Josh Kerr Delivers, Beats Jakob At His Own Game

After nine months of hype, the Josh Kerr vs. Jakob Ingebrigtsen sequel delivered. The 2024 Bowerman Mile gave us something we almost never see: Jakob Ingebrigtsen trying to win a race from behind.

The reigning Olympic champ, who is not shy about how he enjoys winning races “the hard way”, let Kerr lead the race going into the final lap. Kerr would never relinquish that lead. With one more gear than Ingebrigtsen down the final stretch, he crossed the line in 3:45.34, taking the British record from former world record holder Steve Cram. Ingebrigtsen ran the second fastest mile of his career (3:45.60) – not bad for a season opener.

In the press conference the day before the race, Ingebrigtsen was vocal about the importance of showing up to races when you are not 100%. Whether this was a baked-in excuse, or just a strong belief, Ingebrigtsen is coming off a winter of injury, and this defeat will no doubt fuel him in the lead up to his gold medal defense in August.

American record holder Yared Nuguse took third (3:46.22), as the three medal favorites for Paris solidified their cases. 2022 World champion Jake Wightman finished fifth (3:47.83) for a personal best, a strong step forward in his biggest race since winning his World title on the same track.

No Need To Worry About Sha’Carri

After two shaky performances – in her off distance, to be fair – in China to open the season, there was some concern about Sha’Carri Richardson coming off of her World title last year. The American put all of those doubts to bed in Eugene with a convincing win (10.83), and the fastest wind legal time on the pro circuit this year.

The headline matchup leading into the race was between the reigning World champion, Richardson, and the reigning Olympic champion, Jamaica’s Elaine Thompson-Herah. Thompson-Herah had an off day and finished last (11.30), but it was her first race of the season. Last year, the fastest woman alive opened her season only slightly faster (11.24), but finished her season running 10.79 at this meet (albeit after she missed the World Championships). Jamaican fans should probably overlook this result, and hope for a little case of Olympic year magic for the five-time gold medalist.

St. Lucia’s Julien Alfred (10.93) finished second, while last year’s Pre Classic winner Marie-Joseé Ta Lou-Smith (11.05) fell to sixth.

On the men’s side, American Christian Coleman (9.95) won his third Pre Classic (2023, 2019), as he too put to rest concerns about a poor start to the season. In the 200m, American Kenny Bednarek (19.89) continued his undefeated season with a convincing win.

Beatrice Chebet Makes History

The headliner coming into the women’s 10,000m world record attempt was Ethiopia’s Gudaf Tsegay (already the fourth fastest woman in history). Instead it was Kenya’s Beatrice Chebet who stole the day.

Despite an Olympic spot on the line (today’s 10,000m races served as the Olympic selection race for Athletics Kenya, with the first two spots earning automatic qualifiers), Chebet went out on world record pace behind Tsegay. Perhaps even more surprisingly, two of her compatriots, Margaret Chelimo Kipkemboi and Lilian Kasait Rengeruk, followed suit.

The pack went through halfway in 14:31, pretty much dead on world record pace. With three laps to go, Chebet moved into the lead, and ended up demolishing the old world record by nearly seven seconds (28:54.14), giving the 24-year-old her first career Olympic berth.

Tsegay finished second overall, short of the record, but moved into third on the all-time list with a 24 second PB (29:05.92). Rengeruk took the second Olympic spot on the Kenyan team in third (29:26.89), less than a second ahead of Kipkemboi (29:27.59). The race was Rengeruk’s first career 10,000m on the track. She represented Kenya in the 5000m at the Tokyo Olympics, and was second behind Chebet at the World Cross Country Championships in March.

Kipkemboi should be in good position to take Athletics Kenya’s provisional third spot, as she was the bronze medalist at the event in the 2022 World Championships, on the same track where she became the seventh fastest woman in history today. It would be the first Olympic appearance for the 31-year-old.

Keely Hodgkinson Makes A Statement

Halfway through the women’s 800m, a pack of three women seemed to have separated from the field, none of whom were Keely Hodgkinson. But when the Brit slowly closed the gap and made a strong move with 200m to go, not even Mary Moraa had a response. The two stars came into Saturday with an even head-to-head record in finals. Hodgkinson leaves with a 6-5 edge. The three-time global silver medalist ran the fastest time of 2024 by more than a second (1:55.78) in her first 800m race of the year. Hodgkinson is no stranger to a fast start to the season however, opening in 1:55.77 just last year.

Mary Moraa finished second with her fastest time since her World title run last year (1:56.71), but could not shake her Hayward Field demons. The last three 800m races Moraa has lost have been at this meet the last two years, and at Worlds in 2022 (when it was in Eugene).

Nia Akins (1:57.98) was the top American finisher in fourth with the fastest season opener of her career, while Sage Hurta-Klecker (1:58.48) put together another solid race despite finishing seventh in a loaded field.

Ethiopia Dominates Women’s Distance Races

Ten Ethiopian women broke 15:00 in the 5000m in Eugene on Saturday, all of them finishing in the top 13. The top six finishers from the race are among the many competing for three Olympic spots from the Ethiopian federation (and none of them were over 24 years old), the top five of whom ran under 14:30.

Tsigie Gebreselama (14:18.76), who has recently trained a little with the On Athletics Club in Boulder, won the race, setting a massive personal best and world lead in the process. Gebreselama held off a hard charge from Ejgayehu Taye (14:18.92) during an amazing battle down the finishing stretch.

In fifth, Birke Haylom (14:23.71) bettered her own world U20 record by over 14 seconds. 19-year-old Aynadis Mebratu (14:22.76) finished fourth but isn’t eligible for a junior record as she turns 20 this calendar year. Sixth place finisher Hirut Meshesha (14:33.44) was making her 5000m debut

Notably not at the front of the race was Sifan Hassan (14:34.38), who finished seventh in her second track race of the season, but first against a competitive field. The result adds further intrigue to the decision Hassan has in store of what events to contend at the Paris Olympic this summer. She secured the 5000m standard in Saturday’s race, and maybe that’s all she was after.

Holding onto Hassan for most of the race was American Weini Kelati (9th, 14:35.43), who notched a massive personal best, and secured the Olympic standard, meaning that she is in position to contest both the 5000m and 10,000m in Paris if she finishes top three in the Trials at each. Kelati would be a first time Olympian.

In the women’s 1500m, Ethiopia’s Diribe Welteji (3:53.75), the only runner to beat Faith Kipyegon when it mattered last year, set a new personal best and took home the win. Welteji, who turned 22 earlier this month, let her lead close just a little entering the final 200m, before she moved into an extra gear that no one else had.

In second, Jess Hull (3:55.97) took back her Australian record, and continued her season of battles with American Elle St. Pierre (3:56.00), who set a personal best in third.