by Larry EderThe Friday night addition to the Nike Pre Classic has been a worthy night of track and field for the past decade now. I recall seeing Mo Farah in 2011 win the big 10,000m, and Kenenisa Bekele running the 10,000m another year. The Friday night event in 2022 will have 3 world record attempts: Joshua Cheptegai at the 5,000m, Francine Nyongambo at 2 miles and Letsenbet Gidey at the hour run!
Tickets went on sale March 25!
Don’t miss the 2022 Nike Pre Classic, back at Hayward Field and back to the end of May!
Joshua Cheptegai, 2021 Nike Pre Classic, photo by Diamond League AG
Athing Mu, photo by Diamond League AG
Three World Record Attempts, Olympic Champions Mondo Duplantis and Athing Mu Highlight Prefontaine Classic Ticket On-Sale Announcement
EUGENE, Ore. – Steve Prefontaine was no stranger to records. The Prefontaine Classic, the event that bears his name, is also no stranger to records. The 2022 edition of the premier track and field meet in the United States looks to continue that tradition in a big way.
On Friday, May 27, all are invited to “Party at the Pre” and watch three world record attempts under the lights at Hayward Field at the University of Oregon.
Olympic gold medalist Joshua Cheptegei has announced he will take a run at his 5,000-meter world record of 12:35.36. This attempt comes 50 years after Prefontaine set the American record at the 1972 Olympic Trials.
World records will also be attempted by Burundi’s Francine Niyonsaba in the women’s two mile (8:58.58) and Olympic 10,000m bronze medalist Letesenbet Gidey in the women’s one hour run (18,930m).
The men’s and women’s USATF 10,000m Championships, which will serve as the selection event for the U.S. team for the World Athletics Championships Oregon22, will also be hosted on Friday night.
On Saturday, May 28, Hayward Field will host a band of Olympic medalists and record-holders on the track and in the field.
Middle-distance royalty will toe the line in the women’s 800 meters as all three members of Team USA from the Tokyo Olympic Games will race. Olympic Champion Athing Mu, who broke the American record at last year’s Pre Classic, highlights a field that includes Olympic bronze medalist Raevyn Rogers, World Championship bronze medalist Ajee Wilson, Olympic silver medalist Keely Hodgkinson, reigning World Champion Halimah Nakaayi, Natoya Goule and Kate Grace.
The powerhouses of pole vaulting will take flight in front of a special pole vault fan section. Mondo Duplantis, the Olympic Champion and World record-holder, will jump against a field that includes the American record-holders, Chris Nilsen (indoor) and Sam Kendricks (outdoor), Olympic bronze medalist Thiago Braz, Renaud Lavillenie, and KC Lightfoot.
For the first time at the Pre, pole vault fanatics are being invited to sit in The Landing Pad, a new pole vault fan experience that includes tickets, limited edition giveaway items and exclusive access to unique interactions with the vaulters. Fans can register to join The Landing Pad here.
Tickets for the 47th edition of The Prefontaine Classic will go on sale to the public on Friday, March 25 at 9 a.m. Pacific time.
The meet will be held May 27-28 at Hayward Field. This year it will serve as the third stop on the Wanda Diamond League circuit.
Single-day tickets will be available for Friday and Saturday, including reserved seating and general admission areas. Customers will be able to select their reserved seat at the time of purchase. A stadium seating map for Friday can be viewed here. One for Saturday can be viewed here.
Friday: May 27, 2022
- Zone 1: Finish Line Seating ($35)
- Zone 2: Home Stretch Seating ($25)
- Zone 3: General Admission ($15)
Saturday: May 28, 2022
- Zone 1: Finish Line Seating ($140)
- Zone 2: Home Stretch Seating ($95)
- Zone 3: Lower Bowl South/East Seating ($75)
- Zone 4: General Admission ($35)
Beginning March 25, customers can purchase tickets online at PreClassic.com, by calling 1-800-WEBFOOT (1-800-932-3668), or in person at the University of Oregon Athletics ticket office at the Moshofsky Center ticket office inside the Autzen Complex (2727 Leo Harris Parkway, Eugene, OR 97401).
About The Prefontaine Classic
The Prefontaine Classic is the premier track and field meet in the United States. Since its inception in 1975, the meet has been a fixture in the global track and field calendar, earning a reputation for bringing the world’s best athletes to Hayward Field at the University of Oregon. The meet is named after Steve Prefontaine and serves as a “living memorial to Pre” (Bill Bowerman, June 1, 1975). The Pre Classic is a member of the Wanda Diamond League circuit and has been sponsored by Nike since 1978.
