Francine Niyonsaba (left), Joshua Cheptegai (center) and Letensenbet Gidey are all chasing world records Friday night. Photo by Kevin Neri
A trio of Olympic medalists, Francine Niyonsaba, Letesenbet Gidey and Joshua Cheptegei, will chase history Friday night as the Prefontaine Classic weekend opens with an appetizer of world-record attempts to kick off the festivities.
Niyonsaba, a two-time indoor 800-meter world champion and Olympic silver medalist, will be gunning for the women’s 2-mile world record. The current record, set by Ethiopian Meseret Defar in 2007, is 8 minutes, 58.58 seconds, just over three seconds faster than Niyonsaba’s personal best.
Niyonsaba, who formerly competed for Eugene-based OTC Elite, is no stranger to Hayward Field.
“I’ve been training here in Eugene, so to be here — I feel I’m home,” said Niyonsaba. “I’m really happy to be here.”
Gidey, who originally planned to challenge the women’s one-hour world record, has her eyes set on her own 5,000-meter world record. The 24-year-old Ethiopian has a laundry list of accolades already, including two other world records. At last year’s event, Gidey finished runner-up behind Niyonsaba in the two-mile.
The weather conditions are Gidey’s sole concern as she tries to break the record she set in 2020 with a time of 14:06.62. The weather will dictate her strategy.
“For tomorrow, I did my training, I prepared very well, and I’m in good shape,” said Gidey. “If the weather condition is good, I will decide with my coach.”
Cheptegei, of Uganda, is in a similar situation as Gidey, as the 5,000 meter record he seeks to break is his own. He captured the record in 2020, running 12:35.36 in Monaco. The 10,000-meter Olympic champion in Tokyo has a long history with Hayward Field, dating back to 2014 when he was crowned world junior champion.
“I came here as a teenager,” said Cheptegei. “I can be proud to say that Oregon and Eugene will always hold a special place in my heart.”
The weather concerns Cheptegei, but he understands that a considerable amount of variables come into play when looking to break records.
“There are a lot of things you put into comparison,” said Cheptegei. “There has to be a lot of things that have to come into play… let’s hope and let’s pray we have the best weather.”
