World Athletics Championships: Meet 27 Oregon, SW Washington athletes to watch at Oregon22

More than two dozen athletes with ties to Oregon and southwest Washington have qualified to compete in the World Athletics Championships Oregon22, which run July 15-24 at Hayward Field in Eugene.

From the sprints to the marathon and the race walks, from the javelin to the shot put, these track and field athletes will be among the 2,000 athletes from about 200 countries set to take part in the first world championships meet in the United States.

Here are some things to know about each of the 27 athletes with ties to Oregon and southwest Washington who are headed to Oregon22. All athletes listed are on Team USA unless otherwise noted.

Mohammed Ahmed, men’s 5,000, 10,000 (Canada): Ahmed joined the Portland-based Bowerman Track Club in 2014 and has found world-class success at both 5,000 and 10,000 meters. He holds the Canada record at both distances, won the silver medal in the 5,000 last year at the Tokyo Olympics and also won the bronze in the 5,000 at the 2019 world championships. Although he missed the recent Canadian championships, Ahmed, 31, plans to race in both the 5,000 and 10,000 at Oregon22.

Devon Allen, men’s 110 hurdles: A former two-sport star for the Oregon Ducks, Allen is focusing on finishing out this track season before he joins up with the NFL’s Philadelphia Eagles, who signed him this spring. Allen, 27, is a two-time Olympian but is still looking for his first top-three finish at an Olympics or world championships. He ran a personal-best 12.84 seconds in the 110 hurdles in New York last month, then narrowly earned a spot on Team USA for worlds by finishing third at the national championships in 13.09. Allen enters Oregon22 with a heavy heart after his father, Louis Allen Jr., died the weekend of the USA championships.

Nijel Amos, men’s 800 (Botswana): It’s been 10 years since Amos delivered Botswana its first Olympic medal by earning the silver in London with a time of 1:41.73. That remains tied for the third-fastest time ever, but that day it was nearly a second behind David Rudisha’s world-record time of 1:40.91. Amos, 28, has trained with Oregon Track Club Elite in Eugene since 2016. His top time this season is 1:44.92.

Donavan Brazier, men’s 800: Brazier is the reigning world champion in the 800, but it’s not clear whether he is totally healthy heading into the world championships. Brazier has been dealing with a foot injury and the 25-year-old who trains with Union Athletics Club in Portland has raced only twice this outdoor season. Brazier did win his first-round heat at the USA championships in 1:46.49, but he sat out the rest of the competition because his 2019 victory at worlds in Doha gave him a bye into this year’s world championships.

Stephanie Casey, women’s 35k race walk: Casey, 38, of Portland clocked a personal best of 3 hours, 1 minute, 55 seconds to place second at the U.S. championships in the 35-kilometer race walk in January. It was the second consecutive runner-up finish at nationals for Casey, who also was fourth in the 20k race walk at last year’s Olympic trials. Her current world ranking at the 35k distance is No. 59.

Elise Cranny, women’s 5,000: Cranny, who trains in Portland with the Bowerman Track Club, showed off a powerful kick on the final lap to win the women’s 5,000 at the USA Track & Field Outdoor Championships last month at Hayward Field. Cranny, 26, is the American record-holder indoors in the 5,000, clocking 14 minutes, 33.17 seconds in February. She placed 13th in the 5,000 at the Tokyo Olympics.

Ryan Crouser, men’s shot put: Crouser has dominated this event for the past couple of years. He already holds the world record of 76 feet, 8 1/4 inches. He’s a two-time Olympic gold medalist (2016, 2021). But he doesn’t own a gold from the outdoor world championships, having finished second to Joe Kovacs by a fraction of an inch in 2019. Crouser, 29, grew up in Oregon, starred at Gresham’s Barlow High School and has competed many times at Hayward Field. Now he has the opportunity to add a world championships gold to his long list of accomplishments, and do so in front of family and friends at Hayward.

Grant Fisher, men’s 5,000, 10,000: Fisher burst onto the world scene in 2021, finishing fifth in the 10,000 meters and ninth in the 5,000 at the Tokyo Olympics. The 25-year-old who trains with the Bowerman Track Club has kept it rolling in 2022. He set the U.S. record in the indoor 5,000 in February by clocking 12:53.73 and a month later broke the national record in the outdoor 10,000 with a time of 26:33.84. He could be a factor in both events at Oregon22 after placing second in the USA 10,000 championship and winning the U.S. title in the 5,000.

Courtney Frerichs, women’s 3,000 steeplechase: Frerichs, 29, is the American record-holder and the 2021 Olympic silver medalist in the steeplechase. Frerichs, who trains with the Bowerman Track Club, also was runner-up in the event at the 2017 world championships before finishing sixth at worlds in 2019. If she can match the 8:57.77 she ran at the Prefontaine Classic last year, when she set the American record, Frerichs would figure to have a good chance to be in the mix for a medal.

Johnny Gregorek, men’s 1,500: Gregorek ran for the Oregon Ducks in 2015 and was a finalist in the 1,500 at the 2017 world championships in London. In May 2020, he ran a mile in 4:06.25, which might not be impressive except that he did it while wearing blue jeans. Gregorek, 30, landed on the U.S. team for Oregon22 despite finishing sixth in the 1,500 at the USA championships last month. That’s because Gregorek had achieved the world standard of 3:35.00 within the past year — running 3:34.49 in July 2021 — while the second-place finisher, Illinois’ Jonathan Davis, had not.

Jessica Hull, women’s 1,500 (Australia): Hull, 25, ran for the Oregon Ducks before turning pro in 2019, and now she trains with the Portland-based Union Athletics Club. An Olympic finalist in Tokyo last year, Hull recently set the Australian record in the mile as part of her tuneup for the world championships.

Emmanuel Ihemeje, men’s triple jump (Italy): The Oregon Ducks jumper was the NCAA runner-up last month with a leap of 55-10½. Ihemeje, 23, followed that up with a best jump of 55-2 at the Italian championships to place third. To be a factor at worlds, Ihemeje almost certainly would need to improve on his personal best of 56-2¾.

Evan Jager, men’s 3,000 steeplechase: Jager, 33, trains in Portland with Bowerman Track Club and is the 2016 Olympic silver medalist and the 2017 world championships bronze medalist. A veteran who has won seven U.S. titles in the steeplechase, Jager emerged from three injury-plagued years to place second at last month’s USA championships. It’s unclear whether Jager will have the speed to contend for a medal at Oregon22, but he certainly brings the racing experience.

Alaysha Johnson, women’s 100 hurdles: Johnson posted a personal-best time of 12.35 seconds in the 100 hurdles at the USA championships, finishing second and just behind Keni Harrison, whose 12.34 is the fastest in the world this year. A former Oregon Ducks standout, Johnson also ran 12.40 and 12.41 in June, so the 25-year-old enters Oregon22 in top form.

Sinclaire Johnson, women’s 1,500: Johnson, 24, has enjoyed a breakout season after dealing with a hip injury last year. Nine months after joining Union Athletics Club last August and then rehabbing the injury, Johnson clocked a personal-best 3:58.85 to take fourth in a Prefontaine Classic 1,500 field that featured eight Olympic finalists. Then Johnson held off Cory McGee and Elle St. Pierre a month later to win the U.S. title.

Woody Kincaid, men’s 5,000: Kincaid would have loved to be alongside his Bowerman Track Club teammate Grant Fisher in both the 5,000 and 10,000 at the world championships, but a sharp pain in his side knocked Kincaid out of the U.S. 10,000-meter championship race about two-thirds of the way into it. Kincaid, a former University of Portland star, got some redemption by using a powerful kick on the final lap of the 5,000 at the USA championships to finish second to Fisher. The 29-year-old has closing speed that few can match.

Kyree King, men’s 4×100 relay pool: A former sprinter for the Oregon Ducks, King advanced to the finals at the USA championships in both the 100 and 200 meters but didn’t nab a spot on Team USA in either event. King, 27, finished sixth in the 100 in a personal-best 9.96 seconds and seventh in the 200 in 20.19. Still, King gets to return to Hayward and a track he knows well from his time with the Ducks as part of the 4×100 relay pool.

Sean McGorty, men’s 10,000: After placing seventh in the steeplechase at last year’s Olympic trials, McGorty has shifted this season to the 5,000 and 10,000 and has found a groove at the longer distance. McGorty, 27, who trains with the Bowerman Track Club, finished sixth at the USA championships in the 5,000 but set a PR in the 10,000 in March and then crossed third in the 10,000 at USAs to earn his spot in the world championships.

Dan Nehnevaj, men’s 20k race walk: Nehnevaj, who prepped at Columbia River High School and attended Clark College in Vancouver, posted a personal-best time of 1:23:10 in the 20-kilometer race walk in April. Later that month, the 25-year-old finished third at the U.S. championships in New York. He holds a world ranking of No. 99.

Kemba Nelson, women’s 100, 4×100 relay (Jamaica): She’s not the biggest name on a Jamaican team loaded with top sprinters Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Shericka Jackson and Elaine Thompson-Herah. But Nelson, 22, will bring plenty of speed to her home track. The Oregon Ducks star and NCAA runner-up in the 100 ran a personal-best 10.88 to finish second in Jamaica’s qualifying meet for the world championships. Nelson also is in Jamaica’s 4×100 relay pool.

Jenna Prandini, women’s 200: Prandini, 29, is a two-time Olympian and former Oregon Ducks star. She owns silver medals as part of the U.S. 4×100 relay team at both the 2015 world championships and last year’s Tokyo Olympics. Although Prandini runs both the 100 and 200, the 200 has been her stronger event. Prandini’s PR of 21.89 seconds came at the Olympic trials last year, but she couldn’t crack 22 seconds in Tokyo and did not advance to the 200 final there. She holds a No. 15 world ranking in the 200 and heads to the world championships after finishing third at the USA championships in a season best of 22.01.

Raevyn Rogers, women’s 800: Rogers is a former Oregon Ducks star who now trains with Union Athletics Club. She should be among the top contenders in the 800, though the favorite is USA teammate Athing Mu, 20. Rogers, 25, ran a personal-best 1 minute, 56.81 seconds to earn the bronze medal at last year’s Tokyo Olympics, and she also was the silver medalist in the 2019 world championships. Rogers has a ferocious finishing kick, which she showed off down the home straight of the Olympic final and once again at last month’s USA championships.

Galen Rupp, men’s marathon: The former Oregon Ducks and Central Catholic High School star ranks among the world’s top marathoners, with Rupp’s most recent marathon coming last October in Chicago, where he finished second. Rupp, 36, owns an Olympic silver medal in the 10,000 meters (2012) and a bronze in the marathon (2016). Oregon22 offers Rupp the chance to run a major marathon in front of Northwest fans, some of whom have been watching him for two decades.

Karissa Schweizer, women’s 5,000, 10,000: Schweizer, 26, trains with the Portland-based Bowerman Track Club and has established herself as one of the nation’s top distance runners. She won this year’s U.S. title in the 10,000 meters and finished second to BTC teammate Elise Cranny in the 5,000. Schweizer also narrowly missed qualifying for the World Athletics Championships in the 1,500, finishing fourth in that event at the USA championships. At the Tokyo Olympics last year, Schweizer finished 11th in the 5,000 and 12th in the 10,000.

Cooper Teare, men’s 1,500: A former Ducks star, Teare, 22, turned pro last year and still trains with UO distance coach Ben Thomas. Teare won the 5,000-meter title at the 2021 NCAA outdoor championships. But he has shown off his speed in the 1,500 as well. At last month’s USA championships, Teare flew to the front to win a tactical 1,500 with a final lap of 51.90 seconds.

Josh Thompson, men’s 1,500: Thompson trains with the Bowerman Track Club in Portland and was a qualifier to the World Indoor Championships earlier this year. The 29-year-old displayed his finishing kick at the USATF Outdoor Championships last month. Sitting ninth with 400 meters to go, Thompson turned in the fastest final lap of the field at 51.79 to finish third and earn a spot on Team USA.

Kara Winger, women’s javelin: Winger, 36, is a four-time Olympian who is retiring at the end of this season. A graduate of Skyview High School in Vancouver, Winger summoned some “Hayward Magic” to win her ninth U.S. title last month. Already sitting in first place after five throws, Winger was looking for a world championships standard of 210 feet on her final throw. With the Hayward crowd urging her on, Winger unleashed an effort of 210-10 to win the competition and a place on Team USA for worlds.

— Joel Odom; jodom@oregonian.com