World champion Sha’Carri Richardson dominated the Prefontaine Classic in her first 100m race of the Olympic year, clocking 10.83 seconds.
This victory in Eugene, Oregon, positions her favorably for the upcoming Olympic Trials and the Paris Games this summer.
Richardson triumphed over a competitive field, including the fourth- and fifth-place finishers from last year’s world championships and two-time Olympic gold medalist Elaine Thompson-Herah of Jamaica.
Richardson’s time is the second-fastest in the world this year, trailing only University of Tennessee senior Jacious Sears, who recorded 10.77 seconds on April 13.
“I felt great about my race,” Richardson said. “It’s my (100m season) opener, I would not be human to say that I wasn’t nervous. As my coach says, use that nervousness as motivation.”
Richardson, who won last year’s world championships with a personal-best 10.65 seconds, is on track to challenge that time again this summer.
Highlights from the Prefontaine Classic
Mile Duel: Kerr vs. Ingebrigtsen
In a thrilling mile race, Brit Josh Kerr edged out Norwegian Jakob Ingebrigtsen by 26 hundredths of a second, clocking 3:45.34. This race marked a duel between the reigning world champion (Kerr) and the reigning Olympic champion (Ingebrigtsen) in the 1500m. Ingebrigtsen was racing for the first time since September, recovering from an Achilles injury.
Nuguse’s Strong Finish
Yared Nuguse finished third in the mile with a time of 3:46.22, marking the second-fastest time in U.S. history, only behind his own American record of 3:43.97 set at last year’s Pre Classic.
Holloway’s Hurdles Domination
Three-time world champion Grant Holloway won the 110m hurdles in 13.03 seconds, the world’s best time this year, solidifying his status as a favorite for the Paris Olympics.
“If there wasn’t an American in that race, I couldn’t care less about them,” Holloway said to NBC Sports. “I just wanted to let the Americans know I’m still the top dog, and I want to be able to put myself in the driving seat going forward into Olympic Trials.”
Coleman’s 100m Victory
Christian Coleman won the 100m in 9.95 seconds, narrowly beating Kenyan Ferdinand Omanyala. Coleman stated he is in the best shape of his life and focused on performing his best on race day.
Women’s 1500m
Diribe Welteji of Ethiopia won the women’s 1500m, with Elle St. Pierre placing third and setting the second-fastest time in U.S. history at 3:56.00. This performance was just shy of Shelby Houlihan’s American record.
Allman’s Discus Win
Tokyo Olympic gold medalist Valarie Allman won the discus with a throw of 67.36 meters, beating a strong field that included Cuban Yaime Perez and American Laulauga Tausaga.
Rogers Takes Hammer Throw
World champion Camryn Rogers of Canada won the hammer throw with a throw of 77.76 meters, outpacing the top four women in the world this year.
Chebet’s 10,000m World Record
Earlier in the day, Kenyan Beatrice Chebet broke the women’s 10,000m world record.
The track and field season continues Thursday with a Diamond League meet in Oslo, which will be streamed live on Peacock at 2 p.m. ET.
