
Eugene, Oregon – A very strong men’s 100 meters field has been put together for the 2021 Prefontaine Classic – Diamond League meeting, with Andre De Grasse and Trayvon Bromell among the field sprinters set to begin their post-Tokyo 2020 form.
In fact, star athletes from throughout the sprinting galaxy have been confirmed to fill all nine lanes of the re-imagined Hayward Field on the University of Oregon campus. The 2021 Prefontaine Classic will take place on August 20 and 21.
The race is expected to be quick, as all nine starters have sub-10 seconds personal bests.
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Andre De Grasse, 26, the 200m Olympic gold winner at the just concluded Tokyo 2020 Games, with a Canadian record of 19.69 seconds will be hoping to extend his great form so far this season in Eugene. De Grasse won the 200m gold three days after earning bronze in the 100 with a personal best of 9.89.
Trayvon Bromell is this year’s world leader at 9.77 but is coming off a disappointing Olympics where he failed to make the final and didn’t get a medal after entering the Games as the overwhelming favorite. Bromell is the winner of the tough U.S. Olympic Trials in June, he is No. 4 on the all-time U.S. list.
American Fred Kerley secured the Olympic 100m silver in Tokyo, clocking a lifetime best 9.84. Before this year the 26-year-old was known as a 400 star, winning the Diamond League in 2018 and earning bronze in the 2019 Doha World Championships.
Akani Simbine, 27, meanwhile, is the African record holder at 9.84. The South African was just outside of the medals in Tokyo, finishing 4th in matching his finish at the 2019 Doha World Championships.
READ MORE: 2021 Prefontaine Classic schedule and event times
Ronnie Baker, 27, is a 2-time winner of the Pre Classic 100. He lowered his PR twice this year to his current 9.83 at the Tokyo Olympics in finishing 5th. Baker has run sub-10 eight times this year with legal wind.
Isiah Young, 31, lowered his career-best to 9.89. He was 4th in the 200 at the U.S. Trials in June.
Michael Norman is the youngest in the field at 23. He is the reigning Diamond League winner in the 400 who stretched out to 9.86 for the century in 2020 topping the yearly world list.
Justin Gatlin is 39 years old and made the U.S. Olympic Trials final for the fourth time. The 2004 Olympic gold medalist clocked 9.98 this year and owns the Pre Classic all-conditions best with a wind-aided 9.76 in 2014, one of his five wins in this event (and six including the 200).
Cravon Gillespie, 25, owned the Oregon school record at 9.93 from 2019. He lost that this year but still owns the Duck best in the 200 at 19.93.
Complete 2021 Prefontaine Classic – Diamond League meeting field
Men’s 100 Meters | Personal Best | |
Justin Gatlin (USA) | 9.74 | |
Trayvon Bromell (USA) | 9.77 | |
Ronnie Baker (USA) | 9.83 | |
Fred Kerley (USA) | 9.84 | |
Akani Simbine (South Africa) | 9.84 | |
Michael Norman (USA) | 9.86 | |
Andre De Grasse (Canada) | 9.89 | |
Isiah Young (USA) | 9.89 | |
Cravon Gillespie (USA) | 9.93 |
Tickets for the 46th edition of the Prefontaine Classic, to be held August 20-21 at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore., are available at GoDucks.com.