Camas High School senior Alexa Efraimson was seventh in the 1,500 meters Saturday at the Prefontaine Classic at the University of Oregon’s Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore.
Her time of 4 minutes, 3.39 seconds set a new American juinor record with a personal best of more than three seconds. Her time takes six seconds off her previous world junior leading time for 2015.
The previous record of 4:04.62 was set by Mary Cain in 2013.
Jenny Simpson won the event in 4:00.98.
Vancouver’s Kara Winger was second in the women’s javelin with a mark of 206 feet, 2 inches. The former Kara Patterson, the U.S. record holder and a two-time Olympian, is a Skyview High School graduate. Germany’s Christina Obergfoll won at 206-11.
Kirani James won the 400 meters, pulling away from a strong field. James, the 2012 Olympic champion from Grenada, and American rival LeShawn Merritt ran side by side on the final curve before James turned it on, finishing in a world-best 43.95 seconds, two-hundredths of a second faster than the time he and Merritt ran at the meet this year.
James won that race as well and holds a 9-5 edge against Merritt.
Merritt, the 2008 400 Olympic champion, was bothered by a knee injury in February and March that limited his training.
American Justin Gatlin showed that he’s not done at age 32. He won the 200 in 19.68, matching his lifetime best to break the Hayward Field record. It was the fastest time in the world this year.
“I’m very proud of that, to be able to come out here and run with these young guys,” Gatlin said. “I think age is nothing but a number.”
Tyson Gay won the 100 in 9.88, ahead of fellow American Michael Rodgers (9.90).
Gay, whose doping case led to the 2012 U.S. men’s 400 relay team being stripped of its Olympic silver medals, accepted a one-year ban in 2014.
France’s Renaud Lavillenie, the pole vault world record holder, had the best mark ever in the United States at 19-10¼. Ayanleh Souleiman of Djibouti won the Bowerman Mile in 3:51.10, edging American Matthew Centrowitz (3:51.20). Three-time 3,000 steeplechase world champion Ezekiel Kemboi of Kenya won in 8:01.71.
Allyson Felix moved up in distance to win the women’s 400 in 50.05. Fellow American and four-time Olympic champion Sanya Richards-Ross was second in 50.29. Jamaica’s Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce won the women’s 100 in 10.81.
Theisen-Eaton leads Hypo meet heptathlon
Brianne Theisen-Eaton of Canada tops the women’s heptathlon standings after four events on the opening day of the Hypo Meeting in Goetzis, Austria, while Germany’s Kai Kazmirek leads the decathlon.
Theisen-Eaton, a former University of Oregon star, won the Hypo title in 2013.
Jeremy Taiwo of the United States is second in the decathlon. Olympic and world decathlon champion Ashton Eaton, Theisen-Eaton’s husband and also a former UO star, pulled out citing lower back problems.
Shortly before the start of the IAAF World Combined Events Challenge event in the Austrian Alps, Eaton appeared on the field casually dressed and informed spectators he injured himself during shot put practice this week.
