Hodgkinson impresses in Pre Classic
Young Brit powers to victory in women's 800 with yearly world-leading mark
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EUGENE, Oregon — Two months after celebrating her 22nd birthday, Keely Hodgkinson of Great Britain ran like the seasoned veteran she is in winning the women’s 800 meters in 1 minute 55.78 seconds in the Prefontaine Classic at the University of Oregon’s Hayward Field on Saturday.
Hodgkinson, who went from fourth place to first in the final 200 meters of the 800, was one of three runners who posted yearly world-leading marks in the women’s portion of the meet after Beatrice Chebet of Kenya — see story — had kicked off the competition with a world record of 28:54.14 in the 10,000.
The other world-leading performances came from Peruth Chemutai of Uganda, who ran 8:55.09 in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, and from Tsigie Gebreselama of Ethiopia, who clocked 14:18.76 in the 5,000.
Hodgkinson, the silver medalist in the 00 in the Olympic Games in 2021 and in the World Athletics Championships in 2022 and ’23, was in fifth place after the first 200 meters of the race on Saturday and she was still in that position when pacesetter Kaylin Whitney of the U.S. came through the first 400 in 55.22 seconds.
She moved up a spot when Whitney dropped out, but she was a good six to seven meters in arrears when defending World champion Mary Moraa of Kenya led 2019 World champion Halimah Nakaayi of Uganda and World indoor champion Tsige Duguma of Ethiopia at the start of the backstretch.
However, Hodgkinson was only a stride out of third place with 200 meters remaining and she took the lead two thirds of the way through the final curve and then expanded her advantage in the home straightway.
Her winning time of 1:55.78 was the third-fastest of her career and left her nearly a second in front of runner-up Moraa at 1:56.71.
Jemma Reekie of Great Britain closed well to finish third in 1:57.45, followed by Nia Akins of the U.S. in 1:57.98 and Nakaayi in 1:58.18. Duguma placed eighth in 1:58.70.
Defending Olympic and 2022 World champion Athing Mu of the U.S. had withdrawn from the race earlier in the week due to what was described as lingering soreness in her left hamstring.
“I knew I was in this kind of shape coming into it, but it doesn’t really matter when you’re racing these girls,” Hodgkinson said in quotes on the meet website, “it’s all about what they’re gonna do, what you’re gonna do. All that tactics and stuff.”
Although Chemutai won the steeplechase in the Olympic Games in 2021, she had finished 11th in the 2022 World Championships and seventh last year.
She trailed world record-holder Beatrice Chepkoech of Kenya for much of the race at Hayward Field, but she took the lead with two laps to go before Chepkoech moved back into first place prior to the start of the bell lap.
Chemutai managed to pull even with Chepkoech going over the final water jump, but Chepkoech briefly spurted away from her after that. However, Chemutai gathered herself and she pulled away from Chepkoech after the pair cleared the final barrier of the race.
Chemutai’s winning time of 8:55.09 bettered her previous national record of 9:01.45 that she had set in the Olympics, was the ninth-fastest time in history, and moved her to sixth on the all-time performer list.
Chepkoech finished second in 8:56.51, followed by compatriot Faith Cherotich in third in 9:04.45 and Ethiopia’s Sembo Almayew in fourth in 9:07.26. Defending World champion Winfred Mutile Yavi of Bahrain finished ninth in 9:21.62 while running in third or fourth place during the first half of the race.
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The time by Chepkoech was the 15th-fastest in history and gave her a record 10 sub-9:00 clockings in the event.
Chemutai said in quotes on the meet website that she was very happy to have broken nine minutes for the first time. She then added that “I’m going back to train for Paris because I need to defend my title in Paris. It’s my biggest thing to defend my title.”
Ethiopia swept the first six places in the women’s 5,000 in a race in which 2023 World Championship silver medalist Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands placed seventh.
After pacesetter Simone Plourde of Canada came through the first 1,000 meters in 2:50.25, Ethiopian Tsigie Gebreselama led at 2,000 meters in 5:43.88 before compatriot Ejgayehu Taye was in first place when she came through 3,000 in 8:40.56.
Gebreselama was back in the lead when she came through 4,000 meters in 11:34.02 and she eventually won a thrilling homestretch duel with Taye in which she clocked 14:18.76 to her countrywoman’s 14:18.92.
Freweyni Hailu placed third in 14:20.61, followed by compatriots Aynadis Mebratu in 14:22.76 and Birke Haylom in 14:23.71. Hassan’s time was 14:34.38.
Gebreselama moved to 14th on the all-time performer list with her time and Haylom set a world U20 (under 20) record with hers.
Gebreselama’s effort crushed her previous best of 14:43.90 and it continued a superb season in which she has lowered her personal bests to 1:05:14 in the half marathon — in February — and to 29:48.34 in the 10,000 — in March.
“It was nice,” Gebreselama said in quotes on the meet website. “It was really hard but I run a PB, so I’m very excited. I’m very happy. My training was really hard, so I expected.”
Sha’Carri Richardson of the U.S., Diribe Welteji of Ethiopia, Camryn Rogers of Canada, and Valarie Allman of the U.S. were the other most noteworthy winners in the women’s meet.
Richardson, who had won the 100 and placed third in the 200, and anchored the first-place 4 x 100 relay team in last year’s World Championships, had looked sluggish in finishing second and third, respectively, in her first two half-lap races of this season. However, she got off to solid start in the 100 on Saturday before her superior top-end speed helped her produced a 10.83 to 10.93 victory over second-place Julien Alfred of St. Lucia.
The British duo of Dina Asher-Smith and Daryll Neita finished third and fourth in 10.98 and 11.00, respectively, followed by American Melissa Jefferson in 11.02.
Elaine Thompson-Herah of Jamaica, the two-time defending World champion in the 100 and 200, finished ninth in 11.30 while contesting her first race of the season.
“I feel like my performance reflects my training as well as my mindset and as well as my faith, continuing to understand who I am and develop me as a person, as well as an athlete and a woman,” Richardson said in quotes on the meet website.
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Welteji won the women’s 1,500 in 3:53.75 while finishing well in front of second-place Jessica Hull of Australia (3:55.97), third-place Elle St. Pierre of the U.S. (3:56.00), and fourth-place Laura Muir of Great Britain (3:56.35).
Welteji, Hull, and St. Pierre all ran personal bests, with Welteji’s time moving her to 11th on the all-time performer list, Hull’s setting an Oceania record, and St. Pierre’s making her the second-fastest American in history.
After pacesetter Jazz Shukla of Canada came through the first 400 meters in 61.75 seconds and the opening 800 in 2:04.92, Welteji led the field past 1,200 meters in 3:08.44.
Hull and World indoor 3,000 champion St. Pierre were not that far behind Welteji with 200 meters left in the race, but the World Championship silver medalist expanded her lead over them during the final turn before really motoring away from them in the home straightaway.
Reigning World champion Rogers defeated a stellar field in winning the women’s hammer throw with a mark of 77.76 meters (255 feet 1 inch).
She was followed by the American trio of 2019 World champion DeAnna Price at 76.74 (251-9), 2022 World champion Brooke Andersen at 76.34 (250-5), and 2023 World silver medalist Janee Kassanavoid at 74.65 (244-11).
Rogers was in second place behind Price at the end of the fourth round with a best of 76.69 (251-7), but she took over first place with a fifth-round effort of 77.23 (253-4) and she improved upon that mark with a 77.76 (255-1) throw on her final throw while handing Andersen her first loss of the season.
“We’re just taking it one step at a time, looking to improve every meet and go in there and be a force to be reckoned with,” Rogers said in quotes on the meet website in regards to the Olympic Games in Paris in August. “One of the things that my coach and I have tried to implement into our training for years now is just consistency and being able to do it when it counts.”
Reigning Olympic discus champion Allman, who placed third and second in the last two World Championships, posted her 10th consecutive victory since last season with a best of 67.36 (221-0).
Yaime Perez of Cuba finished second at 67.25 (220-7), followed by Jorinde van Klinken of the Netherlands at 64.88 (212-10) and Sandra Elkasevic (nee Perkovic) at 64.69 (212-3).
Allman took the lead with a throw of 66.66 (218-8) in the first round before topping that mark with mark of 66.87 (219-4) on her third attempt. She then fouled twice before producing her top mark of 67.36 (221-0) on her final throw.
That turned out to be crucial as Perez was in second place after the first five rounds with a best of 66.23 (217-3). But she improved to 67.25 (220-7) on her sixth attempt while throwing after Allman in a competition in which the top three throwers after the first five stanzas threw in reverse order of their standings in the sixth round.
“It was kind of one of my rougher [competitions] this season, a bit like up and down trying to find my technique,” Allman said in quotes on the meet website, “but I stayed in the fight and I feel proud of that.”
In other women’s events in Saturday’s meet, Cyrena Samba-Mayela of France won the 100-meter hurdles in 12.52 seconds, Emily Grove of the U.S. placed first in the pole vault at 4.63 (15-2¼), and Leyanis Perez Hernandez of Cuba took the triple jump with a wind-aided mark of 14.73 (48-4).
Samba-Mayela tied her French record in the 100 hurdles after getting off to a very good start and then holding off defending Olympic champion Jasmine Camacho-Quinn of Puerto Rico (12.54) and Tonea Marshall of the U.S. (12.55) for the victory.