With 62 days to go until the Paris Olympics, some of the biggest names in the world of running are starting their campaigns. Tonight's Pre Classic has a mile race which may be for the ages.
Pre Classic 24: Bowerman Mile
A hugely stacked field takes to the line for the Bowerman Mile at the Pre Classic 24. World Champions, Olympic Champions, world and national record holders will battle in what is probably the race of the evening. Jakob Ingebrigsten takes on the last two men to beat him in World Championship finals. Edinburgh AC’s Josh Kerr and Jake Wightman will be hoping to continue their streak over the Norwegian.
American eyes will be on Cole Hocker, the super promising Hobbs Kessler and national record holder Yared Nuguse as they look for a summer of olympic domination. Another, later entry, is Cooper Teare who stepped in to replace veteran Olympian Matthew Centrowitz who withdrew over the past couple of days. Both Lamecha Girma, world record holder in the indoor 3000m and the steeplechase, and Reynold Cheruiyot, the junior mile world record holder, will be looking to make a mark on the field when festivities commence.
With no love lost between Kerr and Ingebrigsten, we will see who prevails once the talking stops and the running begins.
Women’s 800m
Another super stacked field is the women’s 800m. An unfortunate withdrawal from Athing Mu means we may have to wait until Paris to see the big three compete against each other over two laps. However, we still have a great race which will see Moraa and Hodgkinson renew their rivalry. Last summer in Budapest, Moraa had the legs to take the title, but we will see how form shows at this stage of the year.
Other notable names in the field include World Indoor Champion, Tsige Duguma along with Jemma Reekie of Great Britian and Halimah Makaayi of Uganda. Will the two laps go to form or will we see an early season surprise while fitness is still not peaking in the field?
Pre Classic 24: The Best of the Rest
Outside of these two main events of the evening, there are still plenty of other fantastic races to look forward to. Gudaf Tsegay makes an attempt on the 10,000m world record. She will be looking to break the current 29:01.03 mark set by compatriot Letesenbet Gidey. The women’s 5000m also looks to be a race worth watching as we see the always enigmatic Sifan Hassan taking on a strong field which also includes European Cross Country Chapmpion Karolina Grovdal.
Continuing the super strong women’s fields are the competitors in the 1500m. This features a wealth of talent and speed including Elle St Pierre, Diribe Welteji and Laura Muir. We will also see Nikki Hiltz looking to capitalise on their super strong 2023 season in the lead up to the US Olympic Trials in just under a month.
Away from the distance events, the Pre Classic 24 will also see some of the world’s fastest humans competing over the 100m. Sha’Carri Richardson and Elaine Thompson-Herah will battle it out on the women’s side with Dina Asher Smith and Daryll Neita among others looking to take their place on the podium.
Whoever takes their place on the podium this evening, the races are sure to be a great way to see what awaits us in Paris with more scores needing to be settled by summer!
