Allen, Moon, Tanner, Fay and Woodruff receive entries into Wanda Diamond League finals in Eugene...
Four athletes with Washington ties received spots in this weekend's Wanda Diamond League finals in Eugene at Saturday & Sunday's Nike Prefontaine Classic.
The two-day meet marks the first time the Wanda Diamond League finals are contested outside Europe, with either Brussels or Zurich having hosted the finals. The Pre Classic, which traditionally is one of the first stops on the season-long tour in late May, moved the date of the meet in order to host the finals.
On Saturday, Washington State alum CJ Allen (Paul Merca photo), former Pullman resident Katie Moon, and former Husky Sam Tanner are entered in the men's 400 hurdles, women's pole vault, and men's mile, respectively.
Sunday, Washington alums Brian Fay and Gianna Woodruff are entered in the men's 3000, and women's 400 hurdles.
Entering the Nike Prefontaine Classic, Allen, who did not make the finals at the world championships, has a two-point lead in the 400 hurdles with 33 points over 5 Diamond League races over reigning world champion Karsten Warholm, with 31 points over four races, and Wilfried Happio of France, who also has 31 points, but over six races.
Moon, who tied for the win in the pole vault with Australia's Nina Kennedy at the world championships, leads the Diamond League standings with 37 points over five meets.
Tanner is in a three-way tie for twelfth place in the 1500 with eight points in two races.
One notable athlete with Washington ties who is not competing in the Wanda Diamond League finals is reigning world 1500 meter champion Josh Kerr of the Seattle based Brooks Beasts.
Kerr, who won the New Balance Fifth Avenue Mile on Sunday, is currently in a tie for fifth place in the Diamond League standings with 13 points in two races, but has opted to end his season.
Jakob Ingebrigtsen of Norway, who Kerr beat at the world championships last month, leads the Diamond League race in the 1500 with 40 points over five races.
Finalists in the Diamond League 1500 standings will race over a mile to end Saturday's program.
Fay is down in the standings in the 3000 and 5000 meters in a four-way tie for 18th place with 3 points in one Diamond League race. Former Nike Oregon Project runner Yomif Kejelcha of Ethiopia leads the Diamond League standings with 23 points over 3 races.
In the 400 hurdles, Woodruff is tied for sixth with Viktoriya Tkachuk of Ukraine with 16 points, with Woodruff racing in one less Diamond League meet than Tkachuk.
Reigning world champion Femke Bol of the Netherlands is the Diamond League leader going into Eugene with 40 points over five races.
In each of the Diamond League events, the 32 individual event winners walks away with $30000 prize money, plus entry into the 2025 World Athletics Championships (certain conditions apply).
The start list for the Wanda Diamond League finals is available here, while the Diamond League standings going into the finals are available here.
SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS...
Washington alum Sam Ellis, who had been wearing On Running gear during his races on the European circuit this summer, formally announced that he is being sponsored by the Swiss company...
UW alums Kieran Lumb of Canada and Izzi Batt-Doyle of Australia have both announced that they will represent their countries at the World Athletics Road Running Championships in Riga, Latvia on October 1st.
Lumb will run the mile, which was recently approved as a world record road racing event, while Batt-Doyle will run the half marathon.
NOTE: The Wanda Diamond League and World Athletics contributed to this report.
paulmerca.blogspot.com may receive a commission for any purchases made from links clicked. Please support this site and our sponsors by clicking on the links. You can also support the site by clicking the yellow "Buy Me A Coffee" link below.
Comments