EUGENE, Oregon (Sept. 15) — As the Wanda Diamond League prepares to wrap up its 2023 season at the iconic Hayward Field this weekend, all eyes are on the women’s 100m race at the 2023 Prefontaine Classic. With a star-studded lineup featuring world champions and Olympic gold medalists, the stakes couldn’t be higher.
Diamond trophies and a $30,000 top prize await the winners in the 32 finals scheduled for September 16-17, and the likes of Sha’Carri Richardson, Shericka Jackson, and Elaine Thompson-Herah are certainly eyeing the top prize.
Read more: Start lists, live results, stream: 2023 Prefontaine Classic Wanda Diamond League Final
Richardson vs Jackson vs Thompson-Herah in Saturday’s Sprint Spectacle
The women’s 100m showdown is among the first 15 finals slated for Saturday’s first day of competition at the 2023 Prefontaine Classic. Live broadcast of this race will be on NBC and Peacock TV for the United States viewers, while the Wanda Diamond League YouTube channel will provide worldwide coverage for free.
Among them is the much-anticipated women’s 100m race, where world champion Sha’Carri Richardson of the United States is set to face off against world 200m champion Shericka Jackson of Jamaica and two-time Olympic sprint double champion Elaine Thompson-Herah, also of Jamaica.
Sha’Carri Richardson’s Dominance in 2023
Richardson has been in scintillating form this season, winning all three of her 100m duels against Jackson. She has lost only one 100m race this year to collegiate star Julien Alfred of St. Lucia, and is expected to capitalize on Eugene’s favorable sprint conditions, which she knows very well.
Richardson season’s best and personal best both stand at an impressive 10.65 seconds, a time she shares with Jackson.
Elaine Thompson-Herath A Big Threat?
Back-to-back Olympic 100m and 200m sprint double champion Elaine Thompson-Herah, holder of the Hayward Field stadium record at 10.54 seconds, is not to be discounted. The Jamaican has visibly shaken off her early season problems and is returning to her best form of the year.
After failing to make the Jamaican individual sprint team at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest last month, Thompson-Herah is certainly heading to her best form again and is coming off a season-best performance of 10.84 seconds. She is considered by many to be a serious challenge to the frontrunners.
Meanwhile, Marie-Josée Ta Lou of the Ivory Coast, a world finalist, has also been in excellent form this season, clocking a season-best of 10.75 seconds. She remains a contender for the top podium spot as well.
The field is rounded out by athletes who have all clocked personal bests under 11 seconds. Great Britain’s Imani Lansiquot, although having the slowest personal best in the lineup at 10.99 seconds, recently finished second to Thompson-Herah in Bellinzona on September 4 and is certainly buzzing about improving that time this weekend.
Other 2023 Prefontaine Classic Women’s 100m Contenders
Dina Asher-Smith, the European and Great Britain champion, and Twanisha Terry of the United States are also set to compete, making this one of the most competitive 100m women’s races in recent memory.
With such a high-caliber field, Saturday’s 100m women’s dash at the 2023 Diamond League final promises to be a race for the ages, as some of the world’s fastest women vie for glory and a hefty cash prize!
Prefontaine Classic 100m Women’s start list for September 16:
| Athlete’s Name | Nationality | Season’s Best (SB) | Personal Best (PB) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dina Asher-Smith | Great Britain | 10.85 | 10.83 |
| Zoe Hobbs | New Zealand | 10.96 | 10.96 |
| Shericka Jackson | Jamaica | 10.65 | 10.65 |
| Imani Lansiquot | Great Britain | 10.99 | 10.99 |
| Natasha Morrison | Jamaica | 10.95 | 10.87 |
| Sha’Carri Richardson | United States | 10.65 | 10.65 |
| Marie-Josée Ta Lou | Ivory Coast | 10.75 | 10.72 |
| Twanisha Terry | United States | 10.99 | 10.82 |
| Elaine Thompson-Herah | Jamaica | 10.84 | 10.54 |
