Unless you’ve cleared 15-feet in the women’s pole vault, you’re not going to be competing at Hayward Field on May 26.
At least, that’s according to Tom Jordan, meet director for the 28th Prefontaine Classic Grand Prix.
“It’s a very exclusive club,” he said. “If you’ve cleared 15-feet, I’ll pay for you to come from anywhere in the world.”
Unless, of course, your name is Becky Holliday. The Oregon junior’s Duck status makes her the exception, even if she doesn’t clear the required mark, Jordan said.
Holliday has cleared 14-1.25 this season, and her personal best is 14-4. But Jordan said she might skip the Prefontaine meet in favor of the NCAA Championships in Baton Rouge, La., which start four days after the Prefontaine.
Even without Holliday, the pole vault is shaping up to be one of the strongest events. Last year’s winner, the all-time record holder in the event — Stacy Dragila — will again make her presence known to the Eugene crowd.
One of only seven women in the world to clear 15-feet, Dragila headlines a group of five women that is set to compete this year. Russia’s Svetlana Feofanova, the indoor world record holder, also is scheduled to visit Hayward, and is expected to challenge Dragila. And the two have a little bit of history between them.
In the 2001 World Championships in Edmonton, Alberta, both cleared 15-7. That paved the way for a showdown at 15-9 1/4, the height at which Dragila holds the world record.
Both failed to clear the height and Dragila was declared the winner by virtue of fewer misses. However, as world class athletes, a similar showdown can be expected at Hayward.
But to say the pole vault is the only attraction would be a mistake. The women’s discus will feature two of the top throwers in the world.
The American record holder, Suzy Powell, will visit Eugene, as will Olympic Champion Ellina Zvereva.
Powell’s top mark of 227-10 at the UC-San Diego Open this past weekend smashed the previous U.S. record, and is the farthest throw in the world since June 1999.
On the other end is Zvereva, a 41-year-old from Belarus. She took second in the 2000 Pre Classic, and followed that up with a win in the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia.
As usual, the 2002 Prefontaine Classic is shaping up to be one of the best track meets in the country. And according to Jordan, that is “absolutely essential.
“People come to see the great athletes,” he said.
And with so many world-class athletes packed into a meet that lasts less than three hours, fans at Hayward Field will get their money’s worth.
“I think we’re far more like a basketball game,” Jordan said. “There’s action from the opening tip to the final gun.”