Odyssey to Oregon

2022 ODYSSEY TO OREGON

W e think of the as a happy hunting ground for Jamaican athletes over the years. Though the island won more than its share of US‐based NCAA champions since the Second World War, those triumphs did not translate into top finishes at the University of Oregon’s Hayward Field. Not, anyhow, until the 21st century and the golden age of Jamaican athletics, when their athletes grabbed the bouquet on a more regular basis. Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Oregon The event began in 1973 as the Hayward Restoration meet, a fund‐raising vehicle aimed at replacing the old wooden grandstand structure at the Oregon Ducks’ track stadium. Just before the annual renewal was scheduled to be upgraded to the Bowerman Classic as of June 7, 1975, however, Oregon’s star Olympian Steve Prefontaine was killed in an auto accident at the end of May, inspiring the name change to the Prefontaine Classic staged eight days later. There was spectacular success for Jamaica at the very start. At the height of the rivalry between Don Quarrie and American Steve Williams, the two would clash over a sprint double at the first “Pre” Classic on June 7, 1975. First, as he would do so many times over his career, Williams was able to start modestly and reel in the field to win the 100 yards in 9.1 seconds – just .1 off the world Jamaicans at Hayward Field MICHAEL A. GRANT

Rivals for a decade, Jamaica’s Don Quarrie and the USA’s Steve Williams fought legendary battles over 100 and 200 meters, including a clash at the first Prefontaine Classic. Here, they race in Milan in 1975.

record – edging DQ in the process. Later, the pair locked horns again, this time over 220 yards. Uncharacteristically, San Diego Track Club’s Williams was slightly ahead of Quarrie coming off the curve, the stage of the race where the Jamaican 200‐meter world‐ record holder had built such an enviable reputation. At well over six feet, the long‐limbed Williams expected his longer stride to get him home and wrap up the sprint double, but Quarrie had other ideas. “I was leading the whole time,” Williams remembers, “getting into the rhythm of running under 20 seconds. I feel like I’m a foot from the line and boom! I kinda hooked my foot. Then all I saw

was the top of Don’s head going through!” The diminutive Jamaican had caught Williams at the line to win, with both sprinters timed at 19.9 seconds for a new world record. Though Jamaican men got the glory started in the Great Northwest, wins at Prefontaine were strangely hard to come by, though there were many creditable performances through the years. In a stacked 1996 100‐ meter final, Ray Stewart could only manage 10.32 for sixth while challenging the winner, Jon Drummond, Leroy Burrell and Maurice Greene. James Beckford leapt 8.24 meters to win the long jump the following year; Roxbert Martin (45.29) and Gregory Haughton (45.48) were