Sha'Carri Richardson Faces Alfred, Jefferson At Pre Classic: DL Preview
Sha'Carri Richardson Faces Alfred, Jefferson At Pre Classic: DL Preview
Sha'Carri Richardson will face Julien Alfred and Melissa Jefferson as appearances by Athing Mu-Nikolayev and Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone will be must-watch.

The Prefontaine Classic is pulling out all the stops for its 50th anniversary. With almost too many stars to name in just one intro, the only American Diamond League is set to be one of the best yet featuring its signature Bowerman Mile and Mutola 800m races.
All the main characters of the sport are here, including some like Athing Mu-Nikolayev and Sha'Carri Richardson back to pro competition after early-season breaks. Grand Slam Track superheroes Kenny Bednarek and Melissa Jefferson-Wooden will also compete in their first non-GST races of the year against formidable foes in Letsile Tebogo and Julien Alfred respectively. World leader Azeddine Habz will face Olympic champ Cole Hocker in the Bowerman Mile while Faith Kipyegon will attempt her own 1500m world record. And that's not even considering the non-Diamond League 400m, where Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone will contest her first-ever Pre Classic. There's a lot here, and it's all recapped below.
You can enter the Wanda Fantasy Diamond League contest for Eugene by 3:27 PM U.S. Eastern Time on Saturday to compete against other predictors and see who knows best.
The Prefontaine Classic will be broadcast live on NBC platforms in the United States, and US Audiences can watch all other meetings of the 2025 Diamond League LIVE on FloTrack.
- Subscribe To FloTrack To Watch The Diamond League In 2025
- 2025 Wanda Diamond League Standings
- Prefontaine Classic 2025: How To Watch & Who's Competing
Women's shot put (3:27pm ET): It's been a while...
It's been a while since we've seen the women's shot put on the circuit -- the event hasn't been contested as a Diamond discipline since the very first meetings of the year in China where American record-holder Chase Jackson bested her Canadian rival and World Indoor champ Sarah Mitton twice (though Dutchwoman Jessica Schilder took the overall win in Xiamen). With all three returning, Jackson has been the most active and successful since, winning all five of her competitions since Shanghai.
But unlike those two throw-offs in China, this time the German 2024 Olympic champ Yemisi Ogunleye joins the fray. She's only thrown three times outdoors this year in Germany and Spain with a best of 19.67m, but her global indoor and outdoor golds from last year make her never one to count out. The previous Olympic champ in Gong Lijao, now 36 years old, will round out the international field for China.
The Americans behind Jackson are Maggie Ewen, Jaida Ross, and Mya Lesnar. Ewen is the veteran of the bunch with three national titles to her name. Ross will be at home in Eugene as an Oregon alum, and she's coming off a fantastic year ending 4th at the Olympics. Lesnar won the 2025 NCAA outdoor shot put title for Baylor. That last name may be familiar as she's the daughter of WWE great Brock Lesnar, and the resemblance is uncanny.
Women's long jump (3:38pm ET): The Mihambo vs. Davis-Woodhall rematch is on
Olympic champ Tara Davis-Woodhall has jumped sparingly in 2025, but when she shows up she rarely leaves disappointed. She posted her winning 7.05m mark in Stockholm against Germany's 2020 Olympic champ on her first attempt, and was the only woman in the field to breach the 7-meter barrier. Providing some extra motivation, her husband and fellow gold medallist Hunter Woodhall will be competing in the Para 200m 14 minutes before the long jump start time.
Americans also in the field are Lex Brown, Quanesha Burks, Jasmine Moore, Monae Nichols, and Clair Bryant. Brown, who has also represented Haiti internationally and won NCAA indoors for Baylor, actually has the second-best season's best of the field as the only person besides Davis-Woodhall to break 7m this year. Burkes has the most pro experience as a two-time NACAC champ, but Moore and Nichols have the hardware with Nichols runner-up at World Indoors last year and Moore taking Paris Olympic bronze in both the long and triple jump. Bryant is a wildcard as she stunned in Nanjing to take global gold this year but struggled in Stockholm, finishing 5th.
Men's 400m hurdles (4:04pm ET): Benjamin has had a near-flawless season
USA's Rai Benjamin, 2024 Olympic champ, took his time to open up this year in Oslo, but since his runner-up finish there he's been flawless in Stockholm and Paris, running times of 46.5 and 46.9 that should make him the favorite.
Fans of this event are used to seeing the Big Three, and two of them are at Pre. There's no Karsten Warholm, but Alison Dos Santos (BRA), who won his first global title on this track in 2022, will be there and should stand the best chance at challenging. But at the Paris DL, it was surprisingly Qatari veteran Abderrahman Samba who gave Benjamin the best run for his money all year with a 47.0 time for runner-up. If that wasn't a fluke, Samba could take up Warholm's mantle and finish somewhere between the other two.
From the collegiate scene, look out for Ezekiel Nathaniel of Nigeria, who ran a blazing 47.49 to win NCAA outdoors this year for Baylor and was voted men's track athlete of the year by USTFCCCA. Americans include Trevor Bassitt and CJ Allen -- Bassitt has had considerable success on the Grand Slam Track circuit this year winning the last series in Philly, while Allen has more international circuit experience but struggles to podium.
Men's 100m (4:12pm ET): Bullet Bromell faces world leader Thompson
Trayvon Bromell's stunning victory at the Rome Diamond League took most track fans by surprise, signaling a possible end to a string of injuries that have hampered his career for years. Pre will be his first race since then, and this time he'll face Olympic silver medallist Kishane Thompson, fresh off a 9.75 world lead at the Jamaican trials here to duel Bromell on his home turf. Thompson has run fast at nationals before but has struggled with fragility according to his coach, making him vulnerable any time he races in quick succession.
With the U.S. getting an extra wildcard spot in 2025, Christian Coleman should have a better shot at making the Worlds team this year but he'll need to show fitness at Pre first, and Bromell will be a new contender to look ou for. Brit Zharnel Hughes (along with Coleman) has the honor of being a Usain Bolt-slayer in the 2010s, but he's yet to break 10 wind-legally this year.
Upstart Brandon Hicklin rounds out the U.S. squad, who won a silver medal in the 4x100m at World Relays this year. Bayanda Walaza, just 19 years old, has been a South African junior sensation lately as last year's World U20 champ over both 100m and 200m and would be an excellent wildcard to look out for competing against the pros.
Women's 5000m (4:20pm ET): Chebet and Tsegay race the clock with sub-14 on the table
Beatrice Chebet (KEN) has been the face of women's distance running this Olympic cycle with double Paris gold and a new 8:11 #2 all-time 3K this year to back it up. Her Rome DL 5000m win was almost as impressive, running 14:03.69 to fall just short of the 14:00 track world record. Chebet has already broken the 14-minute barrier in a road 5K, so it's just a matter of getting perfect conditions to replace that on the track, and Pre may provide them. It was none other than her Ethiopian rival and noted front-runner Gudaf Tsegay who set the current 14:00.21 WR on this very track in 2023, and having both of them in the field makes the chances of seeing a 13:XX that much more likely.
There's an interesting roster of 12 Ethiopians and 8 Kenyans behind Chebet and Tsegay. Agnes Ngetich (KEN) was a star of Grand Slam Track winning the Miami meet, while Tsigie Gebreselama (ETH) trains in the U.S. and performed mid-pack at all three Slams this year. Ethiopians Birke Haylom and Medina Eisa, just 19 and 20 respectively, are youth phenoms with Haylom setting U20 world records from the 1500m to the 5K (14:23.71).
There are surprisingly only two non-East Africans entered: Germany's Konstanze Klosterhalfen won 5K bronze in 2019 but hasn't raced on the track this year while American hopes will rest on Weini Kelati, who set another half marathon national record in Houston this year and was fourth in the Grand Slam Philly 3K.
Men's 400m (4:43pm ET): Hall has shot up like a rocket this season
American Quincy Hall's 400m progression this season has looked a lot like his race in the Paris Olympic finals -- after starting out behind with a Grand Slam Track withdrawal and last-place in China, he moved up the ranks to 3rd in Rabat and ended with an impressive victory at the Rome DL in June much like he kicked from the outside late to win Olympic gold last year. His Rome performance makes him favored to win again at home, but Matthew Hudson-Smith (GBR) won't make it easy as the Philly Slam 400m champ will be running his first DL of the year.
Three other Americans -- Khaleb McRae, Jacory Patterson, and Christopher Bailey -- will be pushing each other to see if they can break up Hall and Hudson-Smith. Patterson, professional athlete by day but reportedly a UPS truck-loader by night to make ends meet, took blue-collar runner of the year honors by actually winning the Miami Slam 400m in 43.98. McRae went from relative unknown status (not making an NCAA individual final for Alabama) to Grand Slam runner-up in Philly this year, running 45.04 on the challenging Franklin Field track. And Bailey won Olympic gold last year on the U.S. 4x4 relay team and proved he's an individual threat as well by winning the World Indoors 400m this year in Nanjing.
Women's discus (4:46pm ET): Despite a scare in Paris, Allman's win streak lives on
Valarie Allman has been quietly setting herself up as one of the most dominant figures in track and field over the last two years, winning 27 consecutive discus competitions since her loss at the 2023 World championships to fellow American Laulauga Tausaga (who is also at Pre but has thrown inconsistently). That streak nearly snapped at 25 at the Paris DL, with Allman having to resort to her final throw to pull out a win.
Of the international contenders, Jorinde van Klinken of the Netherlands finished runner-up at the Paris DL and might pose the biggest threat. Sandra Elkasević of Croatia (2012, 2013, 2016, 2017) and Yaime Pérez of Cuba (2019) are both former global outdoor champs with Pérez performing better on the circuit this year.
There are two other American younger talents filling the field in Jayden Ulrich and Cierra Jackson. Ulrich was a standout 2024 NCAA runner-up for Lousiville and made the U.S. Olympic team last year, placing 18th in qualification at Paris. Jackson is the more recent graduate, winning this year's NCAA outdoor discus championship representing Fresno State.
Women's 400m [Non-Diamond] (4:51pm ET): Syd makes her Pre debut
It's not a Diamond Discipline event, but the women's 400m will attract the attention of the track and field world as Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone will make her Pre Classic debut. There's no Marileidy Paulino or Salwa Eid-Naser to truly push McLaughlin-Levrone to her limits, but she won't be able to jog this one in as two-time circuit champ this year Bella Whittaker will rival her. An American record may just be on the line if conditions are right.
Men's shot put (4:56pm ET): Americans will fight Walsh for a win on home turf
With Ryan Crouser still out with injury, there's been a void at the top of the men's shot put waiting for a challenger to fill it. Kiwi veteran Tom Walsh filled that slot nicely in Rome, winning over American Joe Kovacs (4th) and Jamaica's Rajindra Campbell (3rd). All three will duel again at Pre, and when you add in Italy's Leonardo Fabbri as the world leader (22.31m), you get a nice bout for top honors at the only American DL.
Aside from Kovacs, Payton Otterdahl, Roger Steen, and Tripp Piperi will represent the host nation. Steen won the inaugural World Shot Put Series this year just ahead of Piperi, with both throwing beyond their official PBs there (not legal for records due to the competition format). The question is whether they can carry over that success to the Diamond League, with less chances meaning every throw counts. Otterdahl won the Diamond+ shot put in Rabat earlier this year, proving he's capable of succeeding under DL pressure.
Women's 1500m (4:58pm ET): Post-Breaking4, Kipyegon announced she'll target her own WR
Kenya's Faith Kipyegon achieved mainstream fame as the star of the Breaking4 time trial in Paris last week, a unique one-off event with the ambitious goal of getting a woman under 4 minutes for the mile for the first time. She fell well short of the 4:00 goal but ended with a 4:06 one-second improvement on her official world record. She'll have 109.344 meters less to run at Pre, and she's already announced she'll be targeting her own 3:49.04 world record off her Breaking4 fitness.
Considering her 4:07 and 3:49 bests are roughly equivalent marks, it might seem intuitive that she'd have good odds at a WR on Saturday. But it's a little more complicated than that because the lack of male pacers at Pre (which she had at Breaking2) might cost her more than any fitness gains made. If she does come close, it'll show that the Breaking2 pacing advantages were perhaps not as significant as advertised.
Of course, there are other women competing. Jess Hull (AUS) ran an otherworldly 3:50 last year but hasn't shown quite that form on the GST circuit this year yet. Georgia Hunter Bell (GBR), Paris 1500m bronze medallist, has been dominating in the 800m this year so it'll be interesting to see what she can do at her signature distance. Ethiopian Freweyni Hailu won World Indoors over 3K this year and as a noted frontrunner could hang with the pace if it gets out hot, while her countrywoman Diribe Welteji impressively swept the Philly Slam races this year. Irishwoman Sarah Healy actually won the Rome DL this year but didn't face as stiff competition there.
There's an impressive field of six Americans in tow -- Shelby Houlihan, Nikki Hiltz, Emily Mackay, Sinclaire Johnson, Elise Cranny, and Heather MacLean. Houlihan, still the U.S. record-holder at 3:54.99 from 2019, has taken the spotlight in her first year back post-suspension, winning silver at the World Indoors 3K. Hiltz has been the face of this event in Houlihan's absence and they remained a force this year on the GST circuit. Mackay made the Olympic semi-finals last year but has raced sparingly in 2025 -- Johnson didn't get that Olympic experience, but unlike Mackay she made World Indoors this year and finished 6th in the 1500m finals. Stanford alum Cranny has run the 1500m at championships before but she's more known as a 5K type and could pace some of her fellow Americans to fast times. MacLean had a fantastic indoor season setting the U.S. indoor 1500m record and was 4th in Rome, showing she can podium in international fields.
Women's 3000m steeplechase (5:09pm ET): Cherotich has been dominating the circuit
Kenya's Faith Cherotich had to settle for Olympic bronze, but she hasn't been racing like it this year. With wins in Doha, Oslo, and Paris over her Olympic rivals Winifred Yavi (BRN, gold) and Peruth Chemutai (UGA, silver), she's shown she can handle paced DL races better than anyone in the world right now. The entire Olympic podium returns in Pre and if Cherotich can shake Yavi and Chemutai again, her next target might be a sub-8:50 clocking or perhaps even the 8:44 world record. Kazakhstan's Norah Jeruto, the 2022 World champion, was 4th in Doha and could also mix it up if she's improved since then.
Americans Val Constien, Courtney Wayment, Gabrielle Jennings, Lexy Halladay-Lowry, Kristlin Gear, Kaylee Mitchell, and Olivia Markezich haven't shown they can compete with the world's best yet but might take a shot at it on Saturday. Constien won the Trials in a crazy 9:03 time, but Wayment and Jennings should still be favored for top U.S. honors given they beat her in Oslo. Halladay-Lowry is coming of an NCAA runner-up finish for BYU in a time (9:08.68) that would have won NCAAs in a blowout any other year. Gear was the surprise U.S. champ in 2023 and has performed inconsistently since then. Mitchell hasn't raced internationally this season yet, but she was 8th at Pre last year before finishing 5th at the Trials. Markezich, consistent NCAA performer for Notre Dame, was 11th in Oslo this year.
Men's 200m (5:25pm ET): Bednarek runs his first non-GST race of 2025
Say what you want about the untimely end of the inaugural Grand Slam Track season, but the league has done wonders for Kenny Bednarek's career. By sweeping all three Slams in impressive times, Bednarek has cemented himself as a gold medal contender at Worlds. One of the biggest knocks on GST, however, was that it couldn't get the likes of 200m Paris gold medalist Letsile Tebogo (BOT) to show up -- with that now over and Bednarek entering his first non-GST race of the year against Tebogo, fans will have their questions answered.
The international field will have some other Grand Slam Track winners in Jereem Richards (TTO) and Alexander Ogando (DOM), who both never got to face Bednarek as they were in the 200-400 group.
Bednarek isn't the only U.S. sprinter with a shot to beat Tebogo -- Courtney Lindsey has done it before and nearly did it again in Doha, finishing just 0.01 behind the Botswanan. He'll lead the rest of the U.S. contingent in Robert Gregory and Kyree King. King has been a staple of the circuit this year with a best of 3rd in Stockholm while Gregory has potential as this year's Tokyo Continental Tour Gold winner.
Women's Mutola 800m (5:34pm ET): Will Mu-Nikolayev's bizarre prep strategy pay off?
When considering Athing Mu-Nikolayev's (newly married name) racing schedule this year, the first word that comes to mind is "bizarre". The 2021 U.S. Olympic champ, who missed out on the Paris games due to an untimely fall at the Trials, was originally known mainly as a 400m-800m type. But she began her season by pacing the first 3K of a collegiate 5K, and she followed that up by winning a D2 and D3-level 1500m race by about a full minute. She returned to racing against professionals at the Track Fest and improved to a 4:10 1500m in the 'C' heat -- but without a single 800m to her name this year, these results have hardly told us how she will fare in her main event. Does her coach Bobby Kersee have something up his sleeve?
We'll find out on Saturday as she'll face 2023 World Champ Mary Moraa (KEN), who has performed highly inconsistently on the Grand Slam circuit but tends to do better in paced races like this. Paris silver medalist Tsige Duguma (ETH) and this year's surprise World Indoor champ Prudence Sekgodiso (RSA) will fill the international field. Shafiqua Maloney (VIN) shocked for 4th at the Olympics last year while Halimah Nakaayi (UGA) is coming off a pacing job for Kipyegon's Breaking4 event last weej. Lastly, it's been eight years since Raevyn Rogers last represented Oregon in the NCAA, but her profile still sits on the Hayward Field Tower and she has also proven that she can never be counted out even when her early season results are rocky.
Women's 100m (5:44pm ET): Sha'Carri Richardson vs. Julien Alfred vs. Melissa Jefferson-Wooden is set
The Prefontaine Classic and Sha'Carri Richardson have a complicated relationship. She's finished everywhere from dead last (2021) to runner-up (2022) to 4th (2023) to 1st (2024) at this meet, and we just don't have enough data in 2025 yet to say which Richardson will show up against newly crowned Olympic champ Julien Alfred of St. Lucia, who forced Richardson to settle for silver in Paris.
This year, Richardson has just one race to her name -- a lackluster 4th at the Tokyo Continental Tour Gold meet in 11.47. That pales in comparison to Alfred's 2025 record (undefeated, DL wins at Oslo and Stockholm with a 10.75 SB), but Richardson has shown she's a game-time performer in the past and just one race isn't giving us a lot to go off of.
We do have the data for rising star Melissa Jefferson-Wooden, who much like Kung-Fu Kenny hasn't raced at all outside of Grand Slam Track this year but has been nearly as dominant on that circuit, winning all three Slam series and Racer of the Year status. Her 10.73 in Philly stands as the world lead and we've yet to see how she'll fare in the Diamond League setting.
Also in the international field, veteran Marie-Josée Ta Lou-Smith (CIV) was 2nd in Oslo and has been performing solidly despite being among the oldest of the current crop of sprinters. Dina Asher-Smith was runner-up in Stockholm behind Alfred and has displayed versatility from 100m to 400m this season. Favour Ofili was a standout for LSU and won a Commonwealth 200m silver for Nigeria, and she recently announced she'll be transferring allegiance to Turkey over frustrations with her national governing body. TeeTee Terry is the only other American, and unlike the rest of the field she's already beaten Richardson this year with a runner-up finish in Tokyo.
Men's Bowerman mile (5:50pm ET): Habz has proven this event is as unpredictable as ever
Azeddine Habz of France has been steady on the circuit the past few years, but few expected what he would achieve in the Paris non-DL 1500m race two weeks ago. In a Jakob Ingebrigtsen-esque performance, he front-ran to a 3:27.49 mark, #6 all-time and only behind Ingebrigtsen in the current crop of 1500m runners. Ingebrigtsen sadly withdrew from Pre due to injury, leaving Habz as the man to beat.
Times are great, but what really counts in this event is positioning in races that matter, and Cole Hocker demonstrated excellence in that regard in Paris to win gold. He's shown flashes of brilliance this year with a 7:23 indoor 3K, but hasn't performed quite as well outdoors, failing to win on the Grand Slam circuit and finishing 7th in the Stockholm DL 5K.
The only other runner in the field to put up a comparable time in recent years was USA's Yared Nuguse, who ran 3:43 at Pre two years ago to demolish the American mile record. He broke the indoor mile WR earlier this year and if he's in similar form, he could challenge Habz down the home stretch just as he did to Ingebrigtsen at that 2023 Diamond League final.
Reynold Cheruiyot (KEN) and Tshepiso Masalela (BOT) have both won Diamond League events this year, but at different distances (5K for Cheruiyot, 800m for Masalela). It'll be interesting to see the clash of approaches as they tackle over- and under-distance. The Brit Jake Wightman has been on the long road to recovery from injuries following his 2022 Worlds victory here, and Pre will be his first major international race outdoors this year. 20-year-old Niels Laros of the Netherlands and 19-year-old Cam Myers of Australia represent the youth contingent, and both have already accomplished a lot with Myers impressing most in 2025 through his 3:47 indoor mile.
Hobbs Kessler and Grant Fisher round out the Bowerman Mile host nation squad. 800m and 1500m Olympian Kessler ran 3:46 at Millrose this year and won USA Indoors but hasn't raced a whole lot outdoors this season. Fisher will be an interesting case, as he's performed like a global 5000m gold medal contender at Grand Slam but withdrew from the Philly meet leading to questions about his health. Like Cranny, he's definitely more of a distance type but he's been honing a monster kick that could shine if he can be dragged along to a fast time. They'll be paced by Abe Alvarado, no slouch himself, making the final event of Pre a must-watch.
Click here to enter the Wanda Fantasy Diamond League contest for Eugene by 3:27 PM U.S. Eastern Time on Saturday
To help you watch along, you'll be able to pick your favorite athlete in the Wanda Fantasy Diamond League game for each Diamond Discipline event.
How does it work?
Build Your Squad. Compete Globally. Win Weekly.
Pick your dream team of Diamond League athletes and earn points every meet based on their real-world performances. Climb the leaderboard, claim bragging rights, and win prizes.
- Pick three athletes per event discipline
Choose from sprinters, distance stars, jumpers, and throwers competing in the FloTrack main 2-hour streaming window. - Save your picks
Click "Save Picks" on the Wanda Fantasy Diamond League website, fill out your new account details, and click "Register" (or "Submit / Update Picks" for existing accounts). You should be able to see your username on the "Submissions" page to confirm they were received. - Score points
Your team earns based on finishes of your top two athletes per discipline (providing some insurance against DNSes). Compete and win!
The competition will be taking place soon, and you'll have to get your picks in before then if you want to see how your winners stack up.
Diamond League 2025 Schedule
Here's the full Wanda Diamond League schedule in 2025.
- April 26, 2025 – Xiamen (CHN)
- May 3, 2025 – Shanghai/Keqiao
- May 16, 2025 – Doha (QAT)
- May 25, 2025 – Rabat (MAR)
- June 6, 2025 – Rome (ITA)
- June 12, 2025 – Oslo (NOR)
- June 15, 2025 – Stockholm (SWE)
- June 20, 2025 – Paris (FRA)
- July 5, 2025 – Eugene (USA)
- July 11, 2025 – Monaco (MON)
- July 19, 2025 – London (GBR)
- August 16, 2025 – Silesia (POL)
- August 20, 2025 – Lausanne (SUI)
- August 22, 2025 – Brussels (BEL)
- August 27-28, 2025 – Zurich (SUI)
Don't Miss A Second Of The 2025 Diamond League
This year, the Diamond League is streaming live on FloTrack and the FloSports app, and FloTrack is giving fans more Diamond League access than ever before. For the first time ever, the Diamond League is streaming to fans all the feeds, not just the traditional world feed.
Fans will have uninterrupted coverage for every throw, leap and run during the meets as well as the traditional broadcast.
Where To Watch Diamond League?
The Wanda Diamond League will be broadcast on FloTrack and the FloSports app starting with the 2025 season.
FloTrack Is The Streaming Home For Many Track And Field Meets Each Year
Don’t miss all the track and field season action streaming on FloTrack. Check out the FloTrack schedule for more events.
FloTrack Archived Footage
Video footage from each event will be archived and stored in a video library for FloTrack subscribers to watch for the duration of their subscriptions.
Join The Track & Field Conversation On Social
- Follow us on Twitter @FloTrack
- Follow us on Instagram @flotrack
- Follow us on TikTok @flotracktv
- Watch us on YouTube
- Like us on Facebook