World champion Sha’Carri Richardson won the Prefontaine Classic in her first 100m of the Olympic year, setting her up for the Olympic Trials next month and the Paris Games later this summer.
Richardson prevailed in 10.83 seconds in Eugene, Oregon, beating a field that included the fourth- and fifth-place finishers from last August’s world championships. Plus two-time reigning Olympic gold medalist Elaine Thompson-Herah of Jamaica, who was last in 11.30.
Richardson’s time is the second-fastest in the world this year behind University of Tennessee senior Jacious Sears, who clocked 10.77 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.”
PRE CLASSIC: Full Results
Richardson won last August’s worlds in a personal-best 10.65 seconds and is on a trajectory to challenge that time again this summer.
Americans are preparing for the Olympic Trials, also in Eugene, from June 21-30. The top three in most events make the team for Paris.
Also Saturday, Brit Josh Kerr held off Norwegian Jakob Ingebrigtsen by 26 hundredths in a mile duel between the reigning world champion and reigning Olympic champion in the 1500m.
Kerr, who prevailed in 3:45.34, and Ingebrigtsen traded verbal jabs in recent months. Ingebrigtsen reportedly said in February that he could beat Kerr while blindfolded.
The Norwegian raced Saturday for the first time September, coming back from an Achilles injury.
Yared Nuguse finished third in the mile in 3:46.22, the second-fastest time in U.S. history behind his American record of 3:43.97 set at last year’s Pre Classic.
Three-time world champion Grant Holloway took the 110m hurdles in 13.03 seconds, the world’s best time this year.
The Tokyo Olympic silver medalist consolidated his status as Paris Olympic favorite by beating a field that included the second-through-fifth-place finishers from last August’s worlds.
“If there wasn’t an American in that race, I couldn’t care less about them,” Holloway told Lewis Johnson on 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.”
Christian Coleman won the 100m in 9.95 seconds, holding off Kenyan Ferdinand Omanyala by three hundredths.
“I’m in the best shape I’ve ever been in, and I feel like now it’s just mentally putting it all together and doing what I know I’m capable of on race day,” the 2019 World champion Coleman said, according to the Diamond League.
In 2023, Coleman, fellow American Noah Lyles and Brit Zharnel Hughes all clocked a world-leading 9.83 seconds. Lyles and Hughes were not in Saturday’s field. Omanyala ran 9.84 last year.
In the women’s 1500m won by Diribe Welteji of Ethiopia, Elle St. Pierre placed third with the second-fastest time in U.S. history.
St. Pierre, who had son Ivan in March 2023, clocked 3:56.00, which was 1.01 seconds off Shelby Houlihan’s American record.
Tokyo Olympic gold medalist Valarie Allman won the discus with a 67.36-meter throw.
Allman beat a field that included Cuban Yaime Perez (second, 67.25), who in April posted the world’s best throw since 1989; four-time Olympic or world champion Croatian Sandra Elkasevic (nee Perkovic, fourth at 64.69) and American Laulauga Tausaga (sixth, 62.01), the 2023 World champion.
Allman is undefeated since being overtaken by Tausaga for gold at last August’s worlds.
World champion Camryn Rogers of Canada threw 77.76 meters to win a hammer throw that featured the world’s top four women this year. She was followed by the rest of the world’s best — Americans DeAnna Price, Brooke Andersen and Janee’ Kassanavoid.
Earlier Saturday, Kenyan Beatrice Chebet broke the women’s 10,000m world record at Pre.
The track and field season continues Thursday with a Diamond League meet in Oslo, live on Peacock at 2 p.m. ET.
