PREVIEW | Eugene Diamond League
Published Sat 28 May 2022
Named after legendary USA distance runner Steve Prefontaine, the “Pre Classic” brings many of the sport’s biggest names to Eugene, Oregon for leg three of the Diamond League – with the stadium renowned for producing “Hayward Magic” and playing host to some of track and field’s most historic moments.
Nicola Olyslagers, Jessica Hull, Oliver Hoare, Matthew Ramsden, Brett Robinson, and Charlie Hunter will take first look at the track which will also host the World Athletics Championships in July, after leg two was hosted at the home of the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
Read our action of all the preview below and tune in on Fox Sports or Kayo from 6:00am Sunday May 29.
Women’s High Jump (12:05am AEST):
The start list may show an unfamiliar name in Nicola Olyslagers (Matt Horsnell), but rest assured that the Olympic silver medallist will be out enforce Olyslagers as a winning name as she opens her international campaign.
The 25-year-old was only seen once in the Australian domestic season, clearing 1.94m to retain her national title at Sydney Olympic Park after a quiet start to the year. Olyslagers became the first Australian woman in history to clear two-metres during 2021, before piling on two-centimetres in the Olympic final as she raised the Australian record to 2.02m and clinched Olympic silver.
Eugene presents the opportunity for Olyslagers to take on world indoor champion Yaroslava Mahuchikh (Ukraine) who owns a 2.04m best, along with the USA’s Vashti Cunningham who has a 1.96m clearance to her name this year – the highest in the field of nine.
Men’s 5000m (6:10am AEST):
National 5000m champion Matthew Ramsden (Nic Bideau) will be joined by teammate Brett Robinson (Nic Bideau) in the Men’s 5000m, as the duo look to chase down the 13:13.50 World Athletics Championships qualifying standard.
Ramsden has the 1500m standard locked away but is leaving no stone unturned after narrowly missing selection for last year’s Olympic Games, while Robinson drops farther down in distance after a recent 10,000m qualifying attempt, as the marathoner eyes a rebirth on the track. The pair hold personal bests of 13:16.63 and 13:15.91 respectively but will be eager to add two carriages onto the leading train.
The stacked battle features numerous of the world’s best over the distance, including Ethiopian duo Selemon Barega and Getnet Wale, along with rising star Jacob Kiplimo (Uganda) and Canada’s Mohammed Ahmed.
1500m (6:49am AEST):
Not many athletes are enjoying the 2022 instalment of the Diamond League more than Jessica Hull (Pete Julian), with the Australian finishing in third place of the 3000m at Doha before following up with second place in the 1500m at Birmingham.
Reigning Olympic champion Faith Kipyegon (Kenya) headlines the field which also features Ethiopia’s Gudaf Tsegay and a host of the USA’s premier metric milers, but if Hull’s campaign to date is anything to go by – she will be welcoming of every challenge.
While a time of 3:58.81 in last year’s Olympic semi-final saw Hull etch her name into the history books with a new Australian record, her result of 11th in the final left her determined to close the gap on the world’s best ahead of the World Athletics Championships and Commonwealth Games – a task that is proving to be a success in 2022.
On the very soil that saw her career take flight at Oregon University, can Hull wind back the clock to deliver some Hayward Magic?
Mile (7:39am AEST):
US-based Australian Oliver Hoare (Dathan Ritzenhein) continues to find his way to the pointy end of quality races and will be out to continue that trend in the Men’s Bowerman Mile, where he will tackle an all-star line-up.
Hoare possesses a personal best of 3:51.63 over the distance outdoors and flexed his strong form at leg two of the Diamond League at Birmingham with a third place finish in the 1500m (3:35.76), along with winning the Australian title and finishing fifth at the World Athletics Indoor Championships in recent months.
In the Australian’s way will be reigning Olympic champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen (Norway) and reigning world champion Timothy Cheruiyot (Kenya), along with 1500m world leader Abel Kipsang (Kenya) and hometown heroes Cooper Teare and Cole Hocker.
The Olympic finalist will once again be looking to demonstrate his tactical nous and the scalps of key rivals in the bout.
Charlie Hunter (Pete Julian) will feature in the pre-program 1500m.
By Lachlan Moorhouse, Athletics Australia
Posted: 28/5/2022
