Olympic champ Tebogo wins 200m at Prefontaine Classic, Jereem places 5th

REIGNING men’s 200-metre Olympic champion Letsile Tebogo had a statement performance in the men’s 200m at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Oregon, on July 5 when he won in a world-leading time of 19.76 seconds.

Having come into the race with a season’s best time of 20.10, Tebogo left a quality field in his wake in what was the ninth Diamond League meeting of the season. Running out of lane seven, Tebogo had a strong start to the race and quickly made up ground on TT ace Jereem Richards, who ran out of lane eight. As he got into the straightaway, Tebogo was a mark of focus and composure as he held firm to cross the line first ahead of USA’s Courtney Lindsey, who clocked a season’s best time of 19.87.

Dominican Republic’s Alexander Ogando, who finished outside of the medals at last year’s 200m Olympic final, was third in 19.94. USA’s Robert Gregory was fourth in a season’s best time of 20.04, with Richards finishing strongly to claim fifth spot in 20.23 – well behind his season’s best of 19.86. Jamaica’s Bryan Levell placed sixth in 20.25.

Earlier, in an in invitational women’s 100m event, Richards’ TT compatriot Leah Bertrand placed sixth in 11.15. The invitational 100m was won by the USA’s Jacious Sears in 10.85, with Aleia Hobbs (10.90) and Thelma Davies (10.96) finishing second and third, respectively. Bertrand did finish ahead of a couple of notable opponents, as the Jamaican pair of Alana Reid (11.34) and Briana Williams (11.37) brought up the rear in the field as they finished eighth and ninth, respectively.

In the women’s 100m event, which fell under the Diamond League banner, reigning Olympic champ Julien Alfred had to settle for second as she was just edged out by USA’s Melissa Jefferson-Wooden. Running side by side in lanes four and five, Jefferson-Wooden and Alfred had an almighty battle in the middle of the track, but the former just surged ahead in the final few metres to win in 10.75. Alfred clocked 10.77, with veteran sprinter Marie-Josee Ta Lou-Smith third in a season’s best of 10.90. Fresh from her 100m victory at the Jamaica National Athletics Championships on June 27, Tina Clayton placed fourth in 11.02.

Sha’Carri Richardson, the women’s 100m champ at the 2023 World Athletics Championships, crossed the line a disappointing ninth in 11.19. In the men’s 100m, Jamaican national champion Kishane Thompson won in a blistering 9.85, with Great Britain’s Zharnel Hughes (9.91) and USA’s Trayvon Bromell (9.94) finishing second and third, respectively.