2008 Prefontaine Classic Recap and Results
by: LetsRun.com
June 9, 2008
*Results

The distance races were loaded at Pre this year. Brief recaps and our analysis below.

Other meet highlights included an American record in the pole vault by Brad Walker (19' 9"), Adam Nelson throwing 72'7" in the shot, and high schooler Jeff Demps being third in the 100m.

Full Recap: AFP Full Meet Pre Recap
Pole Vault: Brad Walker Breaks American Record in Pole VaultUSA Today
Distance:*Maria Mutola Makes It Sweet 16
*Bernard Lagat Shows Fine Form at Pre USA Today
*Bekele Comes Up Short Oregonian
*On the boards: Treniere Clement Only  4:11
*On the boards: Solinsky Beats Mottram
Hurdles:*Liu Xiang DQd for False Start at Pre
*On the boards: Liu Xiang Was Faking
Shot: Adam Nelson 72' 7" 'Those were some of the easiest 22-meter throws I've had in my life'Oregonian
100m: On the boards: High Schooler Jeff Demps 3rd in the 100
*On the boards: Allyson Felix Gets Smoked
More:*Athlete Quotes
*Post Race Interview from Pre
*Photos

Men's 800: Yego Wins as 3 Under 1:45
World Champ Alfred Yego stormed from behind to pass Nick Symmonds (who was trying to mount a challenge) and Yusuf Kamel (Billy Konchellah's son) to get the win as the NBC announcers had no idea who he was for a few seconds. Khadevis Robinson passed Symmonds right before the line and both look great heading into the Trials. Another pb for 45.19 400m man Matt Scherer.

800 Metres - Men                                              
                                                            Pts
    1 Yego , Alfred Kirwa              KEN    1:44.01         10        
    2 Kamel , Yusuf Saad               BRN    1:44.18          8        
    3 Robinson , Khadevis              USA    1:44.55          7        
    4 Symmonds , Nick                  USA    1:45.01          6        
    5 Reed , Gary                      CAN    1:45.68          5        
    6 Kombich , Ismael Kipngetich      KEN    1:46.07          4        
    7 Scherer , Matthew                USA    1:46.11          3        
    8 Yokota , Masato                  JPN    1:47.35          2        
    9 Shaw , Brandon                   USA    1:49.00
      Blount , Elliot                  USA        DNF                   

                   

                   

                   

            

Men's Mile: Korir Wins, Willis Impresses and Alan Webb??????
Nick Willis looked great and led down the homestretch until being passed just before the line by the guy we said would win the race Shedrack Korir.

We've never seen Alan Webb run more tentative as he was running in the back from the gun and lost contact before the bell. Good news is he didn't quit, but we wonder why he made his 2008 debut here (unless Nike made him), if he was going to run knowing he was going to get beat. 3:55.47 is not bad for a debut, but it's slower than he ran in high school and we didn't see Webb's usual confidence.

One Mile - Men                                                
                                                            Pts
    1 Korir , Shedrack Kibet           KEN    3:50.49         10        
    2 Willis , Nicholas                NZL    3:50.66          8        
    3 Komen , Daniel Kipchirchir       KEN    3:50.95          7        
    4 Ali , Belal Mansoor              BRN    3:53.12          6        
    5 Lomong , Lopez                   USA    3:53.97          5        
    6 Rankin , Jon                     USA    3:54.68          4        
    7 Webb , Alan                      USA    3:55.47          3        
    8 Kipchirchir , Alex               KEN    3:57.43          2        
    9 Leer , Will                      USA    3:58.16          1        
      Kivuna , Jackson Mumbwa          KEN        DNF                   
      Elliott , Kevin                  USA        DNF                   
      Tegenkamp , Matthew              USA        DNS                   
      Sullivan , Kevin                 CAN        DNS                                            

Men's 2 Mile: Lagat Looks Great
Please don't tell us you expected another outcome. Bernard Lagat has looked great every time out in 2008 and that continued here. The pace really slowed in the 2nd mile (65 second laps) and Lagat dispatched the field the final 200. Craig Mottram looked flat once the real running started. Chris Solinsky tried to challenge for the lead with 200 to go.

High school Luke Puskedra came up well short of the high school record (8:36) and something just doesn't seem right with a high schooler having his own rabbit in a pro meet.|
*Bernard Lagat Shows Fine Form at Pre USA Today
*On the boards: Solinsky Beats Mottram

Two Miles - Men                                               
                                                            Pts
    1 Lagat , Bernard                  USA    8:12.45         10        
    2 Ramzi , Rashid                   BRN    8:13.16          8        
    3 Koech , Paul Kipsiele            KEN    8:13.31          7        
    4 Solinsky , Chris                 USA    8:15.77          6        
    5 Mottram , Craig                  AUS    8:18.19          5        
    6 Kosgei , Shadrack                KEN    8:21.34          4        
    7 Shaheen , Saif Saaeed            QAT    8:22.86          3        
    8 Asmerom , Bolota                 USA    8:32.16          2        
    9 Birmingham , Collis              AUS    8:40.22          1        
   10 Puskedra , Luke                  USA    8:46.41          1        
      Riley , Jonathon                 USA        DNF                   
      Kithii , Josphat Mitunga         KEN        DNF                   
      Bak , Ryan                       USA        DNF                   
      Wall , Scott                     USA        DNF                   
      Moran , Ed                       USA        DNS                          

Men's 10k: Bekele Impresses, Abdi Comes Up Just Short
Kenenise Bekele may have missed the world record (26:17), but he got the American All-Comers record and the 4th fastest 10k ever. This may have been Abdi Abdirahman's best chance to take down Meb's American record at 10k but he came up just short (27:13.98).

26:10 for Bekele half way.
*Bekele Comes Up Short Oregonian

10,000 Metres - Men                                           
                                                            Pts
    1 Bekele , Kenenisa                ETH   26:25.97         10        
    2 Jeilan , Ibrahim                 ETH   27:13.85          8        
    3 Zewdie , Maregu                  ETH   27:14.13          7        
    4 Kiptoo , Mark Kosgei             KEN   27:14.67          6        
    5 Tola , Tadese                    ETH   27:15.17          5        
    6 Kimutai , Kiplimo                KEN   27:16.49          4        
    7 Abdirahman , Abdihakem           USA   27:16.99          3        
    8 Kosgei , Barnabas Kiplagat       KEN   28:15.66          2        
    9 Harroufi , Ridouane              MAR   28:20.67          1        
      Cherkos , Abreham                ETH        DNF                   
      Luchini Jr. , Louis              USA        DNF                   
      Cheboiywo , Boaz                 KEN        DNF                   
      Regassa , Tilahun                ETH        DNS                   
      Meftah , Abdellatif              MAR        DNS                   
      Kipngetich , Robert Sigei        KEN        DNS                                

Women's 800: Sweet 16 for Maria Mutola, Americans Do Well
Maria Mutola has run 16 straight times she raced at Pre as she won her final appearance at Hayward Field. She looked great as she powered away the final 100 after being at the front.

The Americans all had good days. Alice Schmidt with a nice 2008 debut, Hazel Clark with a fine return from food poisoning last week, Shannon Rowbury with a pr, and former Golden League champ Nicole Teter with a huge improvement from her last run (2:04.46).

The last American? High schooler Chanelle Price who led for much of the race and chopped her pr down from 2:02.38 to become the #2 American high schooler ever.
*Maria Mutola Makes It Sweet 16

800 Metres - Women                                            
                                                            Pts
    1 Mutola , Maria de Lurdes         MOZ    1:59.24         10        
    2 Schmidt , Alice                  USA    2:00.01          8        
    3 Clark , Hazel                    USA    2:00.51          7        
    4 Rowbury , Shannon                USA    2:01.03          6        
    5 Teter , Nicole                   USA    2:01.07          5        
    6 Price , Chanelle                 USA    2:01.61          4        
    7 Cummins , Diane                  CAN    2:01.70          3        
    8 Sato , Miho                      JPN    2:06.75          2        
      Hardy , Melanie                  USA        DNF                   

                   

            

Women's 1500: Burka Impresses, 3 Time Defending US Champ Clemente in Trouble
With world champ Maryam Jamal out, Gelete Burka dominated as expected. American Christin Wurth-Thomas got a small pr, and Amy Mortimer came up short of the "A" standard for the 3rd straight week (she went out harder this time).

But the big story may be 3 time defending US Champ Treniere Clement only run 4:11. Clement has struggled in a lightly raced 2008, and this performance proves something is wrong.
*On the boards: Treniere Clement Only  4:11

1500 Metres - Women                                           
                                                            Pts
    1 Burka , Gelete                   ETH    4:00.44         10        
    2 Lagat , Nancy Jebet              KEN    4:03.80          8        
    3 Wurth-Thomas , Christin          USA    4:04.88          7        
    4 Donohue , Erin                   USA    4:07.65          6        
    5 Fleshman , Lauren                USA    4:09.43          5        
    6 Mortimer , Amy                   USA    4:09.81          4        
    7 Tomashova , Tatyana              RUS    4:10.49          3        
    8 Douma-Hussar , Carmen            CAN    4:11.44          2        
    9 Clement , Treniere               USA    4:11.87          1        
      Corrigan , Lisa                  AUS        DNF                   
      Green , Nikeya                   USA        DNF                   
      Jamal , Maryam Yusuf             BRN        DNS                   
      Legesse , Meskerem               ETH        DNS                                

Women's 5k: Easy Win for Defar, Goucher Ready for Trials
The problem with a billed world record attempt is that there is some disappointment when they come up short, but Defar got the easy win. Kara Goucher was just off her pr, but has come a tremendous way in 3 weeks. Three weeks ago she wasn't even running this pace for 3k as she ran 9:00.53. Last week Goucher ran 31:26 for 10k and now this.

5000 Metres - Women                                           
                                                            Pts
    1 Defar , Meseret                  ETH   14:38.73         10        
    2 Cheruiyot , Vivian               KEN   14:57.43          8        
    3 Goucher , Kara                   USA   14:58.10          7        
    4 Jepchumba , Peninah              KEN   15:17.59          6        
    5 Clarke , Georgie                 AUS   15:36.82          5        
      Komyagina , Olga                 RUS        DNF                   
      Galaviz , Lisa                   USA        DNF                   
      Ferrell , Catherine              USA        DNF                   
      Begley-Yoder , Amy               USA        DNF                              

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