Prefontaine Classic 2 mile entries

Eugene, Oregon--In this corner, standing 5-8 3/4 and weighing 134 pounds (1.75/61) World 1500 and 5000 Champion Bernard "Kip" Lagat of the United States. In the other corner, standing 6-2 and weighing 157 pounds (1.88/71), Prefontaine Classic 2-Mile recordholder Craig "Buster" Mottram of Australia. The distance is 8 laps, and there is only one winner. At last year's Prefontaine Classic, the tall Aussie put on a devastating kick to record the fastest 2-Mile ever on American soil, 8:03.50. He returns to Hayward Field on June 8 to face 2007 double World Champ Lagat, who became the first American ever to win golds at 1500 and 5000 meters in the same Worlds. Refereeing this match could fall to Kenya's Paul Koech, ranked No. 1 in the world in the 3000-meter Steeplechase last year by Track & Field News.
Tickets for the Prefontaine Classic are on sale online at goducks.com, from 1-800-WEBFOOT, and in person at the Casanova Center Ticket Office.

2-MILE (MEN)
*Bernard Lagat
*Craig Mottram (Australia)
*Paul Koech (Kenya)
*Dathan Ritzenhein
*Chris Solinksy
*Adam Goucher
*Jonathan Riley
*Ed Moran
*Collis Birmingham (Australia)

Men's Mile

Eugene, Oregon--At last year's Prefontaine Classic, Daniel K. Komen of Kenya electrified a sold-out crowd by running the fastest-ever mile on American soil, 3:48.28. Komen returns for the Bowerman Mile on June 8th, but without the distinction of having run the fastest mile of the year in 2007. That goes to Alan Webb, whose American Record 3:46.91 in Europe fulfilled the promise he displayed back in 2001, when he broke Jim Ryun's venerable high school mark at the Pre Classic.
Komen and Webb are just two of the athletes in a field that could look very much like an Olympic final. Consider: Rachid Ramzi, the 2005 World Championships gold medalist and 2007 silver medalist; Alex Kipchirchir, ranked No. 1 in the Mile in 2006 by Track & Field News magazine; Tarek Boukensa, ranked No. 3 in the world in 2007 by T&FN; Mehdi Bala, ranked No. 4 in the world last year; Shadrack Korir, ranked No. 7; and Asbel Kiprop, ranked No. 9. Combined with Komen's No. 1 ranking, Ramzi's No. 5, and Webb's No. 6, that means the Bowerman Mile will have the No. 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 9 ranked milers from last year. And where's No. 2, Bernard Lagat? He's in the Pre Classic 2-Mile!

MILE (MEN)
*Alan Webb
*Daniel K. Komen (Kenya)
*Rashid Ramzi (Bahrain)
*Shedrack Korir (Kenya)
*Alex Kipchirchir (Kenya)
*Matt Tegenkamp
*Asbel Kiprop (Kenya)
*Tarek Boukensa (Algeria)
*Lopez Lomong
*Belal Mansour (France)
*Antar Zerguelaine (Algeria)
*Kevin Sullivan (Canada)