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Canada’s Camryn Rogers won the women’s hammer throw with a season-best 78.88-metre throw at the Diamond League’s Prefontaine Classic on Saturday in Eugene, Oregon.
The Richmond, B.C. native, who is the reigning world and Olympic champion, achieved the mark on the fourth of her six attempts. Americans Brooke Andersen (76.95) and DeAnna Price (75.35) placed behind Rogers.
The Paris 2024 Olympic champion in the hammer throw, describes what she loves most about competing at the iconic Hayward Field, in Eugene, Oregon.
In the men’s hammer throw, Ethan Katzberg of Nanaimo, B.C. placed second in the men’s hammer throw. The reigning world and Olympic champion had a best of 81.73 metres on the day.
Fellow Canadian, Rowan Hamilton of Chilliwack, B.C. threw 76.36m on his final attempt to finish 7th.
American Rudy Winkler finished first with a personal-best mark of 83.16m.
Sarah Mitton of Brooklyn, N.S. took second in the women’s shot put with a best of 20.39 metres for the day.
Sarah Mitton from Brooklyn, N.S., finishes second in the women’s shot put at a Diamond League stop in Eugene, Ore., with a distance of 20.39.
Mitton, who is the reigning world champion, indoor and outdoor, finished behind American Chase Jackson, who threw 20.94.
This year’s Prefontaine Classic also included four Para sport events, two of which featured Canadian athletes.
Toronto’s Marissa Papaconstantinou finished 6th (13.15) in the Para mixed classification 100m, and Nandini Sharma, of Brampton, Ont., finshed 6th (2:01.82) in the Para athletics 800m T54 event.
Kipyegon breaks own world record
Kenyan Faith Kipyegon set a world record in the 1,500 meters on Saturday at the Prefontaine Classic, finishing in 3 minutes, 48.68 seconds.
Kipyegon, a three-time Olympic champion in the event, bested her own record of 3:49.04 in the event, set last July before the Paris Games.
Kipyegon, 31, sprinted alone down the stretch at Hayward Field cheered by the crowd. After crossing the finish line, she wrapped herself in the Kenyan flag.
Ethiopian Diribe Welteji was runner-up in 3:51.44.
Last month Kipyegon failed in a bid to become the first woman to run a mile in under four minutes. She ran 4:06.42 — the fastest mile in history by a woman — at Stade Charlety in Paris.
Her time was better than her world record of 4:07.64 but won’t be recognized because the Nike-sponsored event was unofficial.
Kipyegon also has won the 1,500 at the last three World Championships. She was second in the 5,000 at the Paris Olympics last summer.
World record for Chebet
Kenyan Beatrice Chebet set a world record in the 5,000 meters, winning the event in 13 minutes, 58.06 seconds Saturday at the Prefontaine Classic.
Chebet became the first women to run under 14 minutes in the event, surpassing the previous record of 14:00.21 set by Ethiopian Gudaf Tsegay. Tsegay set the record at the 2023 Prefontaine Classic.
Chebet, 25, was the gold medallist in the 5,000 and 10,000 at the Paris Olympics, becoming just the third woman to win both.
Chebet had the previous world best this year in the event, running 14:06.39 last month in Rome.
The Prefontaine Classic is the lone U.S. stop on the Diamond League track and field series.