EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — This was shaping up to be the Cooper Lutkenhaus Show. The 17-year-old phenom was leading the 800 meters with the finish line just around the corner.
That's when Brandon Miller made his move and stole not only the win but the show. Miller finished in 1 minute, 43.68 seconds to hold off Lutkenhaus during the Prefontaine Classic at Hayward Field on Friday night.
“He’s an amazing competitor. Everything he does, it makes me so excited because it pushes me to be better,” the 24-year-old Miller said about Lutkenhaus on the Peacock broadcast. “At the end of the day, I’m out here competing with the best and he’s one of them.”
The theme of the night was close finishes. Wilma Nielsen held off Juliette Whittaker by 0.18 seconds to win the 1,500. In the men's mile, Liam Murphy used a lean at the finish line to narrowly edge Stefan Nillessen by 0.01 seconds.
The men's two-mile race, though, was all Parker Wolfe as he powered down the home stretch.
A pair of reigning Olympic champions earned wins Friday with Valarie Sion taking the women's discus and Ethan Katzberg capturing the hammer throw. The women's pole vault saw Sandi Morris edge fellow American Katie Moon.
Dejanea Oakley added a Prefontaine win in the 400 at Hayward Field to the title she won on the same track while running for the University of Georgia last month at the NCAA outdoor track and field championships.
In between, though, she had a dental procedure in which four teeth were extracted. Oakley said she was proud of herself for keeping her fitness despite taking some time off to heal.
Women's 100 showdown
Reigning 100 and 200 world champion Melissa Jefferson-Wooden is easing into this season. She's only raced in two individual events so far heading into a stacked 100 on Saturday. Scheduled to be in the field with her will be fellow American Sha’Carri Richardson, Jamaican twins Tia and Tina Clayton and another powerful Jamaican in Shericka Jackson. There will be heats and those who advance will race again about two hours later.
Jefferson-Wooden won the Pre event last season, while Richardson was victorious in 2024.
“My goal is to execute. That’s always been my goal,” Jefferson-Wooden said. “That's the thing that has gotten me to where I am today.”
Men's 100 showdown
Kenny Bednarek and Noah Lyles had a spicy competition in the 200 last August, leading to a shoving and shouting match after they crossed the finish line of a hotly contested race won by Lyles at the U.S. championships in Eugene.
Lyles and Bednarek then finished 1-2 at the worlds a month later. Lyles won't be in the field Saturday for the 100, but Bednarek will be on the starting line at Hayward Field along with reigning world champion Oblique Seville of Jamaica.
“I’m expecting big things this year, especially in the 100,” Bednarek said.
Other 2024 Paris Games champions slated to compete Saturday include Cole Hocker (1,500 Olympic champion) in the men's Bowerman mile, Faith Kipyegon (1,500) in the women's mile, Camryn Rogers (hammer), Rojé Stona (discus), Tara Davis-Woodhall (long jump), Winfred Yavi (steeplechase), Masai Russell (100 hurdles), Keely Hodgkinson (800) and Letsile Tebogo (200).
In the men's 110 hurdles, there's Ja’Kobe Tharp, the standout from Auburn who broke the world record in the event at the NCAA championships last month.
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AP Summer Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games
The Associated Press
