notorious for producing jaw-dropping performances, which were delivered and more yesterday afternoon.

With two world records falling, field eventers winning on their final attempts, and Olympic champions being battle-tested, all of this goodness can be attributed to what track fans like to call “Hayward Magic.”

The 50th Prefontaine Classic is being hailed as the greatest single-day track and field meet in history. Here is a guide that takes you through the most notable and historical performances of the weekend.

Kenyan Athletes Faith Kipyegon And Beatrice Chebet Demolish The 1500M And 5000M World Records

Just nine days after her Breaking4 attempt in the mile, Faith Kipyegon came to Hayward Field on a mission. Kipyegon lowered her world record in the 1500 meters to 3:48.68.

ForbesFaith Kipyegon Sets New World Best In The MileBy Katelyn Hutchison

To set her up for an elite time, the meet had green lights around the railing of the track to indicate just how fast Kipyegon would need to go to break her world record. During the last 150 meters of the race, the Olympic champion was about three meters behind the world record target. Shifting into another gear as she soared in the homestretch, Kipyegon found enough strength to pass the lights and rewrite history once again. The three-time Olympic champion was nothing but smiles after setting another world record.

Kipyegon now holds five of the top ten times in the event’s history in the 1500 meters. When considering the accolades Kipyegon has earned, it is fair to include her in the conversation as one of the greatest track and field athletes of all time.

She is the only woman to hold three world records simultaneously, has won three Olympic gold medals, four world championship titles, and has won six Diamond League finals. According to her World Athletics profile, there have been only seven times in the past 10 years at major championships where she hasn’t won gold.

At just 31 years old, it is clear Kipyegon has more in the tank. When she retires from track and field, her story will be a legendary one to tell.

Just an hour and a half before Kipyegon’s record, now three-time world record holder and two-time Olympic champion, Beatrice Chebet, lit the track on fire in the 5K. Becoming the first woman to run under 14 minutes in the event, Chebet clocked a time of 13:58.06 to add another world record under her belt.

Chebet had elite competition in her race, making this 5K one for the history books. Not far behind Chebet was Agnes Ngetich, another Kenyan athlete who holds the world record in the 10K road race. Ngetich ran 14:01.29, which is the third fastest of all time. In third place was the former world record holder in the event, Gudaf Tsegay, who ran 14:04.41 yesterday. Her result sits as the fourth fastest in history.

It shouldn’t be a surprise that Chebet earned this record. One of the world records she holds is in the 5K road race. Breaking Tsegay’s record yesterday was only a matter of time for the Kenyan superstar.

Melissa Jefferson-Wooden Takes Down Olympic Champion Julien Alfred In A Historic 100M Race

The women’s 100-meter dash did not fail to disappoint, featuring an Olympic-level matchup. Melissa Jefferson-Wooden, the Olympic bronze medalist in the 100-meter dash, ran 10.75 to reign victorious over Olympic champion Julien Alfred, who ran 10.77.

The 100-meter dash field for this year’s Prefontaine Classic included the entire Paris Olympic podium with Alfred, Sha’Carri Richardson, and Jefferson-Wooden. Alongside them were 2025 Jamaican national champion Tina Clayton, 150-meter dash world record holder Favor Ofili, Olympic finalist and champion Twanisha “TeeTee” Terry, three-time Olympic medalist Dina Asher-Smith, five-time Olympic finalist Marie-Josee Ta Lou-Smith, and African Championships silver medalist Maia McCoy.

When the gun went off, Jefferson-Wooden had an unbeatable start. Although she was quick with her first few steps, Alfred did not shy away from the challenge. Neither woman backed down from the other’s strength, fueling the competitiveness that they brought out in each other. The entire race consisted of Jefferson-Wooden and Alfred exchanging the first place spot. Just meters before they crossed the line, the Olympic bronze medalist found an extra gear to earn her first Diamond League victory.

Ta Lou-Smith placed third, running 10.90.

What made this race special was the headwind attached to the times. Although the rest of the field ran between 11.09 and 11.19, Jefferson-Wooden, Alfred, and Ta Lou-Smith managed to run as fast as they did with a 1.5 meters per second headwind. Negative headwinds are extremely difficult for track and field athletes to run through, as they act as a form of resistance.

Despite this, Jefferson-Wooden ran the fastest time in history into a headwind that was stronger than 1.0 meters per second.

Tara Davis-Woodhall Earns Diamond League Victory On Final Jump

Long jump Olympic champion Tara Davis-Woodhall had fans on the edge of their seats in Hayward Field. Davis-Woodhall managed to clinch the victory in an exciting fashion, jumping 7.07 meters on her final jump to beat Olympic champion and two-time world champion Malaika Mahimbo. This was Davis-Woodhall’s only seven-meter jump of the day.

Mahimbo and Davis-Woodhall have an exciting jumps rivalry. These two women are the most consistent seven-meter jumpers in track and field currently. Their ability to earn medals while also continuously dominating their competition will make them difficult to beat come the World Athletics Outdoor Championships in September.

The long jump field included two-time Olympic medalist Jasmine Moore and world indoor champion Claire Bryant. Bryant finished third with her best jump being 6.80 meters. Moore placed fourth with 6.71 meters.

The long jump was not the only field event that delivered intense competition. In the women’s shot put, world champion Chase Jackson threw a tenth of a centimeter off of her American record. Jackson threw 20.94 to secure her win. Not only did Jackson almost set a new record, but five women in the field threw over 20 meters. This hasn’t happened since the 1988 Olympic final.

The men followed up with a similar historic feat. Two-time world champion and three-time Olympic silver medalist Joe Kovacs threw 22.48 in the shot put to win and set a new world lead for the season. Five men threw over 22 meters, which is the first time in history this has ever happened.

Olympic Champion Letsile Tebogo Proves He’s Back In Form, Runs 19.76 World Lead In The 200M

The 200-meter dash Olympic champion, Letsile Tebogo, found his stride again at the 50th Prefontaine Classic. With the late withdrawal of his Olympic podium companion, Kenny Bednarek, who pulled out due to physical discomfort, Tebogo controlled the field, running 19.76, which is now a new world lead. Not too far behind him was world relays champion Courtney Lindsey, who ran a season’s best of 19.87.

Following his Olympic debut, Tebogo has not had it easy in competition this season. He started the year running a few 400-meter races and slowly transitioned into his main events, which are the 100-meter and 200-meter dashes. His season opener in the 100-meter dash back in April was 10.55 seconds, which is far from typical for Tebogo. He continued to improve his time in his 100-meter races, but unfortunately, he ran 10.43 at the end of May. His 200-meter races have consistently been around the low 20-second mark this season.

This is Tebogo’s first race back since May. His time away from competition proved to be needed, as he looked like he was back to his old self. If the Olympic champion can keep this momentum through September, there is no reason why he won’t make another world championship podium.

For the complete list of results from the Prefontaine Classic, fans can find it on the Diamond League website.