NIKE Prefontaine Classic preview (part 3): Women's 3000 Steeplechase...
Here's the third of a series of mini-preview posts on Saturday's Nike Prefontaine Classic at Hayward Field.
The Prefontaine Classic, named after the late University of Oregon runner Steve Prefontaine, celebrates its fiftieth anniversary as the nation's premier one-day invitational meet.
The Prefontaine Classic is the only North American stop on the 15-event Wanda Diamond League tour, which began in April in China, and ends in Zürich.
We preview those events which will have athletes with ties to the state of Washington competing. Next up--the women's 3000 steeplechase, with Woodinville native Olivia Markezich and former Seattle Pacific All-American Kaylee Mitchell.
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At 2:09 pm in front of a national TV audience on NBC and Peacock, the women's 3000 meter steeplechase takes to the track at Hayward Field, as the Nike Prefontaine Classic hosts the event, which will be the fourth time this season that the women's steeple has been contested at a Wanda Diamond League meet.
Woodinville native Olivia Markezich (Paul Merca photo), who attended The Bear Creek School before going to Notre Dame, where she won an NCAA title in the event, is entered, along with Kaylee Mitchell, who started her college career as an All-American at Seattle Pacific before moving on to Oregon State.
The field includes all three Paris Olympic medalists: Winfred Yavi of Burundi, who is also the defending world champion; Peruth Chemutai of Uganda; and Faith Cherotich of Kenya.
Add to the mix fourth place finisher Alice Finot of France, fifth place finisher Sembo Almayew of Ethiopia, eighth place finisher Lomi Muleta of Ethiopia, and finalist Gesa Felicitas Krause of Germany, and you have a field worthy of a world championship or Olympic final.
Besides Markezich and Mitchell, the field includes four other Americans, including Olympic Trials champ Valerie Constein; runner-up Courtney Wayment; fourth place finisher Gabrielle Jennings; and Lexy Halladay, who was ninth at the Trials.
The only significant American not at the Pre Classic is Pasco native Marisa Howard, who was third at the Trials, as she's on maternity leave this season.
At last year's Olympic Trials on this same track, Markezich set a then personal best of 9:14.87 in a dramatic race where she was in a three way battle with Howard and Wayment when she stumbled but stayed upright over the final water barrier, then fell coming off the final hurdle.
Markezich picked herself up, but was passed by both Jennings and Mitchell in the fastest race in American history, as the top nine finishers all set personal bests.
The Notre Dame alum set her personal best over a week later in her Diamond League debut in Paris, running 9:14.67. She ran in the Diamond League finals in Brussels, finishing ninth in 9:27.98.
This season, Markezich, who now is based in Boulder with the On Athletics Club, was a non-scoring 11th in 9:36.92 at the Oslo Diamond League meet on June 12th, then ran a season best 9:26.55 in a fourth place finish at the Paavo Nurmi Games in Turku, Finland five days later.
After the Olympic Trials, Mitchell only ran two 1500 meter races to close out 2024. Mitchell, who is now based in Eugene with the Swoosh TC, made her Wanda Diamond League debut at last year's Pre Classic, finishing eighth in 9:21.00.
Mitchell, who's only race four times this season, ran 9:24.95 in her steeplechase opener at the Sound Running Track Fest in Los Angeles, finishing fifth.
USATF.tv will air the events not covered in the television window, starting at 10 am Pacific with the men's hammer throw.
NOTE: The Nike Prefontaine Classic, World Athletics, and the Wanda Diamond League contributed to this report.
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